Honda HR V Reliability by YearBest & worst years, problems & recalls — NHTSA data
Comparing used Honda HR V options? We analyzed 10 model years (2017–2026) using real NHTSA complaint and recall data so you can spot stronger years, avoid riskier ones, and know what to inspect before buying.
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- Accident & damage history
- Odometer rollback records
- Open recalls & title brands
Based on NHTSA complaint data, the Honda HR V has 1,571 owner complaints and 30 safety recalls across model years 2017–2026. The most reported issue area is UNKNOWN OR OTHER. 2023 drew the most complaints; 2026 drew the fewest.
- Make
- Honda
- Model
- HR V
- Model years analyzed
- 2017–2026 (10 years)
- Total NHTSA complaints
- 1,571
- Safety recall campaigns
- 30
- Crash-related complaints
- 81
- Fire-related complaints
- 5
- Worst model year (by complaints)
- 2023 (683 complaints)
- Best model year (fewest complaints)
- 2026 (12 complaints)
- Top reported issue area
- UNKNOWN OR OTHER
- Reliability signal
- Poor
By model year
Honda HR V: which years to avoid & which to buy
Based on total NHTSA owner complaints per model year. Higher complaint counts indicate a riskier year to buy used — lower counts suggest a cleaner reliability record.
These years have the most owner complaints. Inspect carefully and always run a VIN check.
These years have the fewest owner complaints on record — lower risk starting points.
Crash test ratings
NHTSA NCAP crash test ratings
New Car Assessment ProgramNCAP crash tests measure how well a vehicle protects occupants in controlled frontal crash, side crash, and rollover scenarios. Stars are awarded per category (5 = safest). These laboratory results are independent of owner complaints and are performed by NHTSA engineers on new production vehicles.
NCAP crash test ratings for this model are not yet loaded or this vehicle was not tested in the years analyzed. NHTSA tests a subset of new vehicles each year. Check nhtsa.gov/ratings directly for the latest results.
What the complaint data suggests
PoorThe HONDA HR V has 1,571 NHTSA complaints and 30 recalls on record. 81 complaints involve crash-related incidents. This data reflects owner-reported issues submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
- 1,571 total complaints filed with NHTSA
- 30 federal recall campaigns
- 81 crash-related complaints on record
- Review NHTSA complaint history for the most-reported components
- Check recall completion status at nhtsa.gov/recalls
- Verify service records for frequently complained components
Consult the by-year breakdown to identify model years with elevated complaint rates.
Consult the by-year breakdown to identify model years with fewer reported issues.
- Run a VIN check on the specific vehicle you are considering
- Verify all open recalls are completed at nhtsa.gov/recalls
- Request service records for the most-reported complaint components
- Have a certified mechanic inspect the vehicle before purchase
Problems by model year (best vs. worst)
Source: NHTSA public complaints database. Updated: Aug 2026
Safety recalls
NHTSA safety recalls
30 recalls foundSafety recalls are mandatory repair campaigns ordered by NHTSA when a vehicle defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety. Manufacturers are required to fix recalled vehicles free of charge. Always verify open recalls before buying a used car.
STEERING
STEERING
AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER
AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER
AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER
BACK OVER PREVENTION:DISPLAY FUNCTION
BACK OVER PREVENTION:DISPLAY FUNCTION
BACK OVER PREVENTION:DISPLAY FUNCTION
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:CALIPER
BACK OVER PREVENTION:DISPLAY FUNCTION
AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER
BACK OVER PREVENTION:DISPLAY FUNCTION
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
BACK OVER PREVENTION:DISPLAY FUNCTION
AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER
SEAT BELTS:FRONT
SEATS:CRITICAL FASTENERS
SEATS:CRITICAL FASTENERS
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
Source: NHTSA Recalls Database. Data covers model years 2017–2026. Always run a VIN-specific check below for the most up-to-date open recall status.
Common problems
What goes wrong most often
The vehicle systems owners complain about most, ranked from all 1,571 NHTSA complaints — these are the areas to inspect first on a used car.
Owner complaints
NHTSA complaint reports
1,571 totalThese are consumer-submitted safety complaints filed directly with NHTSA. Each complaint describes a real owner's experience. Complaints flagged as crash-related or fire-related are highlighted.
The contact owns a 2026 Honda HR-V. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, the driver's side window shattered without impact. There was no injury sustained. An independent mechanic was contacted and diagnosed the vehicle with a misaligned driver’s side window. The window was replaced. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 6,600.
Total electric power steering failure... alerts for lane keeping assistance... braking.... hill descent... traction...see attached photos...
Driving and all of sudden rear windshield shattered glass flying scared me! Took it dealership and technician inspected vehicle and quoted that it shattered due to wires getting hot and shattered the glass. Of course isn't covered on my insurance but other consumers having same problems. My insurance company will not pay for rental while it's being repaired and it's costing me get it fixed.
Ive noticed the horn is really quiet. I live in a smaller city but traffic does get busy still and often times people dont check there surroundings. Theres been multiple times where ive used my horn to honk at someone over taking my lane and most of the time it helps and the move away. Ive noticed in this car they never back off. After work one day i was honking my horn in the parking lot to get my coworkers attention who was in her car to look at me. She never looked up even tho she was parked right next to me. I asked her if she could hear me honking and she said not at all. So i decided to test it out more. I noticed i was behind a friend driving and tried to honk to get there attention and they never looked back so i asked her later if she heard me honk cause i was right behind her and she said not at all. I was following my dad one day and honked and while he didnt hear anything my mom did hear me honk but she said to him "did she honk at you" because she barely heard it. While horns are sometimes over used in the past using my horn has saved me from some near accidents in my last car. I do not have faith in the horn that is in the HRV that would be able to get the attention of another driver, mind you ever time ive honked at my friends and family i was either not moving or going less than 30 mph. Most close calls happen on a busy interstate that runs through the city i live in where people are going 55+ there is no way my horn can be heard on the interstate. While nothing has thankfully happened yet i would hate for something to happen because i was not heard
I had two front wheel studs break at 86 foot pounds after a tire rotation at 10,000 miles. I immediately contacted my Honda dealer who ignored me. I eventually got ahold of the service manager who declined to help with the repair, but did offer a free alignment. The design of the front hubs requires removal of the wheel bearings and hubs. I replaced both front hubs and wheel bearings. Honda did nothing to help. I can find no explanation for wheel studs breaking at 86 foot pounds on a new Matco digital torque wrench. Torque was confirmed with a calibrated wrench. Really questioning safety and quality on this vehicle and Honda ignoring the situation.
NCDS/CDSP Statement of Claim Case Reference (Honda): XXX Vehicle: 2026 Honda HR-V | VIN: [XXX] Mileage: 1,227 Description of Dispute: I am seeking reimbursement of $1,200 for the repair of a manufacturing defect. On [Date], only six weeks after delivery, the rear spoiler with light assembly (Part# 74950-3W0-A11) detached and flew off the vehicle during normal driving. Evidence of Manufacturer Defect: Professional Inspection: I presented the vehicle to an authorized Honda dealership. After a physical inspection and photographic documentation, the dealer determined the failure was a manufacturer defect. They verified the condition of the mounting points and proactively ordered the replacement part under warranty. Arbitrary Denial: A Honda District Manager denied the claim via email without ever physically inspecting the vehicle. The denial cited "probable outside influence" but provided no engineering report, inspection notes, or factual evidence to support this conclusion. Legal Presumption: Under the California Song-Beverly Act and the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, the burden is on the manufacturer to prove misuse or "outside influence" for a failure occurring at 1,227 miles. A factory-installed component detaching at this mileage under normal use is a "nonconformity" to the express warranty as a matter of law. Attempts to Resolve: I opened a case with American Honda (Case #XXX). Despite the dealer’s initial findings and my documentation of the failed mounting points, Honda has refused to honor the 3-Year/36,000-Mile New Vehicle Limited Warranty. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Read 14 more owner reports
About 3 hours into a 4 hour drive (while the car was only months old, with just 1800 miles), the sound switched from playing the radio at a normal volume to suddenly extraordinarily loud crackle, static, popping noises. The noise continued at this indescribably high volume for about one minute while I tried anything to help -- I tried adjusting the volume knob, unplugging my phone (which was plugged in just for directions), switching inputs, switching from FM to AM, pushing the volume knob in to turn the whole thing off, etc. Nothing stopped the noise. After about 90 seconds, it stopped, but I still do not know why. After that, I could not get any sound to play. My ears rang the entire rest of the drive (another 1 hour). The noise was so loud and so sudden that it made me very upset and scared at what could have happened that luckily didn't - I could have easily been so startled to swerve into another lane, and if my 4 year old had been in the back, I am really scared to think of how traumatized he would be, how damaged his ears would be, and what else would have happened. My ears are still ringing today, a full day later.
The hands-free Apple CarPlay system is not working properly in 2026 Honda HR-V cars. Numerous posts from fellow owners on forums with the same issue. Using the phone with hands will certainly increase incident risk.
Car has IPhone Glitch with Honda software. Brand new car does not have the ability to have messsges retrieved. There is an issue with the Honda software for the head unit in 2026 Honda HRV that is rendering the apple CarPlay almost useless as is not working properly and it causes a safety hazard. A 2026 new vehicle that allows for hands free use of CarPlay functions such as reading text out loud and responding to texts allows for safe driving, this is not functional and there are hundreds of people in forums all talking about this. Almost everyone who brings this to the dealer says the dealer claims they know nothing about this, same happened to me, but it certainly seems this is an across the board issue in 2026 HRVs from the research I have done. It sounds like Honda changed the software for the 2026 HRVs and this is happening to people with 2026 HRVs.
There is an issue with the Honda software for the head unit in 2026 Honda HRV that is rendering the apple CarPlay almost useless as is not working properly and it causes a safety hazards. A 2026 new vehicle that allows for hands free use of CarPlay functions such as reading text out loud and responding to texts allows for safe driving, this is not functional ad there are hundreds of people in forums all talking about this. Almost everyone who brings this to the dealer says the dealer claims they know nothing about this, same happened to me, but it certainly seems this is an across the board issue in 2026 HRVs from the research I have done. It sounds like Honda changed the software for the 2026 HRVs and this is happening to people with 2026 HRVs.
The driver-side quarter glass shattered for no apparent reason while the vehicle was parked.
The contact owns a 2026 Honda HR-V. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the infotainment system failed to function as intended. The contact stated that the connectivity for the hands-free system failed to display the text message. The Siri system sound was inconsistent. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, no cause for the failure was found. Upon further investigation, the dealer concluded that the infotainment system failed to operate properly as designed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and filed a claim. The failure mileage was approximately 200.
Back window of vehicle just shattered while parking without any physical damaged. This happened common with 23 and 24. Did not expect happened with model 25
•Steering rack •Unstable steering •dealership •no No messages, began while I was on the highway and had to control the steering on the highway. Which can create a accident .
The steering on my ‘25 Honda HRV is sticky, at freeway speeds it makes even slight corrections dangerous. What was meant to be a slight curve turns into a swerve. Steering feels sticky and requires more force to move. I was driving on a curve and attempting to follow the curve on the freeway and the wheel wouldn’t smoothly go
Today while driving my car steeling wheel was super hard to turn and all my warning signals came on and it did an emergency brake on the highway … which was super dangerous.
The contact owns a 2025 Honda HR-V. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the rear glass fractured, causing glass to fall into the rear of the vehicle. The contact reviewed the back over prevention camera and saw no cause for the glass to fracture. The dealer was informed of the failure and referred the contact to the manufacturer for assistance. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and confirmed that the replacement of the rear glass was not covered under recall or warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000.
The contact owns a 2025 Honda HR-V. The contact stated that after entering the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start, and the doors failed to lock. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, who diagnosed the vehicle with battery failure. The battery was replaced, but moments later, after leaving the dealer, the TPMS warning light illuminated. The vehicle was driven back to the dealer, and a software recalibration was performed, but the failure reoccurred. The next morning, the vehicle failed to immediately start. After the vehicle was restarted, it was driven to the dealer, and the contact was informed that the failure might have occurred due to an alarm failure affecting the battery. No further information was available. The contact stated that while attempting to switch to the left lane, the Lane Departure: Lane Keep feature malfunctioned, causing the vehicle to steer back into the right lane. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 16,800.
Car has sticky steering when going into curves and likes to wandered when drive straight, matches the symptoms of the current recall for certain vin numbers
I got in my car and started driving home from work then I heard something just shatter and when I looked back my rear windshield was completely shattered. I pick up my nieces and nephews and drive other peoples children to their appointments. This could have caused a serious injury should I have experienced it during a time I have little kids in my backseat. I am taking it to Gardena Honda first thing in the morning for an inspection. I have seen other people report this issue on 2023-2025 Hondas and after comparing my windshield to theirs its literally the same. There were no warning signs that flashed it was so crazy.
Showing 20 of 1,571 total NHTSA complaints. Source: NHTSA Complaints Database
Check the exact car
Before you buy, check the exact Honda HR V
These pages show model-year patterns across 10 years. Enter a VIN to verify the exact vehicle's accident history, title brands, odometer records, and open recall status before purchase.
The basics
How to read this data
Complaints, recalls, investigations — here’s what each number actually tells you about a used Honda HR V, in plain English.
What is an NHTSA Complaint?
An NHTSA safety complaint is a report filed directly by a vehicle owner or driver describing a safety-related issue. Anyone can submit a complaint at NHTSA.gov. The number of complaints is a signal of how common a problem is — but complaints per model-year matter more than raw totals, since popular vehicles naturally receive more reports. The Honda HR V has 1,571 complaints on record across 10 model years.
What is a Safety Recall?
A safety recall is a mandatory campaign issued by NHTSA when a vehicle component poses an unreasonable risk to safety or does not comply with federal motor vehicle safety standards. Unlike complaints (which are owner-reported), recalls are formally investigated and confirmed by regulators. Manufacturers must fix recalled vehicles free of charge. The Honda HR V has 30 recall campaigns in the NHTSA database.
What Are Crash Complaints?
Crash complaints are NHTSA filings where the owner indicates a crash occurred as part of the incident. 81 of the Honda HR V's 1,571 complaints involved a crash. This metric is particularly important because it indicates how often defects resulted in actual collisions — a key safety signal beyond general reliability.
How Is the Reliability Verdict Calculated?
The reliability verdict (Poor) is generated by analyzing the vehicle's total complaints, recall history, crash complaint ratio, fire complaint ratio, and top component failures relative to class averages. This verdict gives buyers a quick interpretation before they review year-level details and VIN-level history. It should be treated as one decision input, not a substitute for a VIN-specific report.
Why Do Newer Years Have Fewer Complaints?
Newer model years appear to have fewer complaints because there has been less time for owners to file them. Complaints accumulate over years of ownership. A 2020 model year vehicle will typically show fewer complaints than a 2015 model year even if it is less reliable — simply because fewer owners have had time to report issues. Focus on complaints per year of market presence when comparing across model years.
Fleet Data vs. Individual VIN
Everything on this page reflects aggregated data across all Honda HR V vehicles on the road — not any specific car. Two Honda HR V vehicles of the same year can have very different histories: one may have been in three accidents and have an open recall; another may be clean. A VIN check gives you the individual car's history: accidents, title brands, odometer records, service history, and real-time recall status.
What Are NHTSA Investigations?
When NHTSA receives a pattern of related safety complaints, it opens a formal investigation. A Preliminary Evaluation (PE) is the first stage — NHTSA determines if a safety defect may exist. If evidence is strong, it escalates to an Engineering Analysis (EA), which can result in a mandatory recall. The Honda HR V has 0 investigations on record (0 active). Investigations listed above may have already led to the recalls shown on this page.
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Honda HR V reliability — frequently asked questions
Is the Honda HR V reliable?
Poor. The Honda HR V has 1,571 NHTSA owner complaints and 30 recall campaigns across model years. A commonly reported issue area is UNKNOWN OR OTHER. Use year-level data as a pattern guide, then verify the exact car with a VIN check before purchase.
Which Honda HR V years to avoid?
Years with the most NHTSA complaints: 2023 (683 complaints), 2019 (224 complaints), 2018 (154 complaints). Use these years as a shortlist for deeper inspection, and always run a VIN check on the exact vehicle before purchase.
What are the most common Honda HR V problems?
Top reported issues: UNKNOWN OR OTHER (365 complaints); VISIBILITY/WIPER (349 complaints); ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (248 complaints).
Does the Honda HR V have recalls?
Yes — 30 NHTSA recall campaigns have been issued for the Honda HR V. Check nhtsa.gov/recalls or run a VIN check to see if your specific vehicle has open recalls.