Consumer Warranty Dispute · Salisbury, MD · 2023 Honda Odyssey

I own a 2023 Honda Odyssey. Honda refused warranty coverage on a documented manufacturing defect — because I looked inside my own car.

This is a factual account of what Pohanka Honda of Salisbury told me, what I found behind the panels, and why dealer accountability matters.

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Published April 2026  ·  Pohanka Honda of Salisbury, MD  ·  Part #74970-THR-A12

The Issue

I own a 2023 Honda Odyssey. When the power tailgate stopped working, I did what many car owners would do — I looked up the warranty. The specific system was outside of warranty coverage (over 30,000 miles and 3 years), so I decided to investigate the problem myself to save money before authorizing costly repairs.

After removing the interior panels to access the tailgate components, I discovered something I never expected: significant rust and corrosion behind the panels that clearly was not from normal use. A 3-year-old car should not look like this inside.

What I Discovered

  • Rust formation behind the interior panels — not externally visible under normal circumstances
  • Green corrosion on the power tailgate control unit (Part #74970-THR-A12), a sealed component
  • Dried water stains showing evidence of pooled water that evaporated over time — a pattern, not a single event
  • Signs of repeated slow water exposure consistent with a seam or seal failure, not accidental flooding

Important context: While researching repair videos, I discovered a class action lawsuit covering 2018–2021 Honda Odyssey models for the exact same issue — body seam glue failing and allowing water intrusion. In my opinion, my 2023 model appears to have the same unresolved problem.

Timeline of Events

  1. Vehicle Purchase

    Purchased 2023 Honda Odyssey from Pohanka Honda of Salisbury, MD.

  2. Tailgate Failure

    Power tailgate stopped functioning properly, past the component-specific warranty period.

  3. Self-Inspection

    Removed interior panels to diagnose the tailgate failure. Discovered extensive water damage, rust, and corrosion on the PCB and surrounding area.

  4. Research

    Found active class action lawsuit for 2018–2021 models with identical body seam adhesive failure. Documented all findings photographically.

  5. Dealer Visit & Denial

    Brought vehicle to Pohanka Honda. Dealer escalated to Honda’s District Parts & Service Manager, who denied coverage.

  6. Official Written Denial

    Honda of Salisbury sent formal email denial: coverage refused because the vehicle “was not presented in its original, factory-assembled condition.”

Their Official Response

The following is the official email response from Honda of Salisbury, April 2026:

“Because the vehicle was not presented in its original, factory-assembled condition, warranty coverage cannot be applied.”

Honda of Salisbury official email, April 2026

Translation: They acknowledge the damage exists. They simply refuse to cover it because I discovered it myself instead of paying them to discover it for me. The rust and corrosion existed whether I looked or not. Removing a panel to inspect it does not create rust.

The Google Review Exchange

After receiving no resolution, I left an honest Google review. Here is the exchange that followed.

My 1-Star Google Review

So my tailgate on my Honda Odyssey that I purchased from Pohanka Honda in Salisbury, MD stopped working. I removed the interior panels to look at the actuator and the struts to see if I could diagnose the problem. I found rust inside the interior of the walls. There are no windows that roll down back there.

In 2018 Honda had a class action lawsuit for a similar problem on similar vehicles including the Odyssey. If I had not taken the panel off I would not have found the rust nor known it was an issue that developed over time. The body of the car was failing for the last 3 years while I was driving it.

I took it to Honda and they have conveniently wiped their hands of it. They first tried to blame it on corporate, now they have taken refuge in the paperwork. Because I took it apart and brought it up there they are magically not liable.

Please remember this when buying a car. Also please share and tag this with anyone who works there and with anyone looking for the word out.

Pohanka Honda’s Reply Canned Response

“We are committed to improving and would like to invite you to contact us directly at social@pohankaofsalisbury.com to discuss how we can resolve this issue. Thank you for your honest feedback. We pride ourselves on maintaining the highest quality standards for our customers but we didn’t measure up. Your feedback is valuable to us, and we’ll use it to improve our products and services in the future.”

The problem: This response came after I had already visited the dealership in person, communicated via email in which they formally denied my claim, and included their official denial email text in the Google review itself. Yet their automated reply asks me to “contact us directly to discuss how we can resolve this issue.” We already discussed it. They refused. This is performative customer service theater — not genuine engagement. They did not read the review.

The Real Problem

My car is only 3 years old. I do not leave my tailgate open in the rain. The level of rust and corrosion I found is not consistent with occasional rain exposure — it indicates, in my opinion, a systemic manufacturing defect where water has been slowly entering the body through failed seam adhesive for years.

Had I suspected this was a body defect rather than a simple component failure, I never would have opened the panels myself. I would have taken it directly to the dealer. But how could I have known? The component that failed was the power tailgate — not the body of the vehicle.

Now the dealer says it is my problem because I looked. But looking did not cause the rust. Looking did not cause the glue to fail. I simply discovered what was already there.

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