Problems · NHTSA complaints
2002 Honda Insight problems
Owners filed 24 complaints about the 2002 Honda Insight with NHTSA between Nov 2001 and Jan 2016. The most-cited component is exterior lighting (8).
Complaints
24
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
4
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
2
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Exterior lighting8
- Power train6
- Electrical system3
- Air bags2
- Vehicle speed control1
- Electronic stability control1
- Service brakes, hydraulic1
- Engine and engine cooling1
- Structure1
- Tires1
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Oct 28, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
1
2
3
1
4
0
2
5
1
1
1
0
1
1
0
1
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 2001 | 1 |
| 2002 | 2 |
| 2003 | 3 |
| 2004 | 1 |
| 2005 | 4 |
| 2006 | 0 |
| 2007 | 2 |
| 2008 | 5 |
| 2009 | 1 |
| 2010 | 1 |
| 2011 | 1 |
| 2012 | 0 |
| 2013 | 1 |
| 2014 | 1 |
| 2015 | 0 |
| 2016 | 1 |
Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.
Top problems in owners’ words
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
Exterior lighting
8 reports1 related recall
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 HONDA INSIGHT. WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS FAILED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE WIRING HARNESS MELTED AND CAUSED THE LOW BEAM FAILURE AND THAT THE LIGHT SWITCH AND CONNECTOR WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 278,000.”
Power train
6 reports
“CAR STARTED JUDDERING AND LOOSING POWER. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER BECAUSE THERE WAS A "JUDDER RECALL". AFTER GETTING THE CAR BACK, TRANSMISSION IS NOT WORKING CORRECTLY. CONTACTED AMERICAN HONDA AND THEY MENTIONED TO ME THAT THE FLYWHEEL HAD GREASE AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. AMERICAN HONDA DENIED MY CLAIM TO GET THIS COVERED. CVT TRANSMISSION IS SKIPPING, JUDDERING AND FAILS TO DELIVER POWER CORRECTLY. *TR”
Electrical system
3 reports1 crash
“WHEN MEASURED WITH A TRIFIELD METER, THE ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD (EMF) IMPACTING THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER ARE DANGEROUSLY HIGH. THE DRIVER IS RECEIVING UP TO 135 MILLIGAUSS (MG) AT THE HIP, AND UP TO 100 MG IN THE UPPER TORSO AND HEAD AREA. (UNDER 10 MG IS CONSIDERED SAFE.) SEE HTTP://CONSUMERAFFAIRS.COM/AUTOMOTIVE/HONDA_INSIGHT.HTML. *TR”
Air bags
2 reports1 crash
“MY SRS LIGHT (AIR BAG) ON MY 2002 HONDA ACCORD CAME ON WITH NO REASON. NO ACCIDENT OR IMPACT THE CAR HAS 90K MILES. NOT SURE IF IT IS A DEFECT OR RECALL EQUIPMENT. *TR”
Vehicle speed control
1 report1 crash
“WAS BACKING OUT OF A PARKING SPACE (CAR IN REVERSE). DUE TO THE TIGHTNESS OF THE AREA, HAD TO PUT THE CAR IN DRIVE TO PULL FORWARD SLIGHTLY AND THEN AGAIN IN REVERSE. WHEN THE CAR WAS PUT IN DRIVE THE SECOND TIME, IT LUNGED FORWARD AND ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN. CAR WAS STILL ACCELERATING WHEN IT HIT A PARKED CAR. EVERYTHING TURNED OFF ONCE THE CAR WAS PUT IN PARK AND THE IGNITION TURNED OFF. *TR”
Electronic stability control
1 report1 crash
“WHILE DRIVING N ON I-97 I WAS ATTEMPTING TO TURN RIGHT ONTO THE EXIT RAMP TO 32-W WHEN THE STEERING ON MY 2002 HONDA CIVIC FAILED. ALTHOUGH I WAS TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL TO THE RIGHT, THE CAR KEPT GOING STRAIGHT. I ATTEMPTED TO APPLY THE BRAKES, BUT THEY ALSO FAILED, AND THE CAR KEPT GOING STRAIGHT DOWN AN ENBANKMENT UNTIL IT STRUCK A TREE.*AK”
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Oct 28, 2026
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.