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2003 Honda Odyssey Common Problems & Recalls

Every recall campaign and owner complaint the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration holds for the 2003 Honda Odyssey. Nothing on this page is written from memory — it is all imported from NHTSA's public database.

Safety recall campaigns

15 recall campaigns filed by Honda for the 2003 Odyssey, newest first.

CampaignComponentWhat the recall says
19V182000
2019-03-06
Air Bags
Frontal
Driver Side › Inflator Module
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling specific 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2013-2016 ILX, 2013-2014 ILX Hybrid, 2003-2006 MDX, 2007-2016 RDX, 2002-2003 3.2TL, 2004-2006, and 2009-2014 TL, 2010-2013 ZDX and 2001-2007 and 2009 Honda Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2003-2005 Civic Hybrid, 2001-2005 Civic GX NGV, 2002-2007 and 2010-2011 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2007 Fit, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot, and 2006-2014…

Risk: An explosion of an inflator within the driver frontal air bag module may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver, front seat passenger or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began April 10, 2019. Honda owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is O41. Acura owners may contact customer…
19V499000
2019-06-27
Air Bags
Frontal
Driver Side › Inflator Module
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2002-2003 3.2TL, 2003-2006 MDX, 2001-2007 Honda Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2003-2005 Civic Hybrid, 2001-2005 Civic GX NGV, 2002-2006 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot and 2006 Ridgeline vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with driver frontal air bag inflators assembled as a recall remedy part or replacement service…

Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began August 12, 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are Q5A and Y58.
19V501000
2019-06-27
Air Bags
Frontal
Passenger Side › Inflator Module
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2003-2006 Acura MDX, 2005-2012 RL, 2003-2007 Honda Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2003-2005 Civic Hybrid, 2001-2005 Civic GX NGV, 2002-2006 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2007-2008 Fit, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot, and 2006-2014 Ridgeline vehicles. The vehicles are equipped with passenger frontal air bag inflators assembled as a recall remedy part or replacement…

Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal airbag inflator, free of charge. The recall began August 12, 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are E5D and X5C.
18V268000
2018-04-26
Air Bags
Frontal
Passenger Side › Inflator Module
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2003-2012 Honda Accord and Pilot, 2010 Accord Crosstour, 2001-2011 Civic, 2002-2011 CR-V, 2003-2004, 2006-2008 and 2011 Element, 2007 and 2009-2013 Fit, 2010-2012 Insight, 2002-2004 Odyssey, and 2012 Ridgeline vehicles. The front passenger air bag may have been installed incorrectly during replacement.

Risk: An incorrectly installed air bag may deploy improperly in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the passenger frontal air bag module assembly, free of charge. The recall began June 22, 2018. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are K1P, and M1O.
16V344000
2016-05-23
Air Bags
Frontal
Passenger Side › Inflator Module
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2003-2006 Acura MDX, 2005-2011 Acura RL, 2005-2006 Honda CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2007-2008 Fit, 2003-2008 Pilot, 2002-2004 Odyssey, and 2006-2011 Ridgeline vehicles originally sold, or that have ever been registered, in Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the…

Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began June 27, 2016. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are KA0, KA1, KA2, and KA3.
14V700000
2014-11-04
Air Bags American Honda Motor Co. (Honda) is recalling certain model year 2001-2005 Honda Civic, 2003-2004 Civic CNG and Element, 2002-2005 CR-V, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2005 Accord, Pilot, Civic Hybrid, and Acura MDX, 2005 Acura RL and 2006 Honda Ridgeline vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in geographic locations associated with high absolute humidity. Specifically, vehicles sold, or ever registered, in…

Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger’s frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger side air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began January 26, 2015. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-800-999-1009.
15V563000
2015-09-04
Air Bags
Frontal
Passenger Side › Inflator Module
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2003 Odyssey vehicles manufactured August 28, 2002, to August 30, 2002. The affected vehicles were manufactured with the incorrect air bag modules, rendering the vehicles noncompliant with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

Risk: Air bags that do not meet the safety requirements increase the risk of occupant injury in the event of a crash.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began on October 27, 2015. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is JU0.
15V370000
2015-06-15
Air Bags
Frontal
Passenger Side › Inflator Module
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2001-2005 Honda Civic vehicles manufactured March 21, 2000, to January 20, 2005, 2001-2004 Honda Civic GX vehicles manufactured June 14, 2000, to August 19, 2004, 2003-2005 Honda Civic Hybrid vehicles manufactured February 24, 2002, to January 18, 2005, 2003-2007 Honda Accord vehicles manufactured February 21, 2002, to August 28, 2007, 2002-2004 Honda…

Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the passenger seat occupant or other occupants possibly causing serious injury or death.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on July 1, 2015. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are JU4, JU5, JU6, and JU7. Note: Vehicles that have already received…
15V045000
2015-01-28
Air Bags
Frontal
Honda is recalling certain model year 2003-2004 Honda Odyssey vehicles manufactured February 13, 2002, to August 13, 2004, and 2003 Acura MDX vehicles manufactured February 21, 2002, to September 23, 2003. Due to electrical noise, a component in the air bag control module may fail, causing the front air bags, side air bags, and/or seatbelt pretensioners to deploy inadvertently while the vehicle is being operated.

Risk: Inadvertent deployment of the air bags may increase the risk of injury and the possibility of a vehicle crash.
Fix: Honda dealers will replace the supplemental restraint system electronic control unit (SRS ECU). The recall began on February 22, 2016. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-800-999-1009. Honda's number for this recall is JN6 (Odyssey), and JN7 (MDX). Note: This recall supersedes recall…
14V353000
2014-06-20
Air Bags American Honda Motor Company, Inc.'s (Honda) is conducting a limited regional recall for certain model year 2003-2005 Accord, Civic, CR-V, Pilot and Acura MDX, model year 2003-2004 Odyssey and Element, and model year 2005 Acura RL, and 2006 Honda Ridgeline vehicles originally sold, or ever registered in California, and equipped with Takata-brand air bag inflators. Upon deployment of the passenger side frontal air…

Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger’s frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the inflators in all affected vehicles, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin during August 2014. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-800-999-1009.
15V320000
2015-05-28
Air Bags
Frontal
Driver Side › Inflator Module
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2001-2007 Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2001-2004 Honda Civic GX, 2003-2005 Honda Civic Hybrid, 2002-2006 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot, 2006 Ridgeline, 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2003-2006 Acura MDX, and 2002-2003 Acura 3.2TL vehicles. The affected vehicles are equipped with a dual-stage driver frontal air bag that may be susceptible…

Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on July 1, 2015. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Owners may contact Acura customer service at 1-800-382-2238, select option 4. Note: Vehicles…
12V573000
2012-12-11
Electrical System
Ignition
Switch
Honda is recalling certain model year 2003 and 2004 Pilot and Odyssey and 2003 through 2006 Acura MDX passenger vehicles manufactured from November 26, 2001, through August 30, 2006. The interlock lever of the ignition switch may deform, which can allow the interlock function of a vehicle with an automatic transmission to be defeated.

Risk: Removal of the ignition key when the gear selector of a vehicle with an automatic transmission has not been shifted to the park position can allow the vehicle to roll away, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Honda will notify owners and instruct them to take their vehicle to a Honda or Acura dealer. The dealer will install an updated shift interlock lever and, if necessary, replace any necessary part of the ignition switch, free of charge. The recall began on February 22, 2013. Owners may contact…
13V412000
2013-09-19
Air Bags Honda is recalling certain model year 2003 and 2004 Odyssey and model year 2003 Acura MDX vehicles. Due to electrical noise, a component in the air bag control module may fail causing the front air bags, side curtain air bags, and/or seatbelt pretensioners to deploy inadvertently while the vehicle is being operated.

Risk: Inadvertent deployment of the air bags may increase the risk of injury and the possibility of a vehicle crash.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will install a noise suppressor unit, free of charge. The recall began on November 1, 2013. A renotification letter went out on July 11, 2014 for the 2003 Acura and the 2003-2004 Odyssey. Owners may contact Honda at 1-800-999-1009. Honda's recall numbers…
03V014000
2003-01-16
Fuel System, Gasoline
Storage
Tank Assembly
ON CERTAIN MINI VANS, SOME FUEL TANKS HAVE SURFACE IMPERFECTIONS THAT COULD ALLOW FUEL TO LEAK FROM THE TANK.

Risk: FUEL LEAKAGE, IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE FUEL TANK FOR SURFACE IMPERFECTIONS. IF ANY IMPERFECTIONS ARE FOUND, THE FUEL TANK WILL BE REPLACED. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JANUARY 16, 2003. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY…
04V176000
2004-04-15
Power Train
Automatic Transmission
ON SOME MINI VANS, SPORT UTILITY AND PASSENGER VEHICLES, CERTAIN OPERATING CONDITIONS CAN RESULT IN HEAT BUILD-UP BETWEEN THE COUNTERSHAFT AND SECONDARY SHAFT SECOND GEARS IN THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION, EVENTUALLY LEADING TO GEAR TOOTH CHIPPING OR GEAR BREAKAGE.

Risk: GEAR FAILURE COULD RESULT IN TRANSMISSION LOCKUP, WHICH COULD RESULT IN A CRASH.
Fix: ON VEHICLES WITH 15,000 MILES OR LESS, THE DEALER WILL UPDATE THE TRANSMISSION WITH A SIMPLE REVISION TO THE OIL COOLER RETURN LINE TO INCREASE LUBRICATION TO THE SECOND GEAR. ON VEHICLES WITH MORE THAN 15,000 MILES, THE DEALER WILL INSPECT THE TRANSMISSION TO IDENTIFY GEARS THAT HAVE ALREADY…

Summaries are quoted verbatim from NHTSA's official campaign records. A single campaign often covers dozens of model years and several nameplates, so a summary may name vehicles other than the 2003 Odyssey — that is normal. Every record listed here carries this vehicle's own make, model and model year in NHTSA's database. Whether a recall is still open on a particular car can only be determined by VIN.

Owner complaints by component

940 owner complaints on file with NHTSA for the 2003 Odyssey, grouped by the component owners reported. Counts reflect how many owners complained, not how often the fault actually occurs.

Reported componentComplaints
Power Train
6 crash, 9 fire, 3 injured
467
Air Bags
18 crash, 2 fire, 31 injured
112
Electrical System
6 crash, 1 fire, 1 injured
43
Engine And Engine Cooling
1 crash
23
Structure
1 crash, 4 injured
22
Unknown Or Other 17
Latches/Locks/Linkages
2 injured
15
Vehicle Speed Control
5 crash
14
Visibility 14
Power Train,Engine 12
Seat Belts
2 crash, 1 injured
10
Seats
1 crash, 3 injured
10

A complaint is an unverified owner report. It is a signal about where to look, not proof of a defect.

What owners actually wrote

Verbatim excerpts from NHTSA complaint filings on this model year. These are the owners' own words, not our diagnosis, and each one is a single unverified report.

Power Train (467 complaints)

The contact owns a 2003 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission unintendedly shifted into gear. An unknown dealer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was included in four unrepaired recalls. The contact informed the dealer that she was afraid to drive the vehicle due to the failure. Additionally, the contact stated that the transmission and the motor mounts were replaced in May 2025. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 04V17
filed 08/01/2025 · ODI 11677771
The contact owns a 2003 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission hesitated to shift into third gear. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the torque converter, clutch, and hydraulic control system were faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 89,000.
filed 11/16/2022 · ODI 11493853

Air Bags (112 complaints)

The contact owned a 2003 Honda Odyssey. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 16V344000 (Air Bags), 15V320000 (Air Bags), and  15V045000 (Air Bags) and would like to be removed from the recall distribution list. The local dealer and manufacturer were contacted.
filed 03/28/2025 · ODI 11651368
The contact owned a 2003 Honda Odyssey. The contact received an unknown air bag recall notification and requested to be removed from the recall distribution list. The local dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was contacted and referred the contact to the NHTSA. The VIN was not available.
filed 06/03/2022 · ODI 11467421

Electrical System (43 complaints)

I TOOK MY CAR LAST YEAR FOR THE RECALLS THAT HAD FOR THE AIR BAGS AND THE INTERLOCK LEVER OF HE IGNITION SWITCH.AFTER ONE DAY OF WORK THEY SAID THEY FIX ALL OF THEM. BUT AFTER SOME MONTH I NOTICE THAT THE KEY IT WAS NO WORKING PROPERLY ON THE SWITCH AND I SEE ALSO THEY DIDN'T REPLACE THE OLD SWITCH,AND BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE SUFFICIENT KNOWLEDGE OF THIS ISSUE I BELIEVE JUST WHAT THEY SAID.BUT MY CAR IS HAVING PROBLEM WITH THE KEY IGNITION, THE SWITCH IT'S NOT READING THE KEY MOST OF THE TIMES AND IT'S NOT STARTING AND SOMETIMES IT START BY ITSELF WITHOUT THE KEY JUST PRESSING THE HORN.THE RECA
filed 05/22/2019 · ODI 11209290
THIS CAR DOES NOT START WITHOUT SEVERAL TRIAL. THE STARTER IS BRAND NEW AND BATTERY AS WELL. BOILS DOWN TO A IGNITION PROBLEM WHICH SEEMS TO BE ELECTRICAL
filed 04/01/2019 · ODI 11193151

Engine And Engine Cooling (23 complaints)

FAILED FRONT AND SIDE ENGINE MOUNTS REPLACED. COSTLY REPAIR APPEARS TO BE COMMON ODYSSEY MAINTENANCE ISSUE. *TR
filed 03/16/2012 · ODI 10451933
FRONT AND PASSENGER ENGINE MOUNTS ARE BROKEN AT 48K MILEAGES DURING A MAINTAIN CHECKING AT A HONDA DEALER SHOP. *TR
filed 01/05/2012 · ODI 10442463

Check your own VIN

A recall only matters if it is open on your car. The lists above are for the model year as a whole; the free official lookup below tells you what applies to your specific 17-character VIN.

NHTSA recall lookup by VIN

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05Common questions

Does the 2003 Honda Odyssey have any safety recalls?

Yes. NHTSA records 15 recall campaigns filed by Honda for the 2003 Odyssey. The most recent is campaign 19V182000, filed 2019-03-06, covering Air Bags › Frontal › Driver Side › Inflator Module.

Was the 2003 Honda Odyssey affected by an airbag inflator recall?

Yes. 12 of the 15 campaigns on record for this model year involve the airbag system. The fix is a free inflator replacement at an authorised dealer.

What do owners complain about most on the 2003 Honda Odyssey?

The most-reported component is Power Train with 467 of the 940 owner complaints on file, including 6 reports involving a crash. Complaint counts show where owners report trouble; they are not proof of a defect.

How many owner complaints are on file for the 2003 Honda Odyssey?

940 complaints with NHTSA for the 2003 Odyssey, spread across 96 reported component groups.

How do I check if my 2003 Honda Odyssey has an open recall?

Enter your 17-character VIN at NHTSA's free recall lookup. Recalls are applied per vehicle, so the model-year lists above cannot tell you whether your particular car is covered.

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