Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2005 Honda Odyssey owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2005 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated while driving approximately 25 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power, power steering and braking functionality before the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to coast into a parking lot. The contact did not notice any warning lights being illuminated. The contact had the vehicle towed to her residence. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the drive belt needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle had become difficult to turn with the occasional recurring loss of power steering functionality. The contact related the steering failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 05V039000 (Steering). The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 190,000.
The engine VCM system is burning oil and destroying emissions systems on the vehicle. Catalytic converters are mainly affected as burned oil goes through the exhaust system. The check engine light comes on and the the engine starts to misfire and very abrupt engine vibrations make it into the cabin.
I bought the 2005 Odyssey van in 12/2015. It now has 192,426 miles on it. Three or four times every year since I bought it, the engine will suddenly surge when coming to a stop sign or light, with my right foot on the brake pedal, braking and slowing the van for the stop sign or light. The engine revs to about 5000 or 6000 RPMs. It is as if the engine is flooring the gas pedal. Every time, I have been able to push the brake pedal down hard, even though the car continues to slowly roll forward, and shove it into neutral. I have to then tap the gas pedal to stop the engine accelerating. It then goes back to idling normally. Note, it even happened to me one time when I put it into reverse while parking! So very scary each and every time it happens. On [redacted], I took the van to Don Jacobs Honda Dealership, Lexington, KY. …
Summer of 2014 my 2005 Honda Odyssey was losing power on the road to the point I had to be towed to my mechanic. Turned out I was low on oil with no leaks at all and not due for an oil change. This is very stressful on my engine. My van is only used for local travel, about 20 miles per day and I have been needing to add oil about once per month, still with no leaks. I understand there is a class action suit for Honda odysseys 2008-2013 for excessive oil burning, entering the combustion chamber and burning excessive oil at normal operating speeds and conditions. Copied from the internet, http://www.hondaproblems.com/trends/excessive-oil-consumption/ the original lawsuit claims Honda HID the problem from consumers. Honda denied the allegation, despite issuing a technical service bulletin (TSB #11-033) in July of 2011 that quietly acknowledged the problem. …
My wife had a doctor's appointment and was waiting in the office. She has parked the car in parking lot. After sometime all of a sudden car's alarm went off. All from doctor's office rushed out to parking lot to see what happened. She noticed some smoke coming out under the hood. And within seconds car caught fire and burnt. Whole front of the car burnt completely. Insurance company has called it a total loss. I'm still puzzled to figure it out why this has happened. Car was parked and engine was off. Car was maintained as per the Honda's guidelines. There were no problems or warning signs what so ever. It was running perfectly fine. Had only 76000 miles on it. And strongly believe many years of driving left in it. We were pleased with the performance of it over the years. …
On June 15, 2015 my 2005 Honda Odyssey airbag system light came on and stayed until now, I was scared due to airbag might blown out or causing any trouble while vehicle in use or worst something happen. I took my vehicle to Honda dealer on June 16, and I was told no recalls. They did some diagnose and I was told it was the seat belt buckle and wiring on driver side, the buckle was replace (free of charge), but the wiring cost $550 to have it fix. I refused the service due to no sense and not enough evidence to prove the issue. I did some research and found same issue on same vehicle that has airbag system lights on dashboard. I do believe that the dealer should address this as recall especially if the vehicle never been in accident. Please let me know if there is anything you can do to address this issue. Thanks
One morning as we were started up the engine I noticed a somewhat loud noise as is the muffler had a hole in it. I drove it for awhile and noticed at this point that the noise was heard as we accelerated and when the car went into eco mode. I had stood outside of the vehicle while my wife drove away but did not notice any noise. Thought this was strange. I took it to the Honda dealer on a recall, fuel pump, and asked for them to look under it. They reported that it was the motor mount that was worn down. I see that Honda Odyssey, 2005 (our year model) through 2007 has this problem. Is there any type of action that can be taken to have Honda repair this incident without the cost coming from me.
This accident occurred when my wife picked up my daughter from her preschool. When she drove the car going downhill, she suddenly lost control over the van and the van went down into a lake. My wife tried to stop the car but could not. The brake and steering did not work at that time. Police says that it appears that mechanical failure May have caused her to lose control of the van. We have called American Honda regarding the car problem. Their answer is because no one died, we won't inspect the van and they further stated, if you want to deal with us, find a lawyer.
Our 2005 Honda Odyssey had just been serviced by the dealership and we were on our way home. We were at a stoplight when we noticed smoke coming from the engine. We quickly drove it a short distance away from anyone, jumped out and called the fire department. The engine compartment was completely burnt/destroyed and the vehicle was written off by the insurance company. A report was made to the dealership, as well as American Honda with accompanying investigative report and photographs.the cause of the fire was undetermined but originated in the engine compartment..
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Honda Odyssey. While driving approximately 60 MPH, a loud noise was heard underneath the hood. The vehicle was pulled over onto the side of the road. The contact opened the hood and noticed a gaping hole in the engine block from where the ignition coil and spark plug blew out of the engine. The check engine indicator illuminated. The dealer was not called. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that there was no recall. The failure was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 135,000.
Engine complaints in other Odyssey years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2005 Honda Odyssey?
NHTSA has 155 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2005 Honda Odyssey, 19% of the model year's 830 complaints. The component named most often is cooling system (17 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2005 Honda Odyssey engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2005 Honda Odyssey, though it has 8 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 2005 Honda Odyssey engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 85,000 miles, and 10% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 4 fires and 0 injuries to engine & cooling 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.