What breaks most · 2016 to 2027 model years
Honda HR-V problems by year
Owners have filed 1,827 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Honda HR-V across model years 2016 to 2027. Three years stand out: 2023 for wipers and visibility complaints, 2016 for powertrain and transmission complaints and 2019 for electrical system complaints. The quietest years are 2025, 2021 and 2020.
- Years to check closely: 2023, 2016, 2019
- Fewest complaints: 2025, 2021, 2020
- Complaints on file
- 18272016 to 2027, all trims
- Worst year
- 2023685 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 947 fires · 57 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 25kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 32Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 239 | 13 | 2 | Powertrain and transmission (74) | |
| 121 | 13 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (31) | |
| 156 | 11 | 3 | Electrical system (47) | |
| 231 | 17 | 7 | Electrical system (66) | |
| 83 | 8 | 5 | Electrical system (20) | |
| 63 | 5 | 4 | Air bags (21) | |
| 85 | 10 | 3 | Electrical system (26) | |
| 685 | 7 | 3 | Wipers and visibility (319) | |
| 107 | 8 | 4 | Steering (51) | |
| 42 | 2 | 1 | Steering (13) | |
| 13 | 0 | 0 | Electrical system (4) | |
| 2 | 0 | 0 | Engine (1) |
What fails on the 2023 Honda HR-V
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wipers and visibilityWiper motors and blades | 47% |
319 | 0 | Shop all wipers and visibility parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Unknown or other | 31% |
214 | 0 | — |
| VisibilityMirrors and glass | 11% |
78 | 0 | Shop visibility parts for the 2023 Honda HR-V |
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 11% |
77 | 3 | Shop all steering parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 5% |
33 | 0 | Shop all body and structure parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 4% |
30 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2023 Honda HR-V |
| Lane departure systemCamera sensors | 2% |
13 | 1 | Shop all lane departure system parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 1% |
8 | 1 | Shop engine parts for the 2023 Honda HR-V |
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.
-
Severe windshield cracking (without a clear impact). I have had my windshield replaced 2x and it continues to crack. Glass seems to be thinner and cracks.
-
Transmission belt failure at ~100k+ miles. This incident occurred after the recall repair for the software update related to the transmission. Most hazard indicators switched on, vehicle could not go over 50 miles per hour. Took vehicle into honda service center. They determined it to be a transmission failure.
-
The Multipurpose camera has internal failure and the unit is running at 130 degrees per diagnostic tests per mechanic. It's affecting the lane keep assist, automatic high beams, road departure, mitigation, adaptive, cruise control, collision mitigation system. These safety features are not working.
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 6, 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 HR-V years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2023, 2016, 2019 carry the most filings on the Honda HR-V. The 2023 alone has 685 complaints, led by wipers and visibility.
What is the most common Honda HR-V problem?
On the 2023 model year, the most-reported component is wipers and visibility with 319 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Honda HR-V problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Honda HR-V complaints that include mileage is about 25,000 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.