Honda Odyssey Seats Problems
Owners have filed 240 complaints with NHTSA about seats problems on the Honda Odyssey across 29 model years. The 2016 model year has the most (26). The words owners use most often: “driver seat” (18% of reports).
- 240seats complaints
- —median miles at failure
- 18mention a crash
- 47mention an injury
- 5related recalls
- 18%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Driver seat: mentioned in 42 of 240 complaints (18%)
- Second row: mentioned in 41 of 240 complaints (17%)
At what mileage do seats problems happen?
Based on 133 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 240 complaints, 18 mention a crash, 3 a fire, 47 an injury.
Honda Odyssey seats complaints by model year
| Model year | Seats complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Odyssey | 1 | 0% | — |
| 2024 Odyssey | 1 | 1% | — |
| 2023 Odyssey | 1 | 1% | — |
| 2022 Odyssey | 4 | 3% | 500 |
| 2021 Odyssey | 2 | 1% | — |
| 2020 Odyssey | 3 | 1% | — |
| 2019 Odyssey | 5 | 1% | 20,150 |
| 2018 Odyssey | 6 | 1% | 9,500 |
| 2017 Odyssey | 1 | 3% | — |
| 2016 Odyssey | 26 | 10% | 12,000 |
| 2015 Odyssey | 16 | 8% | 40,000 |
| 2014 Odyssey | 19 | 6% | 26,000 |
| 2013 Odyssey | 9 | 4% | 37,500 |
| 2012 Odyssey | 14 | 6% | 52,500 |
| 2011 Odyssey | 14 | 6% | 100,000 |
| 2010 Odyssey | 4 | 2% | 20,600 |
| 2009 Odyssey | 2 | 1% | 110,000 |
| 2008 Odyssey | 6 | 1% | 65,500 |
| 2007 Odyssey | 4 | 0% | 78,135 |
| 2006 Odyssey | 12 | 2% | 64,600 |
| 2005 Odyssey | 5 | 1% | 87,618 |
| 2004 Odyssey | 22 | 4% | 160,000 |
| 2003 Odyssey | 13 | 1% | 122,600 |
| 2002 Odyssey | 13 | 1% | 69,167 |
| 2001 Odyssey | 9 | 1% | 102,000 |
| 2000 Odyssey | 16 | 2% | 118,000 |
| 1999 Odyssey | 10 | 2% | 100,790 |
| 1998 Odyssey | 1 | 1% | 126,000 |
| 1996 Odyssey | 1 | 1% | — |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (5)
Seats
Model years: 2022
Problem: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2022 Odyssey vehicles. The second-row outboard seats may have deformed seat rail locking mechanisms, which could prevent the seat rails from locking into place.
Risk: A seat that is not locked into place can move unexpectedly, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will replace both second-row outboard seat frames, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 4, 2021. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is YBE.
Seats:mid/rear assembly
Model years: 2014, 2015, 2016
Problem: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2014-2016 Honda Odyssey vehicles. The second row outboard seats have a lever to fold the seatback and slide the seat forward to access the third row seats. Due to a manufacturing error, if the walk-in release lever is used to fold a fully reclined left outboard seatback forward, the seatback may stay in the unlocked position (free-folding) or unexpectedly unlock without engaging the walk-in or recliner lever.
Risk: An unlocked second row left outboard seatback increases the risk of injury to the seat occupant during a crash.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will confirm proper operation of the second row left outboard seatback, and install a support bracket to the seat recliner. If the seatback cannot lock, dealers will replace the seatback frame assembly. These repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began May 7, 2018. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is X0R.
Seats:mid/rear assembly
Model years: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017
Problem: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2011-2017 Honda Odyssey vehicles. The second row outboard seats can slide sideways to one of two positions. If a seat is placed between either of the two positions when attaching the seat to the vehicle floor, the seat will not latch properly to the seat striker, allowing the seat to tip forward unexpectedly during braking.
Risk: If the seat tips forward during braking, it can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will install a bracket to the second row outboard floor strikers, free of charge. The recall began April 2, 2018. Owners may contact American Honda Customer Support & Campaign Center at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is S0G.
Seats:mid/rear assembly
Model years: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016
Problem: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2011-2016 Odyssey vehicles manufactured August 17, 2010, to October 1, 2015. The affected vehicles have second row outboard seats that have a release lever that allows the seats to move for easier access to the third row of seats. This release lever may remain in the unlocked position allowing the seats to move unexpectedly.
Risk: An unlocked second row outboard seat increases the risk of injury to the seat occupant during a crash.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will install an additional bracket and spring to both second row outboard seats, free of charge. Interim letter has been mailed, and a second notification will be sent . Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is KD5.
Seats:mid/rear assembly
Model years: 2016
Problem: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2016 Odyssey vehicles manufactured September 23, 2016, to October 24, 2016. The affected vehicles have a second row center seat with a horizontal adjuster bar that may stick in the unlocked position, allowing the seat to unexpectedly slide. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 207, "Seat Systems."
Risk: An unlocked second row center seat may increase the risk of injury to the seat occupant in the event of a crash.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the slide function and replace the horizontal position adjustment bar, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began February 2017. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is KD4.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
3rd row Magic seat malfunction. Metal is bending/ Flaring out of place allowing ball/wire to slip so car can not unlatch seat from floor and fold.
The middle row passenger side seat stopped functioning. The lever on the middle row seat that must be used to allow third row passengers to exit or enter the vehicle does not work. So the seat will not move forward to allow exit if necessary as intended. This is a safety issue in the event of…
My vehicle electrical system has been acting up since I got vehicle and I don't know where to take vehicle for recent recalls to fix it.
Vehicle: 2019 Honda Odyssey Issue: Unintended airbag deployment consistent with Honda Recall UNW (SRS Control Unit Calibration Defect) Incident Type: Safety defect â airbags deployed without collision Location & Date: Highway 131, outside of Kalamazoo, MI - travel â normal road conditions on…
2020 Honda Odyssey EX-L, 49k miles, no prior collisions. 1. Faulty system: SRS airbag module, defective factory aluminum clip (official Honda recall defect). EDR data verified this component failure by dealer technicians. â 2. Safety risk: Driver airbag spontaneously deployed at 41MPH with zero…
Frequently asked questions
Do all Honda Odysseys have seats problems?
No. NHTSA has 240 owner complaints about seats for the Honda Odyssey. Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the Honda Odyssey seats?
Yes: 5 safety recalls list seats. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
What do owners say about seats problems on the Honda Odyssey?
The most frequent phrase is “driver seat”, in 42 of 240 complaints, followed by “second row” (41).
Other Honda Odyssey problems
- Power Train problems (3,064)
- Electrical System problems (1,958)
- Engine problems (1,549)
- Structure problems (1,411)
- Air Bags problems (833)
- Forward Collision Avoidance problems (757)
- Service Brakes problems (622)
- Steering problems (557)
See all Honda Odyssey problems.