HONDA S2000 · model year

2002 HONDA S2000

11 NHTSA complaints, 2 crash reports for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2002HONDAS2000 carries 11 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 2 crashes, 0 fires, 3 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 2002 S2000 is engine and engine cooling:engine with 3 filings, followed by engine and engine cooling:engine:gasoline (2) and engine and engine cooling:exhaust system:emission control:crankcase (pcv) (2). 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 2002 S2000, 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.

11
Complaints
2
Crashes
0
Fires
3
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

11 filings

Crashes Reported

2 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:ENGINE3
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE2
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CRANKCASE (PCV)2
SUSPENSION:REAR1
TIRES:TREAD/BELT1
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL1
AIR BAGS1

Recent Complaints

20100603CrashAIR BAGS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 HONDA S2000. THE CONTACT STATED HE LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATE SPEEDS OF 50 MPH AROUND A CURVE. THE REAR TIRES WOULD NOT GRIP THE ROADWAY AND CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO DRIVE OFF THE ROAD INTO A NEARBY FOREST. THE VEHICLE CRASHED WITH AN UNKNOWN OBJECT AND THE CONTACT SUSTAINED A LUNG INJURY, BROKEN RIBS AND CONTUSIONS. THE PASSENGER OF THE VEHICLE SUSTAINED A BROKEN COLLAR BONE AND NECK. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED ON SCENE. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY UPON IMPACT. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 97,000.

Mileage: 97,000

20060131ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

2002 HONDA S2000 ENGINE SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING DUE TO SLUDGE IN THE ENGINE. *TS NEITHER THE DEALER, MANUFACTURER OR THE EXTENDED WARRANTY WOULD COVER THE COST OF REPAIR. FOUR WEEKS PRIOR TO THE FAILURE THE ENGINE SHUT DOWN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS A WEAK BATTERY AND REPLACED IT ALONG WITH THE SPARK PLUGS. AFTER THAT REPAIR THE DEALER STATED EVERYTHING WAS FINE. UPON THE CONSUMER'S REQUEST THE DEALER DID A FURTHER BREAK DOWN OF THE ENGINE AND DETERMINED THAT THE ENGINE LOCK UP WAS CAUSED BY A MECHANICAL BREAKDOWN OF A WORN OUT THRUST WASHER. *NM

Mileage: 39,000

20050406ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CRANKCASE (PCV)

(1) NO KNOWN EVENTS LEADING UP TO FIRST FAILURE. SECOND FAILURE, IS DUE TO AN UNEXPLAINED OIL LOSS. NO OIL TRAILS ARE VIABLE FROM / ON THE ENGINE, NOR ARE THERE PUDDLES PRESENT IN THE DRIVEWAY. LAST OIL CHANGE WAS LESS THE 10 DAYS PRIOR TO THE CRANK BEARING FAILURE. OIL LEVEL VERIFIED GOOD BY OWNER PRIOR TO LEAVING SERVICE STATION AND AT NO TIME DID THE ENGINE WARNING LIGHT COME ON. (2) "FIRST FAILURE", HEAD DAMAGE DUE TO MISALIGNED VALVE AND LOSS OF COMPRESSION ON CYLINDER #3. SECOND FAILURE, SHORT-BLOCK DAMAGE DUE TO OIL LOSS AND SUBSEQUENT BEARING DAMAGE. FAILURE CONFIRMED OFF CYLINDER # 3, WITH STETHOSCOPE. (3) REBUILT THE HEAD UNIT AT 6 MONTHS WORTH OF MY TIME, AND AT A COST OF $3,500. CURRENTLY WAITING HAVE THE SHORT BLOCK REPLACED TO CORRECT ITS BEARING FAILURE, AT AN EST. COST OF $8,000. ALL OF THIS HAS BEEN DONE WITH OUT ASSISTANCE FROM HONDA, DESPITE MY BEST EFFORTS IN REPEATEDLY ASKING FOR THEIR ASSISTANCE / COMPENSATION. HONDA AND THEIR DEALERS DO THEIR BEST TO DELAY, IGN

Mileage: 16,000

20040916ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

PURCHASED A HONDA S2000 IN AUGUST, 2002. IT HAD TO BE TAKEN IN FOR REPAIRS AUGUST 16, 2003. THE CAR WAS SERVED BY HONDA OF MENTOR IN MENTOR, OHIO. DAMAGE WAS TO THE CYLINDER HEAD AND ENGINE BLOCK. A NEW ENGINE ASSEMBLY WITH HEAD WAS REQUIRED GIVEN INTERNAL DAMAGE TO THE PISTONS/VALVES. HONDA REFUSED COVERAGE UNDER THE 36/36,000 FACTORY WARRANTY. I HAD ALSO PURCHASED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY THROUGH CNA NATIONAL WARRANTY CORPORATION AND THEY DENIED BECAUSE "THE MANUFACTURER...VOIDED OR RESCINDED THE FACTORY WARRANTY." THERE WAS 28,948 MILES ON IT. HONDA INSISTED THE DAMAGE WAS HOW DRIVEN/MAINTAINED. I INSTALLED A USED ENGINE (WITH 3,500 MILES) & THE REPAIRS WERE COMPLETED 9/29/03 BY HONDA OF MENTOR AT A $6,400 COST TO ME. MARCH 25, 2004, THE CAR TAKEN IN BECAUSE THE ENGINE MAKING A LOUD NOISE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO RICK CASE HONDA IN EUCLID, OHIO. THERE WAS DAMAGE TO THE BEARINGS AND BLOCK (#2 AND #3 CONNECTING ROD BEARINGS WERE WELDED TO THE JOURNALS). THE REPLACEMENT ENGIN

Mileage: 28,948

20040908CrashVEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL

WHILE DRIVING 44 MPH VEHICLE ACCELERATED UNCONTROLLABLY. CONSUMER WAS NOT ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND IT CRASHED INTO A CEMENT BARRIER. DRIVER TO SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. *AK

20030731ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

#4 CONECTING ROD BROKE. *PH

Mileage: 15,460

20030731ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CRANKCASE (PCV)

#4 CONECTING ROD BROKE. *PH

Mileage: 15,460

20030605TIRES:TREAD/BELT

MY HONDA S2000, WHICH WAS PURCHASED NEW IN JUNE OF 2002 CAME WITH BRIDGESTONE POTENZA SO-2 TIRES FRONT AND REAR. THIS VEHICLE IS USED AS A THIRD VEHICLE IN A TWO DRIVER HOUSEHOLD, AND IS USED ONLY AS A DAILY COMMUTER CAR TO TRAVEL 15 MILES TO WORK (ROUND TRIP). I TOOK THE VEHICLE IN FOR MY STATE INSPECTION, AND AT 6100 MILES, THE REAR TIRES WERE DOWN BELOW 2/32 OF TREAD DEPTH AND THE FRONT TIRES WERE FEATHERED BADLY ON THE INSIDE EDGES (BOTH) AND TREAD WAS BELOW 5/32 OF DEPTH. I HAVE SEEN MANY POSTS OF PEOPLE WITH THESE TIRES WHO HAVE HAD TREAD LIFE WELL BELOW 10K MILES UNDER LITE DRIVING CONDITIONS, WHILE OTHERS CLAIM UP TO 20K, EVEN UNDER HEAVY CONDITIONS. THE TIRES WERE UNACCEPTABLE IN THE RAIN AFTER ABOUT 4000 MILES ON IT AS THE REAR WOULD FISHTAIL EVEN UNDER THE LIGHTEST OF CORNERING. I HAVE BROUGHT THIS TO THE ATTENTION OF HONDA AND BRIDGESTONE/FIRESTON, AND NO ONE SEEMS TO WANT TO FESS UP TO A POSSIBLE PROBLEM WITH CERTAIN BATCHES OF THE TIRE HAVING TOO SOFT A COMPUND, OR DESIGN

20030324ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

I HAVE A ONE-YEAR-OLD HONDA S2000. I BROUGHT MY CAR TO A DEALER FOR A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND FACTORY RECALL OF SPARK PLUGS. THE REPLACEMENT WAS PERFORMED AND I RECEIVED MY CAR BACK. THE NEXT DAY THE LIGHT WAS BACK ON. I RETURNED TO THE DEALER. I WAS INFORMED THERE NOW WAS 80% LOSS OF COMPRESSION IN ONE OF THE CYLINDERS. I WAS INFORMED THAT I CREATED THIS PROBLEM AND THE WARRANTY WILL NOT COVER THE REPAIR. I ASKED THE COST AND WAS TOLD I DON'T KNOW. PROBABLY $10,000.00 DOLLARS. I ASKED HOW THAT WAS DETERMINED AND WAS TOLD WE DON'T HAVE TO TELL YOU THAT. I COMPLAINED AND WAS INFORMED THAT A DISTRICT SERVICE MANAGER DETERMINED OVER THE PHONE THAT I CAUSED THE PROBLEM. I ASKED IF A RENTAL WOULD BE PROVIDED IN ACCORDANCE WITH MY EXTENDED WARRANTY. I WAS TOLD NO THIS IS YOUR FAULT. I CONTACTED AMERICAN HONDA CUSTOMER SERVICE (800) 999-1009. I SPOKE WITH MIKE BOGAN AT EXT 118142. HE INFORMED ME, HE WOULD GET THE ANSWERS. I WAITED TWO DAYS WITH NO RESPONSE. I GOT A VOICE MAIL

Mileage: 26,051

20030122ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

I OWN A 3 MONTH OLD HONDA S2000 THAT HAS A DEFECTIVE ENGINE THAT HONDA REFUSES TO FIX. I WAS TOLD THAT I MAY HAVE ABUSED THE CAR AND HONDA WOULD COVER PART OF THE REPAIR. I WAS DOING RESEARCH OF THE INTERNET AND FOUND MANY OF THESE LIMITED PRODUCTION CARS WITH DEFECTIVE ENGINES AND MOST OWNERS HAVE BEEN CHALLENGED AND ASKED TO PAY SOME OR ALL OF THE REPAIR BILL. SEVERAL OF THE OWNERS AND MYSELF ARE HAVING TO HIRE ATTORNEYS TO TRY TO MAKE HONDA FIX THESE CARS AND RENT CARS IN THE MEAN TIME. HONDA WILL NOT DISCUSS OR RETURN CALLS WITH ANY OF US. HONDA HAS TOLD EACHOF US THAT THE DECISION IS FINAL! I CAN PROVIDE NAMES OF OTHERS IF NEEDED

Mileage: 4,100

20030113SUSPENSION:REAR

CONSUMER STATED WHILE DRIVING, THERE WAS A LOUD NOISE COMING FROM THE REAR SUSPENSION.*JB

Compare 2002HONDAS2000 to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 9 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2002 HONDA S2000 have?
The 2002 HONDA S2000 has 11 NHTSA complaints, 2 crashes, 0 fires, 3 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 2002 HONDA S2000?
The most-complained component for the 2002 HONDA S2000 is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE with 3 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE and ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CRANKCASE (PCV).
Is the 2002 HONDA S2000 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.