2003 Honda Insight

Owner complaints

What owners report most

1. Electrical system2
2. Engine and engine cooling1
3. Fuel/propulsion system1
4. Power train1
5. Vehicle speed control1

Latest complaints

• Dec 13, 2019CA215,728 mi
  Electrical system · Fuel/propulsion system · Vehicle speed control
  My hybrid battery IS overheating which my hybrid battery IS 7 years old with only 31,680 miles on it and its affecting the integrated motor assist and the monitor screen with the control gauges and my vehicles acceleration and making it impossible to drive without it shutting off and locking up, I…

  My hybrid battery IS overheating which my hybrid battery IS 7 years old with only 31,680 miles on it and its affecting the integrated motor assist and the monitor screen with the control gauges and my vehicles acceleration and making it impossible to drive without it shutting off and locking up, I talked to honda and they refuse to fix it even tho other customers have had the same issue with the hybrid battery and it should still be covered because of the mileage its be used for and has been stored and highly taken care of, the epa classifies hybrid batteries under emissions equipment, requiring manufacturers to warranty them for eight years and 100,000 miles. Some states, like california, require emissions equipment to be covered for ten years and 150,000 miles. If the battery fails within warranty range, your total replacement cost IS zero.

• Mar 25, 2014WI180,000 mi
  Electrical system · Power train

  Vehicle was stopped to be parked. Automatic transmission was in d(rive). Key was turned off and removed. Owner walked away for appointment. When owner returned, vehicle had moved. Owner noticed vehicle was still in d(rive). Later test confirmed key could be removed with vehicle in d(rive). *tr

• Jul 9, 2004FL5,000 mi
  Engine and engine cooling › Engine
  (1) at 5000 miles, we had the oil changed in our 2003 honda insight at ron norris honda in titusville, fl. (2) after 20 miles, the oil pressure light came on and we had the vehicle towed to the dealer. the dealer concluded that the oil filter had not sealed to the engine properly and all fo the…

  (1) at 5000 miles, we had the oil changed in our 2003 honda insight at ron norris honda in titusville, fl. (2) after 20 miles, the oil pressure light came on and we had the vehicle towed to the dealer. the dealer concluded that the oil filter had not sealed to the engine properly and all fo the oil had leaked out. the engine was damaged. (3) the dealer replaced the engine and purchased an extended warranty for the car. the dealer would probably be interested in the nhtsa's investigation on similar events on crvs.*ak

Defect investigations

NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened these reviews into vehicles including this one.

• Pedestrian alert sounds

  DP22005Opened Jan 27, 2023Closed Aug 7, 2023Recall 22V063000
  NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for…

  NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified NHTSA he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by NHTSA regarding the subject matter of the petition.

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.

• 10186009"Service Bulletin - There are several A/C leak detection tools available. -Refrigerant Gas Leak Detector -Ultrasonic Leak Detector -Leak Dye"
• 10144037Dealer message - Today, American Honda is notifying dealers of a voluntary noncompliance recall for a small number of Honda vehicles due to an error on the replacement (service part) underhood emissions labels. American Honda previously notified CARB and the EPA for this action.
• 10144032Service bulletin - Emission certification labels that were replaced on a small number of vehicles may have been replaced with a label listing incorrect information. The affected emission labels are replacement service parts, and were not installed at the factory; they were installed during postmanufacturing repairs that required replacement of the underlying part. This will cause the vehicle to be non-compliant with emissions regulations.
• 10128559Dealer message - On Monday, June 23, 2014, American Honda announced three recalls for various 2001-11 Honda models. As of July 23, 2014, affected VINs have been identified, and service bulletins 14-040, Safety Recall: Accord, Civic, and Others ? Front Passenger?s Airbag Inflator Can Be Over-Pressurized, 14-045, Recall: Front Driver?s Airbag Inflator May Produce Excessive Pressure After Long-Term Exposure to High Absolute Humidity Recall, and 14-046, Recall: Front Passenger?s Airbag Inflator May Produce Excessive Pressure After Long-Term Exposure to High Absolute Humidity have been posted to ISIS. However, due to the large number of affected units, American Honda is still in the process of populating the VIN status inquiry function on iN, which is expected to take several days. When this process is complete, American Honda will notify all dealers again via iN message. Until that time, the existing acknowledgement procedure must be used for all potentially affected vehicles.
• 10128531Dealer message - On Monday, June 23, 2014, American Honda announced three recalls for various 2001-11 Honda models. As of August 4, 2014, affected VINs have been identified, and VIN status inquiry has been updated.
• 10107371Service news article - planning on using a leak check dye to help find a leak? Heres the current list of vehicles that you shouldnt use dye on.
• 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.
• 10045879Honda: information on replacement and removal of junction board from old ima battery and new battery mounted before battery IS installed. Models 2003-11 civic hybrid, 2011-12 cr-z, 2000-06 insight, 2010-12 insight. Updated 9/28/12. Updated 10/11/12. Updated 11/19/12. Updated 8/6/13. Updated 9/30/13.
• 10041726Honda: mil will come if 3-WAY catalytic converter or nox adsorptive 3-WAY catalyst IS deteriorated due to sensor inputs being misinterpret by software.
• 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.
• 10032953Honda: warranty extension-vehicle warranty mileage. Class action lawsuit alleging that the odometers on certain 2002-2006 honda models were overstating mileage. Federal court provided final approval of settlement on 12/29/07. No models listed.
• 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.
• 10024568Honda service campaign: see document search button for owner letter. Warranty extension: cvt start clutch judder. Csc was received.
• 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.
• 10024235Honda service campaign: see document search button for owner letter. Warranty extension: cvt drive belt slippage -- on affected vehicles, the cvt (continuously variable transmission) drive belt may slip during acceleration. Csc was received. Updated 4/24/08.
• 10021968Warranty extension: vehicle warranty mileage. 2002 through 2006 and some 2007 fit models. Updated 8/18/08.
• 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.
• 10013779Anti-lock braking system (ABS) or tcs diagnostic trouble code (dtc) 51 and/or 53 troubleshooting. Honda tech line summary.
• 10011094Fuel fill cap binds and possible malfunction indicator lamp comes on with diagnostic trouble code p1456. This bulletin supersedes 04-002, dated 02/30/04.
• 10009278Heater blower motor gets hot or blows a fuse. Honda. Servicenews.
• 10009140Speedo/odo read excessive speed and distance. Honda. Servicenews.
• 10009067Update replacement control unit/module software. Honda. Servicenews.
• 10009053Reading srs diagnostic trouble codes. Honda. Tech line summary.
• 10009018Srs indicator on after body shop repair. Check for srs diagnostic trouble codes. Honda servicenews. April 2004.
• 10008710Ima system indicator on with ima diagnostic trouble code 77 (p1477) or diagnostic trouble code 78 or diagnostic trouble code 78 (p1449).
• 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.
• 10005021Hard to engage 1ST gear, grinds into reverse. Tech line summary.
• 10004970Manual transmission hard to shift into 1ST gear, grinds into reverse. Honda servicenews.

Every Honda Insight model year

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