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
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Exterior lighting8
  2. Visibility8
  3. Structure7
  4. Engine and engine cooling4
  5. Seat belts4
  6. Air bags3
  7. Electrical system2
  8. Power train2
  9. Steering1
  10. Suspension1
  11. Fuel system, gasoline1
  12. Fuel system, other1
  13. Tires1
  14. 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
02 —Trend

When complaints were filed

Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
View as table
Model yearComplaints filed per calendar year
20006
20014
20025
20038
200411
20050
20062
20070
20081
20091
20100
20110
20120
20130
20140
20150
20160
20170
20180
20190
20202

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.

03 —Owner reports

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”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Apr 8, 2009Exterior lightingODI 10264487

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”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Dec 19, 2004VisibilityODI 10104096

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.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 9, 2020Steering, Suspension, StructureCrash reportedODI 11338343

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”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 10, 2008Engine and engine coolingODI 10233734

Seat belts

4 reports2 related recalls
“THE PASSENGER SEAT BELT MADE A NOISE WHILE BEING RETRACTED. IT HAS BEEN REPLACED 4 TIMES. *AK *JB”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 15, 2004Seat beltsODI 10075643

Air bags

3 reports2 crashes
“YOUR WEB SITE DOES NOT SEARCH THE VIN. VIN IS CORRECT. WEB SITE IS UNRESPONSIVE”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jan 9, 2020Air bagsODI 11298166
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.