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 2009 Honda Odyssey owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2009 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that the front passenger's side door failed to open. The contact's handicapped wife was trapped in the vehicle. The contact had to remove the door handle to unlock the door. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 231,438.
Passenger side slider won't shut, Driver's side slider won't latch. Driver side door suddenly opens when driving!!!! Honda dealer Tech found worn bushing on passenger side center rollers, faulty, driver side, sliding door rear latch, passenger side, outer handle cable popped out. Check installed cable for passenger side outer handle recommended replaced driver side sliding door rear latch assembly estimated $930. Also recommended latch passenger side center rollers estimated 485.
My Honda Odyssey caught fire on May 13, 2018. There was no accident involved. The car just burned itself. The car suddenly stopped in the middle of the road when I was driving at 30 miles per hour at local road. And started to shake. Smoke came out under the engine cover, I opened the engine cover, flame came out as high as 6-8 feet. It was so dangerous. I called the police. Before the fire truck came, some pass by driver throw me some bottle waters. I was able to put down the fire. The car was damaged by the fire. We bought the car new in 2009 from Honda dealer. We always did car maintenance per Honda's requirements at the Honda dealership. No any negligence by owner. We hired a professional car inspector. He found out the fire was caused by the electronic wires connected the alternator. They were the original Honda wires. The car inspection report is attached for your review. …
Vehicle had charging system light go on (battery light). Battery was not charging and there was a noise near the alternator. Next day, light goes off, battery is charging now, no noise. Two days and 40 miles later, no other lights and no other noise. Vehicle enters highway, makes it about 3 miles when the cruise control shuts off. All lights on the dash come on and shut off. Driver pulls over, starts to see smoke coming out from under the hood. Keeps hood shut and waits for emergency services to arrive on scene. Engine goes up in flames, all seats are burned up, windows blown out, front tires melt. Total loss.
I have a problem with the drivers side door that I believe is a dangerous safety issue.the drivers door has a problem with the actuator, which controls the automated locking and unlocking of the door. The actuator is defective and no longer works. As a direct result, the door (and all of the remaining doors in the vehicle) will no longer automatically unlock. In the event of an emergency, the door latch to open and exit the car immediately will not work. The door knob must be manually lifted; this is the only way to unlock the door. Prior to this issue, the vehicle door swould automatically unlock when the car was placed in park position and then locked when the car was moved out of park (either reverse, neutral or drive). I have been told that this is a $400 repair to replace the arm actuator. …
The power sliding door on the driver side fell off. The door was sticking and would not slide closed, so I turned off the power to the door. When I tried to manually close the door, the door pulled off the track. I could not get the door back on the track. I tried to manually close the door, but because the door had been pulled off the track, the brace completely scratched up the door and bent up the panel that covers the track on which the brace for the door slides. I needed to take the vehicle to the body shop to replace the brace. I am spending hundreds and hundreds of $$ because the door fell off. There are many posts about similar problems with Honda odysseys. The faulty sliding mechanism appears to be a manufacturing problem. It's ridiculous that I need to repair a door because it has worn out. …
My tailgate support struts failed in 2012. They were subject to a recall and were replaced. They have now failed again in the same manner. I had to replace them again 2/12/2015 at a cost of $!56.31. Just as when they were recalled, the struts stopped supporting the weight of the door so that when it opens, it suddenly comes down again. It has hit me in the head as I reached into the rear to grab a bag. Even when you open it manually, the struts cannot hold the door open and it slumps down about halfway open. This is the exact same issue that caused the struts to be recalled in 2012. This is a design defect in the 2009 Honda Odyssey and Honda should pay for any repairs.
Power lift gate failed while trunk was opening; I pressed the trunk button on the inside of the car and the lift gate began to open as usual. My 10 year old child was putting baseball gear in trunk and the lift gate beeped twice as it was trying to fully open but could not. It then beeped continuously as it lowered. My son was able to get out of the way. Now the lift gate will not stay propped open and it is very difficult to open manually. I will take vehicle to Honda dealer Monday but it does not appear my VIN is included in the recall for the struts in the power lift gate.
The car was off and the daytime running lights started coming on which was draining the battery. Different lights started to illuminate on the dashboard with the car off. The vsa light came on. Took it to a couple of different shops to get it diagnosed and they determined that the cabin wire harness is corroded due to a leak in the roof run channels and or windshield. The under the dash fuse box is also showing corrosion and needs replacing. The vehicle only has 64000 miles and the repair is quoted at $3465. A very costly repair which seems is due to faulty manufacturing or assembly.
We own a 2009 Honda Odyssey that recently experienced failed gas struts in the hatch.the car was parked & I was loading groceries into it when the rear liftgate came crashing down - I was lucky enough to jump out ofthe way in time or could have been seriously hurt.. There is a recall for the 2009 Odyssey for the exact same failure mode, but only for the motorized hatch. (ours is not motorized). I would like you to look into the possibility of having Honda increase the scope of the recall to include non-motorized hatches.
Related recalls
Structure › Body › Hatchback/liftgate › Support device/strut
Honda is recalling certain model year 2008-2009 odyssey vehicles, the gas-filled struts that help to raise and support the liftgate of vehicles equipped with a power liftgate system May be prone to early life failures due to a manufacturing flaw.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace both power liftgate gas struts free of charge. The safety recall began on March 12, 2012. Owners May contact Honda customer service at 1-800-999-1009.
NHTSA investigations
Stabilus Rear Liftgate Struts Failing
Please see the attached closing resume summary.It has been attached to this document as a PDF.
Body complaints in other Odyssey years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 2009 Honda Odyssey?
NHTSA has 63 complaints about the body & structure of the 2009 Honda Odyssey, 32% of the model year's 198 complaints. The component named most often is body (42 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2009 Honda Odyssey body problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 12V-062 (support device/strut, Feb 16, 2012). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2009 Honda Odyssey body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 65,000 miles, and 16% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 2 fires and 9 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.