Honda Insight
Reliability, NHTSA Complaints & Recall History
10 model years analyzed (2009–2022). All data sourced directly from the NHTSA public complaints and recall database — the same data used by federal regulators.
Checking a specific Honda Insight? Run a VIN check for its exact history.
⭐ 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.
AI Interpretation
High ConfidenceAverageNHTSA complaint data for the Honda Insight (2009–2022) shows the highest number of complaints for air bags, followed by engine and forward collision avoidance systems. Complaints are concentrated in the 2010 and 2019 model years, while 2009 and 2014 have the fewest. The data suggests potential issues with safety-related components, but consumer reports do not confirm manufacturing defects.
- Air bags account for the highest number of complaints (118) among all components.
- Engine complaints are the second most reported issue (88).
- Forward collision avoidance complaints total 48, indicating a recurring theme with driver-assistance systems.
- The 2010 model year has the most complaints (118), while 2009 has none.
- Crash-related complaints number 42, representing a notable portion of total complaints.
- Air bags may have deployment or warning light issues.
- Engine performance or stalling problems are frequently reported.
- Forward collision avoidance system may activate unexpectedly or fail to engage.
The 2010 model year has the most complaints (118), driven largely by air bag and engine issues. The 2019 model year also shows elevated complaints (94), with forward collision avoidance and electrical system problems being prominent.
The 2009 model year has zero complaints, and 2014 has only 5, suggesting these years may have fewer reported issues. However, low complaint counts could also reflect lower sales or reporting rates.
- Check for open recalls related to air bags at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
- Request service records for engine and forward collision avoidance system repairs.
- Have a mechanic inspect the vehicle's electrical system and brakes before purchase.
- Verify that all safety-related recalls have been completed.
🔔 NHTSA Safety Recalls
53 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.
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Source: NHTSA Recalls Database. Data covers model years 2009–2022. Always run a VIN-specific check below for the most up-to-date open recall status.
🔧 Most-Reported Problem Areas
Based on component keywords extracted from all 441 NHTSA complaints.
📋 NHTSA Complaint Reports
441 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.
TAKATA RECALL.... I RECEIVED THE RECALL NOTICE BY US MAIL AND THE DATE ON THE LETTER WAS MARCH 2016. IT IS NOW FEB ALMOST MARCH 2017, 1 YEAR LATER AND EVERY TIME I GO TO THE DEALER TO HAVE THIS CORRECTED. THEY STATE TO ME THAT I HAVE TO WAIT TILL I GET A LETTER IN MAIL SAYING THAT THE PARTS ARE IN AND I CAN BRING MY CAR IN FOR REPAIR. IT HAS BEEN A YEAR! REALLY, I COULD HAVE DIED BY NOW BECAUSE OF THIS RECALL AND NO ONE SEEMS TO CARE ABOUT THIS... I FEEL THIS IS A LAW SUIT WAITING TO HAPPEN AND BELIEVE ME, I HAVE LEFT MY FAMILY INSTRUCTIONS FOR JUST THAT IF I AM IN AN ACCIDENT AND AIRBAG IS DEPLOYED AND I DIE. THIS IS COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE WHEN IT COMES TO PEOPLES SAFETY, YOU HAVE RECALLED THE ITEM ASSOCIATED WITH THE VEHICLE AND THEN YOU CANT FIX IT???? SO WHEN DO I HEAR ABOUT MY PARTS BEING IN AND THIS GETTING FIXED, HOPEFULLY IT IS BEFORE I DIE BECAUSE OF IT! I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW! I HAVEN'T HEARD A THING SINCE I GOT THE FIRST NOTICE AND ALL THE DEALER SAYS IS THAT I HAVE TO WAIT. WAIT FOR WHAT, ME TO DIE BECAUSE OF IT? PLEASE DO YOUR JOB AND FIX THE CAR!
TAKATA RECALL. I RECEIVED A LETTER DATED MARCH 2016 AND WAS TOLD THAT THIS RECALL WOULD BE TAKEN CARE OF IN THE SUMMER OF 2016. I WAS ALSO TOLD THAT ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORTATION COULD BE PROVIDED BUT THAT I WOULD HAVE TO PAY OUT OF POCKET FOR THE RENTAL AND BE REIMBURSED. I WOULD BE BROKE BY NOW AND STILL WAITING TO BE CONTACTED TO HAVE MY VEHICLE SERVICED. WHEN ARE THESE VEHICLES GOING TO BE CORRECTED? WHY HAVE ALL THE OTHER GAS HOG POPULAR CARS BEEN DONE ALREADY? WHY AM I STILL DRIVING A DEATHTRAP? *TR
AIRBAGS RECALL NOT COMPLETED.
TAKATA RECALL ON APRIL 5, 2016, IT WILL BE 60 DAYS SINCE I LEFT MY CAR AT THE DEALERSHIP FOR THE TAKATA REPAIR.
JUST ONE DAY AFTER DRIVING THIS NEW VEHICLE HOME I GOT ON THE HIGHWAY AND FOUND THE DRIVER'S SIDE VIEW MIRROR TILTED AT ANY ANGLE SO FAR I COULDN'T SEE ANY CAR ON THE HIGHWAY WITH IT.. THE ELECTRICAL CONTROLS TO WORK THE MIRROR DID NOT HAVE RANGE ENOUGH TO CORRECT IT OWING TO THE FACT THE ENTIRE MIRROR BODY HAD LEFT WHAT I AM TOLD IS ITS SNAP IN POSITION. I HAD NEVER TOUCHED IT AND IT HAD NO REASON TO LEAVE ITS PROPER POSITION. AND IT WAS IN ITS PROPER POSITION THE DAY I DROVE IT HOME. THE MIRROR HAD TILTED ITSELF SO FAR I COULD SEE MY OWN REFLECTION IT IT! THE DAY WAS QUITE WINDY AND THE CAR WAS BUFFETED BY THE WIND. A CHECK OF THE OWNER'S MANUAL HAS NO MENTION OF ANY KIND THIS MIRROR IS ADJUSTABLE. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THIS IS NORMAL BEHAVIOR FOR THE MIRROR AND DESIGNED TO MOVE IN IMPACT AND COULD NOT BE SECURED FURTHER. MAY I BE EMPHATIC THAT THE MIRROR SERVES NO USEFUL PURPOSE TO THE DRIVER WHEN FOLDED SO FAR AND THIS IS PLACING MY LIFE IN JEOPARDY FOR THE FOOL PURPOSE OF SAVING A MIRROR. HONDA HAS LOST ITS MIND.
BCM Body Control Module failed/malfunctioned. We had to pay for the repair at DCH Honda Mission Valley. The car does not start when it is cold outside. Many times, my husband, who primarily drives the car, was stranded and would have to wait for the weather to warm up a bit and then eventually, the car would then start. The dealership where we initially purchased the car new was able to determine, with the assistance of the corporation, that what we said happened. All the warning lamps/messages appeared every time this issue happened, beginning January 13, 2025.
This issue actually started in November of 2022. Driving down from the mountains the car started losing power. I took the car to the dealership on Monday. I was then advised that there was not an issue they could they could find. A few months later the car would not start. They replaced the battery and the issue was resolved (I don’t recall the exact month the battery was replaced). November 29,2025, I started my car and when I accelerated to about 30+ miles the car started to hesitate and it felt as if the car was going to stop. The check engine light came on and stayed on. I had over a half a tank of gas and temperature was around 28-30 degrees. I drove the car for about 2 miles to fill up to make the drive to my house. The distance is about 170 miles. Once the tank was full, I started up with no issues of shaking/hesitation/loss of power. Monday December 1,2025, Two days later. Started the car. Check engine light came on/car was vibrating/hesitation when giving gas. Drove to the dealership for them to check what the issue is. I noticed there are two other reported issues with the same/similar issue. At this moment, I’m waiting for the dealership to advise what the issue is/how to resolve the issue. It would be beneficial if service bulletins were added in the recall section. That could help fix problems faster and help make recalls faster.
Automatic brake system activated even though there were no cars in front of me or behind me. Car came to a complete stop which would have been a huge risk if someone was behind me. I have also had other instances where the auto brake would randomly activate and stop the car, but not as severe as a full stop on this one.
Radio/infotainment touchscreen often freezes up and has phantom inputs, which can exit navigation and change the audio source. This causes huge distraction to the driver. The frustrating thing about this is that it's an intermittent issue, so the service center can't replicate it when I bring it in. This has been an ongoing issue with many 3rd generation Insights, and I was told by the service center that Honda has an internal investigation going. I have brought my vehicle in to multiple service centers and none have been able to replicate or fix the issue.
The 2022 Honda Insight has an issue with "phantom touches" on the infotainment system. The system will frequently select buttons and change your screen, when no one is touching the panel. It will also freeze up, where you have no control over it. Why is this a safety hazard? Because when you're driving down the road and it takes your map away, you are constantly fighting the system trying to get your directions back, and in the process, your attention is taken off the road. When it flips radio stations on you randomly, and you keep having to try to flip it back. When it randomly pulls up your phone contact list, you have to immediately hit the home button so it doesn't dial someone. This nonsense happens A LOT, and has been ongoing since I bought the car a few years ago, especially when it's warmer outside. The last time I was at my Honda dealer I asked them to look at it. They didn't know what was causing it, but said the firmware needed to be updated, so they did that and nothing changed. To get a full understanding of what it's like, I posted a few videos. Just watch the first 30 seconds of the first video and you will immediately understand what it's like driving with this (as I am driving in this video) and seeing the buttons randomly pressed by "phantom touches." In the second video you can see what happens when the screen changes but is frozen (no matter what I try it doesn't respond)... [XXX] .... [XXX] .... [XXX] .... Here is also one of several Reddit threads regarding the issue: [XXX] ... Like me, others haven't been given any straight answer from Honda. This needs to be recalled. It's a major distraction while driving! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2022 Honda Insight. The contact stated that upon entering the vehicle, the contact noticed that the rear glass had shattered, but remained together. The contact stated that there was no visible impact on the glass. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The dealer was contacted through voicemail. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,400.
Car often slams on the breaks when there’s no one near me. It also has the blind spot detection go off when there’s no one next to me (or a highway barrier) Both of these instances have happened numerous times since I’ve had my car. It’s only been 3 years and 25k miles. The problem started as soon as 2-3 months in
While I was going 5-10mph over a railroad crossing, the steering wheel airbag deployed as my front tires went over the grade crossing. The airbag also went left instead of straight. My hand is bruised and it sounded like a gunshot went off in my vehicle. After the deployment, the vehicle was still driveable. I drove it to a Honda dealership and they were very concerned and called corporate.
According to the driver of the vehicle at the time, for no reason while on a Freeway approaching a construction area at 60 miles per hour with cruse control OFF, the vehicle brakes were applied by (I suspect) the Emergency Braking System (EBS)of the car. The Car, due to the breaking, slowed down to 50 miles per hour and then released the brakes. No one was behind the car at the time. A warning did also appear on the instrument panel at the time of the event. Problem has not been reported to Honda (or anyone else) or reproduced. There were no warnings of any issue prior to the event. This event occurred around the first of January 2025.
I just read about a NHTSA probe or study that's been upgraded for unexplained braking on Honda Insights. This unexplained sharp automated braking has happened at least half a dozen times in my car. There was never anything in or near the vehicle path that would explain the braking. It was always good weather (no hazard road conditions). In every instance it was a brief but sharp braking (with a loud audible beep beep beep). Three times it occurred within the same 1/4 mile stretch of road, which was a slight decline followed by a slight incline (at the time I was thinking that somehow the optical camera system was picking up some reflected or refracted light from the road or highway markings). But that seems unlikely, and in any case, Louisiana roads, being as horrible as they are, there's no fresh marking paint or other reflective coatings anywhere on the road. I also wondered if maybe it was caused by interference from other radar or radio signals.
Engine will start shaking and making a helicopter sound while idling or driving under 45. Check engine light will begin to blink. While on the interstate, engine began to shake loudly making helicopter sound. Then it began to decelerate from 75 to 40 ON THE INTERSTATE before stalling out completely. I had to coast it into the pull off lane to avoid being hit. Spark plugs were replaced, but issue continues. Mechanic said it sounds like a fuel pump issue when I recorded it on video. When we restarted the car, engine light was not on so error codes could not be read.
While driving the vehicle around 6:55PM at approximately 40 MPH while exiting the highway the Emergency breaking system fully engaged for no reason. There were no obstructions in the roadway, the vehicle was on center in the roadway and there were no vehicles in front when the braking occurred. After slowing the vehicle under full emergency braking to around 15 MPH the system stopped breaking and returned to normal. There were no warning lights, or system lights that activated before, during or after the emergency breaking. The lane departure warning visual indicator appeared on the dash, but the road departure mitigation indicator did not. This also occurred when the vehicle was a significant distance away from any solid lines in the roadway as the exit lane is oversized where the incident occurred. The incident caused a trailing vehicle to take evasive action and swerve onto the shoulder to avoid a crash.
Approximately 29-30 months after purchase multiple panels of the car are peeling with paint. Small knicks continue to bubble and get larger. Honda is not covering this problem because the milage is past 36,000 but this is clearly a manufacturing defect; the dealership did fix two panels for us (photos starting with a 1 and 2) free of charge but will not cover a third repair (photos starting with a 3). I think this vehicle is defective and should be completely repainted or exchanged.
April 17, 2024. Feds expands investigation into Honda’s automatic emergency braking system. “BRAKE” flashes on the dash. As shown in your article. Insight slows down for no reason. I’m a very cautious driver and around my surroundings. No accidents Not told to my dealer or manufacturer. What would they do? Keep me in the waiting room for hours. Then tell me there is nothing wrong. No prior messages before hand. I maintained my vehicle in perfect condition. 14k miles. 2 years old on May 1, 2024. Garaged. My vehicle has this happen all the time. Usually when traveling under 40 mph. In city driving. No vehicles are ahead of me. Thank you.
Brake light warning flashed quickly but there was no one in front of me. This happened 2 times without any automatic brakes being applied. Lane assist warning showed on the dash but I was in the center of the lane. This has happened 7 or 8 times. The steering wheel did not vibrate.
Showing 20 of 441 total NHTSA complaints. Source: NHTSA Complaints Database
Check a Specific Honda Insight
This page shows fleet averages across all 10 model years. Enter a VIN to see the exact accident history, odometer records, title brands, and open recall status for a specific car.
📖 Understanding This Data
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 Insight has 441 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 Insight has 53 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. 42 of the Honda Insight's 441 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 AI Rating Calculated?
The AI reliability rating (Average) 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. The rating provides a plain-English summary for buyers who want a quick verdict without parsing raw numbers. It is one input in your buying decision — always verify with 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 Insight vehicles on the road — not any specific car. Two Honda Insight 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 Insight has 0 investigations on record (0 active). Investigations listed above may have already led to the recalls shown on this page.