2016 Honda HR-V Recalls, Ratings & Complaints

Incident: July 20, 2025 · Filed: October 19, 2026

Transmission blew while on highway in 2025

Incident: October 15, 2026 · Filed: October 16, 2026

Odometer Fraud. The contact owns a 2016 Honda HR-V. It was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle advertised mileage was 92,340. However, after the purchase, the contact noticed that the mileage was approximately 83,000. While driving at a later date, the contact noticed an odometer malfunction and discovered that the current mileage was 194,000.

Incident: September 27, 2026 · Filed: October 12, 2026

Vehicle: 2016 Honda HR-V Approximate Mileage: 114,400 miles Incident Description: While driving at highway speeds on the freeway, the vehicle suffered a sudden, catastrophic loss of motive power and dropped into an emergency "limp mode." The vehicle suddenly refused to accelerate and could not maintain highway speeds, forcing me to navigate across active lanes of traffic to the shoulder to avoid being rear-ended. My minor child was present in the vehicle during these instances. This dangerous event has occurred twice, both times on high-speed roadways, presenting an immediate and severe risk of a high-speed collision to myself, my child, and other motorists. This dangerous event has occurred twice, both times on high-speed roadways, presenting an immediate and severe risk of a high-speed collision to myself, my child, and other motorists. A diagnostic scan of the vehicle's OBD-II system revealed error code P271E, which indicates Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) steel belt deterioration. This is a known, documented engineering defect with the metal drive belt fracturing inside the transmission, as outlined in Honda's official Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) 21-047. Because the vehicle completely loses propulsion without warning in live traffic due to a known manufacturing flaw, this constitutes an extreme, life-threatening safety hazard. I am requesting that the NHTSA investigate this component failure, as the current time-limited warranty extension does not adequately protect owners from sudden, dangerous highway failures of this defective drivetrain.

Incident: May 28, 2025 · Filed: October 6, 2026

Description of Safety Defect: This vehicle represents an immediate public safety hazard and total safety certification invalidation due to an unauthorized, mismatched engine model swap executed by Camelback Toyota Collision Center under Workfile ID: XXX. The facility utilized official manufacturer network credentials under a certified status to secure a premium repair contract, but secretly outsourced the vehicle. According to the shop's Final Bill (RO Number: XXX) and the corresponding parts supplier records (LKQ of Arizona Invoice No. XXX), the facility purchased a cheap, unserviced, recycled 2016 Honda HR-V base-model LX engine assembly (Engine VIN: [XXX]) for a raw cost of only $276.00. They forced this base LX block into my premium EX vehicle trim model (Vehicle VIN: [XXX]). The 8th character '5' on my vehicle's authentic VIN confirms an EX trim, while the 8th character '3' on the installed engine block confirms an incompatible LX trim. This intentional component mismatch caused severe, ongoing communication conflicts with the main vehicle computer modules while driving, causing total critical system failure that ultimately destroyed the transmission. Installing a completely incorrect engine model block compromises the vehicle's electrical configuration, onboard computer logic, and basic operational safety. The vehicle has been preserved intact as physical evidence of a dangerous corporate bait-and-switch scheme and gross negligence. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Incident: July 14, 2026 · Filed: September 1, 2026

The factory white paint on my 2016 Honda HR-V is severely peeling, and delaminating from the vehicle body panels. The paint failure has exposed bare metal beneath, resulting in rapid corrosion and rust formation. Large flakes of paint have detached while driving at highway speeds, creating a dangerous flying debris hazard for vehicles behind me and distracting other drivers.My local authorized Honda dealership has inspected the damage but refused to repair or address the factory defect, citing the age of the vehicle. American Honda has denied my case 165-37949 saying the age of the car excludes it from warranty repair.

Incident: July 12, 2026 · Filed: July 17, 2026

CVT has gone into safety/limp mode. June 7 2026 First sign was the EPB not releasing. Became drivable after warm up period. Replaced EPB switch and vehicle drove normally. There was still a parking brake caution light. On July 12, 2026 the issue repeated. This time the check engine light and transmission light have come on. Had it diagnosed at a mechanic and they found transmission codes: P0717 – Input/Turbine Speed Sensor "A" Circuit No Signal P0843 – Transmission Fluid Pressure Sensor/Switch "A" Circuit High P0796 – Pressure Control Solenoid "C" Performance or Stuck OFF P0717 – CVT Input Shaft (Drive Pulley) Speed Sensor "A" Circuit No Signal ABS Module Codes: 83-16 – Malfunction of Shift Position Signal 83-14 – Malfunction of Electric Parking Brake System Electric Parking Brake Module Codes: U0401-68 – Invalid Data Received from Powertrain Control Module (PCM) U0402-68 – Invalid Data Received from Transmission Control Module (TCM) CVT and rear diff fluid appear dirty and burned. Apparently there was a TSB issued that extended the CVT warranty to 7 years or 150,000 miles. We did not receive that notice. We purchased the vehicle used from Honda in 2019. Currently has a total of 39,831 miles. Mechanic is recommending replacement of CVT system for approximately $11,000. The value of the vehicle with repairs is only about $14,000 We were lucky that this occurred parked at our house. Had it occurred while driving, it would have caused immediate stop in traffic with no brake lights lit. Honda knew there was an issue with the CVT drive belt and the PCM. Honda really should have made the effort to communicate this issue to customers and extend the warranty based on mileage rather than years of service. Needing a new CVT at less than 40K miles of light driving is not reasonable wear and tear. Unfortunately, this has likely ended our 40 year history of purchasing Honda autos.

Incident: May 12, 2025 · Filed: June 10, 2026

The contact owned a 2016 Honda HR-V. The contact stated that while driving at 12 MPH, the vehicle experienced a brake failure, resulting in a frontal collision with a utility vehicle. The airbag deployed. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a private salvage auto auction yard. The contact stated that the vehicle was deemed a total loss by the insurance company. There was no property damage. A police report was filed. The contact was transported by ambulance to the ER, and the contact was moved to a level 1 trauma unit, where she was treated for multiple injuries, including hematomas on the abdomen, fractured ribs, and several body bruises and lacerations. The failure mileage was approximately 64,612.

Incident: May 1, 2024 · Filed: May 28, 2026

My vehicle paint is peeling and it is the NH788P. ( Orchid Pearl White). I am the second owner of this car as of 2021. It started on the roof and has continued to doors etc. No recalls were shown on the CarFax at the time of purchase.

Incident: May 19, 2026 · Filed: May 21, 2026

Car went into limp mode far from home. Lots of lights on the dash lit up. I scanned the OBD and it came back with code P271E to replace the automatic transmission assembly. This was confirmed by a transmission repair shop. This is a known issue by Honda and they have issued service bulletins 21-046 and 21-047. However, my vehicle is outside of the warranty extension and they will not provide assistance with the repair.

Incident: November 15, 2023 · Filed: May 8, 2026

The contact owns a 2016 Honda HR-V. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, several unknown warning lights illuminated, and the vehicle would not accelerate past approximately 35MPH while the accelerator pedal was depressed. The vehicle was towed to the same local dealer on several occasions, where it was diagnosed as needing a battery, an unknown belt, and torque converter replacement. The vehicle was repaired at the consumer's expense. The vehicle was taken to another local dealer (Performance Kings Honda|9131 Fields Ertel Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45249) where it was diagnosed with a Transmission failure related to NHTSA Campaign:10236086 (Power Train); however, the coverage had expired in 2023 or up to 150,000 miles. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 133,000.