2002 Honda Insight Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2002 Honda Insight, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Exterior lighting866.7%
- Electrical216.7%
- Tires & wheels18.3%
- Transmission18.3%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Exterior lighting
Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting.
From owner reports, verbatim
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 HONDA INSIGHT. WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS FAILED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE WIRING HARNESS MELTED AND CAUSED THE LOW BEAM FAILURE AND THAT THE LIGHT SWITCH AND CONNECTOR WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 278,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 HONDA INSIGHT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 50 MPH, THE VEHICLE LOSS EXTERIOR AND INTERIOR LIGHTING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER BUT WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 04V086000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING). THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 104,000.
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
WHEN MEASURED WITH A TRIFIELD METER, THE ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD (EMF) IMPACTING THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER ARE DANGEROUSLY HIGH. THE DRIVER IS RECEIVING UP TO 135 MILLIGAUSS (MG) AT THE HIP, AND UP TO 100 MG IN THE UPPER TORSO AND HEAD AREA. (UNDER 10 MG IS CONSIDERED SAFE.) SEE HTTP://CONSUMERAFFAIRS.COM/AUTOMOTIVE/HONDA_INSIGHT.HTML. *TR
BATTERY IS DISCHARGING WITHIN 18 HOURS OF DRIVING. THE MANUAL/INSTRUCTION BOOKLET DOES NOT ALLOW THE CONSUMER TO UNDERSTAND THE LIMIT OF DRIVING DISTANCE WHEN TRAVELING LONG DISTANCES. THIS IS A GAS OPERATED VEHICLE.*AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Tires & wheels
Reports naming tires, wheels, hubs, or the tire-pressure monitoring system.
From owner reports, verbatim
TIRE BLEW OUT FOR NO APPARENT REASON AFTER ONLY 3 WEEKS OF DRIVING. *AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Transmission
Reports naming the automatic or manual transmission, including shifting behaviour, shudder, slipping and transmission control modules.
From owner reports, verbatim
CAR STARTED JUDDERING AND LOOSING POWER. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER BECAUSE THERE WAS A "JUDDER RECALL". AFTER GETTING THE CAR BACK, TRANSMISSION IS NOT WORKING CORRECTLY. CONTACTED AMERICAN HONDA AND THEY MENTIONED TO ME THAT THE FLYWHEEL HAD GREASE AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. AMERICAN HONDA DENIED MY CLAIM TO GET THIS COVERED. CVT TRANSMISSION IS SKIPPING, JUDDERING AND FAILS TO DELIVER POWER CORRECTLY. *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .