What breaks most · 2011 to 2015 model years
Honda CR-Z problems by year
Owners have filed 50 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Honda CR-Z across model years 2011 to 2015. Three years stand out: 2011 for air bags complaints, 2013 for air bags complaints and 2012 for air bags complaints.
- Years to check closely: 2011, 2013, 2012
- Complaints on file
- 502011 to 2015, all trims
- Worst year
- 201131 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 70 fires · 7 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 32kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 10Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 | 5 | 3 | Air bags (14) | |
| 5 | 0 | 2 | Air bags (5) | |
| 8 | 1 | 2 | Air bags (7) | |
| 3 | 0 | 1 | Air bags (3) | |
| 3 | 1 | 2 | Air bags (1) |
What fails on the 2011 Honda CR-Z
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air bags | 45% |
14 | 3 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Unknown or other | 16% |
5 | 1 | — |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 16% |
5 | 0 | Shop all body and structure parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 10% |
3 | 0 | Shop all electrical system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Seat belts | 10% |
3 | 3 | Check recalls for seat belts on NHTSA.gov |
| Wheels | 6% |
2 | 1 | — |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 6% |
2 | 1 | Shop steering parts for the 2011 Honda CR-Z |
| BrakesBrake pads, rotors and calipers | 6% |
2 | 1 | Shop brakes parts for the 2011 Honda CR-Z |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
Door locks on driver and passenger side will not lock or unlock while using interior door lock button or key fob. Parking lights will flash when key fob button is pressed. Problem started with passenger door first then 2 weeks later driver door stopped. Dealership diagnosed the problem as failed lock actuators.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Honda CR-Z years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2011, 2013, 2012 carry the most filings on the Honda CR-Z. The 2011 alone has 31 complaints, led by air bags.
What is the most common Honda CR-Z problem?
On the 2011 model year, the most-reported component is air bags with 14 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Honda CR-Z problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Honda CR-Z complaints that include mileage is about 32,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.