What breaks most · 2000 to 2008 model years
Honda S2000 problems by year
Owners have filed 107 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Honda S2000 across model years 2000 to 2008. Three years stand out: 2000 for visibility complaints, 2005 for powertrain and transmission complaints and 2001 for powertrain and transmission complaints. The quietest years are 2004, 2003 and 2002.
- Years to check closely: 2000, 2005, 2001
- Fewest complaints: 2004, 2003, 2002
- Complaints on file
- 1072000 to 2008, all trims
- Worst year
- 200040 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 144 fires · 10 injuries · 0 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 30kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 6Across 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | 3 | 3 | Visibility (8) | |
| 13 | 1 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (3) | |
| 10 | 2 | 0 | Engine and cooling (6) | |
| 8 | 2 | 0 | Engine and cooling (4) | |
| 5 | 0 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (4) | |
| 15 | 2 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (4) | |
| 10 | 3 | 2 | Body and structure (3) | |
| 3 | 1 | 1 | Fuel system (1) | |
| 3 | 0 | 0 | Engine (1) |
What fails on the 2000 Honda S2000
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VisibilityMirrors and glass | 20% |
8 | 0 | Shop all visibility parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Exterior lightingHeadlights, tail lights and bulbs | 20% |
8 | 0 | Shop exterior lighting parts for the 2000 Honda S2000 |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 18% |
7 | 1 | Shop body and structure parts for the 2000 Honda S2000 |
| Engine and coolingRadiators, thermostats and cooling | 13% |
5 | 0 | Shop engine and cooling parts for the 2000 Honda S2000 |
| Seat belts | 10% |
4 | 0 | Check recalls for seat belts on NHTSA.gov |
| Air bags | 8% |
3 | 2 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 5% |
2 | 0 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2000 Honda S2000 |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 5% |
2 | 0 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
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.
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The vehicles rear window is made of plastic which made it impossible for the consumer to see out of the rear window. *ak *cb *nlm
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Gears grind from 1st to 2nd at any speed. Though this is not happening to all HONDA s2000's american HONDA insists that it is a "characteristic of the car" and will not repair the synchros. Probably because it is an 8 hr process. *nm
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Squeak noise when using clutch. Later the squeak gets louder and requires more pressure to press the clutch. Also the clutch is not smooth operation. *jb
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 S2000 years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2000, 2005, 2001 carry the most filings on the Honda S2000. The 2000 alone has 40 complaints, led by visibility.
What is the most common Honda S2000 problem?
On the 2000 model year, the most-reported component is visibility with 8 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Honda S2000 problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Honda S2000 complaints that include mileage is about 30,000 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.