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What 38 owners told NHTSA about the 2011 Honda Cr-z

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (38)Crash / fire / injury (5)Airbags (16)Body & structure (5)Electrical system (4)Steering (4)Transmission & drivetrain (4)Brakes (3)Seat belts (3)Wheels (2)Engine (1)Engine & cooling (1)

4 of 38 complaints match · Transmission & drivetrain · clear filters

Sep 27, 2023Transmission & drivetrain

The contact owns a 2011 Honda CR-Z. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who repaired the front axle. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 12V256000 (Power Train) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ODI 11546850

Sep 29, 2021Transmission & drivetrain

As I was pulling away from a stop sign, the right-hand CV shaft snapped in the middle. Fortunately, I had just enough speed to coast into a parking lot, so I was not a traffic obstacle. On closer inspection, the failure occurred underneath the rubber/metal dynamic damper clamped to the center of the CV shaft. It looks like the dynamic damper was not adequately sealed and trapped salt and water until enough corrosion happened, causing the failure of the CV shaft.

NHTSA ODI 11434814

May 7, 2021SteeringTransmission & drivetrainElectrical system

2011 CR-Z PASSENGER CARS WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS THE ENGINE STALL WHILE THE BRAKE PEDAL IS NOT PRESSED, THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT THE ENGINE CONTROL UNIT (ECU) SOFTWARE MAY CAUSE THE ELECTRIC MOTOR OF THE HYBRID SYSTEM TO MOVE THE VEHICLE UNEXPECTEDLY IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION OF THE SELECTED GEAR. ADDITIONALLY THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING IS DRAINING NEW 12V BATTERIES WITH LESS THAN A 6 MONTHS USE (SEE ATTACHMENT). VEHICLE MOVEMENT CAUSED BY ENGINE STALL AND LACK OF POWER STEERING COULD INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH OR PERSONAL INJURY TO THE PERSONS IN THE PATH OF THE MOVING VEHICLE. THERE HAS ALREADY BEEN A RECALL ON 2011 HONDA CRZ MANUAL TRANS FOR THE ISSUE MENTIONED ABOVE.

NHTSA ODI 11415545

May 2, 2011Transmission & drivetrain

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 HONDA CR-Z. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND THE VEHICLE JERKED FORWARD ABNORMALLY. ALSO, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD EXHIBIT AN UNUSUAL CLUNKING NOISE WHEN ACCELERATING AND WAS A CONSTANT OCCURRENCE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE AND THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 11,000.

NHTSA ODI 10398663

Working with the data? Download all 38 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 26, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2011 Honda Cr-z verdict →