Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2008 Honda Odyssey owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The problem that created the unsafe condition was unintentional spontaneous acceleration while depressing the brake to complete the stop while parking the vehicle. The vehicle 2008 Odyssey was going very slow (just made a right turn on road) in a residential area, for the house we were visiting was on the corner. We then turned another right to park in a private parking area. Immediately before coming to a complete stop, the vehicle lurches forward while the engine was revving and sounding very loud. While depressing the brake all the way down, the vehicle accelerates (lurches) forward while immediately going over a railroad tie (about 7 inches high), going up in the air (almost rolling), then striking a tree which slowed the car down. Despite depressing the brake, the Odyssey kept revving and thrusting forward even after striking the tree. …
Tl* the contact owned a 2008 Honda Odyssey. While driving 5 MPH, the vehicle unintentionally accelerated and crashed into a brick wall. The contact stated that the air bags deployed, but failed to inflate properly causing the contact to sustain serious injuries that required medical attention. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 55,000.
Vehicle affected is a 2008 Honda Odyssey. While driving various speeds, the ABS would erroneously activate and caused the vehicle to suddenly decelerate. During the failure, the vehicle stability control warning indicator illuminated. The if coming to a complete stop, auto would not go into gear when accelerator pressed. Worked better in d2, still having same issues. And reverse not working at all. Burning smell like that of rubber. Battery light was also on, had not been on before. VIN# is ([redacted]). Taking the vehicle into mckinney Honda dealership of north texas Honda group. Incident occurred on 9/18/2019, will be taken to dealer 9/19/2019 redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 U.S.c. 552(b)(6).
Vehicle was stationary, in drive with brake applied, on a city street at a red light, dry conditions. Sudden, unexpected acceleration/reving/engine surge occurred--with such force that I initially thought I'd been rear-ended. I applied pressure to brakes and put car in park. For a moment, it seemed as if the brakes failed--not sure. Surge continued for a number of seconds, then subsided. Had car towed. Mechanic could not find a problem, no evidence of event in computer history. I know I did not hit brakes and gas simultaneously, and besides, Honda says there's a built in safety device that limits surge to 30%--this was more marked. No rug pad under gas pedal either. Experienced driver with impeccable record.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that the vehicle abnormally accelerated while the brakes were depressed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer yet they were unable to duplicate the failure and the vehicle was not repaired. The failure recurred and the contact crashed into another vehicle. A police report was available. The vehicle was towed to the dealer but the dealer was again, unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer advised the contact that they were unable to assist if the dealer could not duplicate or diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 38,800 and the current mileage was 39,000.
While driving between shift change and slow down you will feel a jerking feeling or it feels like something is pulling the car back behind and pushing it at the same time, a friend who is a mechanic test drove my van and he said that the transmission is the giving up, I research about the Honda Mini van it has been notorious to have transmission problem, my van only has 108274miles on it and it is considered low mileage to his age, and it can cause an accident because of sudden jerking while running on 40mph to 60mph
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while driving at 55 MPH, the vehicle accelerated rapidly without warning. The brake pedal was depressed and failed to stop the vehicle. The contact engaged the parking brake and was able to stop the vehicle gradually. The vehicle was towed to an independent dealer where the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 160,000.
My husband, myself and my 3 children (ages 7, 4, and 1) were coming home from the phillies game at approximately 10:30 pm Saturday, September 7th, 2013. Upon entering the on ramp for a major roadway, my husband began accelerating to approximately 50 MPH. He had his foot on the gas pedal, when the van braked spontaneously. In a matter of seconds, our speed decreased from 50 to 25-30. Our seatbelts all locked as we were lunged forward. There was a car directly behind us, who had to swerve into another lane to avoid rear ending us. It was as if someone slammed on the brakes, however no one did. This happen 3 or 4 more times within a 5-7 minute time frame, so we immediately pulled over to try and figure out what was happening. I immediately googled this issue and found that there was an ongoing investigation for 2007 and 2008 odysseys for the same issue. …
Unintended acceleration has occurred six (6) times since the car was purchased new. The first three incidences took place over a four (4) year period starting about 2009 with about 25000 miles on the odometer. In each of these instances the car was entering a parking space moving forward. The brake pedal was applied and the car was almost stopped when the engine begin to race. Pressure was maintained on the brake and the engine speed returned to normal. The car was returned to the dealer for inspection after the first two (2) of these incidences but could not find the problem. In the last two years there have been three additional occurrences. In one instance the brake was applied and the car was at a complete stop at a traffic circle. Although the driver?s foot remained firmly on the brake, the engine began to rev up. …
I own a 2008 Honda Odyssey purchased in 2009. A couple of months after we purchased the brand new Mini van, the accelerator /throttle stuck as I was driving my children to school, ( the throttle kicked on somewhere between 30 & 40 MPH). The brakes were not slowing us down much at all as the engine raced ( foot was off the gas pedal) and we nearly crashed in the elementary school parking lot. ( I put the van in neutral and turned off the engine along with the emergency brake to get us to stop.) we towed the car to Honda & they had it for four days. I did not want it back ! Honda said they could not reproduce the problem and that the computer sensors didn't track the disturbance. We ended up paying out of our own pocket for a completely new computer system to be installed. ( we have the old computer part.) we reported this to Honda. …
Acceleration complaints in other Odyssey years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2008 Honda Odyssey?
NHTSA has 30 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2008 Honda Odyssey, 6% of the model year's 499 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2008 Honda Odyssey acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2008 Honda Odyssey, though it has 4 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 2008 Honda Odyssey acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 56,000 miles, and 18% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 4 crashes, 0 fires and 5 injuries to speed control & acceleration 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.