The Lemon IndexThe system that shuts off cylinders to save fuel has a fault on bank 2. Full P3497 page
10 owner complaints · one of 71 codes Honda Odyssey owners name · 4% of Honda Odyssey complaints that name a code (every car: 0.1%)
Middle of 104,000 miles · most between 90,000 and 125,000 (10 owners gave it)
Honda Odyssey owners named P3497 in 10 complaints to the U.S. government (NHTSA), most often on the 2010, 2008 and 2009 model years, at a middle of 104,000 miles. Complaints are owner reports, not proof of a defect.
Honda Odyssey model years that report P3497
Owner complaints naming P3497, by model year. Raw counts: years that sold more get more complaints, so this is each model year's record, not a failure rate.
Mileage when it happened
104,000 miles is the middle of what 10 owners entered. Half were between 90,000 and 125,000 miles.
The mileage on the complaint form, when the owner gave one.
Symptoms owners describe with P3497
70% of these complaints say the check engine light came on.
- Uses or leaks oil40%4 of 10 complaints
Share of the complaints naming P3497 whose text also describes each problem. A complaint can describe more than one.
Codes owners report with it
P3400 7
Other codes named in the same Honda Odyssey complaints, and in how many.
Keep going
- P3497: meaning, causes and every car that reports it
- Honda Odyssey reliability by year
- 2010 Honda Odyssey problems and recalls
Other codes Honda Odyssey owners report
U3000 P0740 P0730 P0301 P0304 P0303 P219A P0302 P0420 P3400
The details
How we count
We read every owner complaint in the NHTSA file whose text names this trouble code, and count the ones filed about this model (matched by the make, model and model year on the complaint). Mileage is what the owner entered on the form.
Parts: a complaint counts for a part when one of the owner's own sentences names that part together with a cause word (failed, bad, diagnosed, caused by, leaking ...) or a repair word (replaced, repaired, new, reprogrammed ...). "Came back" means the same complaint also says the problem returned or the repair didn't fix it. These are counts of what owners wrote, not a diagnosis, and one complaint can name several parts.
Complaints are reports, not proof of a defect, and most owners never file one. Popular models get more complaints, so the counts are not a failure rate. The code meaning is the standard SAE J2012 definition in our own words, or the carmaker's meaning where we verified it for that make.
What P3497 means
The system that shuts off cylinders to save fuel has a fault on bank 2.
Get it fixed soon. A few more days of normal driving is usually OK, but waiting can turn a small repair into a bigger one or a breakdown.
- Low or dirty oil
- Failed deactivation solenoid
- Collapsed lifter
Check the complaints yourself
NHTSA complaint numbers (search them at nhtsa.gov): 11359860, 11221772, 11111320, 11093593, 11089292, 11062288, 10971086, 10765316, 10650913, 10537837.
Quick answers
What does P3497 mean on a Honda Odyssey?
Cylinder Deactivation System (Bank 2). The system that shuts off cylinders to save fuel has a fault on bank 2.
Which Honda Odyssey years have the most P3497 complaints?
In complaints to NHTSA, owners of the 2010 (3), 2008 (3), 2009 (2) Honda Odyssey named P3497 most (10 complaints in all, 2008–2016). Raw counts, not a failure rate.
At what mileage does P3497 show up on a Honda Odyssey?
Owners who gave their mileage reported a middle of 104,000 miles; half were between 90,000 and 125,000 (10 owners).
Can I drive my Honda Odyssey with P3497?
Get it fixed soon. A few more days of normal driving is usually OK, but waiting can turn a small repair into a bigger one or a breakdown.
Sources: NHTSA owner complaints that name P3497 on the Honda Odyssey, counted by The Lemon Index; NHTSA recalls; repair bills owners named. Meanings: SAE J2012 in our own words. Owner reports, not a diagnosis or repair advice for your car.