Three problems related to engine and engine cooling have been reported for the 2011 Honda Insight. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
This is an update to odi # 10628879, created in Aug. 2014. Insight hybrid is stopped at intersection--auto idle stop. Suddenly engine races wildly, tachometer registers greater than 3,000 r/min. Usually occurs within the first 5 minutes of driving and first 3-5 miles of driving. If I my foot would slip off the brake the car would lurch forward, creating a risk of a collision with the car in front of it. The Honda dealer speculated that the weathertech floor mat under the accelerator might be causing the problem, and an independent repair shop agreed with this hypothesis. I chopped off a large piece of the floor mat from under the accelerator. The problem did not recur for several months, but recently has resumed. So the floor mat is not the cause. Because the racing still occurs unexpectedly from time to time, I am concerned that this is a dangerous condition. But Honda cannot fix it because they can't diagnose it.
Insight hybrid stopped at intersection--auto idle stop. Suddenly engine raced wildly, tachometer registered greater than 3000 r/min. My foot was firmly on brake, and I stopped the racing by shifting out of gear. It felt as if the car might lurch forward from a stop and cause a collision in the intersection. Happened again same day. Dealer said don't operate car in econ mode in city driving, even though that's why I bought a hybrid. Said floor mat might have interfered with accelerator--not true. Dealer not really sure of cause. I will get a second opinion. Do not feel safe until a plausible cause is determined. If the econ mode can cause uncontrolled engine racing then Honda should give customers a warning.
The contact owns a 2011 Honda Insight. The contact stated that while he stopped on a steep incline, there was a hesitation between the time the electric engine stopped and the gas engine re-engaged. The delay caused the vehicle to roll backward be fore the gas engine re-engaged. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnosis where the failure was replicated. The contact was informed that the vehicle was operating as designed. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 29,989.
| Engine And Engine Cooling problems | |
| Timing Tensioner problems |