AutoUtility currently tracks 238 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2016 Honda HR-V. Powertrain & Transmission issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 74 complaints (31.1% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 13 filings cite a crash, 1 cites a fire, 11 report one or more injuries.

Key Problem Findings
  • Total NHTSA Complaints: 238 reports
  • #1 Reported Problem Area: Powertrain & Transmission (74 reports • 31.1% of submitted complaints)
  • Secondary Problem Areas: Electrical System (56), Brakes & Traction Control (26)
  • Crash-Citing Complaints: 13 filings
  • Fire-Citing Complaints: 1 filings
  • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 11 injury filings • 0 fatality filings
Reporting Methodology: Statistics describe unverified consumer submissions voluntarily filed with NHTSA. Complaint volume is not normalized for vehicle sales volume or miles driven. Multiple components can be cited within a single owner complaint submission.
Total Complaints
238
Submitted to NHTSA ODI
Crash-Citing Complaints
13
Filings citing a collision
Fire-Citing Complaints
1
Filings citing smoke or fire
Complaints Reporting Injuries
11
Filings citing one or more injuries
Complaints Reporting Fatalities
0
Consumer filings citing fatalities

Most Reported Problems for 2016 Honda HR-V

Top automotive subsystem defect categories ranked by unique owner complaint volume in federal records

#1 Problem Area 31.1% of complaints

Powertrain & Transmission

74 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
✓ 0 crashes or fires cited
#2 Problem Area 23.5% of complaints

Electrical System

56 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
✓ 0 crashes or fires cited
#3 Problem Area 10.9% of complaints

Brakes & Traction Control

26 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ NHTSA Recall Context

NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:

*Component overlap means an official recall exists for the same broad vehicle system. It does not establish that an individual owner complaint was caused by, covered by, or resolved through that recall.
⚠️ 6 crash reports 🩹 4 injury report entries
#4 Problem Area 9.2% of complaints

Body & Structure

22 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
⚠️ 2 crash reports 🩹 1 injury report entry
#5 Problem Area 9.2% of complaints

Engine & Cooling

22 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI
🔥 1 fire report
Domain Share Note: Share percentage represents the proportion of unique complaint filings referencing each vehicle system. Because single complaints may cite multiple systems (such as engine and electrical simultaneously), domain percentages represent individual category incidence and may sum to over 100%.

Symptoms Mentioned in NHTSA Owner Reports for 2016 Honda HR-V

Specific mechanical, electrical, and driver-assist defect symptoms identified via deterministic narrative analysis

AutoUtility uses deterministic phrase matching to identify recurring symptom descriptions within consumer-submitted NHTSA complaint narratives.

Powertrain & Transmission 3.8% of complaints

Loss of Motive Power While Driving

9 complaint narratives describe this symptom
Symptom Identification Method: A complaint may describe more than one symptom, so percentages may sum to more than 100%. Symptom identification reflects text contained in consumer-submitted complaint records and does not establish a confirmed mechanical diagnosis.

Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2016 Honda HR-V

Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

Powertrain & Transmission NHTSA ODI ID: #11751182
Filed: 07/17/2026

"CVT has gone into safety/limp mode. June 7 2026 First sign was the EPB not releasing. Became drivable after warm up period. Replaced EPB switch and vehicle drove normally. There was still a parking brake caution light. On July 12, 2026 the issue repeated. This time the check engine light and..."

Incident Date: 07/12/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: POWER TRAIN
Brakes & Traction Control NHTSA ODI ID: #11743317
Crash Cited 1 Injury Entry Filed: 06/10/2026

"The contact owned a 2016 Honda HR-V. The contact stated that while driving at 12 MPH, the vehicle experienced a brake failure, resulting in a frontal collision with a utility vehicle. The airbag deployed. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a private salvage auto..."

Incident Date: 05/12/2025 • Raw NHTSA Component: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
Other / Miscellaneous NHTSA ODI ID: #11740693
Filed: 05/28/2026

"My vehicle paint is peeling and it is the NH788P. ( Orchid Pearl White). I am the second owner of this car as of 2021. It started on the roof and has continued to doors etc. No recalls were shown on the CarFax at the time of purchase."

Incident Date: 05/01/2024 • Raw NHTSA Component: UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Powertrain & Transmission NHTSA ODI ID: #11739182
Filed: 05/21/2026

"Car went into limp mode far from home. Lots of lights on the dash lit up. I scanned the OBD and it came back with code P271E to replace the automatic transmission assembly. This was confirmed by a transmission repair shop. This is a known issue by Honda and they have issued service bulletins 21-046..."

Incident Date: 05/19/2026 • Raw NHTSA Component: POWER TRAIN
Powertrain & Transmission NHTSA ODI ID: #11736543
Filed: 05/08/2026

"The contact owns a 2016 Honda HR-V. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, several unknown warning lights illuminated, and the vehicle would not accelerate past approximately 35MPH while the accelerator pedal was depressed. The vehicle was towed to the same local dealer on several..."

Incident Date: 11/15/2023 • Raw NHTSA Component: POWER TRAIN
Consumer Narrative Notice: Excerpts are sanitized text descriptions submitted by vehicle owners to the federal ODI database. They reflect the reporting consumer's observations at the time of filing and have not been independently confirmed by vehicle manufacturers or government investigators.

Complaint History for Honda HR-V

Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2016–2026)

Model Year NHTSA Complaints Crash Reports Safety Recalls Detailed Report
2016 Honda HR-V Current Page 238 13 2 Current
2017 Honda HR-V 121 13 0 View 2017 Problems →
2018 Honda HR-V 155 11 3 View 2018 Problems →
2019 Honda HR-V 227 17 7 View 2019 Problems →
2020 Honda HR-V 83 8 5 View 2020 Problems →
2021 Honda HR-V 62 5 4 View 2021 Problems →
2022 Honda HR-V 84 10 3 View 2022 Problems →
2023 Honda HR-V 685 7 3 View 2023 Problems →
2024 Honda HR-V 107 8 4 View 2024 Problems →
2025 Honda HR-V 42 2 1 View 2025 Problems →
2026 Honda HR-V 0 0 0 View 2026 Problems →
Comparative Disclaimer: Complaint totals are unadjusted historical counts and are not normalized for vehicles sold, active fleet size, or total road mileage. Newer model years naturally have had less calendar exposure time to accumulate owner filings.

Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2016 Honda HR-V

Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 64 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications

Vehicle Component / System Total Complaints Crash Reports Fire Reports Reported Injury Entries Reported Fatality Entries
Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN 62 0 0 0 0
Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 30 0 0 0 0
Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER 30 0 0 0 0
Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE 12 0 0 0 0
Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES 8 1 0 0 0
Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE 7 0 1 0 0
Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS 5 4 0 4 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 4 0 0 0 0
Seats & Restraints NHTSA category: SEATS 4 0 0 0 0
Suspension NHTSA category: SUSPENSION 4 0 0 0 0
Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 3 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE 3 0 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 3 0 0 1 0
Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER 3 0 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,SERVICE BRAKES 2 2 0 2 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES 2 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE 2 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE 2 0 0 0 0
Forward Collision Avoidance NHTSA category: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 2 0 0 0 0
Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC 2 1 0 1 0
Tires NHTSA category: TIRES 2 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES 2 2 0 1 0
AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS 1 1 0 1 0
AIR BAGS,STRUCTURE 1 1 0 0 0
AIR BAGS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,SEATS 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,STRUCTURE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SEATS 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,WHEELS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 1 0 0 0 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING,STRUCTURE 1 0 0 0 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 1 0 0 0 0
EXTERIOR LIGHTING,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,SEATS 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 0 0 0 0
Seat Belts NHTSA category: SEAT BELTS 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 0 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,SEATS,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
STRUCTURE,WHEELS 1 1 0 0 0
SUSPENSION,AIR BAGS,WHEELS 1 0 0 1 0
SUSPENSION,POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 0 0 0 0
Vehicle Speed Control NHTSA category: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 0 0 0 0
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE 1 0 0 0 0
Wheels & Hubs NHTSA category: WHEELS 1 0 0 0 0
WHEELS,SERVICE BRAKES 1 0 0 0 0
Data Attribution & Reporting Methodology: Complaints are unverified voluntary submissions to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI). Because multiple vehicle components can be cited within a single owner complaint submission, component-level rollups may sum to more than the unique complaint count (238). Injury and fatality entries in the detailed table reflect raw values entered by reporting consumers across individual submissions; they are not deduplicated casualty statistics and may include duplicate or unverified entries. Complaint volume is not normalized for sales volume or vehicle mileage and does not represent an audited component failure rate.
Official US Government Data Provenance

The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database.

Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.