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What 40 owners told NHTSA about the 2011 Honda Insight

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 (40)Crash / fire / injury (3)Airbags (28)Engine (4)Speed control (3)Seat belts (2)Wheels (2)Body & structure (1)Electrical system (1)Hybrid Propulsion System (1)Lights (1)Seats (1)

2 of 40 complaints match · Airbags · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Aug 15, 2016Transmission & drivetrainAirbagsSpeed controlCrash1 injury

THIS MORNING (AUG 6, 2016), MYSELF AND MY DAD MET WITH AN ACCIDENT AND WAS DRIVING HONDA INSIGHT 2011 LX MODEL. NOTE THAT MY DAD WAS SITTING IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT. LET ME DESCRIBE THE ACCIDENT. I WAS ABOUT TO PARK MY CAR IN FRONT OF SPROUTS GROCERY STORE IN THE PARKING AVAILABLE SPOT JUST FACING SPROUTS. SO YOU CAN IMAGINE THAT I WAS ABOUT TO PARK MY CAR AND THE SPEED WAS AROUND 5MPH. ALL OF A SUDDEN, I COULD FEEL MY INSIGHT ENGINE EXPERIENCING SUDDEN ACCELERATION AUTOMATICALLY AND THEN I WAS TRYING TO APPLY THE LEG BRAKE TO MAKE SURE IT DOESN'T SPEED UP. SUDDENLY, THE INSIGHT STARTED SPEEDING UP AND DIDN'T STOP EVEN AFTER SLAMMING ON THE BRAKE AND IT JUMPED ON THE PARKING CURB AND FINALLY HIT THE CONCRETE PILLAR IN FRONT OF SPROUTS RESULTING IN DEPLOYING THE DRIVER AIR-BAG AND THE PASSENGER AIR-BAGS. MY WINDSHIELD DEVELOPED A DEEP CRACK AND I BELIEVE MY CAR IS GOING TO BE TOTALLED. WITH THAT, IT DIDN'T STOP, AFTER HITTING SO HARD THE CONCRETE WALL, REMEMBER THE CAR WAS STILL IN DRIVE MODE AND NOT IN REVERSE MODE, ALL OF A SUDDEN, THE CAR STARTED MOVING BACKWARDS AND EVEN DIDN'T STOP AFTER SLAMMING ON THE LEG BRAKE. THEN I CAME OUT OF THE SHOCK AND APPLIED MY HAND BRAKE AND TURN OFF THE IGNITION TO STOP THE CAR MOVING BACKWARDS. LUCKILY, THIS CRASH DIDN'T CAUSE ANY BODILY INJURY TO ANY THIRD PARTIES BUT I HAD SOME BRUISES ON MY RIGHT ARM DEVELOPED DUE TO SOME METAL PIECES FROM THE TAKATA AIR-BAG.

NHTSA ODI 10895950

Jan 14, 2013AirbagsSeat beltsCrash1 injury

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 HONDA INSIGHT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, A VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE REAR OF HER VEHICLE CAUSING HER TO CRASH INTO A GUARD RAIL. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY UPON IMPACT. THE SEAT BELT DID NOT LOCK AND HER HEAD HIT THE STEERING WHEEL. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED A MINOR CONCUSSION AND MISSING TEETH. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 17,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

NHTSA ODI 10492915

Working with the data? Download all 40 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 15, 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 Insight verdict →