Control module (ECM/PCM/BCM) failure on the 1996 Honda Odyssey
Only 4 reports for this mode came with an odometer reading, which is too few for percentiles to mean anything. The page is here because someone linked to it; treat the figures as anecdotes, and see the full report for this year instead.
When control module (ecm/pcm/bcm) failure gets reported
There are 8 reports of control module (ECM/PCM/BCM) failure on the 1996 Honda Odyssey, 4 with a mileage attached. That is too few to place the failure on the odometer with any confidence.
A part like this is normally expected to survive 92,000 miles. It is the 3rd most-reported problem on this model year.
The whole distribution
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | — | 70,263 miles | — | — |
Read the 10th percentile as “one report in ten arrived this early”. Exact figures are shown in this table because it is the table of record; everywhere else on the site they are rounded to the precision the sample can carry.
What a percentile can and cannot tell you here
These five numbers describe the readings owners gave, in order. The median is the middle one: half the reports arrived below it. The 10th and 90th are the edges of the bulk of the distribution, and the distance between them is the part worth reading. A tight spread — say 70,000 to 95,000 miles — points at something that wears out on a schedule, and the schedule is knowable. A wide one, 20,000 to 190,000, points at a fault that hits some cars and never troubles others, which means the mileage on the listing in front of you tells you very little about your odds.
What these figures are not is a survival curve. Every reading here comes from a car whose owner filed a complaint, so the sample contains only failures: it cannot say what share of the fleet made it past 150,000 miles untouched, because those owners had nothing to report. Nor is the mileage the moment of failure — it is the odometer reading as recalled at the time of filing, which may be weeks later and is sometimes rounded to the nearest ten thousand by the person typing it.
Percentiles are shown at all only once 8 readings exist for the vehicle and mode. Below that the middle of a handful of numbers is noise wearing a decimal point, so the figures are withheld rather than dressed up.
What happens, and what it costs
Putting it right typically runs $700–$3,000 at an independent US shop. That range is an editorial estimate held in this site's failure-mode catalogue, not a figure from NHTSA, and it is a repair cost rather than a diagnosis cost.
The same failure on other years
The same failure is reported on 12 model years of this car. It shows up earliest on the 2019, at a median of 15,000 miles, and latest on the 2000 at 105,000 miles.
By volume the 2019 carries the most reports, with 35; the 1996 has 8. A mode that appears across most years of a model is usually a design choice rather than a bad batch.
If one year stands out to the left, that is the year to avoid; if the whole line sits at a similar mileage, this is wear rather than a defect in one production run.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The mileage is the one the owner gave.
Supplemental restraint system (air bags) warning light appeared, dealer says air bags are inoperative. Dealer reset control unit. Light appeared two months later. Asked dealer if this was a problem with this vehicle. Dealer says that they have replaced numerous control units. Should a safety device of this magnitude fail within four years of service? The owners manual says to check this system every ten years. From the dealers comment of replacing numerous control units, it's my opinion that a part of this magnitude should indeed last the useful life of the vehicle. *jb ****dimsii ivoq entry posted after 12/12/02 cut-over to artemis.*****765263
Srs light came on and stayed on at 73522 mi. Honda dealer checked all connections and wiring, also tried re-programming-that did not work. Dealer said that air bags are inoperative, and that a new SRS control unit is needed - at cost of over $700. The cost is prohibitive for us. Dealer says they have replaced numerous SRS control units on odysseys. This indicates a manufacturing defect rendering key safety system inoperative. The dealer indicated that honda has not issued a recall and does not accept responsibility for failure of key safety component during normal use--the stated reason is that "you still have your safety belts." I believe that the SRS control unit should not have failed within normal life of the vehicle, the owner's manual says that it only needs to be checked every 10 years. *nm
Installed new battery in vehicle june 2001. After battery installation, SRS light went on. Honda mechanic diagnosed "car had a code 6-2 stored in system, we cleared code, if light comes back on the control unit will need to be replaced." upon starting car, SRS light came back on. Mechanic said I need new SRS control module. He informed me that repair would cost me $600 or more. *nm
Also reported on the 1996 Honda Odyssey
ABS module or sensor failure
Ignition switch, key fob or immobilizer failure
Oil leak
No-start or intermittent start failure
Other electrical problem
How far this goes
This page is kept out of search results because 8 reports is not enough to publish percentiles from. It stays reachable because somebody looking at this exact car would rather see the reports than be told there are none.
Complaints are voluntary, so 8 is a floor and not a count of affected cars. Mileages are typed in by owners and cluster on round numbers. And the mode itself is assigned by software reading the complaint text, which is reliable in bulk and fallible one report at a time.
Questions this page answers
At what mileage does control module (ecm/pcm/bcm) failure happen on the 1996 Honda Odyssey?
Across 4 owner reports that included an odometer reading, half were filed by 70,000 miles. A quarter were filed before — and a quarter after —. These are the mileages owners reported when they complained, not a prediction for any individual car.
How common is control module (ecm/pcm/bcm) failure on the 1996 Honda Odyssey?
8 reports have been filed with NHTSA, about 267 per 1,000 vehicles. Complaints are voluntary, so this is a floor rather than a count of affected cars.
What this is and is not. These are the mileages at which owners chose to complain to a federal agency, which is not the same as the mileage at which the part fails on every car. It skews toward failures that happened outside warranty, cost real money, or frightened someone. It is still the only public dataset that carries failure mileage at all, and the shape of a few hundred readings is informative even when a single one is not. Methodology · JSON · this failure on other cars
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed