2018 Honda Odyssey · symptom sheet
Transmission hesitates when accelerating
- 36owner reports
- 51,400median miles
- 1involved a crash
Newest report Jun 1, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
36 of the 68 reports of transmission shudder on the 2018 Odyssey describe hesitation when accelerating.
Part of Transmission shudders, slips or shifts hard (68 reports) · also: jerking or hard shifts
Tick what matches of 36 reports
Hesitation when accelerating on other Odyssey years
Report counts are for each model year on its own, so a newer car has had less time to collect them. Model years with too few reports of it for a sheet: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026.
What this problem usually is
This is the narrower sheet inside transmission shudder for a car that pauses before it goes. You press the gas, and for a beat nothing happens, or the engine revs and then the car catches up. What makes it distinct from the wider sheet is timing: the complaint isn't a rough shift at speed but a delay right when you need to move.
What got replaced
Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the transmission (27 reports).
Recalls and investigations
One recall on the transmission and drivetrain covers the 2018 model year. A recall on the same system isn't always the same failure, so read the defect text.
Loose battery terminal connections or a degraded battery may cause the Transmission Control Unit (TCU) to unexpectedly reboot. Upon rebooting, the TCU may shift the transmission to the "Park" position, possibly damaging the parking rod.
All 16 recalls on the 2018 Honda Odyssey, with the owner complaints on each recalled system
When it happens
The middle half of failures fell between 29,500 and 80,000 miles, from the 19 reports that gave a mileage.
What owners wrote
“When driving at speed, the car will lose power, and you cannot go anywhere until the transmission reengages Also when starting out there is a hesitation sometimes very dangerous at intersections”
Filed May 14, 2026
Should you keep driving it?
This page can't tell you that. 1 of 36 reports involved a crash. Owners who file are the ones who had a bad experience, and nobody checks their reports. If the problem affects steering, braking, power or a fire risk, treat it as a safety fault and have it inspected before a long or high-speed drive.
File your own report with NHTSA. Complaint counts are how a problem gets an investigation. How reports land on this sheet.
Guide Paid for this repair before a recall covered it? How recall reimbursement works
Other problems on this car
- Infotainment, screen or backup camera fails 136 reports
- Engine stalls or loses power while driving 134 reports
- Adaptive cruise or lane keeping misbehaves 121 reports
- Forward collision warning goes off or the camera drops out 115 reports
- Brakes on its own (automatic emergency braking) 104 reports
- Engine failure, knocking or rod bearing 85 reports
- Sliding door won't open, close or latch 61 reports
- Battery dies or the car will not start 51 reports
- Check engine light or misfire 45 reports
- Fuel pump failure 41 reports
- Brakes grind, pulse or wear early 41 reports
- Doors, latches or locks fail 40 reports
- Tailgate or liftgate will not open or close 39 reports
- Water leaks into the cabin 38 reports
- Multiple warning lights come on at once 33 reports
- Airbag warning light or recall 25 reports