What is the Honda VAC System?

With a son in the Army, and listening to him speak over the years, mostly in acronyms… , when I first saw something written in the Honda service information about a VAC system, of course I wondered what VAC stood for? In Army speak, it may be “Vulnerability Assessment Certification”, but what does stand for in the automotive world? “Vacuum Assisted Control”? “Video / Audio Center”? “Variable “Alternating Current”?

In our business, keeping things simple and not trying to overthink everything is always the best course.

VAC is this case is not an acronym, but an abbreviation for VACUUM! Yes, starting in 2014, the Honda Odyssey Elite came equipped with its own built-in vacuum. Sadly, this feature will be discontinued in 2022 due to supply issues.

Interesting aspects of the system, at least to me, is that the vacuum system is controlled by the BCM. I guess mainly for safety and battery power reasons. Yep, you can’t have someone vacuuming the back of the van while you are driving. As stated in the service info:

When any of the following conditions is met, the HondaVAC motor stops.

  • Vehicle is set to the OFF (LOCK) mode.
  • If the mode is shifted to a position other than the P position/mode.
  • 12 Volt battery voltage is low, or experiencing a problem.
  • HondaVAC switch is set from OFF to ON.
  • The operation time of the HondaVAC motor passes about 8 accumulated minutes while the engine is stopped.

No matter how fast I vacuum a car, I sure can’t do it in 8 minutes, especially if it is a mini van!

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About the Author

Rob Eller

Rob Eller joined Mitchell 1 in 1993 as an associate editor working primarily on the domestic and import transmission publications. He is currently Senior Coordinating Editor of the repair editorial department. Over the years, he has earned 32 ASE certifications and AAIA World Class Tech status. Before joining Mitchell, he was involved in various aspects of the automotive repair industry. Rob is a native San Diegan and holds a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Arts from San Diego State University.