general problems of the 2016 Honda HR-V - part 1

The transmission seized while driving no lights no warnings. I could have been killed so could other people! when no lights no check engine light or service lights are on. And your car is properly maintained there should be no reason the transmission should just seize while driving with no warning shame on Honda shame on everyone who lets them get away with putting peoples life’s endanger. Cvt transmission are not safe or the engineers have failed my lights all work too and still have no check engine light on. Car is totally underivable no lights nothing.

The cvt transmission, which is part of the vehicle’s powertrain system, experienced a premature failure. The vehicle became inoperable and was in an unsafe location, so the police had to tow it. I am not sure if a police report was issued. The tow resulted in extensive impound fees. The transmission is available for inspection upon request. The failure caused loss of power and unpredictable operation, making the vehicle unsafe to drive, especially in traffic. This created a risk of collision to myself, my passengers, and other motorists. The problem has been diagnosed and confirmed by a Honda dealership, which determined the transmission has failed and that the vehicle is not safe to operate. The vehicle has been inspected by a Honda dealership, and the manufacturer has been notified through Honda customer relations. There were no warning lights or messages prior to the failure. The transmission failed suddenly and without warning. The exact date of the failure is 01/15/2026 and it happened at 105,000. I’ve only had the car 10 months and started with 93,853.

I am submitting this complaint regarding a sudden and unsafe cvt transmission failure on my Honda vehicle. While driving, the vehicle began shaking violently, lost the ability to accelerate, and multiple warning indicators illuminated, including the check engine light. The vehicle was unable to be driven safely and had to be towed. A diagnostic inspection performed by an authorized Honda dealership confirmed cvt failure consistent with Honda service bulletin #21-047, including the presence of transmission belt material in the fluid. This failure mode is documented by Honda as a known manufacturing defect that can cause loss of power and drivability. I contacted Honda corporate customer relations and opened a case on 12/3. Despite multiple communications, Honda has denied goodwill or warranty assistance solely based on warranty expiration, without addressing the documented defect or the safety implications. I specifically requested that Honda provide a written explanation detailing the technical basis for denying coverage on this safety-related failure. Honda has not provided any written denial or defect analysis. I am submitting this complaint to ensure the incident and defect are formally documented for safety review. Case #: 16018708.

Transmission belt failure at ~100k+ miles. This incident occurred after the recall repair for the software update related to the transmission. Most hazard indicators switched on, vehicle could not go over 50 miles per hour. Took vehicle into Honda service center. They determined it to be a transmission failure.

Belt inside cvt transmission has failed. Numerous broken shards of metal in fluid and surrounding parts. Cost to replace $7,500 avg.

While driving on a highway the vehicle with no warning seemed to lose all power and multiple warning dashboard lights came on. We were able to pull to the side of the highway which did not have a full size break down lane. The vehicle was towed to a nearby dealer who reported that the transmission had failed completely. There were no noticeable signs or warnings of transmission failure or any other problem prior to this incident with the vehicle. We were on a single lane highway at the time and we were able to pull to the side but on the same trip had been on multiple lane highways and it would have been difficult to navigate multiple lanes to pull to the side of the road with the loss of power.

I press down on the gas pedal and it seems to not go. I have the transmission light, the parking light and brake lights on the dashboard.

Transmission failure. It is available for inspection upon request. While driving on major highways, I could have been at risk of a crash. I took the vehicle to Honda to confirm the transmission belt stretched. The insurance refused to inspect it. No warning lamps, messages, or other. I went over a railroad crossing and suddenly heard the transmission grinding gears.

Driving on interstate when vehicle suddenly downshifted resulting in lurch slowdown and high engine rpms. Pulled to median. Shift indicator light flashes, dash brake system warning light flashes, parking system warning lights, check engine light on. Attempted to drive to nearby dealer for troubleshooting. Vehicle drives when put into gear, but must paddle shift into higher gears. After couple seconds automatically downshifts again. Paddle shifting will shift into higher gear, but returns to lower gears automatically. Shop says transmission test shows p271e, 83-16 warning error so transmission must have failed.

I am writing to express my frustration and seek assistance regarding an ongoing issue with my 2016 Honda Hr-v. I am the original owner of the vehicle, and I have been experiencing intermittent problems with the transmission for quite some time. Specifically, I have noticed erratic behavior with the dash lights and gear selector, showing various letters as we drive. While the issue would occasionally resolve on its own, it persisted over time, and I contacted the dealership multiple times to inquire about the problem. Unfortunately, every time I reached out to the dealer or visited in person; I was told that they could not analyze the issue unless the problem was occurring while the vehicle was at the dealership. Initially, I thought the issue was related to the brakes, as indicated by the warning light. I replaced the brakes and rotors, but the problem persisted. On December 29th, my family (two adults and two young children) were on a trip to the white mountains in new hampshire when the transmission problem became frequent and severe. With no Honda dealership within 60 miles, the vehicle stopped working while in the middle of an intersection. The engine was fine and all fluids were topped off, the vehicle would no longer engage any gear. We were stranded in an isolated area, had to arrange for a tow, and spent nearly $500 to return home that day. The next morning, a local mechanic, informed me that the 2016 Honda Hr-v is known to have transmission issues. Honda had extended the warranty for this issue to 150,000 miles. As the original owner, I was never informed of this extended warranty, and upon calling Honda customer care, I was told a notice had been mailed to the registered address on file. I never received such a notice, and after researching in Honda owner forums, it appears many other owners have had the same experience. Honda has denied my claim. I feel the manufacture and dealers should have informed owners of this defect before jeopardizing my family.

I purchases my 2016 Honda hrv in 2019, used from . On [xxx] driving home my cars lights started lighting up like a xmas tress and it sounded like something was wrong with my transmission. After bringing it to a local mechanic in hopkins, they stated it was a cvt transmission issue and it would need to go to a Honda dealership, so we brought it to luther hopkins Honda. During this time my husband and I did some research on the transmission for the 2016-2020 Honda hrv's, and apparently starting in June of 2021, a bulletin and recall was sent out specifically pertaining to this issue of early deterioration of the cvt drive belt, they extended the warranty to 7 years/150k, whichever comes first. There was a software update that should have been done, and also if the belt did fail they would fix the issue. I never received any of these bulletins or recall notices in the mail. My car is registered. When I previously owned a Ford I got recall notices all the time. Luther hopkins Honda (andres decaroli) on 8/13 said yes the transmission problem with my car is due to the cvt recall/issue, but because my car was 1 year out of the extended warranty Honda may not fix the transmission. Which out of pocket would cost me $8600! the next day Wednesday [xxx], a service director named caroline texted me stating they sent the request to Honda, and hope to hear something wed night or thurs, and they will "fight the good fight for you". I never did hear anything on wed or thurs, and on Friday I texted her and tried to call her to get any info, and each time it went to her vm. I also tried to get in contact with andres as well with no luck, Friday night I left a message prior to them closing with a manager named michelle. No one called me back. On Saturday 8/17 I called again demanded someone call me back to give me some form of update. Finally a manager named justin called me, and stated that caroline was out on Friday (no one told us this). I want Honda to honor the recall. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of I.

The cap to the transmission came out which apparently is an issue with the cap getting smaller and popping out which made the oil all come out of the top and covered the parts in the car. This caused the vehicle needing a new transmission now!.

As the vehicle begins to pull away via creeping the user places foot on accelerator pedal and gently pushes it to accelerate the vehicle from a stop. The car loses power intermittently and jerks aggressively trying to accelerate but somehow unable to, if you’re really careful you can avoid this danger by accelerating slower than a walmart electric mobility scooter. A clear danger on the road. It’s exponentially worse at high speeds trying to merge onto highway.

On or about June of 2024 my vehicle just lost power and was in limp mode. Took it to the dealership. Said there was a recall on a computer program for the cvt transmission that needed updating so the transmission wouldn't break. They did the recall but transmission was already broke. I bought the car July 2023 and was unaware of any issues or recalls and didn't receive nothing in the mail to advise if a recall to prevent the cvt transmission from breaking. I'm still paying on the car and can't drive it because the cvt transmission is broke from a recall that was not fixed and I didn't get anything letting me know to get it fixed. Said the recall would fix a broke transmission under 7 years or 150000 miles. Well the car was 1 year over but I was never aware of a recall and didn't receive any notice of a recall.

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Hr-v. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost all motive power. The driver was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the transmission. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to technical service bulletin 21-046. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 107,000.

I was driving to work on the freeway when my cvt belt failed. It was very scary. My vehicle lost power and did not want to continue driving. This was scary on the freeway going approximately 65-70mph. At the time this occurred the check engine light came on, the brake light came on, the brake system light came on, and it was flashing “park”. This was really scary because none of these lights were on when I started my vehicle that morning and up until this issue occurred my vehicle was driving fine, no issues, no warning lights and no other symptoms indicating a problem. Losing power on the busy freeway where all other vehicles were traveling just as fast if not faster than me could have been very dangerous and this should be considered a safety concern by Honda. The vehicle was diagnosed by Honda and confirmed cvt belt failure within the transmission. There is an active recall for this issue but my VIN is not included. I’ve been told by Honda that they recommend replacing the transmission.

While driving, the car engine started revving hard. Then, the power steering, vehicle stability assist, electric parking brake, check engine, and low tire pressure lights all came on. The vehicle became very sluggish and would start stuttering around 3k rpm or 40mph. The dealership said that the transmission needs to be replaced and that I am out of the 7-year / 150k mile extended warranty so it is going to cost $8,300. The vehicle has 100k miles on the odometer. This is very disappointing.

I was driving on the interstate in cruise, the car engine started revving hard. My speed jumped up to 85mph. Then all of a sudden the vehicle jerked hard and I lost all acceleration. The car rapidly decelerated. Then, the power steering, check engine, vehicle stability assist, electric parking brake, and low tire pressure lights all came on. As well as the gear indicator was unable to show if I was in drive, park, or neutral. The vehicle became very sluggish and started stuttering I had to carefully navigate between other cars flying past me until I was able to get to the side of the road, I was almost hit 3 times, once by a semi-truck. Once I got it to the side of the road I was unable to get the car to move at all. The engine would rev but the car would not move. The car was towed to the local Honda dealer in evansville, in. The dealership said that the cvt transmission belt had shattered and that the transmission needed to be replaced. I asked them about the TSB number: 21-047. They stated that I am out of the 7-year / 150k mile extended warranty so it is going to cost $7,662 to replace it. The vehicle has only 72,000 on it. I could have been killed or severely injured when this happened on the interstate.

Driving 80 mph on the freeway and the car entered limp mode, decelerated to 40 mph with all lights illuminated on the dash. All signs pointed to the cvt belt deterioration that is plaguing this make and model vehicle. Towed 100 miles to the same Honda service department that performed the recall earlier this year and they were supposed to have inspected for metal fragments in the engine. I informed the mechanic of the service bulletin and warranty extension, as they were entirely oblivious to it. Told them to check for metal shavings. They run diagnostics, and recommend a transmission flush. I say, ok, but send me a picture if you find the metal shavings in the plug. They perform flush- reboots the computer and yet again, all the lights come back on the dash. Finally they pull the transmission oil plug to find……. Metal shavings. Car is at 112,000 miles and nearing the end of the 7 year extended warranty. Not at all what I was expecting from a Honda.

The cvt transmission was replaced under a recall at 114k miles. The replacement transmission failed at 150,180 miles, which is 180 miles outside of the extended warranty. Honda declined to repair/replace the transmission a second time. I took it in because the dashboard lights were flashing. The dealer replaced the valve body at my cost and the lights came back on just 29 miles into driving it. When stopped at a red light, the car gets stuck in neutral. A new transmission is now needed per the dealer’s diagnosis. The car is unsafe to drive and the replacement transmission was obviously not a reliable upgrade from the recalled transmission.

Check engine light came on, gear selector light was flashing and all dash board lights came on at 150,189 miles. The dealer attempted to repair the transmission by replacing the valve body. The car was driven 29 miles before all dash warning lights came back on. Dealer said the only repair was to replace the entire transmission, which includes a new valve body. Dealer said the codes recommended the replacement. The transmission was replaced at 114,193 miles under a recall. The transmission failure was after the 150,000 warranty extension. Honda is replacing transmissions in the hrv with rebuilt transmissions that will fail again.

10-10-2023 car went into limp mode on intersate - took to shop - they thought it was alternator - happened a second time - on interstate. Took to the Honda dealer and after a few days they diagnosed with cvt transmission failure. The car is a 2016 with 95,000 miles on it. I purchased a Honda for longevity, and this is unacceptable. I'm hoping the extension of warranty will include mine since I'm barely beyond the 7 year extension.

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Hr-v. The contact stated while driving 55 mph, the engine revved loudly and the vehicle started shuddering and decelerated unintendedly. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that he continued driving; however, the vehicle failed to exceed 30 mph. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle failed to respond as needed while attempting to drive from a complete stop. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to Honda TSB number: 21-047. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle had exceeded the 7 year warranty. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

Driving smoothly 67 mph on 210 freeway in azusa California car suddenly lost acceleration in heavy traffic. . Steered car 4 lanes over than exited off ramp. Car had some low acceleration all warning lights flashing on my dash. . None made any indication what's wrong. . Had car towed to Honda. . Said it was the transmission! Honda had recall before this. . Took it in. . They adjusted it but when I got it back it was reving too high rpm at 65 mph took it back again and they said it was fine. . I don't think so than this happened!.

July 11, 2023, 2016 Hr-v stalled in the middle of the freeway at night, upon every restart the hrv will only engage drive into 1st gear and disengage when it is attempting to switch to higher, most if not all dash warning lights turned on - only at this point, no prior notices/warnings when this happened, then almost got rammed by oncoming traffic multiple times. We had to have the car crawl forward 5 seconds at a time to reach a safe area out the next exit. We had the 2016 Hr-v towed to the nearest Honda center. Need help getting this fixed, and inform the public about the danger it can cause, I called (7/12/23) american Honda, and they said over the phone that they took care of it during a 2021 cvt reprogramming, american Honda have data that software reprogramming was applied per my conversation with an agent, Honda service tech reports of metal shavings present inside transmission and it needs get a new transmission. The reprogramming was not enough, I really doubt that the recall diagnosis and intervention was applied correctly. It is the second day in the Honda center and the service tech requested for another day to research the matter, they were leaning to the idea that we are out of warranty and wants to have us pay for a replacement transmission. The cvt recall was supposed to cover 7 years/150000 miles, which ever comes first. We just reached 7 years/120000 and they are leaning towards denying us of the warranty service, clearly the transmission was faulty and Honda's initial fix was inefficient and downright dangerously criminal. I have never seen my wife so scared in my life, and she has a heart condition. We promoted this hrv since we liked it, even had a friend and an aunt buy them, we do not wish to have loved ones experience the risks and unsafe nature of the Honda Hr-v.

Transmission failure. Took 3 visits for them to locate problem. Yes it is available for inspection until Aug. 14,2023. Honda cannot fix it any earlier for they have no loaner cars for me. The car jerks when doing 20/25 mph. Excelerates slowly. I was driving on hwy when the car just slowed down with trucks behind me. No safe at all. I informed metro Honda I need to go to work, they told me I can drive it but not too far. That’s a terrible answer! so I’m still at risk for my safety! yes the problem has been confirmed by the dealer I have an appointment Aug. 14, 2023. Yes there were warnings when the cat first started failing I brought it to Honda service 2x first they said my mat was in the way of the pedals. Then they said the trans fluid needed changing, noon finally they admit there’s a problem. The mechanic does not know what he’s doing.

Without warning, my transmission imploded yesterday while driving on the freeway. Car was on for less than 15 minutes.

Cvt transmission failure. It’s important and unsafe when your vehicles stops in the middle of the road without any sign of warning. No power to move just completely stops running. This puts many lives in danger if it were to have happened in the middle of the highway, especially in contruction block off zones. I am sure dealerships are aware of this issue. The dealership were the ones to inform me that my vehicle’s cvt transmission belt deteriorated. No warning signs at all just complete stop and loss of power to run. Vehicle turns on without a problem but does not drive or move forward. I even did my oil transmission change and was not told some debris of metal was present at the moment of service. Not until two years later that the vehicle finally stopped moving foward and me taking it to the dealership to find out it was the cvt belt which is the whole transmission inside that broke and needs replacement. I find it strange that the warranty was extended two more years on it without me being informed on it. My warranty expired and the dealership did not honor to have my vehicle fixed due to warranty being expired by 3 months past due the 7 year warranty. Had I known the first time it had issues it would have fallen in time of warranty, I would have asked for a new transmission. I hope this does not happen to others in the highway as this is a hazardous safety concern.

I pulled on to the road and heard an awful gravely grating noise coming from the vehicle. No dash warning lights/indicators were illuminated at this time, which led me to think it was potentially a tire/suspension type issue. I let off of the accelerator and the noise stopped. There were still no dash warning indicators on, and I was in the lane of travel with vehicles approaching from behind, so I gently pressed the accelerator to attempt to get off the road to investigate and the noise returned. The vehicle seemed to not be accelerating as expected and it appeared that the speedometer needle kind of floated, at which point everything locked up immediately. All dash light warning indicators came on, and the gear indicator was unreadable (almost like it was displaying p and n at the same time) despite the vehicle gear shift still being in drive. I attempted again to gently accelerate to get out of the lane of travel but the vehicle did not move, however the speedometer needle did. I shut off the car and turned it back on, all dash indicator warnings returned and remained illuminated, and I was able to get the vehicle to move a very short distance so that I was mostly out of the lane of travel. I attempted to put the vehicle in reverse so that I could get completely out of the lane of travel which was unsuccessful. Vehicle was towed to a Honda dealership where it was diagnosed with a "complete cvt belt failure with catastrophic loss of the transmission". In June of 2021 I received a recall letter stating that there was a programming issue that was leading to premature deterioration of the cvt belt ultimately causing transmission failure. My vehicle was seen shortly thereafter at a Honda dealership, where the computer programming update was completed. The letter stated that the warranty coverage on the cvt had been extended to 7 years from the date of purchase due to this issue and the known result. Honda did keep their word and replaced the cvt at no cost to me.

Transmission completely failed while driving. Was able to complete the extended warranty update for known transmission issues prior to exceeding the 150k mileage. I am not convinced the dealer looked for signs of wear at the time of updating the software.

Transmission issue.

The vehicle was driving normally, with no knocking, no warning light indicators, etc. When attempting to accelerate from a stop, there was a “bang” under the hood, multiple warning lights came on and the vehicle would not move, although the engine was running. The vehicle was stranded in the middle of traffic. The dealership said the transmission blew up and there was metal shards in the fluids.

The contact owns a 2016 Honda Hr-v. The contact stated while driving approximately 10mph when the vehicle was unable to accelerate. The contact stated no warning lights was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with needing transmission and transfer case replaced. The manufacturer was informed of failure and told the contact that they were unable to assist. The failure mileage was approximately 79,000.

My car suddenly stopped going into gear. When the hood was opened by a mechanic, he found that the transmission plug was sitting on top of the transmission. Honda issued a service alert in September of 2019 that the cap for the fill plug was known to dislodge from the transmission for Honda civic, Honda fit and Honda Hr-v. For my vehicle, the issue was known to affect Hr-v models 2016-2018. This is on top of the recent recall notice I recently received concerning the cvt transmission. I now need a new transmission as my car will not go into gear despite having the transmission flushed and refilled. Honda knew about the defect and warned no one of this issue other than their internal people. My car had roughly 85k miles on it at the time of the incident.

(August 2021, mileage less than 68000) I was experiencing some type of transmission squeaking/slipping and at the same time received a notice from Honda motor to go to a dealer and perform a sw upgrade to fix the transmission issue that was Honda fully aware , I went to the dealer and performed a sw upgrade for my Hr-v. Right after the upgrade I notice that my transmission became much more rigid/stiff. I thought it will go away after some driving. After driving less than 300 miles the transmission belt broke while I was at a stop light waiting and the moment I start to move and press gas pedal, my transmission belt broke and I could not move, immediate it came to my mind that it must have been for the soft ware upgrade. The car engine revs but not moving at all. I was stuck on the road. No warning lamp or nothing warned me before this situation happened. It was really a scaring moment. I took the car right to dealership and after inspection they told me that the transmission is gone and I need new transmission. They found metal shaving in the transmission.