IllustrationCONSUMER EXPERIENCED PROBLEMS WITH ABS. *SLC
1996 Honda Odyssey
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Fewer warning signs than most model years
Owner complaints for the 1996 Honda Odyssey are lower than the model-year median of 249.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Odyssey years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
00–25K
125–50K
450–75K
575–100K
7100–150K
9150K+
26 reports with mileage · 44 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Air Bags. Review the 24 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 17 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 11 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
4 crash reports2 fire reports2 injury reports
What owners actually said
70 reportsSRS LIGHT COMES ON, INDICATING A PROBLEM WITH THE AIRBAG SYSTEM WHICH MAY DEPLOY UNEXPECTEDLY OR WON'T DEPLOY IN EVENT OF A CRASH AND PROTECT THE OCCUPANT. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK
CAR WAS IN DRIVE, AND BEFORE CONSUMER COULD PUT FOOT ON PEDAL TO PUT CAR IN DRIVE, VEHICLE TOOK OFF INTO ANOTHER CAR.*AK
ABS LIGHT CAME ON AND MODULATOR AND ACCELERATOR WERE LEAKING, BALANCE SHAFT SEAL CAUSED OIL TO POOR OUT, AND THEY REPLACED THAT.*AK
WIFE WAS DRIVING ON HIGHWAY OIL LIGHT CAME ON AND SHE PULLED OVER. OIL WAS POURING OUT FROM THE ENGINE. HAD IT TOWED TO A LOCAL MECHANIC. CONSUMER WAS TOLD THAT COUNTER BALANCE SHAFT SEAL. HAD POPPED OUT.*AK
HONDA DEALERS HAVE ACKNOWLEDGED THAT SRS COMPUTER FAILURE IS "COMMON ON 1996 ODYSSEYS".*AK
2ND TIME CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON 6 MONTHS AFTER 30,000 MILE SERVICE PERFORMED BY SUNSET HONDA BECAUSE COULD NOT TRACE DOWN WHAT CAUSED LIGHT TO COME ON THE FIRST TIME IT LIT. *AK
THE COUNTER BALANCE SHAFT SEAL ON THE ENGINE "POPPED OUT". THIS DRAINED ALL OF THE ENGINE OIL OUT OF THE CRANKCASE. IN RESEARCHING THIS ON THE NHTSA WEB SITE I HAVE SEEN A LOT OF HONDA ACCORDS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM (SAME 4 CYLINDER ENGINE). WHEN I CALLED THE LOCAL HONDA DEALER OVER THE PHONE WITH THE SYMPTOMS HE CORRECTLY DI…
Read full complaint
THE COUNTER BALANCE SHAFT SEAL ON THE ENGINE "POPPED OUT". THIS DRAINED ALL OF THE ENGINE OIL OUT OF THE CRANKCASE. IN RESEARCHING THIS ON THE NHTSA WEB SITE I HAVE SEEN A LOT OF HONDA ACCORDS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM (SAME 4 CYLINDER ENGINE). WHEN I CALLED THE LOCAL HONDA DEALER OVER THE PHONE WITH THE SYMPTOMS HE CORRECTLY DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM (THEY FIXED THE POPPED OUT SEAL, BELTS, LABOR ETC) OVER THE PHONE AS HE HAD SEEN THIS SEVERAL TIMES. HE GOES SO FAR AS TO RECOMMEND THAT THIS $5 SEAL BE CHANGED ON A ROUTINE MAINTENANCE CHECKUP. THIS WAS A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE AND THIS COULD HAVE BEEN MUCH WORSE IN PROPERTY DAMAGE AND PERSONAL INJURY DAMAGE. THE COUNTERBALANCE SHAFT WAS ADDED TO STABILIZE THE FOUR CYLINDER VIBRATION BUT THE FIX IS MUCH MORE OF A PROBLEM. THIS ENGINE IS NOT A GOOD DESIGN. I TRIED TO GET HONDA TO ANSWER HOW OFTEN THIS SHOULD OCCUR AS I KNOW THAT SOME FAILURES WILL OCCUR. THEY WOULD NOT LET ME TALK WITH AN ENGINEER AND I MERELY TALKED WITH A CUSTOMER SERVICE REP. THEY DO NOT FEEL LIKE THIS IS A PROBLEM BUT FROM WHAT I CAN FIND ON THE NET IT IS HAPPENING MUCH MORE THAN HONDA WILL ADMIT. PLEASE FOLLOW UP WITH HONDA ON THIS FOR ME. THANKS. *AK
SRS LIGHT CAME ON, AND CONSUMER DROVE CAR TO A MECHANIC. MECHANIC SAID THAT THE SRS UNIT WAS BAD. *AK
I BELIEVE THAT THE DEALERSHIP I BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE FROM DIDN'T DO A THOROUGH INSPECTION OF THE VEHICLE. IN AUGUST 1998, THE ABS LIGHT CAME ON. I HAD IT CHECKED AND THE DIAGNOSIS WAS THAT THE ANTI LOCK BRAKE ACCUMULATOR WAS BAD. THE TOTAL COST FOR THE REPAIR WAS $435. IN FEBRUARY 1999, A FRONT OIL SEAL GASKET BLEW. REPAIR CO…
Read full complaint
I BELIEVE THAT THE DEALERSHIP I BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE FROM DIDN'T DO A THOROUGH INSPECTION OF THE VEHICLE. IN AUGUST 1998, THE ABS LIGHT CAME ON. I HAD IT CHECKED AND THE DIAGNOSIS WAS THAT THE ANTI LOCK BRAKE ACCUMULATOR WAS BAD. THE TOTAL COST FOR THE REPAIR WAS $435. IN FEBRUARY 1999, A FRONT OIL SEAL GASKET BLEW. REPAIR COST WERE $320. NOW, AUGUST 1999, THE ABS LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. THE DIAGNOSIS IS THE ACCUMULATOR NEEDS TO BE REPLACE AGAIN. IT HAS BEEN ALMOST 1 YEAR TO THE DATE THAT THE PREVIOUS ONE WAS REPLACED. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO SUNBELT HONDA IN LAKE CITY THIS TIME FOR THE PROBLEM TO BE EVALUATED. NOT ONLY DO THEY SAY THE ACCUMULATOR IS BAD BUT THAT THE MODULATOR MAY BE THE CAUSE FOR THE ACCUMULATOR GOING BAD. ESTIMATED COST IS $500-$2000. HONDA CORPORATION (SEAN THEUS) CUSTOMER SERVICE HAS SAID THAT HONDA WILL ABSORB SOME OF THE COST BUT THAT I WILL HAVE TO PAY PROBABLY AT LEAST HALF OF THE BILL. I FEEL THIS PARTICULAR VEHICLE IS A LEMON, BUT UNFORTUNATELY, I HAVE FOUND NO LAWS TO PROTECT USED CAR BUYERS AGAINST LEMONS. I NEED HELP BECAUSE MY HUSBAND AND I ARE MAKING A $380 VAN PAYMENT ON TOP OF THESE COSTLY REPAIRS. IF YOU CANNOT BE OF HELP TO US, PLEASE DIRECT US TO SOMEONE WHO MIGHT BE ABLE TO. SINCERELY, LISA RICHARDSON
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.