I have the same car. I feel like maybe it has turned off once or twice at a stop light and I just turned the car back on? It doesn’t seem like a big deal since it only happens when you are stopped and my feeling is that in 7 years of driving the car almost daily, it’s only happened a couple of times maybe.

What irritates me more is that sometimes the screen part doesn’t turn on with the rest of the car and then 10 minutes later there is a loud Ch-chunk noise like someone turned the volume way up at the start of law and order as the computer comes back on. It makes me startle every time it happens.

Anonymous wrote:What's an idle stop? Is that a thing with hybrids where they make that weird stop and start noise next to me at lights?

Sorry I still have a 2015 gas car

The feature OP is talking about is a mileage improving technology that most pure gas cars have now. It's called auto stop start. It turns the engine off at intersections but is supposed to restart periodically or turn the engine on when your foot hits the accelerator. Manufacturers added this to help meet government fuel economy requirements. My first car with it was a 2017. How it's turned off completely varies by manufacturer. Originally you could not disable it but many customers dislike the feel of the feature. So newer cars allow you to disable it each driving session. The manufacturers can't get credit for the fuel economy compliance unless it's turned on by default. That is why only aftermarket options turn this feature completely off.

OP, even if you don't find a Technical Bulletin, report your experience to NHTSA and Honda and keep records and any repair receipts. If it becomes a recall later, you could get reimbursed.

OP here - battery is a year old, I've replaced it about 4 times since I've owned the car and Honda said it tested fine when I brought it in this week. The event that triggered this post has me so spooked that my husband has switched cars with me. I'm going to look for a technical bulletin from Honda as another suggested so thanks for that. If I elect to guess at problems the dealer quoted me $1,700.00 for a new starter. When I am done with this car I'll be buying another brand instead.

I also have a honda that's having issues that they said the same thing "unless I want to throw away money and start guessing at problems." Thinking about taking it to a place that only deals in Japanese cars to see what they say. If they have seen this exact thing before. Sucks to have a car you don't trust. Maybe this is a one-off thing though for you? Mine isn't.

Anonymous wrote:What's an idle stop? Is that a thing with hybrids where they make that weird stop and start noise next to me at lights?

Sorry I still have a 2015 gas car

When your press down "hard" on the brake (for example slowing down at a traffic light, stop sign, and even stopping the car to shift into P or R), and lot of cars no longer idle, but "shut off" to conserve gas from the idle mode. The car switches from "shut off" and returns to idle mode once you lift your foot off the brake.

So, yes, there are times when your car is constantly turning off/on again. I personally hate it bc i always worry my car won't turn back on like OP. Plus, I fear the wear/tear on the starter and draing the battery.

There is a manual override for this idle shutoff feature. I use that frequently.

How old is your battery?

Search online for a Honda "Technical Bulletin" to dealers on this issue.

A mfg TB is legally not a "recall" -- but if you find a Hinda TB covering your issue, the dealer can fix your issue and bill the cost to Honda. The annoying thing is that the dealer knows all about such TBs but is not required to disclose it to customers.

Not being able to rely on your car is the worst. I am very sorry.

Have you gone on reddit to find a Honda forum? I bet there's even one for Odysseys. You might be able to get good advice there. I know that mechanics occasionally pop into the Subaru forum that I am on.

What's an idle stop? Is that a thing with hybrids where they make that weird stop and start noise next to me at lights?

Sorry I still have a 2015 gas car

I specifically asked my Honda service consultant if there was a recall on my car for this particular issue. He told me there was not. Totally frustrating as I’ve read that others have been sent notices.

I would like to offer you $12,599 and I will take that problem off your hands. Thanks.

That’s weird that they denied knowing anything about it. I bought a used 2019 Odyssey from Carmax that hadn’t had some of the recalls addressed. When I took it to a Honda dealership for the recalls, the mechanic specifically said that one of the recalls was a fix for an issue that caused cars to stall out when people were idling at red lights. Can your dealership at least confirm whether they already addressed that particular recall on your car?

Thanks for your reply. Very helpful to know.

I had a similar experience with my 2018 Pilot. It nearly caused me to be hit as I had cars flying around me on both sides at 55+ and couldn’t get it restarted for a while. Afterwards, DH did some research and determined it was the idle stop. He was able to buy an aftermarket accessory to disable it. We never had another problem.

Original owner, 68K miles, always dealer serviced, no open recalls, trouble free, UNTIL... 30 minutes of driving in heavy, stop and go traffic in Tyson's last week. I was stopped at traffic light and engine went into the automatic idle stop as usual. When I released the brake my car completely DIED. Dashboard said I was in DRIVE but the gear shift threw my engine into PARK (ac and radio continued to run). A few seconds later, after freaking out, I got the car to restart by pushing the start button about 4 times. I managed to get home safely by praying for green lights. Took car to dealer who said they can't find a thing wrong, all checks out okay on their computers (battery, starter, etc.) and unless I can recreate problem there is nothing they (dealer) can do unless I want to throw away money and start guessing at problems. Now I have a car I don't trust and that stinks. I have consequently read about a class action lawsuit against Honda for this very issue but my service representative basically feigned ignorance. RE lawsuit, Honda took zero responsibility but did write $7,500 checks to some owners. Has anyone else dealt with this? Looks like I can buy an aftermarket auto stop device or press the A button on my car each time I start the engine? Appreciate any assistance. Thank you.