The 1997 Honda Odyssey has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 1,124,875 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 24 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system. Last updated July 5, 2026.
ON CERTAIN SEDANS, COUPES, HATCHBACKS, AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, ELECTRICAL CONTACTS IN THE IGNITION SWITCH CAN DEGRADE DUE TO THE HIGH ELECTRICAL CURRENT PASSING THROUGH THE SWITCH WHEN THE VEHICLE IS STARTED.
Consequence
WORN CONTACTS COULD CAUSE THE ENGINE TO STALL WITHOUT WARNING, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE IGNITION SWITCH. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JUNE 14, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT HONDA AT 1-800-999-1009 OR ACURA AT 1-800-382-2238.
SUSPENSION99V0690001999-05-10124,875 affected
Defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. CERTAIN VEHICLES WERE MANUFACTURED WITH BALL JOINTS THAT CAN PREMATURELY WEAR OUT AND, IN THE WORSE CASE, THE BALL JOINT WOULD SEPARATE CAUSING THE FRONT SUSPENSION TO COLLAPSE.
Consequence
THIS CONDITION WOULD RESULT IN VEHICLE DECELERATION AND A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER. ALSO STEERING CONTROLLABILITY WOULD BE REDUCED.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FRONT SUSPENSION LOWER BALL JOINTS.
Complaints by component
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
5
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
3
1crashes1injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
2
1fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
2
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
1
1crashes1injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:HORN
1
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
1
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY
1
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
1
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
1
1crashes1injuries
Total complaints24
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Transmission problem”
“Transmission problem”
“Transmission problem”
“Faulty ignition switch causes the engine to spontaneously shut off while the vehicle is in motion. Since the engine cannot be restarted while not in park, this requires coming to a complete stop without the aid of power brakes or steering. This has happened multiple times and various speeds and…”
“Faulty ignition switch causes the engine to spontaneously shut off while the vehicle is in motion. Since the engine cannot be restarted while not in park, this requires coming to a complete stop without the aid of power brakes or steering. This has happened multiple times and various speeds and…”
“When the vehicle was turned off and the key removed from the ignition there was a loud popping noise that sounded like an explosion from the rear right of the vehicle. The noise went away for a while when the brake pads were replaced. Dealership serviced the vehicle several times for this problem…”
“While driving at any speed vehicle was running roughly. Consumer examined the tires and saw that the tread separated on the right rear. Several months later, the same thing happened on the left rear tire. Dealer gave the consumer a discount on the first tire, but refused any discount on the second…”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1997 Honda Odyssey as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.