2001 Honda S2000

Owner complaints

What owners report most

1. Power train6
2. Steering3
3. Tires2
4. Service brakes, hydraulic1
5. Structure1
6. Suspension1
7. Electrical system1
8. Visibility1
9. Engine and engine cooling1
10. Service brakes1

Latest complaints

• Dec 9, 2025FL
  Steering

  This vehicle has the same steering mechanism and the same mechanical issues as the Honda sedans recall earlier this year,, The steering suddenly becomes difficult to turn and hard to maintain. You can restart the car and the steering mechanism will also reset.

• Jan 11, 2016OH107,000 miFire
  Service brakes
  When I was going on highway I felt really shaky steering. So when I get out and check the tires my front passenger side brake disk was really hot. I waited little bit and I tried to keep going to home. However it was keep getting really warm and causing the car pulling one side and shaking on the…

  When I was going on highway I felt really shaky steering. So when I get out and check the tires my front passenger side brake disk was really hot. I waited little bit and I tried to keep going to home. However it was keep getting really warm and causing the car pulling one side and shaking on the steering wheel. Next day when I check my brakes and brake calipers I found out my brake caliper was seized. After a few searching on internet I found out it IS a common problem. I think it might cause a big problems and even accidents.

• Sep 22, 2014CA65,000 miCrash
  Steering · Suspension
  I was driving my 2001 honda s2000 to work like any other normal day. I got on the on ramp to the freeway and at the end of the ramp I was up to highway speeds and suddenly the car began to spin I tried to counter steer into the slide to no avail. The car spun around violently crossing three lanes…

  I was driving my 2001 honda s2000 to work like any other normal day. I got on the on ramp to the freeway and at the end of the ramp I was up to highway speeds and suddenly the car began to spin I tried to counter steer into the slide to no avail. The car spun around violently crossing three lanes of traffic and ended up with the passenger side against the center divide. I got out to see what happened and several witnesses stopped to see if I was ok from there descriptions I gathered that the front driver side wheel had buckled under the car causing it to pivot on that wheel that was now parallel to the ground and still partially attached to the car upon further inspection I found the upper a arm had broken and the wheel rolled on its side under the car the a-arm had signs of fresh breakage but also showed rust on the surface of the break as if it had been cracked for some time and finally broke all the way through. The car was totaled but I took pictures I can send if you are interested everything else seemed to work fine the airbag deployed and my seat belt held I was un injured but lost my car. It seemed to be a defective casting or week part that caused my accident. It could kill other people and should be looked at. *tr

• Nov 4, 2011CA129,000 mi
  Service brakes, hydraulic

  TL* the contact owns a 2001 honda S200. The contact stated that while driving 55 mph, the brakes failed to engage. The contact lost control of the vehicle and entered into the left lane. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the dealer advised that there was nothing wrong with the vehicle. The dealer did not perform a diagnostic. The vin was not available. The failure and the current mileage was 129,000.

• Feb 11, 2010FL123,000 mi
  Steering
  I own a 2001 honda s2000. last winter the power steering periodically failed when I started the car in cold weather, in the 30 degree or colder range. it did not work properly until the car warmed up. before it warmed up, the car had no power steering and was very difficult to steer. after it…

  I own a 2001 honda s2000. last winter the power steering periodically failed when I started the car in cold weather, in the 30 degree or colder range. it did not work properly until the car warmed up. before it warmed up, the car had no power steering and was very difficult to steer. after it warmed up, the steering was much better, but still felt like it was "pulsing" when I turned the steering wheel hard right or hard left. the same thing occurred this past january when we had very cold weather here in florida. I took it to the dealer with this complaint and was told by the service rep that he had the same problem in his car, also a honda. he told me the problem was the electric assist which would not work properly in cold weather until the car warmed up. he offered no fix for the problem. *Tr

• Oct 29, 2009CA25,000 mi
  Visibility
  I have a 2001 honda s2000, which has just 30,000 miles on it and came with a plastic rear window. I am the original owner. About a year ago, the rear window began to develop pock marks and it became so bad that it IS now impossible to see out the back. The car been maintained well and I was…

  I have a 2001 honda s2000, which has just 30,000 miles on it and came with a plastic rear window. I am the original owner. About a year ago, the rear window began to develop pock marks and it became so bad that it IS now impossible to see out the back. The car been maintained well and I was informed by the car wash experts that this IS because of the sun and because the rear window IS plastic. Now, it IS a very serious safety issue and I have called honda america and reported it and requested them to fix it. They also said they will not fix it and had no suggestions even when I told them that this IS a major safety issue as I nor my wife or anybody can see out the rear window. Incidentally, one issue IS that the plastic rear window was discontinued in 2001 and from the model year 2002 onwards, honda used a glass rear window. As a result, there are not many vehicles with this problem out there and it IS possible that if the vehicle were garaged 24 hours, that the sun would not beat on the plastic window and it may stay clear. Thus, there IS very little or no incentive for honda to fix this problem on their own volition. *Tr

• Nov 2, 2006VA
  Electrical system
  One or more of the following factors may have caused this failure to occur: the normal wear of hitting bumps, or temperature differences in the summer (i.e. Sudden a/c cooling after sitting in 90 deg heat). I can't think of any other cause. the clear plastic window the driver sees through when…

  One or more of the following factors may have caused this failure to occur: the normal wear of hitting bumps, or temperature differences in the summer (i.e. Sudden a/c cooling after sitting in 90 deg heat). I can't think of any other cause. the clear plastic window the driver sees through when viewing the speedometer started to crack in multiple places. over time the cracks increased in size. the consequences are primarily cosmetic, but could also pose a slight hazard while trying to read the numeric readouts and indicators. honda replaced the part for free using the warranty, but as I suspected this problem has occurred a second time. this could prove a major headache if I have to replace the instrument cluster window once/year. I'D like a stronger plastic or glass replacement if possible. *nm

• Oct 30, 2006VA
  Tires
  This story refers to the rear, right tire of a 2001 honda s2000. I had replaced the rear tires less than two weeks prior to this incident with bridgestone potenza re050a pole position tires. I drove 120 miles from sw richmond, va to annandale, va. the primary highways I traveled during the trip…

  This story refers to the rear, right tire of a 2001 honda s2000. I had replaced the rear tires less than two weeks prior to this incident with bridgestone potenza re050a pole position tires. I drove 120 miles from sw richmond, va to annandale, va. the primary highways I traveled during the trip included I95 n and I495 inner loop; and the conditions on I95 n were windy the entire trip. I frequently had to swerve to counter large wind gusts. a few minutes after exiting I95 to I495 (inner loop) I smelled burning rubber, then noticed my rear tire was smoking like crazy. I immediately pulled over to the side of the road, and managed to avoid oncoming rush hour traffic (very dangerous). my car also started to spin out, because by then the rear, right tire had collapsed while burning; but I somehow managed to safely stop the car. two firestone dealers claim that a road hazard punctured the tire, which in turn leaked, collapsed and started to catch fire. neither dealer could determine the location or cause of the puncture. this incident seems odd to me, because I felt no indication of a flat tire until smoke began to form. following two previous tire punctures (on the last set of tires, once at each rear tire), I noticed the problem while driving, and before they caused a problem. the rear, right tire was completely ruined, because it started to smolder after collapsing, so I replaced the original, two-week-old tire with a brand new identical replacement. to this day I don't feel firestone adequately investigated what caused the tire to puncture, and I wonder if a road hazard really caused it. *jb

• Dec 5, 2003CA20,000 mi
  Power train › Clutch assembly › Pedal/hand lever(motorcycle)

  Squeak noise when using clutch. later the squeak gets louder and requires more pressure to press the clutch. also the clutch IS not smooth operation. *jb

• Oct 7, 2003CA
  Structure

  Vehicle has a convertible top made of plastic rear glass. while driving on the highway and without warning glass will fog up in inclement weather, causing driver not to see clearly. *Ak

• Jul 31, 2003MI1,500 mi
  Engine and engine cooling › Exhaust system · Power train › Automatic transmission › Lever and linkage › Column shift · Power train › Clutch assembly · Power train › Driveline › Differential unit · Power train › Manual transmission
  Below IS a list of all the failures that my 2001 honda s2000 has sustained. the first being the only one that honda has covered via warranty despite knowledgeableness of issues. 1800 miles - 5TH and 6TH gear synchros had to be replaced 3000 miles - clutch failure 8500 miles - rear…

  Below IS a list of all the failures that my 2001 honda s2000 has sustained. the first being the only one that honda has covered via warranty despite knowledgeableness of issues. 1800 miles - 5TH and 6TH gear synchros had to be replaced 3000 miles - clutch failure 8500 miles - rear differential failure 12000 miles - second gear failure 15000 miles - engine failure all besides the first were denied warranty repair from what honda calls "driver abuse". having no proof besides the fact that tires I purchased used showed some wear. even after the initial claim of abuse, after bringing it in for the next issue, they could not provide me with specifics of tread depth or anything. also they had thrown out my old parts, for the reason that I believe to be so I couldn't use them against them. *ph

• May 26, 2003OK8,500 mi
  Tires › Tread/belt
  The tires that come on honda s 2000 automobiles are often exhibiting a tread wear life of only 6,000 miles or so, before the tread becomes unsafe in wet weather. At 10,000 miles, wear IS often so the steel belts show through. Neither honda or bridgestone (the tire maker) IS taking any…

  The tires that come on honda s 2000 automobiles are often exhibiting a tread wear life of only 6,000 miles or so, before the tread becomes unsafe in wet weather. At 10,000 miles, wear IS often so the steel belts show through. Neither honda or bridgestone (the tire maker) IS taking any responsibility for this. all of these cars are effected by this problem, so the cause seems to be from one or more batches of defective tires. it IS not known how many injuries, damage, or fatalities have resulted. However, it IS beyond dispute that "bald" tires, and those with the steel belts in contact with the road, constitute a public safety hazard that your agency should investigate. *nlm

• Jul 31, 2002CA
  Power train › Automatic transmission

  I bought the car used. it had approx 12K miles on it. since I have had it, it has had ongoing problems with the transmission with a grind into 2ND gear. this IS being experience by many other S2K owners. go to www.s2ki.com and do a search for clutch/transmission. honda IS not honoring the warranty claiming it IS user negligence.*ak

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"
• 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.
• 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.
• 10025523Load carrying capacity reduced label for all honda vehicles.
• 10018868Transmission grinds at shifts, skip shifting.
• 10018471Engine oil cooler center bolt torque spec.
• 10018085Rear axle creak or grunt noise at low speeds.
• 10017042Intermittent hesitation during hard acceleration.
• 10016342Engine falters, no power, won't rev over 7,000 rpm. Honda servicenews.
• 10014737Creak of grunt from rear of vehicle at low speeds.
• 10014480Xm radio error messages.
• 10014479Headrest speaker installation.
• 10014232Grunt noise after sitting for several hours.
• 100142302ND to 5TH or 3RD to 5TH gear upshift.
• 10014228Grinds at upshift when cold.
• 10014220Honda diagnostic system locked, needs immobilizer release password.
• 10014106Poor radio reception, seek-stop test.
• 10014057Pop noise at front upper control arm mount.
• 10013953Audio unit and navigation system anti-theft codes available on interactive network.
• 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.
• 10013762Differential oil recommendation. Honda tech line summary.
• 10013339Popping sound from upper control arm mount.
• 10009278Heater blower motor gets hot or blows a fuse. Honda. Servicenews.
• 10009144Clean modulator pump motor ground for diagnostic trouble code 51/53. Honda. Servicenews.
• 10009143Minimize warranty claims for headlight adjustment. Honda. Servicenews.
• 10009140Speedo/odo read excessive speed and distance. Honda. Servicenews.
• 10009048Audio, anti-theft codes. Honda. Tech line summary.
• 10009026S2000 engine, replacement part numbers. Honda. Servicenews. April 2004.
• 10005929Clearing anti-lock brake system (ABS) diagnostic trouble codes (dtcs). Honda october tech line information.
• 10005927Grunt noise when accelerating after sitting. Honda october tech line information. 2002 prelude also included.
• 10005918Never rotate tires. 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.
• 10004956Heater blower motor overheats or blows fuse. Various models including the 2004 insight and s2000.
• 10004955Testing brake fluid for petroleum contamination. This includes 2004 insight and s2000.
• 10003134Diagnostic trouble codes p0133 and p0420 set after manual transmission removal and replacement.

Every Honda S2000 model year

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