2019 Honda Insight problems

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

The A/C evaporator failed due to a refrigerant leak caused by corrosion. The component is available for inspection upon request at the dealership where it was diagnosed. The failure resulted in complete loss of air conditioning. In hot weather conditions, particularly during highway driving and stop-and-go traffic, loss of A/C poses a risk of heat-related illness to the driver, especially in high-temperature climates. The defect was confirmed by a Honda dealership technician during an inspection in May 2026. The service advisor explicitly stated that the evaporator is manufactured from the same defective material as the A/C condenser, which Honda already acknowledged as a manufacturing defect under Service Bulletin 21-016. A Honda corporate customer relations representative independently confirmed the same information — that the evaporator shares the same material and is subject to the same corrosion issue. No warning lamps or messages appeared prior to failure. The first symptom was warm air blowing from vents, which progressively worsened until A/C stopped functioning entirely. Honda repaired the condenser under Service Bulletin 21-016 at no charge but refused to cover the evaporator repair, quoting approximately $2,600 out of pocket despite acknowledging the same root cause. I am requesting NHTSA investigate whether a recall or additional service bulletin covering the A/C evaporator on 2019-2021 Honda Insight vehicles is warranted, as other owners are likely experiencing the same defect.

NHTSA complaint #11745740 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

The daytime running lights started to fade it till there was nothing. I was told it would be over $2000 to fix

NHTSA complaint #11744642 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The contact owns a 2019 Honda Insight. The contact stated that while driving 75 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. In addition, several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had occurred while driving on a busy highway. The vehicle was driven onto the off-ramp and turned off the vehicle. The vehicle was started; however, the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a corroded connector and broken pin at the leak detection pump in the rear of the vehicle. The contact was informed that the leak detection module and wiring harness needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure was a known failure with the vehicle. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 81,000.

NHTSA complaint #11723037 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Back up camera stopped working, no blown fuses and the system updates I can do on the car from the touch screen say everything is up to date. My car has no open/not repaired recall for this.

NHTSA complaint #11710546 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Back up camera stopped working, no blown fuses and the system updates I can do on the car from the touch screen say everything is up to date. My car has no open/not repaired recall for this.

NHTSA complaint #11710546 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

The Honda Sensing suite's CMBS uses a combination of a front-facing camera and a radar sensor, it detected a sewerage as a hole and steel plates as a hole and made a sudden unsafe stop. Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS™) experiencing a false positive. We were going to like 15-20 over the steel plate and it made an emergency unsafe stop. It keeps doing it over and over. At this point it’s becoming really unsafe so I wanted to report it. It stopped all of sudden and made my neck in pain as my wife’s back. No the problem has not been talked to the dealer or they never told me about this kinds of problems will happen. No any warning lamps.

NHTSA complaint #11707040 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SERVICE BRAKES

On [XXX] while driving my 2019 Honda Insight Touring at approximately 35 mph on [XXX] , the vehicle’s automatic emergency braking system suddenly activated without any obstacle present. The car braked very hard, creating a dangerous situation in traffic. This was not the first time it has happened. The same issue occurred on two separate occasions in 2022, also with no vehicles or obstacles nearby. Each time, the system engaged abruptly and without warning. I am concerned about the safety risk of the Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS) activating erroneously, as it could easily cause a rear-end collision. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint #11685253 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

On [XXX] while driving my 2019 Honda Insight Touring at approximately 35 mph on [XXX] , the vehicle’s automatic emergency braking system suddenly activated without any obstacle present. The car braked very hard, creating a dangerous situation in traffic. This was not the first time it has happened. The same issue occurred on two separate occasions in 2022, also with no vehicles or obstacles nearby. Each time, the system engaged abruptly and without warning. I am concerned about the safety risk of the Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS) activating erroneously, as it could easily cause a rear-end collision. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint #11685253 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

The air conditioning system in my 2019 Honda Insight Touring Edition has failed three times in the last 3 years. Why is this a safety issue? In Southern California summer temperatures reach into the 90s and driving without air conditioning is impossible for any distance. For example today it is 93 degrees Fahrenheit in Los Angeles. It's impossible to use my car without air conditioning. Additionally, the A/C failure causes water vapor to condense on the windshield glass making it difficult to see through it and is an additional safety issue. The AC failure in the Honda Insights is a known issue to Honda USA. They have extended warranties of the air conditioning units to 10 years. This acknwledgement proves that Honda know of the issue and don't want to resolve it for consumers.

NHTSA complaint #11682423 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

VISIBILITY/WIPER

The air conditioning system in my 2019 Honda Insight Touring Edition has failed three times in the last 3 years. Why is this a safety issue? In Southern California summer temperatures reach into the 90s and driving without air conditioning is impossible for any distance. For example today it is 93 degrees Fahrenheit in Los Angeles. It's impossible to use my car without air conditioning. Additionally, the A/C failure causes water vapor to condense on the windshield glass making it difficult to see through it and is an additional safety issue. The AC failure in the Honda Insights is a known issue to Honda USA. They have extended warranties of the air conditioning units to 10 years. This acknwledgement proves that Honda know of the issue and don't want to resolve it for consumers.

NHTSA complaint #11682423 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

LANE DEPARTURE: WARNING

The lane departure warning system in my Insight has, for the six years I have owned it, regularly been confused by shadows on the road - flashing a departure warning and trying to adjust the steering while I am driving within my lane. I was prompted to write this today because the LDS went off four times during my 8-mile drive to work this morning. It's mostly been a distracting annoyance, but as far as I know the system can't be disabled - just turned off manually every time the car is started. In sum: the vast majority of the times the lane departure system has alerted, the vehicle has not in fact been departing from a lane, but the LDS appears to be responding to shadows on the road - particularly in the morning and afternoon when shadows are darkest, and specifically while crossing a cable-stayed bridge (the cables cast lines of shadows across the roadway). I will put a date in your form, but this has been going on since I bought the vehicle in 2019.

NHTSA complaint #11677854 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

I have a 2019 Honda Insight that has had two previous air conditioner failures that were covered under an extended warranty that Honda issued for the compressor and condenser based on known problems with the system. The air conditioner, as of 6/2025, has again failed for the third time. The local dealer Victory Honda of Morgan Hill diagnosed a leaking evaporator which Honda is refusing to cover as the car is out of factory warranty. Upon researching the matter online I learned it is a widespread issue and even resulted in an unsuccessful class action lawsuit. The air conditioner failures are a safety issue because the defroster does not function effectively without it. This can result in fogged windows causing impaired visibility while driving. I believe that the evaporator repair should be included in the 10 year air conditioner condenser and compressor warranty that Honda previously issued. The air conditioner is a closed system and whatever the root issues causing failures are, they don’t appear to be limited to just the two components covered under the extended warranty that Honda issued.

NHTSA complaint #11672040 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

VISIBILITY/WIPER

I have a 2019 Honda Insight that has had two previous air conditioner failures that were covered under an extended warranty that Honda issued for the compressor and condenser based on known problems with the system. The air conditioner, as of 6/2025, has again failed for the third time. The local dealer Victory Honda of Morgan Hill diagnosed a leaking evaporator which Honda is refusing to cover as the car is out of factory warranty. Upon researching the matter online I learned it is a widespread issue and even resulted in an unsuccessful class action lawsuit. The air conditioner failures are a safety issue because the defroster does not function effectively without it. This can result in fogged windows causing impaired visibility while driving. I believe that the evaporator repair should be included in the 10 year air conditioner condenser and compressor warranty that Honda previously issued. The air conditioner is a closed system and whatever the root issues causing failures are, they don’t appear to be limited to just the two components covered under the extended warranty that Honda issued.

NHTSA complaint #11672040 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Consistent failure of A/C Evaporator and Condensor, which causes failure of entire A/C system and requires expensive replacement parts/repairs. Recall issued on Condensor but not on Evaporator, which makes no sense. Both are needed for A/C to run. The leaks from condensor and evaporator impact function of the engine by making it skip on acceleration. It also impacts the filter systems. Dangerous for health and safety.

NHTSA complaint #11663269 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SERVICE BRAKES

Driving normally about to enter a clear intersections when the brakes automatically fully engaged bringing the vehicle to a complete stop. There was nothing in front of me, and no cars about to cross in front of me. Lucky there was no accident and I was able to continue on. There have been no issues, inspections, or changes leading up to this incident.

NHTSA complaint #11647876 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

Driving normally about to enter a clear intersections when the brakes automatically fully engaged bringing the vehicle to a complete stop. There was nothing in front of me, and no cars about to cross in front of me. Lucky there was no accident and I was able to continue on. There have been no issues, inspections, or changes leading up to this incident.

NHTSA complaint #11647876 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

SERVICE BRAKES

The contact owns a 2019 Honda Insight. The contact stated that while her husband was driving the vehicle at an undisclosed speed, the automatic braking system failed to deactivate as intended. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that an appointment was scheduled with the dealer to inspect the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

NHTSA complaint #11644561 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

The car was serviced due to a recall about fuel pump defect and after the service, the car was halted in the middle of the trip. This incident is not acceptable and especially the recall service was supposed to fix that problem. The sudden stop of malfunctioning fuel pump could cause collision, injury and possible lives!

NHTSA complaint #11640438 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

VISIBILITY/WIPER

Was taken into the dealership on 1/27 for an oil change and a general check-up. This morning 1/29 before starting up the vehicle noticed that the windshield had cracked windshield that looked like it was due to a bubble being created between the panes of glass which caused it to crack and shatter. This is not only a safety concern but an issue as well. Thankfully I was not driving the vehicle at the time that this happened.

NHTSA complaint #11639281 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

I experienced an inadvertent emergency braking action in my 2019 Insight while cruising at highway speed. I was in the right lane, which had just doubled in width due to an on-ramp joining the highway. This situation will sometimes confuse my car's Lane Keeping Assist System, causing a side-to-side shudder or swerve, but in this case the Automatic Emergency Braking activated, causing me to lose about 10-15 mph in speed. There were no other cars around, and I never lost control of the vehicle. Most of the time, an AEB activation like what I experienced is completely harmless. There are no other cars around, and the road surface is good enough to prevent a loss of control. If another car is close behind or the road surface is extremely poor (ice, substantial water, etc.), this experience could possibly result in a rear-end collision or a spin-out. Because my AEB incident was harmless, I never reported it to the police, insurance, dealership, or manufacturer. I'm unaware of any warning lamps, messages, or symptoms before or after that could be related to the incident. As you can see, my report is anecdotal and I didn't save any precise documentation (e.g. dashcam footage) from when the incident occurred. My main goals in reporting are to corroborate the potential issue in investigation EA25002 and add my car's VIN as another data point.

NHTSA complaint #11637156 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.