Consumer complaints about Honda Insight

Consumer Complaints & Reviews

Gary of Winnipeg, MB on Feb. 7, 2012

Satisfaction Rating: 2/5

We went on a 2-week vacation in January and came back to find the battery in our 2010 Honda Insight was dead. I completely charged the battery and inspected the car expecting to find that some light had been left on. I found that there was nothing left on that would drain the battery so completely. We took the car to the local Honda dealer asking them to check the charging system and battery to see if there was a problem. They checked the battery and told us everything was fine and the battery just needed to be charged. In passing conversation with a dealership salesperson, we were advised that we should have taken the battery out of the car and brought it into the house because the batteries in the new cars lose charge. We challenged the service department with this information and they admitted that this was a known problem with Civic, FIT and Insights and there was no solution because there was no more powerful battery that would fit these cars and there was nothing they could do.

We called Honda Customer Service. They said there was no problem with the car and that it was operating as expected and that sitting for 2 weeks was too long for the battery to maintain a charge. We were told that to maintain battery charge, we should be driving the car at highway speeds everyday for 30 minutes. When I asked the Honda Customer Service Representative where in the owner's manual it gave me that direction because the manual gives me a host of information to maintain my car, I was told it was on pages 63, 380 and 402 of the owner's manual. When I looked on those pages for the information, the manual advised me about warning lights and wheels and tires. There was nothing about maintaining the condition of my battery. I brought this to the attention of the Honda Customer Service Representative and asked them again to tell me how I would know that Honda expects the car owner to perform the needed battery maintenance of driving the car daily at highway speeds for 30 minutes.

Apparently, they do not need to communicate it because it is common sense. Then I asked how I could possibly know that my battery would die after 2 weeks of non-use and the response was that any battery will lose charge after an extended lack of use. I then pointed out the closest information that I could find on this topic was on page 383 of owner's manual that says if I put the car in storage and I quote the manual - "drive your vehicle every month for about 30 minutes. This will keep the IMA battery charged and in good condition". The manual does give the warning on the same page that if the vehicle is unused for over one month, the life of the battery is affected. I shared this information with the Honda Customer Service representative and they repeated that the car had sat too long and that was why the battery died.

The Honda Customer Service representative admitted that the information about driving the car 30 minutes everyday at highway speed is not documented. I asked to escalate this issue about the battery and charging system, but the Honda Customer Service representative said that they had answered my questions and replied to my concern and the situation would not be escalated as there was no reason to. I confirmed their comment and they agreed that I understood properly. I gave them my telephone number and volunteered that they can call me if they changed their mind. I was advised no one would call me.

In summary, Honda has been selling cars that they know fully well have an inadequate charging system and have not communicated with the purchasers how to ensure the batteries in Civics, FITs and Insights maintain adequate charge. Honda says it is reasonable that a battery in their cars lose their charge after only a few days from lack of use. They believe their position is reasonable. They have no interest in fixing the car and there is nothing further to discuss. In the meantime, the dealers are charging owners to test batteries, knowing fully well what likely the problem is. Sadly, Honda seems to becoming the replacement for old Ford and Chrysler's way of doing business.

Brian of Leucadia, CA on March 24, 2001

I am writing to you because of a serious problem I have with my new hybrid car, the Honda Insight. I have measured with a Trifield meter, and we have found that the electromagnetic field (EMF) impacting the driver and passenger are dangerously high. Everything we found has been backed up by professional measurement with much more sophisticated instrumentation.
The driver is receiving up to 135 milligauss (mG) at the hip, and up to 100 mG in the upper torso and head area. For comparison, my VW van measures between 1 and 2 mG. The technicians who measured the EMF advised me not to drive my Honda until this problem is fixed.
To put this into perspective, the Liburdy and Colleagues Study in 1993 found that just 12 mG stimulates the growth of estrogen-sensitive breast cancer cells. Epidemiological studies have found an increased risk of breast cancer among both men and women exposed to high electromagnetic fields at work. A study by the Natinoal Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) called "assessment of health effects from exposure to power line frequency electric and magnetic fields" confirms the dangers of high EMF.
In addition, epidemiological studies worldwide have found that exposure above 2-3 mG in children greatly increases their chances of contracting leukemia. This is a statistically valid number. There have been numerous other studies on this problem, many of them appearing in either the American Journal of Epidemiology or the International Journal of Epidemiology within the last ten years.
The Institute for Bau-biology and Ecology has set standards for EMF, and the Insight's readings are up to 100 times higher than the minimum reading considered "strong" in their tables.
I have always liked Hondas, and Honda's commitment to being first in environmental thinking among the automakers here and abroad. Our family has had four of their cars: a Honda 600 back in the '70s, an Accord, a Civic, and now the Insight. I feel that Honda had always tried to be environmentally concious, but they dropped the ball in a big way on this vehicle. I know that they are aware of EMF, since they must consider EMF compatibility just to insure that automobile systems do not electrically interfere with one another. But it is clear that they are not considering the effects of EMF on the driver and passengers.
The kicker for me is a line in the Honda Insight Service Advisor and Parts Counterperson Guide, and I quote: "Anyone with a heart pacemaker, ICD, or other medical implant that can be affected by strong magnetic fields should stay away from the rotor." The driver is not far from that rotor, and that is truly frightening.
One person I talked to offered me a possible aftermarket solution with involves layering mu-metal, an iron/nickel shielding material on the floor and rear deck to minimize the EMF in my Insight. But they don't know how much the EMF will be minimized, if it will be safe to drive, or if I should gamble thousands of dollars to find out. We feel that the EMF problem could have been handled during production of the car by using source identification, field cancellation, and shielding. As it is now, the car sits in my garage awaiting a solution. I faxed Honda my concerns in December, and they have not responded.
A follow-up from Brian (5/17/04):

I sold the Honda Insight back to the dealer six months after purchase, at a loss of about $7,000. Honda finally did respond, and told me the EMF was "within the curve" of some other automobiles (so vague, and without any example, that it was basically a non-reply), and that the car was fine. I asked if they would test my car at their labs in southern California, and they said no. I now make it a habit of talking to owners of Honda Insights whenever I can, and at least one owner sold the car within a few weeks.

In the last year, I've had inquiries from officials in positions to order government vehicles. I forwarded all my info to them, and the results are still pending.
After I sold the Insight, I almost bought a used Honda minivan. Just before purchase, I checked the EMF, and although the driver seat was fine, the front passenger seat (where the kids sit in this soccer-mom vehicle) had very high EMF. I still think that Honda is a pace-setter in MPG and safety, but they have not addressed the EMF problem. My feeling on this is that EMF will eventually rival tobacco and asbestos as health issues.

Incidentally, the Prius I measured was fine in the front seats, but the left rear seat had similar readings to the Insight.