Honda HR-V Reliability by Year
Based on 2M+ real complaints filed with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
2,275 NHTSA complaints (2016–2026).Complaint rate: 28.0 per 1,000 vehicles.
Compare Honda HR-V vs:
Should I buy a Honda HR-V?
Quick answer from 2,275 NHTSA complaints · 2016–2026
Honda HR-V reliability depends heavily on the model year. Several years show complaint spikes well above the model's own average, while others are meaningfully cleaner. The most commonly reported issue across all years is wipers & visibility. Pick the right year and this HR-V can be a reasonable used buy; pick the wrong one and you're inheriting known problems.
- 2021 Honda HR-V· 68 complaints
- 2020 Honda HR-V· 107 complaints
- 2022 Honda HR-V· 136 complaints
- 2023 Honda HR-V· 807 complaints
Keep scrolling for year-by-year complaint trends, recall campaigns, and component breakdowns — or click any year above for a full report.
Why these years are worse
The most common issues driving the complaint spikes:
- wipers & visibility — 349 complaints (0.0% involved a crash)
- electrical faults — 266 complaints (2.3% involved a crash)
- transmission / drivetrain — 158 complaints (3.8% involved a crash)
- steering defects — 157 complaints (9.6% involved a crash)
- brakes — 107 complaints (29.9% involved a crash)
What Happened to 81,189 Honda HR-Vs On the Road
Complaints record what owners reported. These are the outcomes actually recorded against 81,189 Honda HR-V VINs built 2016–2026 — accidents, title brands and odometer flags from our vehicle-history database, not from the NHTSA complaint file.
Do the complaint spikes show up in real accident history?
The Honda HR-V averages 23.1% accident history across all model years. Here is how the years flagged above compare on real records:
- 2023 — 13.8% of 11,036 VINs on record show accident history, in line with the 23.1% model average. Owners complained more, but these cars are not crashing more.
Typical Honda HR-V on record: 1.3 owners on average, 35,075 average miles.
Honda HR-V Generations
Manufacturer redesigns the car every few years (a “generation”). Each generation has different engineering and common issues. Click a generation to see year-by-year breakdown.
| Generation | Years | Complaints | Crashes | US Sold | Volume | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gen 1 | 2016–2022 | 1,262 | 119 | — | Hide years | |||
| 2016 | 312 | 19 | — | View 2016View→ | ||||
| 2017 | 161 | 21 | — | View 2017View→ | ||||
| 2018 | 186 | 19 | — | View 2018View→ | ||||
| 2019 | 292 | 26 | — | View 2019View→ | ||||
| 2020 | 107 | 9 | — | View 2020View→ | ||||
| 2021 | 68 | 9 | — | View 2021View→ | ||||
| 2022 | 136 | 16 | — | View 2022View→ | ||||
| Gen 2 | 2023–present | 1,013 | 31 | — | Show years |
Which Years to Buy & Avoid
Years auto-clustered by complaint volume relative to this model's median.
Rankings based on raw NHTSA complaint counts. Sales volume data not yet available for this model.
Bottom line: Avoid the 2023 Honda HR-V. The 2020–2021 models had significantly fewer reported issues. Most common issue across all years: Wipers & Visibility.
Avoid These Years
Average
Better Years
Too New
Need 3+ years on the road for reliable complaint data.
A model's reputation is just the start.
Even within the “good” years, individual cars can have hidden accidents, title issues, or odometer rollbacks. Check the actual VIN before you buy — full history report for $8.99 (vs. Carfax $44.99).
Complaints by Model Year
NHTSA complaint count per model year
Common Honda HR-V Problems
Most reported component complaints to NHTSA. Bar length = volume; color = crash-involvement rate.
Show full table
| Component | Complaints | Crash % |
|---|---|---|
| Wipers & Visibility | 349 | 0.0% |
| Electrical Faults | 266 | 2.3% |
| Transmission / Drivetrain | 158 | 3.8% |
| Steering Defects | 157 | 9.6% |
| Brakes | 107 | 29.9% |
| Engine Problems | 99 | 3.0% |
| Body Structure | 87 | 8.0% |
| Gasoline Fuel System | 77 | 0.0% |
| Fuel System | 76 | 1.3% |
| Airbags | 70 | 51.4% |
Year-by-Year Breakdown
NHTSA complaint count per model year — click any year for full problems & recalls breakdown.
| Year | Generation | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016AVOID | Gen 1 | 312 | 19 | 1 | View → |
| 2017 | Gen 1 | 161 | 21 | — | View → |
| 2018 | Gen 1 | 186 | 19 | — | View → |
| 2019AVOID | Gen 1 | 292 | 26 | 2 | View → |
| 2020GOOD | Gen 1 | 107 | 9 | 2 | View → |
| 2021GOOD | Gen 1 | 68 | 9 | — | View → |
| 2022 | Gen 1 | 136 | 16 | 2 | View → |
| 2023AVOID | Gen 2 | 807 | 13 | — | View → |
| 2024TOO NEW | Gen 2 | 149 | 14 | 1 | View → |
| 2025TOO NEW | Gen 2 | 50 | 4 | — | View → |
| 2026TOO NEW | Gen 2 | 7 | 0 | — | View → |
Year-by-Year Breakdown
Tap any year for full problems & recalls breakdown.
Data Sources & Methodology
Complaints: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation consumer complaint database (2,275 records for this model). Public domain data, updated monthly.
Sales data: Not yet available for this model. Complaint counts are shown as raw numbers.
On-road outcomes: Accident, title-brand, theft and odometer records for 81,189 Honda HR-V VINs in our vehicle-history database. Independent of the NHTSA complaint file — a complaint is what an owner reported, these are what was recorded against the vehicle. Year-level figures are shown only for model years with at least 200 VINs on record.
Rate calculation: Complaints per 10,000 vehicles sold = (complaint count / US annual sales) x 10,000. This normalizes for sales volume so high-volume models like Civic or Camry aren't unfairly penalized.
Year classifications: AVOID = 1.5x+ the model's median complaint count. GOOD = 0.6x or below. Years less than 3 years old are marked TOO NEW (insufficient data).
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