HONDA INSIGHT · model year

2013 HONDA INSIGHT

63 NHTSA complaints, 4 crash reports, and 6 active recalls for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2013HONDAINSIGHT carries 63 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 4 crashes, 5 fires, 8 injuries, and 0 fatalities. For crash performance, NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gave this cohort an overall Not Rated/5 rating, with Not Rated/5 front crash, Not Rated/5 side crash, and 4/5 rollover scores derived from standardized barrier and dynamic tests.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2013 INSIGHT is engine with 31 filings, followed by air bags (8) and power train (7). 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. This model year has 6 active recall campaigns, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.

NHTSA currently has 77 investigation files overlapping the 2013 INSIGHT, 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.

63
Complaints
4
Crashes
5
Fires
8
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

63 filings

Crashes Reported

4 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

NHTSA NCAP overall: Not Rated/5 — Not rated · Front: Not Rated/5 · Side: Not Rated/5 · Rollover: 4/5

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
ENGINE31
AIR BAGS8
POWER TRAIN7
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM4
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM4
SERVICE BRAKES2
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL1
WHEELS1
SEAT BELTS1
EXTERIOR LIGHTING1
UNKNOWN OR OTHER1
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)1
VISIBILITY/WIPER1

Recalls (6)

18V66100027/09/2018

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2014 Honda Insight and Acura TSX and TSX Wagon, 2014-2015 Honda Crosstour and Pilot vehicles nationwide, as well as certain 2014 Honda FCX Clarity and Fit EV vehicles in Florida, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississipp

19V50000027/06/2019

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013 Acura ILX, 2015 RDX, 2005-2010 and 2012 RL, 2009-2014 TL, 2010 and 2012 ZDX, 2007-2011 CR-V, 2011-2013 and 2015 CR-Z, 2009-2013 Fit, 2013 Fit EV, 2010-2011 and 2013 Insight and 2007-2014 Ridgeline vehicles. These vehicles are equipped wi

19V50200027/06/2019

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2009-2014 Acura TSX, 2011-2014 TSX Sport Wagon, 2010-2013 ZDX, 2008-2012 Honda Accord, 2010-2011 Accord Crosstour, 2006-2011 Civic and Civic Hybrid, 2008-2010 Civic GX NGV, 2012-2015 Crosstour, 2007-2011 CR-V, 2009-2013 Fit, 2014 Fit EV, 2010-201

19V37800016/05/2019

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2009-2014 Acura TSX, 2011-2013 TSX Sport Wagon, and 2010-2012 ZDX and 2008-2012 Honda Accord, 2010-2011 Accord Crosstour, 2006-2011 Civic, Civic Hybrid and Civic NGV, 2012-2014 Crosstour, 2007-2011 CR-V, 2009-2013 Fit, 2010-2013 Insight, and 2009

18V04200009/01/2018

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2010-2013 Acura TSX, ZDX, Honda Accord Crosstour, Fit, Insight and Pilot vehicles, 2011-13 Acura TSX Sportswagon, 2010-2012 Honda Accord,, 2010-2011 Honda Civic, Civic NGV, Civic Hybrid and CR-V vehicles and 2013 Honda FCX Clarity and Fit EV vehi

16V06100003/02/2016

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2007-2011 Honda CR-V, 2011-2015 CR-Z, 2010-2014 FCX, and Insight, 2009-2013 Fit, 2013-2014 Fit EV, 2007-2014 Ridgeline, 2013-2016 Acura ILX, 2013-2014 Acura ILX Hybrid, 2007-2016 RDX, 2005-2012 Acura RL, 2009-2014 Acura TL, and 2010-20

Recent Complaints

20251118ENGINE

I have had a 2013 Honda Insight since September 2024 and I have complained about excessive oil consumption since October 2024.This past Saturday my car stopped on the highway when I tried to accelerate. It was towed to Honda and the diagnostic comes back as piston ring replacement with spark plugs. Last November I had 2 spark plugs replaced and my ignition coils. There was an ESB put out by Honda but I was not the current owner then so Honda doesn’t want to cover the cost. I also have contacted the dealership, that is not a certified reseller of Honda, mark Sweeney Buick of Cincinnati, Ohio but since I signed an As Is contract they stated they wouldn’t assist. The first week I got the car there were problems. I feel like mark Sweeney didn’t fully check their car before it was sold. Honda clearly saw that customers were having issues with the oil consumption, otherwise they wouldn’t have put out an 2 ESBs in the first place. I’d really like some assistance on this problem i

20231112ENGINE

Noticed decreased performance & frequent oil changes in 2015. At first, I did not know the weak engine performance was related to the oil consumption & was never offered diagnostic testing until May 2023 across multiple Honda shops in different states. With this, I was under the impression that my car was performing within normal limits. Finally in May 2023 the local Honda shop recommended the proper diagnostic test & told me about the known piston/oil consumption defect known to this model & the (expired) warranty extension that was associated with it. I returned end of Aug 2023 to get results of my oil consumption test, which was positive. At this time, they quoted me a repair cost (to change out the piston rings, gaskets, & spark plugs) but I had to defer due to the high cost. The service representative that day happened to be rude/dismissive & also did not tell me how urgent this repair is or what the consequences of not repairing could be. I have been driving my car in the local

20230815POWER TRAIN

The contact owns a 2013 Honda Insight. The contact stated that vehicle failed to respond after shifting the transmission to the desired gear. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact also stated that the vehicle failed to accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and was diagnosed with a defective CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission). The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000.

Mileage: 102,000

20230606SERVICE BRAKES

I experienced "rough running" of my 2013 Honda Insight just prior to August of 2021. Initial work on the vehicle helped, but repairs became increasingly expensive and extensive. EX: A simple oil change on about 8/2/2021 (mileage at 64,545). At about mileage 68,370 the vehicle failed again (showing check engine light / stalling); repair shop found a misfire on cylinder #4, and all 8 of the spark plugs were replaced.  Then on/about Nov./2022 (mileage at 71,988), the vehicle was running rough again (with check engine light on) and the repair shop found a miss in cylinder #4 again, and then replaced cylinder #4  spark plugs and coils. On/about Feb./2023, the vehicle had more problems (running rough) and then the repair shop found a misfire on #4 again (spark plug was replaced.) On/about 5/18/2023, I took my vehicle in for a routine oil change. About two days later, on/about 5/20/2023, I (along with my girlfriend) drove on the freeway for a long trip. We had only been on the freeway for a

20230606ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I experienced "rough running" of my 2013 Honda Insight just prior to August of 2021. Initial work on the vehicle helped, but repairs became increasingly expensive and extensive. EX: A simple oil change on about 8/2/2021 (mileage at 64,545). At about mileage 68,370 the vehicle failed again (showing check engine light / stalling); repair shop found a misfire on cylinder #4, and all 8 of the spark plugs were replaced.  Then on/about Nov./2022 (mileage at 71,988), the vehicle was running rough again (with check engine light on) and the repair shop found a miss in cylinder #4 again, and then replaced cylinder #4  spark plugs and coils. On/about Feb./2023, the vehicle had more problems (running rough) and then the repair shop found a misfire on #4 again (spark plug was replaced.) On/about 5/18/2023, I took my vehicle in for a routine oil change. About two days later, on/about 5/20/2023, I (along with my girlfriend) drove on the freeway for a long trip. We had only been on the freeway for a

20230606ENGINE

I experienced "rough running" of my 2013 Honda Insight just prior to August of 2021. Initial work on the vehicle helped, but repairs became increasingly expensive and extensive. EX: A simple oil change on about 8/2/2021 (mileage at 64,545). At about mileage 68,370 the vehicle failed again (showing check engine light / stalling); repair shop found a misfire on cylinder #4, and all 8 of the spark plugs were replaced.  Then on/about Nov./2022 (mileage at 71,988), the vehicle was running rough again (with check engine light on) and the repair shop found a miss in cylinder #4 again, and then replaced cylinder #4  spark plugs and coils. On/about Feb./2023, the vehicle had more problems (running rough) and then the repair shop found a misfire on #4 again (spark plug was replaced.) On/about 5/18/2023, I took my vehicle in for a routine oil change. About two days later, on/about 5/20/2023, I (along with my girlfriend) drove on the freeway for a long trip. We had only been on the freeway for a

20230511ENGINE

The contact owns 2013 Honda Insight. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered. Additionally, the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The contact stated that the engine was consuming 3-4 quarts of oil per 1,000 miles driven. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who performed an oil change. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 92,000.

Mileage: 92,000

20230331ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I have owned my Honda Insight for almost 10 years now. I bought it because it has great MPG. But this year has been horrible for it. It suddenly lost power while I was driving on the highway. Luckily I was able to move over to the side, and traffic was not too heavy at the time. Checkered Flag Honda in Virginia Beach, VA performed a TSB on it, and again two months ago, stating the exact same repair to be done each time. Now, it is displaying the very same symptoms I took it in for the first time, AGAIN. I will be uploading those reciepts as soon as I can find them tomorrow. After looking online, it is very obvious that I am not the only one with this same problem that could possibly endanger drivers. Honda has failed for over 10 years to find the manufacturer defect in the 2010-2014 Honda Insights, and have been issuing repeated TSBs, with only minor deviations st

20230331ENGINE

I have owned my Honda Insight for almost 10 years now. I bought it because it has great MPG. But this year has been horrible for it. It suddenly lost power while I was driving on the highway. Luckily I was able to move over to the side, and traffic was not too heavy at the time. Checkered Flag Honda in Virginia Beach, VA performed a TSB on it, and again two months ago, stating the exact same repair to be done each time. Now, it is displaying the very same symptoms I took it in for the first time, AGAIN. I will be uploading those reciepts as soon as I can find them tomorrow. After looking online, it is very obvious that I am not the only one with this same problem that could possibly endanger drivers. Honda has failed for over 10 years to find the manufacturer defect in the 2010-2014 Honda Insights, and have been issuing repeated TSBs, with only minor deviations st

20230331POWER TRAIN

I have owned my Honda Insight for almost 10 years now. I bought it because it has great MPG. But this year has been horrible for it. It suddenly lost power while I was driving on the highway. Luckily I was able to move over to the side, and traffic was not too heavy at the time. Checkered Flag Honda in Virginia Beach, VA performed a TSB on it, and again two months ago, stating the exact same repair to be done each time. Now, it is displaying the very same symptoms I took it in for the first time, AGAIN. I will be uploading those reciepts as soon as I can find them tomorrow. After looking online, it is very obvious that I am not the only one with this same problem that could possibly endanger drivers. Honda has failed for over 10 years to find the manufacturer defect in the 2010-2014 Honda Insights, and have been issuing repeated TSBs, with only minor deviations st

20220830ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

2013 Honda Insight Hybrid LX (4 cylinder) vehicle purchased on 8/19/14. thanks This complaint is was filed to due engine oil consumption on my Honda-hybrid. In 2020 my car began losing oil quite frequently as I was having to add or change the oil often. On 8/27/21 I took the vehicle to Honda of Downtown Los Angeles, Kesean Zachary informed me they would need to perform an engine oil consumption test and change the oil. Soon after that the car was again losing oil so I returned it to Honda of Downtown on 11/18/21, where Kesean checked the oil with the dipstick and informed that there was no oil consumption. A month later, the car was still losing oil.. this is my work car and I needed to get this problem resolved.. so I decided to take it back to where I purchased the car, Honda of Hollywood on 3/23/22. I spoke with Willie PIttman who informed me they would need to perform another engine oil consumption test and change the oil. He said to me, drive the vehicle for 1,000 miles and brin

20220830ENGINE

2013 Honda Insight Hybrid LX (4 cylinder) vehicle purchased on 8/19/14. thanks This complaint is was filed to due engine oil consumption on my Honda-hybrid. In 2020 my car began losing oil quite frequently as I was having to add or change the oil often. On 8/27/21 I took the vehicle to Honda of Downtown Los Angeles, Kesean Zachary informed me they would need to perform an engine oil consumption test and change the oil. Soon after that the car was again losing oil so I returned it to Honda of Downtown on 11/18/21, where Kesean checked the oil with the dipstick and informed that there was no oil consumption. A month later, the car was still losing oil.. this is my work car and I needed to get this problem resolved.. so I decided to take it back to where I purchased the car, Honda of Hollywood on 3/23/22. I spoke with Willie PIttman who informed me they would need to perform another engine oil consumption test and change the oil. He said to me, drive the vehicle for 1,000 miles and brin

20211209ENGINE

We were driving our Honda in a 70mph zone and the car's speed suddenly dropped to 15mph. We were not able to drive any faster than 15mph and could have been killed while driving on a highway where other cars were driving at 70mph, or we could have caused a pile up of cars with multiple accidents. We were very lucky that we were able to pull over to the side of the highway before another car hit us. We were not even able to drive to an exit, and had to sit on the side of a busy highway for nearly 3 hours as we waited for a tow truck. Multiple warning lights came on at the same time the speed of the car suddenly dropped. Warning lights for most systems on the car starting flashing at this point, but not in advance to warn us. We had the car towed to a local mechanic and he told us that a piston in the engine had failed completely and the engine would need to be rebuilt. We contacted Honda on the first business day after our engine failed, which was Monday, November 15. The engine

20201008VISIBILITY/WIPER

THE VISOR ON THE DRIVERS SIDE WILL NOT STAY UP. IT FALLS DOWN AND OBSTRUCTS THE DRIVERS VIEW. EVEN WHEN IT IS PUSHED ALL THE WAY FORWARD, IT DROPS BACK AND OBSTRUCTS THE VIEW. IT STARTED DROOPING A FEW YEARS AGO, BUT NOW HAS COMPLETELY FALLEN. LOOKING ONLINE, THERE ARE A LOT OF REPORTS OF THIS HAPPENING TO OTHER HONDA OWNERS.

Mileage: 60,000

20200607ENGINE

PROGRESSIVE INCREASE IN LOSS OF MOTOR OIL FOR THE PAST 12 MONTHS. I HAVE TO ADD 1 QUART OF 0W-20 VALVOLINE SYNTHETIC MOTOR OIL EVERY 2 WEEKS! DARK SMOKE COMING OUT EXHAUST WITH ACCELERATION. KNOCKING SOUND FROM THE MOTOR OBSERVED. I USED TO HAVE HONDA ACCORD AND NEVER HAD THIS PROBLEM.

Mileage: 93,000

20200318ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

SO MY 2013 HONDA INSIGHT HAS ALWAYS CONSUMED OIL. I DROVE FROM IDAHO TO UTAH STOPPED AT THE STORE WHEN I STARTED MY VEHICLE UP MY DISPLAY HAS CHECK VSA, CHECK HILL START ASSIST SYSTEM, AND CHECK TPMS. I TRIED DRIVING AWAY FROM THE STORE TO GET TO HONDA AND IT LOSES ALL POWER AND BARLEY MOVES. KINDA LIKE A SAFE MODE AND DOES THIS EVERY TIME I START MY CAR.

Mileage: 102,000

20200318ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

SO MY 2013 HONDA INSIGHT HAS ALWAYS CONSUMED OIL. I DROVE FROM IDAHO TO UTAH STOPPED AT THE STORE WHEN I STARTED MY VEHICLE UP MY DISPLAY HAS CHECK VSA, CHECK HILL START ASSIST SYSTEM, AND CHECK TPMS. I TRIED DRIVING AWAY FROM THE STORE TO GET TO HONDA AND IT LOSES ALL POWER AND BARLEY MOVES. KINDA LIKE A SAFE MODE AND DOES THIS EVERY TIME I START MY CAR.

Mileage: 102,000

20200318ENGINE

SO MY 2013 HONDA INSIGHT HAS ALWAYS CONSUMED OIL. I DROVE FROM IDAHO TO UTAH STOPPED AT THE STORE WHEN I STARTED MY VEHICLE UP MY DISPLAY HAS CHECK VSA, CHECK HILL START ASSIST SYSTEM, AND CHECK TPMS. I TRIED DRIVING AWAY FROM THE STORE TO GET TO HONDA AND IT LOSES ALL POWER AND BARLEY MOVES. KINDA LIKE A SAFE MODE AND DOES THIS EVERY TIME I START MY CAR.

Mileage: 102,000

20191128ENGINE

TRAVELING 65MPH ON HIGHWAY WITH CRUISE CONTROL ON. LOST POWER AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I PULLED TO THE SHOULDER, ENGINE CONTINUED TO RUN, BUT WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. TURNED CAR OFF AND BACK ON AND MULTIPLE CHECK MESSAGES DISPLAYED. I HAD CAR TOWED TO LOCAL HONDA DEALER SHOP. THEY INFORMED ME SPARK PLUGS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I AGREED, BUT NEXT DAY THEY CALLED TO TELL ME THE ENTIRE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. HONDA HAS EXTENDED THE ENGINE WARRANTY, BUT NO ONE FROM DEALER MENTIONED THAT. THEY WANTED MORE FOR NEW ENGINE THAN THE CAR IS WORTH.

Mileage: 101,000

20190919ENGINE

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 HONDA INSIGHT. WHILE DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND ALL THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THE SPARK PLUGS WERE REPLACED AND MORE OIL WAS ADDED TO THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS BURNING EXCESSIVE OIL AND MORE OIL WAS NEEDED EVERY 1,000 MILES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO ALTOONA HONDA (201 VALLEY VIEW BLVD, ALTOONA, PA 16602, (814) 944-4517) WHERE AN OIL CONSUMPTION TEST WAS PERFORMED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 76,276.

Mileage: 76,276

Compare 2013HONDAINSIGHT to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 9 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2013 HONDA INSIGHT have?
The 2013 HONDA INSIGHT has 63 NHTSA complaints, 4 crashes, 5 fires, 8 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What is the safety rating for the 2013 HONDA INSIGHT?
The 2013 HONDA INSIGHT received an overall NHTSA safety rating of Not Rated/5, front crash rating of Not Rated/5, side crash rating of Not Rated/5, and rollover rating of 4/5.
Are there any recalls for the 2013 HONDA INSIGHT?
Yes, the 2013 HONDA INSIGHT has 6 recall(s). The most common affected component is AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2013 HONDA INSIGHT?
The most-complained component for the 2013 HONDA INSIGHT is ENGINE with 31 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include AIR BAGS and POWER TRAIN.
Is the 2013 HONDA INSIGHT safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. The 2013 HONDA INSIGHT has an NHTSA safety rating of Not Rated/5. 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.