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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)

2 of 38 complaints match · Wheels · clear filters

Feb 12, 2015SteeringWheelsCrash1 injury

I HAD JUST BOUGHT THIS CAR IN SEPTEMBER, AND ON THE MORNING OF WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 26, 2014 IT CRASHED. I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, I495-SOUTH. IT WAS RAINING AND I THINK THE CAR HIT A WATER PUDDLE OR SLEET, AND STARTED FISH TAILING. I TRIED TO GET IT BACK UNDER CONTROL, AND I DID FOR A FEW SECONDS AS IT WAS TRYING TO PULL TO THE RIGHT. THEN IT JUST SUDDENLY TOOK OFF TO THE LEFT, VERY STRANGE, ALMOST LIKE THERE WAS EITHER A WHEEL/TIRE ISSUE, TRANSMISSION, ELECTRICAL OR STEERING WHEEL.. WHATEVER IT WAS IT SEEMED LIKE IT TOOK OVER AND JUST TOOK OFF LIKE A CRAZY HORSE TO THE LEFT. I WAS LUCKY THERE WERE NO CARS TO THE LEFT! THE CAR JUST TOOK OFF TO THE LEFT AS I HELD THE WHEEL AND COULDN'T GET IT UNDER CONTROL, IT DROVE THROUGH DIVIDERS INTO HOV LANES AND INTO CONCRETE HIGHWAY DIVIDERS. IT WAS THE SCARIEST AND MOST PAINFUL MOMENT OF MY LIFE, I HAVE BEEN PHYSICALLY AND EMOTIONALLY TRAUMATIZED. EMT, AMBULANCE, FIRETRUCKS AND POLICE ARRIVED, AND THEY HAD TO CUT OFF THE ROOF TO GET ME OUT BECAUSE OF SEVERE BACK PAIN I COULDN'T MOVE, WAS DIZZY AND COULDN'T BREATH WELL. I WAS TAKEN TO TRAUMA IN ER AND WAS HOSPITALIZED FOR 3 DAYS. I FRACTURED MY SPINE, AND WAS OUT OF WORK FOR 2 MONTHS. I HAD A SURGERY, KYPHOPLASTY, BEEN GOING THROUGH PHYSICAL THERAPY AND NOW CHIROPRACTOR. I WILL NEVER BE THE SAME ATHLETIC PERSON I USED TO BE, IT RUINED MY LIFE. I AM FILING THIS COMPLAINT BECAUSE I KNOW FOR A FACT, AS I WAS BEHIND THE WHEEL, I FELT THIS CAR, IT WAS NOT A SAFE CAR, IT HAS ISSUES. I NOTICED YOU HAVE A RECALL FOR 2011 MODELS, FOR SIMILAR ISSUES, AS IT CAN CAUSE CRASH AND INJURY. THE SEATS ARE NOT SAFE, THE CAR IS NOT SAFE. I ADVICE EVERYONE AGAINST THE PURCHASE OF THIS VEHICLE. THIS WAS THE FIRST ACCIDENT IN MY LIFE! *TR

NHTSA ODI 10683095

May 16, 2014TiresWheels

PREMATURE REAR TIRE WEAR, CUPPING, SCALLOPING. THERE IS A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN NHTSA REFERENCE #10053304 FOR THIS VEHICLE. HOWEVER, THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AT PACIFIC HONDA ON CONVOY IN SAN DIEGO, CA LOOKED AT ME LIKE I HAD TWO HEADS WHEN I SUGGESTED, DURING THE WARRANTY PERIOD, IT WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE. THE TIRES WERE WORN THROUGH TO THE TREAD WEAR INDICATORS IN SOME SPOTS AND HAD 60% OF THEIR ORIGINAL TREAD IN OTHERS. HOWEVER, THE HONDA SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE TOLD ME IT WASN'T COVERED BY HONDA AND IT WOULD BE VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO GET THE TIRE COMPANY TO PROVIDE ANY REPAIR OR REPLACEMENT UNDER THE SEPARATE TIRE WARRANTY. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10588971

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 →