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#BS-2002-HONODY-28512002 Honda Odyssey
Based on reports from 1,000 owners and 10 recalls for this exact model.
Preliminary Verdict
Red Flag
Based on 1,000 complaints, 45 crashes, 6 fires, and 10 recalls. Complaint rate is 2.5x the class average. This is the worst model year for this vehicle.
Top reported problems
transmission failure
119 complaints β’ Severity 8.7/10
tranny slips bangs when shifting
24 complaints β’ Severity 8.1/10
transmission disengages
22 complaints β’ Severity 8.4/10
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Mechanic Inspection Checklist
463 owners reported power train:automatic transmission issues β failures commonly reported around 82K miles.
Failure Timeline by Mileage
Peak failure range: 60β90K miles (222 reports) β’ Median: 82K miles
30,000-Mile Cost Projection
Best Case
Most Likely
Worst Case
Top cost driver: Power Train:automatic Transmission (463 reports).
Also in your report
Owner Intelligence
AI-synthesized themes from real complaints
Buyer Lot Checklist
Questions, test drive checks, walk-away triggers
Negotiation Talking Points
Data-backed dollar deductions
Buy / Skip Verdict
Final recommendation with conditions
Where the complaints fall
2002 Honda Odyssey: Known Issues & Problem Areas
Power Train:automatic Transmission Issues
Power Train:automatic Transmission complaints account for 46% of all reports filed for the 2002 Honda Odyssey, with 463 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. The median mileage at time of complaint is 82,000 miles, suggesting issues tend to surface around the 82K-mile mark.
Drivetrain Issues
Drivetrain complaints account for 9% of all reports filed for the 2002 Honda Odyssey, with 87 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to drivetrain-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.
Airbags Issues
Airbags complaints account for 6% of all reports filed for the 2002 Honda Odyssey, with 62 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to airbags-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.
Engine Issues
Engine complaints account for 3% of all reports filed for the 2002 Honda Odyssey, with 31 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to engine-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.
Data sourced from NHTSA owner complaints and community reports. The full report analyzes severity, repair costs, and failure patterns for each category.
Complaint trend by year
Complaints filed with NHTSA by year for the 2002 Honda Odyssey. Recent trend: decreasing.



Don't negotiate blind β know what this car costs to own
Repair costs β’ Negotiation scripts β’ Mechanic checklist β’ Buy/skip verdict
Recall History (10 recalls)
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
ON CERTAIN MINIVANS, SEDANS, COUPES, AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH V6 ENGINES, A TIMING BELT TENSIONER PULLEY ON THE WATER PUMP IS MISALIGNED AND COULD CAUSE THE TIMING BELT TO CONTACT A BOLT ON THE CYLINDER HEAD. EVENTUALLY THE BELT COULD BE DAMAGED AND FAIL.
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.
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 Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Saipan, Guam, and American Samoa are addressed by this recall. Upon deployment of the passenger side frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.
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 to moisture intrusion and other factors, including manufacturing variability that, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture.
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 CR-V vehicles, 2002-2003 Honda Odyssey vehicles manufactured June 19, 2001, to July 12, 2003, 2003 Acura MDX vehicles manufactured September 19, 2002, to June 19, 2003, 2003 Honda Element vehicles manufactured June 25, 2002, to July 31, 2003, and 2003 Honda Pilot vehicles manufactured November 26, 2001, to August 21, 2003. The affected vehicles have a passenger side frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture upon its deployment.
+ 5 more recalls in the full report
Recall severity analysis & seller scripts
The full report rates each recall's severity and gives you scripts for asking the seller about recall completion.
This is the worst model year for the Honda Odyssey according to owner complaint data. The biggest problem area is transmission.
2002 Honda Odyssey vs. Class Average (Minivan - 2WD)
This vehicle
1,000
Class avg
399
2.5x the class average β significantly more complaints than typical minivan - 2wd vehicles.
Complaint counts correlate with sales volume β popular vehicles naturally generate more reports. The full report normalizes for this.
About this data
NHTSA Complaints
Federal database of owner-filed safety complaints. 1,000 records for this vehicle.
NHTSA Recalls
Manufacturer-issued safety recalls. 10 recalls found for this vehicle.
Repair Cost Data
Real-world repair costs from owner reports and independent databases.
Other Honda Odyssey Model Years
2002 Honda Odyssey: Frequently Asked Questions
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10 sections of AI analysis based on 1,000 owner reports. Know before you buy.