What are the most common problems on the 2020 Honda Insight?

Q: What are the most common problems on the 2020 Honda Insight?

NHTSA has 31 owner complaint(s) on record for the 2020 Honda Insight. Forward Collision Avoidance is the most-reported problem area on the 2020 Honda Insight, cited in 12 of 31 filed complaints (39%).

Problems › Honda › 2020 Insight

2020 Honda Insight Problems & Owner Complaints

31 NHTSA owner complaints

3 crash 2 injury

Age-normalised, this year draws ~4.4 complaints per year on the road — ranking 4 of 9 Honda Insight years we track (1 = most complaints per year).

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What owners report

Forward Collision Avoidance is the most-reported problem area on the 2020 Honda Insight, cited in 12 of 31 filed complaints (39%).

Electrical System is next (7 complaints, 23%), followed by Power Train (5), Engine (4), Service Brakes (4).

Across all complaints, 3 report a crash, 2 report injuries.

The most safety-critical cluster is Power Train: 1 crash, 1 injury report(s).

Complaints by vehicle system

Owner complaints filed with the U.S. NHTSA for the 2020 Honda Insight, grouped by the vehicle system each cites. A single complaint can name more than one system, so the group totals can add up to more than 31.

Forward Collision Avoidance 12 1 crash

“The vehicle unintentionally accelerated while pulling into a parking space. I was depressing the brake to slow down while making the right turn into the space. The engine suddenly revved up (as though you were depressing the gas and brake at the same time) and it accelerated forward (a though you suddenly released the brake while depressing the gas pedal) and the car lept forward, jumping a 3 foot long curb, striking the vehicle parked in front of me. The tires kept spinning as though the gas pedal was being depressed, even though the vehicle could no longer make any forward progress since…”
NHTSA complaint #11747521, 2026 · crash

“I was driving to Pilates class and everything was normal but as I reached a railroad crossing the car suddenly and for no reason stopped dead on the tracks. Luckily for me there were no vehicles in front or behind me and there were no trains coming. I was terrified and wasn’t sure what to do but I pushed the Drive button and the vehicle went ahead as if nothing happened.”
NHTSA complaint #11754308, 2026

“This 2020 Honda Insight performed “phantom braking” of the automated braking system when I was about to enter a clear intersection with no vehicles or obstacles in front of me. It activated the automated braking system and endangered my life and the lives of others over no real threat. This occurred 08/23/2025. The car is well maintained and does not have any service issues. This was completely random.”
NHTSA complaint #11682568, 2025

Electrical System 7

“Battery keeps draining. On my 3rd battery and believe there’s a defect in the DC/DC converter (earlier recall - K9E). This has caused issues being stranded in the cold.”
NHTSA complaint #11714605, 2026

“The contact owns a 2020 Honda Insight. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, several unknown warning lights illuminated. During the failure, the brakes failed to function as intended, and the Lane Departure, Cruise Control, and Forward Collision Avoidance features failed to function as intended. The failure was intermittent. During the first failure, the vehicle was turned off and restarted after several minutes and the vehicle operated as intended. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed with battery failure. The dealer also determined that the brake pedal simulator ha…”
NHTSA complaint #11675716, 2025

“Driving down highway at highway speed and car shot 52 failure codes. Car lost power and crawled to side of road. Nearly got rear ended multiple times trying to remove vehicle from roadway. Engine permanent codes U0111 U012D U0110 U12A5 U1206 U1205 Anti lock brakes permanent codes U040168 CAN Gateway Permanent codes U0029-00 Electric power train traction motor control module permanent code U1204 U12A5 U1205 U0100 U012D U1206 U0111 Electric power steering permanent codes U0416-68 Electric servo brake - permanent codes U0029-00 U0401-68 Integrated driver support system - permanent code…”
NHTSA complaint #11496856, 2022

Power Train 5 1 crash 1 injury

“I believe the tire, wheel or suspension system failed while driving on the highway, causing me to hit my head on the driver's window and lose cosciousness. I skidded into a concrete barrier on the right side of the highway and was found unconscious at the scene. The damage to the passenger side body of the vehicle is minor and does not match the catastrophic failure of the wheel, leading me to believe the wheel failed and caused the crash, not that the crash resulted in the damage to the wheel. The vehicle is currently at a tow lot and available for inspection. Luckily, no other vehicles we…”
NHTSA complaint #11510208, 2023 · crash · 1 injury(ies)

“WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE WHERE SPEED LIMIT IS 70 MILES PER HOUR, I LOOKED IN MY REAR VIEW MIRROR AND SAW SMOKE COMING OUT OF THE BACK OF MY CAR. I THEN SAW WARNINGS FLASHING FROM MY DASH BOARD SAYING: AC MALFUNCTION, LKAS MALFUNCTION,AND THEN ANOTHER WARNING FLASHED SAYING - LOW OIL FLUID, STOP CAR DO NOT DRIVE. I COASTED CAR TO THE SIDE OF THE INTERSTATE AND GOT OUT OF VEHICLE AND CALLED TOWING SERVICE.”
NHTSA complaint #11399273, 2021

Engine 4

“I WAS DRIVING AT 65-70 MPH ON A FREEWAY, AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THE CAR SPEED DROPPED EVEN MY FOOT IS ON THE GAS PEDAL, THE CAR SLOW DOWN TO 40MPH WHEN DECIDED TO PULL OVER TO THE SHOULDER, BARELY ENOUGH TIME TO GET OUT OF DANGER. THE CAR ENGINE SHOT DOWN BY ITS SELF, I COULD NOT MOVE THE VEHICLE TO THE FAR RIGHT ASS I WANTED TOO. THE WARNING LIGHT ON DASH BOARD INDICATED IN RED " POWER SYSTEM " BOTTOM OF IT IN WHITE LIGHT " POWER SYSTEM PROBLEM DO NOT DRIVE" THEN A MINUTE LATER, THE WARNING LIGHT CHANGED TO A RED LOGO OF A BATTERY 12 VOLT BATTERY CHARGING SYSTEM PROBLEM DO NOT DRIVE.”
NHTSA complaint #11477975, 2022

Service Brakes 4

“I was driving down the highway, with no one in front of me, and my car alerted BRAKE and brought my car from 70 to an almost complete stop. This jerked myself and my passenger and caused a heat mark from the seat belt on my collar bone. It has done it multiple times since then. I'm terrified to be in traffic and for it to do this. This is most definitely putting my safety at risk, and the safety of others. I have not taken it to the dealership yet.”
NHTSA complaint #11641019, 2024

Structure 3

“I was driving home from vacation when my engine splash plate came loose from my car on the interstate. The splash plate fell down and dragged on highway creating friction under my car. The metal had fallen down and was chipping away creating dangerous debris to my car and other cars on the highway. Roadside service was no help, per usual. I was traveling alone. The splash plate had to be removed entirely to prevent a fire and more damage to my car. I couldn’t remove the splash plate on the side of the interstate. I drove 30-40 mph to get help to prevent further damage or loss of property and m…”
NHTSA complaint #11671578, 2025

“The whole hood vibrates while driving or when is windy, very noticeable at times. It was replaced once, almost a year ago but now it needs to be replaced again. same problem eventually the latches will be damaged creating a very hazardous situation. This vehicle has not been on an accident”
NHTSA complaint #11523320, 2021

“RIGHT AFTER A DAY OF PURCHASED AND DRIVING BACK HOME. WE DID HEAR WINDY NOISE WAS COMING OUT FROM THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE BY THE DRIVER SIDE AND TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY HAVE HELPED FIX IT FOR NOW.”
NHTSA complaint #11351704, 2020

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Unknown Or Other 3 1 crash

“DAMAGE TO THE POWER STEERING LINKAGE CABLE AND OXYGEN SENSOR CAUSED ALL ADAS SYSTEMS TO BE OFFLINE INCLUDING POWER STEERING. IF THIS UNIT WERE TO BE DAMAGED JUST ENOUGH AND FAIL WHILE DRIVING THIS WILL LIKELY RESULT IN A CRASH/COLLISION AS THE CAR BECOMES COMPLETELY UNDRIVABLE. LUCKILY SO FAR, THIS HAS HAPPENED WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED AND DID NOT CAUSE ANY INJURY. I FEEL THE VEHICLE IS UNSAFE UNTIL THEY FIX THIS ISSUE. IT HAS HAPPENED 3 TIMES NOW AND NOTHING SEEMS TO BE BEING DONE ABOUT THIS ISSUE AS OF YET FROM HONDA. THIS WAS BROUGHT FORWARD TO HONDA'S ATTENTION WITH NO AFFIRMATION THAT…”
NHTSA complaint #11398985, 2020

“WHEN PUTTING THE CAR IN REVERSE, THE CAR IS MAKING VERY LOUD 'DONG DONG DONG' NOISE. THIS ISSUE ALSO OCCURS WHEN THE CAR IS IN IDLE (STOP FOR THE TRAFFIC LIGHT). I AM NOT SURE IF THE NOISE IS FROM THE HYBRID SYSTEM, BUT THE NOISE MAKE ONE'S EARS VERY UNCOMFORTABLE.”
NHTSA complaint #11385705, 2020

Steering 2

“At approximately 148,000 miles the steering would have an intermittent notchy, or sticky, feeling while driving straight. While driving straight at cruising speed, I noticed that the resistance on the left side of the steering wheel was greater than the right side, then the resistance would decrease suddenly (release), and the steering wheel would rotate slightly to the right, but less than 1 degree, so it would be hardly noticeable on video. The issue seems to only present itself after the vehicle is driven 20-40 minutes and when the temperature is 47 degrees or higher. I have noticed it…”
NHTSA complaint #11728435, 2026

Vehicle Speed Control 2

“The contact stated 2020 Honda Insight. The contact stated while driving approximately 4-5 MPH through a drive-thru, the cruise control set button was tapped and the speed increased to 25 mph without warning. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was approximately 2,800. The VIN was not available.”
NHTSA complaint #11441308, 2021

“ACC ON, TRAVELING 75MPH ON IH-10 E; CAR TWO LENGTHS IN FRONT OF ME, IN RH LANE, PULLS OFF ONTO EXIT RAMP, MY CAR SLAMS ON THE BRAKES AND BRINGS MY CAR DOWN TO 45MPH, IF THERE HAD BEEN SOMEONE BEHIND ME THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN AN ACCIDENT. SAME HI-WAY, CAR 1/2 CAR LENGTH IN FRONT ON MY LEFT. WE GO AROUND A SLOPING CURVE TO THE RIGHT, MY CAR AGAIN SLAMS ON THE BRAKES, AND I HAD TO JUMP ON MY GAS PEDDLE, AS THERE WAS A CAR BEHIND ME THIS TIME. COMPLAINED TO MY SERVICE MANAGER AND WAS TOLD THIS WAS NORMAL! NOPE, NOTHING NORMAL ABOUT THIS SITUATION! ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN. THEIR SOLUTION, D…”
NHTSA complaint #11361385, 2020

Air Bags 1 1 crash 1 injury

“On September 16, 2022, I was in an accident where a driver hit me on the rear passenger side. I went a through a green light of an intersection on the Mopac N feeder Road and Duvall. Either both our lights were green or the other driver was dishonest and his was red. Every airbag deployed. Based on the impact, it would be highly unlikely to sustain a cracked sternum. The impact was to the right and slightly behind me. I have requested information from Honda America on the airbags and they refuse. They further insulted me by telling to go to a dealership. After this, Honda is the last car I wou…”
NHTSA complaint #11497478, 2022 · crash · 1 injury(ies)

Back Over Prevention 1

“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 HONDA INSIGHT. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 20V771000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, BACK OVER PREVENTION, VISIBILITY/WIPER, VISIBILITY, EXTERIOR LIGHTING). THE CONTACT STATED WHILE APPROACHING THE VEHICLE ON 3/1/2021, SHE NOTICED SOMEONE SLEEPING INSIDE THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE CALLING THE POLICE DEPARTMENT, THE PERSON GOT AWAY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CONTACT STATED HER ANTI-THEFT ALERT FAILED. THE CONTACT ASSOCIATED THE FAILURE WITH THE RECALL CAMPAIGN. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE LOCAL DEALER VACAVILLE HONDA (751 ORANGE D…”
NHTSA complaint #11398680, 2021

Fuel System 1

“The contact owns a 2020 Honda Insight. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated the vehicle had stalled on several occasions. Additionally, the vehicle occasionally failed to start-up. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired due to the cost. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was ap…”
NHTSA complaint #11590427, 2024

Fuel/Propulsion System 1

“On July 22, 2022 I was driving my Honda Insight 2020. I was on the highway, current mileage on vehicle 50,796 miles, my speed was normal at 65 MPH when the car lost the ability to accelerate and it stalled. I was forced to make an emergency stop on the side of the interstate. Vehicle displayed on the dashboard "Critical Failure Detected. Stop Driving When Safe" The acceleration on the car kept decreasing and when stop it displayed "Power System Problem. Do Not Drive." Pulling to the side of the interstate was very scary because trucks were flying at about 80mph. I requested for tow company to…”
NHTSA complaint #11476142, 2022

Suspension 1 1 crash 1 injury

Visibility/Wiper 1

Wheels 1 1 crash 1 injury

How we read this (methodology)

How to read this: raw complaint totals are not a clean reliability score — a model year with more cars sold, or simply more years on the road, accumulates more complaints regardless of how good it is. So this page leans on two signals that are not distorted by sales volume: the share of complaints falling on each vehicle system (the breakdown above) and NHTSA's own crash / fire / injury / death flags. When we compare model years of the same model, we normalise by years on the road (complaints ÷ vehicle age) rather than comparing raw totals. Age-normalised, the 2020 Honda Insight draws about 4.4 complaints per year on the road, ranking 4 of 9 among the Honda Insight model years we have ingested (1 = most complaints per year on road).

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Data source: U.S. NHTSA (nhtsa.gov). SaveVIN surfaces public recall data and is not affiliated with or endorsed by NHTSA.