Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2003 Honda Odyssey owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
2003 Honda Odyssey ex was tapped in the rear by a large pickup truck while waiting at a stop light, creasing the lift gate and slightly puncturing the bumper cover. Jeff's body shop in chester md is the repair shop. Upon removing the rear bumper cover, they discovered the steel frame to be severely rusted, with over half of the bottom of the beam missing. There was no damage to the steel frame member from the accident. Had this been a more serious collision, the beam could have seriously failed at its intended purpose. This van was garage kept from 2003-2010, well cared for and generally not driven when it snowed and roads salted, and in temperate maryland the entire time. The repair shop will be cutting out and welding in a new frame member. Photos of the rusted part are available upon request. I've also asked the body shop to save the part for inspection.
We live in minneapolis, we drove the car to houston on 5/112017. Our car was in a crash it hit the front car and it was completely damaged in the front and has been totalled. The airbags did not deploy when the car was in an accident and my wife sitting in the passenger seat , though was wearing the seat belt hit in front and her chest hit the dashboard and caused immediate pain. Generally incidents like this the airbags should be deployed for the safety of the driver and passengers. The car was recalled once and the Honda dealer in white bear lake said the airbags were replaced but still they did not work.
Was driving my wife and 4 small children to decatur,al from huntsville,al to the riverwalk and out of nowhere started feeling a small shake and then very noticeable frightening full vehicle shaking which startled my family and frightened myself,I really thought we were about to have a wreck. Let off the accelerator and it started to not be so violent in the shaking,and then accelerated slightly again and there it was again,and I believe it May be the transmission. I am not a mechanic but upon doing some recent research I see that it is either failed rear or motor mounts or even the tranny what ever that means. But if it is a failed defect then they should address this because this is disturbing and unsafe to me,and my family never made it to the riverwalk. Why do we pay so much for a vehicle and then can not get any help other than funds we hardly have?
The passenger side front door glass separated from its framework/bracket and fell into the door. The vehicle was moving at the time - my daughter was driving it I believe on the highway. While we were getting the very costly repair done, another woman was there with the exact same issue - I just happened to overhear her - right after the maintenance rep informed me that he had never heard of it happening. I am submitting it now because I realize if people don't speak up, nothing will be investigated. We no longer own this vehicle and we gave all the maintenance records to the gal we sold it to. It was repaired by park Honda in akron ohio and we can only estimate the timeframe and the mileage. If needed, I could try to find old credit card statements that might narrow it down.
Tl contact owns a 2003 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that he was unable to open the front driver's door with the key. As a result, the contact had to enter the vehicle through the front passenger door. The vehicle was taken to coggin Honda jacksonville (located at 11003 atlantic blvd, jacksonville, fl 32225, [phone]) where it was diagnosed that the front driver side electronic system needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 114,000.
Both rear sliding doors on my 2003 Honda Odyssey stick so that they cannot be opened, when the ambient temperature is approximately 85 fahrenheit or above. In order to open a stuck side door, I must either have a second person push hard on the inside while I pull hard on the handle on the outside, or I must yank repeatedly on the handle. I was trying to open the door last May, 2006, when the handle broke off entirely, probably from the repeated yanking I'd done during the three years I'd had the van. I fell hard into the pavement as well as into the car parked next door, but I am more concerned that, should I have an accident, my children wouldn't be able to open the doors to free themselves. The problem seems to be with the rubber seals on the doors sticking to the metal of the body when the door is shut. …
Without much or any warning my transmission failed (the dreaded p0730 code showed up on the scanner) on my 2003 Honda Odyssey ex-l van with only 100,325 miles. The van was never abused or used to tow. Transmission was rebuilt 1.30.12 by private shop continental transmission for $1800. (torque converter blown to pieces). Honda does have limited recalls on trannys but mine was not included (only if 2nd shaft is broken & scored and burnt/ bluish color) this will documented tranny problem with 2nd generation Odyssey is very upsetting and I blame it on a poor design by Honda engineers (under sized tranny paired with a power v6 240hp heavy 4500lbs van has been a recipe for premature failure). …
Less than a week after we bought our van, the back passenger door wouldn't close properly. It was fixed prior to us buying the van. Since then we have had to get out and physically push on the door to close it. Also, had an incident where the door closed on a child's hand when it should have sensed it was there. Child was fine. New problem is we can't get drivers side sliding door to close properly. It will close and then pop open a little bit. Hubby has taken to "kicking" it in with his foot. We drive with the doors locked praying that they won't open like I have read about happening to so many folks. We bought the van because we have 3 kids but this is scary stuff. As we drive down the road there is a constant beeping sound like the door is open but it isn't lit up on the dash. I don't understand why no recall has been done to this year of Honda. …
The vehicle (2003 Honda Odyssey) has progressively been experiencing what I'll deem "electrical" issues that seem to be severely impacting the automatic sliding doors on the vehicle causing them to open while driving, not open when using the handle or button. Specifically, the automatic sliding doors will not open, will not close or partially close without fully latching. This happens regardless of using the manual door handle or the button located on the dashboard. More importantly, the automatic doors have opened while driving the vehicle with children in the back of the vehicle creating an extremely dangerous and potentially deadly situation. This has occurred approximately 6-10 times over the past year and seems to be getting more frequent. It's happened while driving on the highway, on side streets and during normal operation of the vehicle. …
My 2003 Honda Odyssey's transmission went out in fall of 2010. I am a careful driver, taken care to maintain my car according to suggested maintenance schedule. The transmission felt a little loose for a few days, and then one day on the way home from work it completely failed. I couldn't get into any gear. I called Honda and asked for help and they said my car was too old and it was normal for transmissions to fail. The mileage on my car was 134760. I had to have a complete transmission replacement at aamco for $3000. This car has had so many problems, and Honda refuses to stand behind their product. I've had the key core go bad, my drivers side rear door had been "fixed" 3 times and still won't close properly, all the paint is peeling all over the car, and Honda would only repaint portions of the car as part of the recall. …
Body complaints in other Odyssey years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 2003 Honda Odyssey?
NHTSA has 40 complaints about the body & structure of the 2003 Honda Odyssey, 4% of the model year's 914 complaints. The component named most often is body › door (20 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2003 Honda Odyssey body problems?
No. NHTSA lists no body & structure recall for the 2003 Honda Odyssey, though it has 15 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2003 Honda Odyssey body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 120,000 miles, and 23% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 5 injuries to body & structure problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.