2021 Honda Insight problems & reliability
24 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2021 Honda Insight, alongside 3 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.
1 complaint report injuries (1 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2021 Honda Insight vehicles were involved in 4 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 8 | 33% |
| Unknown OR Other | 5 | 21% |
| Service Brakes | 4 | 17% |
| Air Bags | 3 | 13% |
| Electrical System | 3 | 13% |
| Seats | 3 | 13% |
| Engine | 1 | 4% |
| Exterior Lighting | 1 | 4% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 1 | 4% |
| Lane Departure | 1 | 4% |
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
“The contact's daughter owns a 2021 Honda Insight. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the front driver's and passenger-side air bags suddenly deployed without impact. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the air bags cracked the front windshield…”
Air Bags · filed Jun 8, 2026
“There is a massive hood flutter when large vehicle drive towards me going above 50mph. It feels and looks like the hood is not latched correctly and going to open into my windshield. This has happened since I purchase the vehicle new in 2021”
Structure · filed Apr 11, 2026
“Went in for a typical servicing. They noted that the downstream O2 sensor was damaged by rodents. The vehicle, with around 14k has always been stored in a weather tight garage, never stored outside. There has been no rodents in the building since I owned it from 1999. This is a presumptuous statement I refuted, but…”
Fuel/propulsion System · filed Jan 23, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking
Engineering Analysis EA25002 · opened Jan 17, 2025 · open
- Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking
Preliminary Evaluation PE24008 · opened Mar 7, 2024 · closed Jan 17, 2025
- Pedestrian alert sounds
Defect Petition DP22005 · opened Jan 27, 2023 · closed Aug 7, 2023 · led to recall 22V063000
Technical service bulletins
25 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2021 Honda Insight. The 10 most recent:
Service Bulletin - The ACC system error message comes on while driving when outside temperatures are low/near freezing due to snow and ice getting stuck to the front of the millimeter wave radar. This can cause DTC…
A21-068 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 25, 2023
Service News - If an Adaptive Cruise Control System Problem comes back on when the vehicle is driven in freezing conditions, inform the customer it is likely due to snow or ice buildup on the radar. Advise the customer…
A21080A · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 17, 2023
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for any & all 2018-2022 Accord Hybrids, 2020-2022 CR-V Hybrids & 2019-2022 Insights that match the criteria listed below. Qualifiers AHM is interested…
ATI&03272023904 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 27, 2023
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for any & all 2018-2022 Accord Hybrids, 2020-2022 CR-V Hybrids & 2019-2022 Insights that match the criteria listed below. Qualifiers AHM is interested…
ATI&03102023904 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 10, 2023
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for any & all 2018-2022 Accord Hybrids, 2020-2022 CR-V Hybrids & 2019-2022 Insights that match the criteria listed below. Qualifiers AHM is interested…
ATI&02232023903 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 23, 2023
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for any & all 2018-2022 Accord Hybrids, 2020-2022 CR-V Hybrids & 2019-2022 Insights that match the criteria listed below. AHM is interested ONLY if the…
ATI&02072023904 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 7, 2023
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for any & all 2018-2022 Accord Hybrids, 2020-2022 CR-V Hybrids & 2019-2022 Insights that match the criteria listed below.
ATI&01182023903 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 18, 2023
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for any & all 2018-2022 Accord Hybrids, 2020-2022 CR-V Hybrids & 2019-2022 Insights that match the criteria listed below.
ATI&01032023902 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 3, 2023
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for any & all 2018-2022 Accord Hybrids, 2020-2022 CR-V Hybrids & 2019-2022 Insights that match the criteria listed below. Qualifiers AHM is interested…
ATI&12132022901 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 13, 2022
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for any & all 2018-2022 Accord Hybrids, 2020-2022 CR-V Hybrids & 2019-2022 Insights that match the criteria listed below. Qualifiers AHM is interested…
ATI&11282022907 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 28, 2022
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 2021 Honda Insight has 3 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 2021 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.