HONDA CN250 · model year

1996 HONDA CN250

5 NHTSA complaints for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1996HONDACN250 carries 5 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 1996 CN250 is engine and engine cooling:engine with 2 filings, followed by tires (1) and service brakes, hydraulic (1). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.

NHTSA currently has 77 investigation files overlapping the 1996 CN250, and 9 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

5
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

5 filings

Crashes Reported

0 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE2
TIRES1
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC1
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE1

Recent Complaints

20050801SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

1996 HONDA GL1500 ASPENCADE ENGINE WILL STOP RUNNING AS I AM OVERTAKING ANOTHER VEHICLE AND ALSO DRIVING UP INCLINES WITHOUT ANY TYPE OF WARNING WHAT SO EVER. NUMEROUS TIMES I HAVE ALMOST BEEN REAR ENDED BY TRACTOR TRAILERS AND CARS AS I TRY MY BEST TO PUT ON THE 4-WAYS AND GET THE MOTORCYCLE OFF OF THE ROADWAY BEFORE I AM KILLED. I HAVE HAD IT BACK TO THE SHOP NUMEROUS TIMES BUT IT SEEMS THAT NO MATTER WHAT THE BIKE COMES OUT WORSE. I AM ALSO ENCOUNTERING THE SAME PROBLEM THAT I HAVE SEEN LISTED IN ANOTHER COMPLAINT AND THAT IS DEALING WITH THE HYDRAULIC BRAKES. NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES I HAVE COMPLAINED THEY NEVER SEEM TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. WHEN THE BIKE IS SITTING THE BRAKES APPEAR TO WORK OK BUT WHEN THE BIKE IS BEING RIDDEN YOU HAVE TO STOMP DOWN ON THE BRAKE PEDAL IN ORDER FOR IT TO EVEN START TO WORK, NEVER MIND STOPPING THE BIKE IN THE NEXT 4 MILES. *NM

Mileage: 4,581

20050801FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

1996 HONDA GL1500 ASPENCADE ENGINE WILL STOP RUNNING AS I AM OVERTAKING ANOTHER VEHICLE AND ALSO DRIVING UP INCLINES WITHOUT ANY TYPE OF WARNING WHAT SO EVER. NUMEROUS TIMES I HAVE ALMOST BEEN REAR ENDED BY TRACTOR TRAILERS AND CARS AS I TRY MY BEST TO PUT ON THE 4-WAYS AND GET THE MOTORCYCLE OFF OF THE ROADWAY BEFORE I AM KILLED. I HAVE HAD IT BACK TO THE SHOP NUMEROUS TIMES BUT IT SEEMS THAT NO MATTER WHAT THE BIKE COMES OUT WORSE. I AM ALSO ENCOUNTERING THE SAME PROBLEM THAT I HAVE SEEN LISTED IN ANOTHER COMPLAINT AND THAT IS DEALING WITH THE HYDRAULIC BRAKES. NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES I HAVE COMPLAINED THEY NEVER SEEM TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. WHEN THE BIKE IS SITTING THE BRAKES APPEAR TO WORK OK BUT WHEN THE BIKE IS BEING RIDDEN YOU HAVE TO STOMP DOWN ON THE BRAKE PEDAL IN ORDER FOR IT TO EVEN START TO WORK, NEVER MIND STOPPING THE BIKE IN THE NEXT 4 MILES. *NM

Mileage: 4,581

20041220ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

I BOUGHT A 1996 HONDA ACCORD COUPE W/91,000 MILES AND A VTEC ENGINE, IN MAY OF 2004 AND NOW ITS DEC 2004 I WAS TOLD THAT MY ENGINE IS GONE DUE TO A BALANCE SHAFT SEAL WITHOUT ITS RETAINER ATTACHED. WITHOUT THE RETAINER, THE BALANCE SHAFT SEAL CAME LOOSE AND MY OIL CAME OUT AND NOW I'VE BEEN TOLD BY TWO MECHANICS THAT MY ENGINE IS BAD. THIS ALL HAPPENED IN THE SPAN OF TWO DAYS.*AK

Mileage: 90,856

20041011ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

THE OIL LIGHT CAME ON AT 81133 MILES WHILE DRIVING. I PULLED THE CAR OVER. ALL THE ENGINE OIL HAD SPILLED OUT OVER THE PREVIOUS MILE, IN A SCHOOL ZONE. A PARTICULARLY LARGE PUDDLE OF OIL WAS AT THE LAST STOP SIGN WHERE THE OIL LIGHT HAD COME ON. THE MECHANIC AT ANDERSON HONDA IDENTIFIED THAT THE BALANCE SHAFT SEAL HAD FAILED (POPPED OUT). TOTAL REPAIR COST $857, INCLUDING THE REQUIRED BALANCE SHAFT SEAL RETAINER. HONDA ADMITS TO HAVING A "SERVICE UPDATE" FOR THIS ISSUE FROM 09/2000 TO 01/2003. DURING THIS PERIOD HONDA NOTIFIED THEIR SERVICE DEPARTMENTS TO INSTALL A BALANCE SHAFT SEAL RETAINER. SINCE 01/2003 HONDA HAD PROACTIVELY REMOVED INFORMATION REGARDING THE NEED FOR A BALANCE SHAFT SEAL RETAINER FROM THEIR SERVICE DEPARTMENT DATABASES. SERVICE DEPARTMENTS ARE NO LONGER MAKING OWNERS AWARE OF THE NEED FOR A BALANCE SHAFT SEAL RETAINER. SIMILARLY HONDA HAS REMOVED ALL EVIDENCE OF THIS REQUIRED SERVICE UPDATE FROM THE OWNERS LINK AT HONDA.COM. HONDA IS FAILING IN IT'S RESPONSIBI

Mileage: 81,133

19970627TIRES

HELIX SCOOTER HAS TIRES THAT ARE J SPEED RATED(62MPH), HOWEVER BIKE CAN GO OVER 70MPH. MANUFACTURER SHOULD EQUIP BIKE WITH TIRES THAT MATCH THE SPEED CAPABILITIES.

Compare 1996HONDACN250 to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 9 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1996 HONDA CN250 have?
The 1996 HONDA CN250 has 5 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1996 HONDA CN250?
The most-complained component for the 1996 HONDA CN250 is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include TIRES and SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC.
Is the 1996 HONDA CN250 safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.