2000 Honda Insight

Recalls

1 recall names the 2000 Honda Insight. Newest first.

• Exterior lighting › Headlights

  Feb 24, 2004NHTSA 04V086000440,000 vehicles

  On certain passenger vehicles, the low-beam terminal on the head light wire harness can overheat and could cause the low beams to fail without warning.

  Risk and remedy

  Risk

  An unexpected loss of low beams could result in a crash.

  Remedy

  Dealers will inspect the head light switch and coupler for signs of heat damage. if heat damage IS present, the dealer will replace the switch and coupler. if no heat damage IS present, the dealer will replace the head light switch and one mating pin in the coupler. Owner notification began on april 5, 2004. owners should contact honda at 1-800-999-1009.

  Full recall details →

Owner complaints

What owners report most

1. Electrical system7
2. Exterior lighting5
3. Unknown or other3
4. Seat belts3
5. Air bags2
6. Engine and engine cooling2
7. Power train2
8. Visibility2
9. Structure1
10. Tires1

Latest complaints

• Aug 13, 2015CA156,000 mi
  Exterior lighting

  Honda insight 2000 low beam lights failed while driving 55 mph. a recall was issued for this problem, but honda IS refusing to cover the cost of repair because my vin did not show a recall. the honda insight 2000 IS listed for this recall. I have owned many hondas in the past, but now am extremely disappointed in honda's customer service and will not be purchasing any honda products in the future.

• Apr 7, 2014CA274,150 mi
  Electrical system · Exterior lighting
  The headlights went out while I was driving the 2000 insight. first, I noticed a burning smell. I pulled over and checked under the hood but found nothing. I got back in and the smell came back as I started driving. a few minutes later, the headlights got dim for a few seconds then went out. I…

  The headlights went out while I was driving the 2000 insight. first, I noticed a burning smell. I pulled over and checked under the hood but found nothing. I got back in and the smell came back as I started driving. a few minutes later, the headlights got dim for a few seconds then went out. I stopped the car. the burning smell was coming from the left side of the steering wheel, where the headlight switch IS. I tried the high beam and it worked. I drove the rest of the way with high beams on. I checked with honda and they said there had been a recall for this problem on the insight, but their records showed a repair had already been done, so they would charge me to repair it again. I think the repair in the recall may fix the problem for a while but does not prevent the problem from occurring again. or they didn't do the recall procedure properly. honda needs to fix this. it IS dangerous and they should know about it. *tr

• Dec 7, 2012WA165,000 mi
  Exterior lighting
  TL* the contact owns a 2000 honda insight. While driving approximately 45 mph with the headlights activated, the headlights suddenly failed. The high beam headlights were activated so that the contact could continue to his destination. The contact stated that the wiring for the headlight switch was…

  TL* the contact owns a 2000 honda insight. While driving approximately 45 mph with the headlights activated, the headlights suddenly failed. The high beam headlights were activated so that the contact could continue to his destination. The contact stated that the wiring for the headlight switch was previously replaced. The contact referenced nhtsa campaign ID number: 04v086000 (exterior lighting:headlights) but was advised by the manufacturer that the vin was not included in the recall. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 165,000.

• Dec 7, 2012WA178,000 mi
  Exterior lighting
  TL* the contact owns a 2000 honda insight. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 mph with the low beam headlights in operation, the headlights suddenly failed to illuminate. The high beam headlights were activated in order to continue driving. There was a recall associated with…

  TL* the contact owns a 2000 honda insight. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 mph with the low beam headlights in operation, the headlights suddenly failed to illuminate. The high beam headlights were activated in order to continue driving. There was a recall associated with nhtsa campaign ID number 04v086000 (exterior lighting:headlights); however the contact's vin was ineligible for repairs under the recall. The vehicle was neither diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 178,000.

• Mar 17, 2010OH156,830 mi
  Electrical system · Exterior lighting
  The "dim" headlights on my honda insight went out. the "brights" still work but no dims. I checked on line and there IS a recall for my car for a faulty dim switch that will make the dims go out. When I called a dealer and gave him my vin he said my car had already been "through" the recall and…

  The "dim" headlights on my honda insight went out. the "brights" still work but no dims. I checked on line and there IS a recall for my car for a faulty dim switch that will make the dims go out. When I called a dealer and gave him my vin he said my car had already been "through" the recall and any additional repairs would cost several hundred dollars. I am not the original owner (second owner) and do not know if it was replaced or not and the dealer will not do anything except for full pay. *Tr

• Feb 14, 2010KS7,000 mi
  Electrical system
  Check engine light on my 2000 honda insight went out at 7,000 miles and they told me I would have to live with it. they replaced the on board computer and now they say they can fix it but want $500.00. they have replaced the battery 2 times. the large one that powers the car. despite many many…

  Check engine light on my 2000 honda insight went out at 7,000 miles and they told me I would have to live with it. they replaced the on board computer and now they say they can fix it but want $500.00. they have replaced the battery 2 times. the large one that powers the car. despite many many tries they have not repaired this light. so I don't know if there IS a problem with the engine or not. I took this to corperate and they said they would not pay for it? *Tr

• Jan 5, 2007CA50,000 mi
  Electrical system › 12v/24v/48v battery

  TL* - the contact's 2000 hybrid honda insight had a defective battery. while driving at night the vehicle lost power . During the last incident the car became stranded on a busy road in the dark without any lights. the dealer told him to come in so that they could repair the battery.*ak

• Dec 11, 2006AR61,150 mi
  Visibility › Glass, side/rear
  I drove my (always garaged) insight to work on a cold morning where the temperature was about 15 degrees when I reached my place of work at 7:20 a.m. I returned to my vehicle, in the parking lot at a little after 12:00 p.m. To find that the rear glass was completely shattered. this IS the main…

  I drove my (always garaged) insight to work on a cold morning where the temperature was about 15 degrees when I reached my place of work at 7:20 a.m. I returned to my vehicle, in the parking lot at a little after 12:00 p.m. To find that the rear glass was completely shattered. this IS the main rear glass that includes the window defroster and IS only available through genuine honda parts. there IS no aftermarket manufacturer of this glass. my parking lot has full time security with cameras in place. no exterior force, other than the environment, had any effect on the malfunction of the car's rear glass. the only thing I can imagine IS that the sun heated the cold aluminum hatch at a much faster rate than it heated the glass. this caused the glass to burst and shatter. there was no impact mark like a rock or blunt object might create. but rather there was a fracture all along the perimeter of the glass. upon contacting honda, and taking the vehicle to the dealer where all service in the past has been done, they declined, on behalf of honda USA, to take any responsibility for the defect in the automobile. therefore, I had to use out of pocket and insurance to take care of this clearly defective part. I took pictures and documented the broken glass. honda motor company USA should take responsibility for an unsafe and defective rear glass. *jb

• Aug 23, 2006NY53,000 mi
  Electrical system › 12v/24v/48v battery
  Prior to the incident date, the ima battery in my 2000 honda insight, has repeatedly lost its charge, rapidly (called a "recall event"). This causes an unexpected hesitation and lack of acceleration. On the incident date, I was entering a highway from an on ramp and couldn't accelerate at the rate…

  Prior to the incident date, the ima battery in my 2000 honda insight, has repeatedly lost its charge, rapidly (called a "recall event"). This causes an unexpected hesitation and lack of acceleration. On the incident date, I was entering a highway from an on ramp and couldn't accelerate at the rate that I was accustomed to, because the ima battery had quickly and unexpectedly discharged. This resulted in me blocking upcoming traffic and several drivers had to perform avoidance maneuvers. this sudden, unexpected loss of ima assist, IS indicative of a failing/aging ima battery. Honda's computer monitoring system does not register/detect this as a mil code. It IS only a matter of time until this unexpected loss of acceleration cause a loss of life. More information on this can be found on: http://www.insightcentral.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=750 this forum IS made of insight owners and I don't put a lot of stock in their explanations of what a recall event IS. I can say definitively that 1). These recall events become more frequent as the ima battery ages and 2).they are dangerous, as outlined above. honda will not replace the battery, even though it IS under warranty, unless a mil IS generated. This will only happen when the ima battery IS heavily degraded. The recall events, however, occur with less than this level of degradation and honda's monitoring system ignores this dangerous situation. *jb

• Oct 14, 2005MA1,200 mi
  Wheels
  Dt: the contact owns a 2000 honda insight. The car made very minimal noise. Had scheduled the car to be looked at. Prior to the accident the car had been in the shop with all four tires off the car. when the contact the car back there was new noise. brought the car back to the dealer next day.…

  Dt: the contact owns a 2000 honda insight. The car made very minimal noise. Had scheduled the car to be looked at. Prior to the accident the car had been in the shop with all four tires off the car. when the contact the car back there was new noise. brought the car back to the dealer next day. the contact was told that wrong lugs:nuts were on the tires. They replaced them, and the contact took the car. 3,000 miles later, with less of a noise , made a turn and the car did not make the turn and stopped. the contact got out of the car and noticed the tire was still going down the road with the car in between other cars . Picked up the tire, made phone calls to get the car towed. When the contact asked the dealer what happened, the dealer told the contact that they originally thought the car had been vandalized. Because all of the tires were completely loose because the rims and post were made out of aluminum. the car was not safe to drive unless the rims and post were replaced. when calling honda, they told the contact that nothing was to be done, and that it wasn't their fault. The dealer did not feel responsible , even on a maintenance level to advise the contact of this even 3000 miles earlier when tires were off the car, and two new tires were put on. The rims cost $500 each. Making it a total of $2,000. *Ak

• Dec 24, 2004NY26,500 mi
  Visibility › Glass, side/rear
  The rear hatch window of the insight "self-destructed" while the vehicle was parked in the garage overnight. the weather had been extremely cold (in the teens), the car had been parked outside all day while at work, and the rear defroster had been used on the commute home. the following morning…

  The rear hatch window of the insight "self-destructed" while the vehicle was parked in the garage overnight. the weather had been extremely cold (in the teens), the car had been parked outside all day while at work, and the rear defroster had been used on the commute home. the following morning, the window was found still be in place but was broken around the entire perimeter and the window itself was completely shattered being held in place by the laminate. through some online research, I tracked down another insight owner who had reported the exact same problem on "yahoo! Groups" two weeks earlier. I contacted him and found that his window had "self-destructed" in the exact same manner after being parked outside in cold weather. I brought my car to the local honda dealership along with the results of my research and they contacted honda america. honda america told the dealer there were no problems with the window that they were aware of and that they consider it normal damage that will have to be paid for (my insurance IS covering it). as the insight IS a rather limited production vehicle, the repair parts will take a few days to obtain. for this reason, the current damaged part (window) IS still available should an investigation be warranted. I consider this a potential safety issue as there IS the possibility for the window to spontaneously break while the car IS being driven. luckily myself and the other owner had our vehicles parked at the time so we did not have any moving vehicle issues. this would appear to be a concern for people with insight's in cold weather climates.*ak

• Nov 26, 2004FL44,836 mi
  Seat belts › Front › Retractor

  The passenger's side seat belt retractor failed. as a result the seat belt could not be used. *ak *sc the consumer stated this was the second time in a five month period the retractor failed. *Jb

• Jun 18, 2004AZ116,800 mi
  Electrical system

  While driving at 30 mph all digital readings on the dashboard vanished. also, the power windows and power steering simultaneously went out. dealer examined the vehicle, and found that the electronic control module was faulty and repaired it. the electronic control module failed three times on this particular vehicle. *ak

• Jun 17, 2004FL38,000 mi
  Seat belts › Front › Buckle assembly

  The front passenger seat belt mechanism failed and would not release. the dealer was notified. *ak *sc *jb

• Sep 17, 2003IL51,000 mi
  Engine and engine cooling › Engine
  The electric motor assist (ima) in my vehicle suddenly and unpredictably loses power on a frequent basis. This causes a significant loss of power through a process called "recalibrating" in which the batteries become fully discharged, and then recharge again very slowly over a long period of time.…

  The electric motor assist (ima) in my vehicle suddenly and unpredictably loses power on a frequent basis. This causes a significant loss of power through a process called "recalibrating" in which the batteries become fully discharged, and then recharge again very slowly over a long period of time. As the ima IS a significant source of power for the vehicle, the sudden loss has almost caused an accident on at least three separate occasions. The batteries for the ima seem to behave in a way that suggests the batteries have lost a significant amount of their original power, while honda has setup very careful legal language to deny otherwise. *Jb

• Aug 28, 2003VA10,000 mi
  Unknown or other

  I own a 2000 model 5 speed honda insight. Periodically, and with no pattern of predictability, the electric assist portion of the hybrid electric motor/ gas engine. When this happens power IS greatly diminished, dangerously so in some cases: i.e. When trying to merge with fast moving freeway traffic, climbing a steep grade, accelerating from a stop.

• Aug 26, 2003CA61,500 mi
  Power train
  My car loses all electric assist without warning. a sudden loss of power occurs and causes the car to stall when trying to merge into traffic, leaving the vehicle temporarily stalled. the battery-charge display gives no indication that this sudden loss of power will occur. generally it IS…

  My car loses all electric assist without warning. a sudden loss of power occurs and causes the car to stall when trying to merge into traffic, leaving the vehicle temporarily stalled. the battery-charge display gives no indication that this sudden loss of power will occur. generally it IS showing close to full when it recalibrates, usually while I'm not looking at it (judging traffic conditions) then my car stalls out as I try to let out the clutch. *nlm

• Aug 25, 2003HI9,600 mi
  Electrical system
  The state of charge gauge on my 2000 honda insight no longer accurately reports the state of charge of its ima battery. boost from the ima battery IS crucial for providing additional power to accelerate safely on freeway onramps, when overtaking cars on 2-lane highways, etc. with increasing…

  The state of charge gauge on my 2000 honda insight no longer accurately reports the state of charge of its ima battery. boost from the ima battery IS crucial for providing additional power to accelerate safely on freeway onramps, when overtaking cars on 2-lane highways, etc. with increasing frequency, when the state of charge gauge indicates that the ima battery IS only partially discharged, ima battery boost suddenly and unexpectedly ceases. if this happens during a period of crucial acceleration, the sudden plummet in the rate of acceleration could lead to a serious accident.the incident date I have listed IS only the most recent incident date. this problem now occurs almost any time I ascend a long upgrade for more than a couple of minutes. it also occurred shortly after my acquisition of this insight used in may, 2002, but has been occurring with increasing frequency as time passes. what seems to be happening IS that the ima battery's capacity has diminished to about half of its new capacity with deterioration continuing. despite the fact that this problem has been reported by a number of insight owners across the united states, honda has refused to acknowledge that this dangerous problem exists and so has refused to fix the problem. honda's attitude IS that if no diagnostic code IS being set, no problem exists.because this problem could affect the growing number of gasoline-electric hybrid vehicles in the united states, I am asking you to investigate this problem and require honda to implement a solution.*ak

• Jul 21, 2003FL
  Tires › Sidewall

  Consumer states less than 24000 miles three of the vehicle tires were replaced due to sidewall failure. t16565r1478f. *ak

• May 24, 2003VT25,500 mi
  Unknown or other

  Fender skirt fasteners on the 2000 honda insight are not coated. They rust too easily and if gone unchecked, can lead to the fender skirts falling off and being lost or destroyed. *nlm

• Jun 14, 2002IL
  Structure › Body › Bumpers

  In short: the fender spat fasteners fell off causing the spat to fly off the car. the car IS advertised to be made of non-oxidizing metals, the spat fasteners; however, do rust. they are a quick release fastener (not a bolt and nut). I am concerned that the skirt will fall off and hit a car or motorcycle and cause an accident. I have notified honda about my concerns.

• Jun 6, 2002OH
  Engine and engine cooling › Exhaust system › Emission control · Unknown or other

  Engine check light came on. error p1164, lean burn, O2 sensor error. *ak

• May 29, 2002MD1 injury
  Air bags

  While driving, consumer attempted to down shift into second gear, when suddenly the air bag deployed for no reason, blinding the motorist, the vehicle swirled out of control hitting the median, the engine shut off, and the vehicle was damaged and motorist sustained injuries to his hands, wrist and ankles. *Tt

• May 14, 2002MD1 injury
  Air bags › Frontal · Fuel system, gasoline · Power train › Automatic transmission › Control module (tcm/pcm/tecm) · Seat belts › Front › Retractor · Service brakes, hydraulic › Foundation components

  While driving, the driver side air bag inadvertenly deployed, causing consumer to lose control of the vehicle, consumer also stated that the seat belt retractors did not perform as designed, consumer not only suffered injuries from the air bag deployment, but also suffered injuries from the belt retractor.*jb

Service bulletins

Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.

• 10053545Honda: troubleshooting of diagnostic trouble codes (dtc) p1456 and p1457. Dealers are to run evap function test to find if there IS a leak so the vehicle can be repaired.
• 10051966Honda: product update for a manufacturing problem with the roof molding may allow the roof molding to come loose.
• 10038350Honda: see document search button for owner letter. Battery system light comes on with trouble codes stored. Models 2000-2004 insight. Updted 5/14/13.
• 10026884Honda: hybrid batteries can be affected and damaged by excessively high temperatures.
• 10025523Load carrying capacity reduced label for all honda vehicles.
• 10024665Warranty extension: ima battery.
• 10024567Honda service campaign: see document search button for owner letter. Warranty extension: insight ima battery module. Csc was received. Updated 3/8/13.
• 10024563Honda service campaign: see document search button for owner letter. Product update: premature ima battery module failure. Csc was received.
• 10021129Stalls with electrical load after body shop repair. Dtc p1588 and/or p1589 stored. P1163 and/or surge, jerks, bucks between 20-60 mph. Tire pressure monitoring system dtc 32, 34, 36, 38, 41.
• 10014232Grunt noise after sitting for several hours.
• 10014220Honda diagnostic system locked, needs immobilizer release password.
• 10013840Poor fuel economy.
• 10013808Srs warning on after body shop repair. Honda tech line summary.
• 10013805Odometer accuracy. Honda tech line summary.
• 10009278Heater blower motor gets hot or blows a fuse. Honda. Servicenews.
• 10009140Speedo/odo read excessive speed and distance. Honda. Servicenews.
• 10009053Reading srs diagnostic trouble codes. Honda. Tech line summary.
• 10008710Ima system indicator on with ima diagnostic trouble code 77 (p1477) or diagnostic trouble code 78 or diagnostic trouble code 78 (p1449).
• 10008373Safety recall: combination light switch. Update.
• 10005927Grunt noise when accelerating after sitting. Honda october tech line information. 2002 prelude also included.
• 10005915Fuel economy display accuracy. Honda servicenews.
• 10005904No ima assist, no auto idle stop feature. Honda servicenews.
• 10005900Hood closing tips revisited. Honda servicenews.
• 10005871Anti-lock brake system (ABS) grunts when doing a self-check.
• 10004955Testing brake fluid for petroleum contamination. This includes 2004 insight and s2000.
• 10003477Ima battery module in-warranty exchange program.
• 10003199Information regarding the emergency response guide.
• 10003142Service manual fix - fuel gauge sending unit test.
• 10002701Vehicle's emission type.
• 10002571Diagnostic trouble code p1164 oxygen sensor range or p1486 t/stat range.
• 10001976Srs indicator comes on after body shop repair.
• 10001837Fuel gauge test correction. Service manual IS incorrect.
• 10001832Troubleshooting intermittent anti-lock brake (ABS) or traction control system (tcs) diagnostic trouble codes.
• 10001828Diagnostic trouble code p1600 (69), p1601 (69).
• 10001811Srs indicator on with no srs diagnostic trouble codes (dtc) set.
• 10001798Rear brake shoe kits now available.
• 10001797New engine control module (ecm) fixes diagnostic trouble code (dtc) p1164 or p1486 problems.
• 10001629Product update - insight parking brake lever.
• 10001551When you use the auto function to lower the window, the window goes down only 3 or 4 inches. The window goes down all the way if you push the power window switch lightly and hold it. Including the 2003 model.
• 10000993Malfunction indicator lamp on with diagnostic trouble code p1457 - evap bypass solenoid valve failure.

Every Honda Insight model year

Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.