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2020 Honda Odyssey problems: engine and transmission complaints and recalls

NO ELEVATED SIGNAL
21%
95 of 474 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system

No elevated drivetrain complaint concentration in the available NHTSA records for the 2020 Honda Odyssey. Engine, transmission and fuel system account for 21% of relevant complaints.

Better than 86% of the 1,790 model years we track (2010–2023).

NHTSA data checked October 3, 2026

The VIN is on the listing, the driver’s door jamb, and the bottom of the windshield on the driver’s side.

Does the 2020 Honda Odyssey have engine or transmission problems?

Not as a pattern, going by owner complaints. 95 of 474 relevant complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2020 Honda Odyssey concern the engine, transmission or fuel system (21%). For comparison, the 2019 scores 35% and the 2021 scores 26%. This describes the model year, not any one car: a well-maintained or already-repaired example can be fine, and a clean model year can still have a bad car in it.

Drivetrain complaints
95
engine, transmission, fuel
Total complaints
474
this model year
Fires reported
1
owner-reported
Recall campaigns
14
4 crashes · 20 injuries

Complaints by component

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE181 · 38%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM165 · 35%
LANE DEPARTURE125 · 26%
ENGINE69 · 15%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER68 · 14%
STRUCTURE30 · 6%

The years either side

Manufacturers fix things mid-generation. A bad year next to a clean one is common; the fix usually arrived in between.

How the 2020 compares with other Honda Odyssey years

Of the 14 Honda Odyssey years with enough complaints to score, the 2020 is the 3rd-best on engine and transmission share (21%). The worst is the 2016 (54%), the best the 2023 (16%). By volume, the 2020 drew 474 complaints (95 drivetrain), against 976 for the 2019 and 143 for the 2021.

Honda Odyssey years to avoid and best years →

In the full report

The rest of the picture on the 2020 Honda Odyssey

  • The mileage where it happens. When owners of the 2020 Honda Odyssey said the problem showed up, and the range most of them fell in.
  • Up to 15 owner reports, with the ones about your car's own engine first.
  • What to ask the seller and what to check on the test drive, for this car.
  • Two cars side by side, if you are deciding between them.

What one owner reported

ENGINE06/01/2023CRASH1 INJURED
The contact owned a 2020 Honda Odyssey. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to restart. As a result, another vehicle crashed into the rear of the contact’s vehicle. The contact sustained injury to her neck and low…

One of 95 drivetrain complaints. The full report shows up to 15, with quotes about the engine in the car you are looking at first.

2020 Honda Odyssey fuel system recalls

Yes. NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns on the 2020 Honda Odyssey involving the engine, transmission or fuel system, out of 14 in total. A recall is the manufacturer admitting a defect and paying to fix it; whether a specific car still has one open depends on its VIN, which the full report checks. The owner complaints above are a separate record and often point at problems that never became a recall.

fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pump23V858000 · Dec 2023

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline, Odyssey, Acura ILX, MDX, MDX Hybrid, RDX, RLX, TLX, 2019-2022 Honda Insight, Passport, 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Clarity PHEV, Fit, and 2015-2020 Honda Accord Hybrid, Pilot, Acura NSX vehicles. The fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.

Risk: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.

Fix: Dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 6, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are KGC and KGD.…

fuel system, gasoline: storage21V010000 · Jan 2021

Braun Corporation (Braun) is recalling certain 2018-2021 Braun-modified Honda Odyssey vehicles. The fuel tank assembly installed by Braun may be susceptible to the fuel tank overfilling into the charcoal canister. If the charcoal canister fills with a sufficient amount of fuel, fuel may leak out.

Risk: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source may increase the risk of fire.

Fix: Braun will notify owners, and dealers will inspect vehicles. If evidence of a fuel leak is present, a new fuel tank assembly and a new Honda charcoal canister will be installed, free of charge. The recall began…

12 other recalls on this model year (airbags, lighting, brakes and the rest)
back over prevention: sensing system: camera26V423000 · Jul 2026
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2020 Odyssey vehicles. Water may enter into the rearview camera, which can cause the rearview camera image to fail to display when the…
air bags: sensor: occupant classification: front passenger26V332000 · May 2026
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2021, 2023 Acura TLX, 2019-2024 RDX, 2017-2020, 2022-2026 MDX, 2017-2021, 2023, 2025 Honda Ridgeline, 2017-2022 Pilot, 2019-2021 Passport,…
air bags: air bag/restraint control module: software26V227000 · Apr 2026
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2022 Odyssey vehicles. A software programming error can cause the side and side curtain air bags to deploy unexpectedly.
air bags: sensor: occupant classification: front passenger24V064000 · Feb 2024
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Pilot, Accord, Civic sedan, HR-V, Odyssey, 2020 Civic coupe, Fit, 2021-2022 Civic hatchback, 2021 Civic Type R, Insight, 2020-2021…
back over prevention: display function23V431000 · Jun 2023
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2023 Odyssey, 2019-2022 Pilot, and 2019-2023 Passport vehicles. Due to a faulty Media Oriented Systems Transport (MOST) communication…
visibility: rearview mirrors/devices: exterior23V174000 · Mar 2023
Honda (American Honda Motor Co) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Pilot and Ridgeline, and 2020-2022 Passport and Odyssey vehicles. The heating pads behind both side-view mirrors may not be bonded…
seat belts: front: buckle assembly23V158000 · Mar 2023
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2017-2020 CR-V, 2018-2019 Accord and Accord Hybrid, 2018-2020 Odyssey, 2019 Insight, and 2019-2020 Acura RDX vehicles. A manufacturing issue…
back over prevention: sensing system: camera20V438000 · Jul 2020
American Honda Motor Co. (Honda) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Odyssey vehicles. Water may get into the rearview camera mounting holes and enter the camera lens and cause a distorted image, or no…
electrical system: software20V440000 · Jul 2020
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2019-2021 Pilot, 2019-2020 Odyssey and 2019-2020 Passport vehicles. Incorrect central network software programming may cause several errors to…
back over prevention: sensing system: camera20V439000 · Jul 2020
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2020 Odyssey, 2019-2020 Passport, and 2019-2021 Pilot vehicles. Incorrect instrument panel control module software can cause the…
latches/locks/linkages: doors: latch20V437000 · Jul 2020
Honda (America Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2020 Odyssey vehicles. Water may enter the outer door handle cables for the sliding doors. If this occurs, the outer door handle cables may…
electrical system: wiring20V066000 · Feb 2020
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2020 Odyssey vehicles. The wire harness for the third row seat accessory power outlet may get pinched between the unibody and rear trim…

Source: NHTSA recall campaigns filed against this year, make and model. Checked October 3, 2026.

Checking one particular 2020 Honda Odyssey? This page is about the model year. Accidents, title brands and odometer records belong to the individual car, and that is what a vehicle history report covers.

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Questions people ask about the 2020 Honda Odyssey

Does the 2020 Honda Odyssey have engine or transmission problems?

Not as a pattern, going by owner complaints. 95 of 474 relevant complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2020 Honda Odyssey concern the engine, transmission or fuel system (21%). It describes the model year, not any one car, so an inspection still matters.

What is the most common problem with the 2020 Honda Odyssey?

Going by NHTSA owner complaints, the most common problem filed against the 2020 Honda Odyssey is forward collision avoidance: 181 of 474 complaints (38%) name it, followed by electrical system (165) and lane departure (125). A complaint can name more than one component, so these overlap. Engine, transmission and fuel-system complaints together make up 21% of the relevant total.

Is the 2020 Honda Odyssey reliable?

On the engine and transmission, nothing stands out: 21% of relevant complaints filed with NHTSA concern the drivetrain, below the 33% line where we call a signal elevated. That is better than 86% of the 1,790 model years we track. Among the 14 Honda Odyssey years we score, it ranks 3rd-best. Complaint data describes the model year, not one car, and it says nothing about trim, paint or electronics outside the drivetrain; an independent inspection still decides it.

Are there engine or transmission recalls on the 2020 Honda Odyssey?

Yes. NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns on the 2020 Honda Odyssey involving the engine, transmission or fuel system, out of 14 in total: 23V858000 (fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pump), 21V010000 (fuel system, gasoline: storage). Whether a specific car still has one open depends on its VIN.

Which Honda Odyssey years are better?

Among the Honda Odyssey years we track, the 2023 (16%) has a lower engine and transmission complaint share than the 2020 (21%). Manufacturers fix things mid-generation, so the year before or after can be a different car. Every year side by side: https://thelanecheck.com/cars/honda-odyssey

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Experimental model-level information. This is not a vehicle inspection, vehicle-history report, financial advice or purchase recommendation. It describes patterns across a model year, not the condition of any individual vehicle.