2011 Honda Insight problems & reliability
40 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2011 Honda Insight, alongside 10 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
2 complaints report injuries (2 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2011 Honda Insight vehicles were involved in 3 fatal crashes with 1 occupant death. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Air Bags → | 28 | 70% |
| Engine | 4 | 10% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 3 | 8% |
| Seat Belts | 2 | 5% |
| Wheels | 2 | 5% |
| Electrical System | 1 | 3% |
| Exterior Lighting | 1 | 3% |
| Hybrid Propulsion System | 1 | 3% |
| Power Train | 1 | 3% |
| Seats | 1 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“On 21 oct 2020, was driving on the highway at steady speed using cruise control on level ground. Engine suddenly lost power. Limped off highway, unable to exceed 20 mph. Erratic idle. Cel, check emissions and check vsa displayed on driver's information display. Occurred at 147523. Dealer recommended replacement of…”
Engine · filed Dec 25, 2020
“I got a notice that both airbags on my car were faulty and that honda would fix them for free. The parts didn't come in for 3 or 4 months. I was commuting 400 miles a week for work and asked them to provide a rental car for me until then. They would furnish the car but I was responsible for the insurance on it. They…”
Air Bags · filed Dec 13, 2016
“Takata recall we've been notified twice to get our car repaired. When contacting dealership, we're told the parts are not available to repair. We live in mississippi, where the climate is humid and hot. We understand this a high-risk environment for a malfunction. We would like to know when we can expect to have this…”
Air Bags · filed Dec 12, 2016
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Pedestrian alert sounds
Defect Petition DP22005 · opened Jan 27, 2023 · closed Aug 7, 2023 · led to recall 22V063000
Technical service bulletins
71 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2011 Honda Insight. The 10 most recent:
Service Bulletin - Warranty Extension: Customer Support Program For Front Passenger's Airbag Inflator.
A18-066 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 30, 2026
Service Bulletin - Warranty Extension: Customer Support Program For Driver's Airbag Inflator for 2007-11 CR-V and Other Listed Years and Models.
A18-048 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 28, 2026
Service News - The navigation clock and date are incorrect. This is due to a limited GPS receiver Capacity resulting in a rollover of the internal chip memory; the rollover occurred on January 1, 2022, at 12:00AM local…
A21120B · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 13, 2023
ServiceNews Article - The clock shows the incorrect time. This issue is due to a limited GPS receiver capacity resulting in "rollover" of the internal chip memory; the "rollover" will occur on January 1, 2022 at 12:00AM…
A21120B · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 29, 2022
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2011-2016 CR-Zs, 2010-2014 Insights, & 2011-2017 Odysseys with a customer complaint of the brake pedal feeling soft or spongy when…
APaS02262021902 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 26, 2021
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2011-2016 CR-Zs, 2010-2014 Insights, & 2011-2017 Odysseys with a customer complaint of the brake pedal feeling soft or spongy when…
APaS02102021902 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 10, 2021
"Service Bulletin - There are several A/C leak detection tools available. -Refrigerant Gas Leak Detector -Ultrasonic Leak Detector -Leak Dye"
A07-030 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 23, 2021
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2011-2016 CR-Zs, 2010-2014 Insights, & 2011-2017 Odysseys with a customer complaint of the brake pedal feeling soft or spongy when…
APaS01222021909 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 22, 2021
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2011-2016 CR-Zs, 2010-2014 Insights, & 2011-2017 Odysseys with a customer complaint of the brake pedal feeling soft or spongy when…
APaS01062021907 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 6, 2021
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2011-2016 CR-Zs, 2010-2014 Insights, & 2011-2017 Odysseys with a customer complaint of the brake pedal feeling soft or spongy when…
APaS12102020902 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 10, 2020
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2011 Honda Insight has 10 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2011 Honda Insight?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.