Sporting a Honda Odyssey with pride? Long-live the minivan! While the Odyssey is one of the best family-haulers around, there have been some issues related to its paint.
Are there any recalls for defective Honda Odyssey paint jobs?
No. Safety recalls are only issued for problems that could risk the life or health of a vehicle’s driver and occupants, or other drivers on the road. Defective paint does not qualify as a safety issue.
However, Honda has offered some remedies on some models of Honda Odyssey and other Honda vehicles through technical service bulletins and extended warranties. In this article, we’ll discuss Honda’s paint problems and what remedy, if any, car owners have.
The Honda Odyssey Paint Problem
Honda started having problems with its paint and primer in new model vehicles in the early 2000s. The brand-new vehicles would be purchased and then the paint and primer started peeling away within a matter of months.
The problem was mainly confined to northern states, so it’s possible that the paint wasn’t holding up well due to road salts and other contaminants during the snowy months.
This would sometimes cause the vehicles to look extremely nasty, as if they had been sitting out in the elements unattended for 20 years. Needless to say, car buyers weren’t happy.
Honda has never admitted fault or an actual cause for the peeling paint.
Amond the reasons that Honda has cited for the paint problems:
- Bird droppings
- Too much sunshine
- Harsh car waxes
- Washing the vehicle too often
It seems most likely that the problem was a combination of cold weather, road salts and cheap paint and primer. However, Honda has never admitted an actual cause.
Honda Vehicles Plagued with Paint Problems
The Honda Odyssey was just one of Honda’s vehicles that was facing this problem. The following model years all had hundreds of complaints of peeling paint and primer from new Honda owners:
- 2006 to 2011 Honda Civic
- 2007 to 2011 Honda CR-V
- 2009 to 2011 Honda Pilot
- 2011 to 2012 Honda Odyssey
Honda issued a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) to do free repainting of the vehicles listed above, but only in certain selected parts of the cars. For example, 2011-2012 Honda Odyssey van owners could get the tailgate refinished and polished at no cost (not a full paint job).
The problem with Honda paints went away for several years, but we should note that the 2018 Honda Accord has been receiving numerous complaints about the paint peeling, sometimes as little as three months after owners drive the car off the lot.
How to Check Your Honda Odyssey for Technical Service Bulletins
To find out whether there is a TSB regarding your Honda Odyssey (or any other vehicle), go to the NHTSA Recalls website. You can search for your specific vehicle with the 17-digit VIN number, or by year, make and model.
When you get to the section on Recalls for the vehicle you are researching, click on “Communications.” This tab relays all of the TSBs for your vehicle, where you can learn whether the auto manufacturer is offering any free repairs for your particular model.