Meet the Insight, the first attempt by Honda at dethroning the mighty Prius. Sadly, not much happened in terms of sales, but it did teach them a thing or two about hybrid technology. As you might have guessed, it had a few issues.
Are there any recalls on the Honda Insight?
The Honda Insight, which has been produced since 2000, has had numerous recalls over its production history. Some of those recalls include:
- Fuel pump may fail
- SRS may become disabled due to manufacturing error
- Rearview image display failure
- Passenger frontal airbag inflator may explode
- Driver’s frontal airbag inflator may rupture
The more you know about the vehicle, the better. If you are considering buying a used Honda Insight, stay on top of repairs and recall information at Vehicle History. To help you, let’s break down some of the recalls for this vehicle.
Fuel Pump May Fail
NHTSA Recall ID: 20V314000
In May of 2020, Honda recalled the 2019 and 2020 Insight for a problem related to the fuel pump. This recall was necessary due to a low-pressure fuel pump located inside the fuel tank that may fail to operate as it should.
As a result of this, the engine can stall out when driving. This increases the risk of the vehicle causing an accident.
Honda alerted owners to the problem and had them bring their vehicles in to the local dealerships. They replaced the fuel pump assembly completely to prevent the stalling from occurring. Repairs for this recall started in July of 2020 when parts became available.
SRS May Become Disabled Due to Manufacturing Error
NHTSA Recall ID: 18V664000
Honda recalled the 2019 Insight for a problem related to the seat belts and airbags. The Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) control unit on these vehicles can have a manufacturing mistake in them. This can cause the SRS control unit to limit the airbags or seatbelt pretensioners from working. In the event of a crash, they may not deploy properly.
If a crash occurred and this error was present, the seatbelt pretensioners and the airbags could fail to operate as intended. This can increase the risk of injury in an accident.
To fix this problem, Honda alerted owners and then had dealerships replace the SRS unit. This was done at no charge to the owner. Work on this repair began in November of 2018.
Rearview Image Display Failure
NHTSA Recall ID: 18V629000
The company issued a recall on the 2019 Honda Insight due to a back over prevention and visibility problem. In these vehicles, the center display unit for the back-up feature of the car can fail to work properly.
A driver may not be able to see what is behind the car properly. This recall fails to meet the Number 111, “Rearview Mirrors” requirement under the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard.
This failure can increase the risk of a crash occurring. Drivers may be unable to see what is behind the vehicle. The display may make it seem like nothing is present, giving the driver the presumption of safety.
Honda had dealerships reprogram the display auto unit software to fix this problem. That recall started in October of 2018.
Passenger Frontal Airbag Inflator May Explode
NHTSA Recall ID: 18V661000
Honda recalled over 1.3 million vehicles from its lineup in September of 2018 for a problem with the passenger frontal airbags. In these cars, which includes the 2010 through 2013 Insights (depending on the state manufactured), the vehicles have a specific airbag inflator assembled as a component of the frontal airbag module.
These components may contain a propellant that degrades over time due to exposure from higher absolute humidity, temperature, and temperature cycling.
If this occurs, an inflator explosion may occur, leading to sharp metal fragments striking the driver or others in the car. This can cause serious injury or death.
To fix this problem, Honda replaced the passenger frontal airbag inflator on those vehicles. The repair for this began in November of 2018.
Driver’s Frontal Airbag Inflator May Rupture
NHTSA Recall ID: 16V061000
In 2016, Honda issued a recall on the driver’s frontal airbag inflator for the same reason as the passenger model. This recall impacted certain vehicles ranging from model years 2007 through 2011 for the Insight. The affected vehicles have a dual-stage driver frontal airbag. This airbag design may allow moisture into it. Over time, this can cause the inflator to rupture.
If a crash occurred that would require the airbags to deploy, the inflator may fail to operate. In other cases, it may rupture, which can cause the metal fragments to spray across the interior of the vehicle, striking others. This can cause serious injury or death.
Honda fixed this recall by having dealers bring the cars in for repairs. It replaced the inflator on each of the affected vehicles. Those repairs started in March of 2017.
How Do You Handle an Open Recall on the Honda Insight?
Recalls can happen at any time as vehicles are used, and new problems come to light. Staying up to date on them is important. Owners (and those considering buying a used car) can visit the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to input the vehicle’s VIN number into the system.
This will pull up a list of all applicable recalls for that car. It will also list any that are not completed. If there are concerns, owners can then contact Honda at 1-888-234-2138 to learn where to take the vehicles for the repairs.
Also note that you can enter the make, model, and year of the car into the NHTSA website if you do not have the VIN. This brings up basic but thorough information about the vehicle’s recalls. You can then follow up to ensure the repairs were completed.
