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The 2016 Honda HR-V has 238 NHTSA owner complaints and 1 active recall campaign on file. Here's the breakdown — what's serious, what's noise, and what a working mechanic would actually do about it.
The 2016 Honda HR-V has 238 NHTSA owner complaints and 1 recall on file (U.S. federal records, as of July 2026). The most-reported system is powertrain at 73 complaints, typically surfacing around 82,265 miles (~$2,500 to repair). Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.
| Model year | Owner complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 HR-V (this page) | 238 | 1 |
| 2017 HR-V | 120 | 0 |
| 2018 HR-V | 151 | 0 |
| 2019 HR-V | 219 | 0 |
Solid reliability overall. Common issues are concentrated in a few systems.
Worth owning if you verify the specific issues below before you buy.
Our read of the federal NHTSA complaint and recall record for this exact year and model — not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection. How we score.
Driver-assist features on the tested model: Electronic stability control: Standard · Forward collision warning: No · Lane departure warning: No
Source: NHTSA New Car Assessment Program — tested configuration: 2016 Honda HR-V SUV AWD. Stars rate crash protection in NHTSA's tests, not overall reliability — see the owner-complaint data below for what actually goes wrong.
Here's what this model is known to do — so you can inspect for it, price it in, or make the seller fix it before you sign.
⚠ The one to take seriously: body is flagged severe on this model , showing up around 45,000 mi. Inspect it closely on a test drive.
Run the VIN from the listing — 1 active recall on this model. Recall repairs are always free.
Verdict for buyers: 7.2/10 model. The priciest documented failure is engine (~$3,100) — get the seller's service records for it or inspect closely. Otherwise an average-risk used buy at a fair price.
We tell you what this model is known for and what to inspect — a vehicle-history report tells you what this exact car has been through. Smart buyers get both.
See the full pre-purchase inspection checklist →A noise, a warning light, a repair quote, "should I buy this?" — get an answer grounded in this vehicle's actual NHTSA record, not generic advice.
Answers use this vehicle's NHTSA complaint & recall record — owner-reported and unverified, not a diagnosis. Verify anything safety-critical with a mechanic.
If you owned an HR-V and felt like it had a lot of small problems and just wasn’t satisfying to live with — you’re not imagining it, and you’re not alone. That’s one of the most common HR-V stories, and it’s worth being honest about.
The HR-V is not on our worst-platforms list — it’s not a catastrophic-failure vehicle. But the recurring gripes are exactly the ownership-annoyance kind: an underpowered 1.8 paired with a droning CVT, road noise, and assorted small electrical/AC items. The 2016 (launch year) and 2019 are the higher-complaint years; it’s calmer in between and after.
So it’s not “the engine grenades.” It’s “lots of little things, and it’s tiresome to drive” — especially the early ones. That’s a legitimate reason people sell them, and a legitimate thing to weigh before buying one.
It’s a fine, durable-enough, frugal little crossover if your expectations match it — short commutes, light duty, value over driving satisfaction. If you want something that doesn’t feel like a chore and has fewer nitpicks, a Mazda CX-5 or CR-V is a step up (and the CX-5 isn’t even a CVT). If you do buy an HR-V, favor a non-2016/non-2019 year with CVT fluid service records.
On a cheap car like this, the warranty calculator usually says skip — the honest answer. The HR-V’s issue was never big repair bills; it was a hundred small annoyances.
When owners report each system failing, in actual miles — so you can see what's likely behind you, what's due around now, and what to budget for next. Enter your mileage to mark where you are.
"Typical" = median owner-reported failure mileage from the NHTSA complaint record for this exact year and model. Not a maintenance schedule — a heads-up on where this model's failures cluster.
I was driving the car home from work and all of the warning lights on the dashboard came on- the check engine light, tire pressure light, traction control light, brake warning light, and the park emergency brake light. The "park" sign and p/r/d light lights were flashing. The…
On 12/28 9:00pm, was driving at 73mph on us 68 north bound in a cruise mode set at 73mph. Physical contact between driver and the vehicle control component was only steering wheel. While driving, RPM suddenly reved up to 5.5k and driver immediately shut down the cruise mode by…
Driving slowly to garage, sudden unintended acceleration and brakes stopped working. My car crashed into the rear wall of the garage. The front end of my car was damaged. The wall of my garage was damaged as well. I went to the doctor due to pain in my chest and arms.
I am submitting this complaint regarding a sudden and unsafe CVT transmission failure on my Honda vehicle. While driving, the vehicle began shaking violently, lost the ability to accelerate, and multiple warning indicators illuminated, including the check engine light. The…
Drag to your current mileage. Numbers are derived from this vehicle's complaint history.
If the tire placard is missing the driver or owner may not know at what pressure to inflate the tires, resulting in over or under tire inflation which potentially increases the risk of a tire failure and crash.
Mostly yes. With a reliability score of 7.2 out of 10 based on 238 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2016 Honda HR-V is generally a sound vehicle. The areas to watch are listed in the top problem section above — most are budget items, not deal-breakers.
The 2016 Honda HR-V is acceptable, with specific caveats. Worth owning if you verify the specific issues below before you buy. The record behind that call: Reliability score 7.2/10 — around the segment average; 1 recall campaign on file. This is our read of the federal complaint and recall data — not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection.
Inspect the powertrain first — it's the most-reported issue on this model, with 73 owner complaints filed. Typical failure occurs around 82,265 miles. Average repair cost runs about $2,500 at an independent shop. Also confirm any open recalls have been completed by running the VIN, and ask for service records covering the problem areas listed above.
It scores 7.2 out of 10 on our NHTSA-based read of 238 owner complaints. The main thing to watch is powertrain. Typical failure occurs around 82,265 miles. Priced fairly and clean on inspection, it's a reasonable used buy. Our data covers what this model is known for — pair it with a vehicle-history report on the VIN to see what that specific car has been through.
Based on NHTSA records, the most-reported issue is powertrain, with 73 complaints filed. Typical failure occurs around 82,265 miles. Average repair cost runs about $2,500 at an independent shop.
The powertrain is one of the costlier repair items. Average repair cost runs about $2,500 at an independent shop. Typical failure occurs around 82,265 miles. Catching early warning signs can sometimes extend life by 20–30,000 miles.
Paste your VIN into the decoder at the top of this page. We pull live from NHTSA, so you'll see exactly which campaigns apply to your vehicle and whether the dealer has logged the fix. Recall repairs are always free regardless of mileage or warranty status.
Math is straightforward: a quality service contract runs $1,800–3,500 over 3 years. With 238 complaints on file and the costliest repair averaging $2,500, one major failure more than pays for it. The catch is reading the contract — many providers exclude wear items and require pre-authorization, so cheaper plans are not always better value.