Problems · NHTSA complaints
2000 Honda S2000 problems
Owners filed 40 complaints about the 2000 Honda S2000 with NHTSA between Apr 2000 and Jul 2020. The most-cited component is exterior lighting (8).
Complaints
40
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
3
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
4
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Exterior lighting8
- Visibility8
- Structure7
- Engine and engine cooling4
- Seat belts4
- Air bags3
- Electrical system2
- Power train2
- Steering1
- Suspension1
- Fuel system, gasoline1
- Fuel system, other1
- Tires1
- Service brakes, hydraulic1
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
6
4
5
8
11
0
2
0
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 6 |
| 2001 | 4 |
| 2002 | 5 |
| 2003 | 8 |
| 2004 | 11 |
| 2005 | 0 |
| 2006 | 2 |
| 2007 | 0 |
| 2008 | 1 |
| 2009 | 1 |
| 2010 | 0 |
| 2011 | 0 |
| 2012 | 0 |
| 2013 | 0 |
| 2014 | 0 |
| 2015 | 0 |
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 2 |
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
“I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF A 2000 HONDA S2000...THIS PAST MONTH I REPLACED THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLIES FOR BOTH HEADLIGHTS BECAUSE THE PLASTIC SHIELDS WHICH PROTECT THE LIGHTS HAD DETERIORATED SO MUCH THAT VIRTUALLY NO LIGHT WAS EMITTING FROM THE HEADLIGHTS AND THE PART WHICH WAS THE PROBLEM (THE PLASTIC LENS COVER OR SHIELD)CANNOT BE REPLACED AS A SEPARATE PART..YOU MUST PURCHASE THE COMPLETE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY FROM HONDA...AS THERE ARE NO AFTER MARKET ALTERNATIVE PARTS...THE COST FOR THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLIES WAS $1,100 PLUS TAXES...AGAIN NOTHING ELSE OTHER THAN THE ENCASEMENTS WERE REPLACED..STILL USING THE ORIGINAL BULBS, MOTORS, TRANSFORMERS, ETC.....IT'S OUTRAGEOUS THAT A PART WOULD DETERIORATE TO THE POINT OF IT BECOMING A SAFETY ISSUE AND THAT I AM STUCK WITH AN OUT OF POCKET EXPENSE OF CLOSE TO $1,200 TO CORRECT THE SITUATION... THANK YOU FOR ANY ASSISTANCE YOU CAN OFFER IN THIS MATTER. *TR”
Visibility
8 reports
“THE REAR PLASTIC WINDOW BECAME OPAQUE AND YELLOW, TO THE POINT WHERE 3 YEARS AFTER BUYING THE CAR, YOU COULD NOT SEE THROUGH IT AT ALL. THIS MADE THE CAR DANGEROUS TO DRIVE WHEN THE CONVERTIBLE TOP WAS NOT DOWN, BECAUSE REAR VISIBILITY WAS ONLY THROUGH THE SIDE MIRRORS. WHILE I WOULD CONSIDER A FUNCTIONAL REAR WINDOW TO BE A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE, HONDA REFUSED TO REPLACE IT, SAYING MY WARRANTY DID NOT APPLY TO "UPHOLSTERY". I ATTEMPTED TO CLEAN IT WITH VARIOUS WINDOW CLEANERS, AND WHILE THEY HELPED RESTORE OPACITY, THEY DID NOT RESTORE TRANSPARENCY OR VISIBILITY. *JB”
Structure
7 reports1 crash
“WHILE DRIVING MY S2000 AND TURNING ON CURVY ROADS THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT TURN CORRECTLY AND ENDED UP IN A FIELD TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. WE NOTICED THE UPPER CONTROL ARM SPOT WELD BROKE FREE MEANING THE UPPER SUSPENSION MOUNT WAS NOT CONNECTED AND CAUSED THE INCIDENT. HONDA KNOWS IT'S AN ISSUE WITH 2000-2003 MODEL YEAR VEHICLES AND HAS ISSUED A TSB SN040903 "09/01/2004 POPPING FROM FRONT WHEEL UPPER CONTROL ARM MOUNT" MULTIPLE OTHER PEOPLE HAVE HAD THE ISSUE OVER THE YEARS SO MUCH THAT MANY COMPANIES DEVELOPED REINFORCEMENT PLATES SUCH AS THESE: HTTPS://ORIGINFABRICATION.COM/PRODUCTS/UPPER-CONTROLL-ARM-MOUNTING-POINT-GUSSET-KIT-HONDA-S2000 IF THIS ISSUE HAD OCCURED JUST 500 FEET BEFORE I WOULD HAVE ENDED UP STEERING INTO AN ONCOMING SEMI-TRUCK.”
Engine and engine cooling
4 reports
“DIP STICK SHOWED GOOD OIL LEVEL. HOWEVER, UPON DRIVING IT ONE DAY THE ENGINE BLEW AND THE LOW OIL WARNING LIGHT DID NOT COME ON. ENGINE CONSUMED OIL ENOUGH THAT IT THREW A ROD BEARING. REPLACED THE BEARINGS AND IT RAN ABOUT 24 MILES AND IT HAPPENED AGAIN. THIS TIME IT DESTROYED THE CRANK IN NUMBER 2 CYLINDER. HONDA CORP. WASN'T VERY FRIENDLY ABOUT THE PROBLEM BUT THERE SEEMS TO BE A PROBLEM WITH OIL DISTRIBUTION IN THIS CAR. *TR”
Seat belts
4 reports2 related recalls
“THE PASSENGER SEAT BELT MADE A NOISE WHILE BEING RETRACTED. IT HAS BEEN REPLACED 4 TIMES. *AK *JB”
Air bags
3 reports2 crashes
“YOUR WEB SITE DOES NOT SEARCH THE VIN. VIN IS CORRECT. WEB SITE IS UNRESPONSIVE”
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.