The rear brake caliper pistons may have an insufficient coating, causing gas pockets to form, reducing brake performance. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems."
Risk: A reduction of braking performance increases the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Owners will be notified, and Honda or Acura dealers will bleed the brakes, free of charge. The recall began December 11, 2018. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are C31 and L30.
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Acura MDX, 2017-2018 Acura MDX Sport Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda HR-V and Honda Odyssey, and 2016 Honda HR-V vehicles.
NHTSA listing: HR-V. Honda campaign C31, L30.
Equipment
Jul 28, 2015
labels
Fails federal standard 110 (tire and rim labeling)
The affected vehicles may be missing the required tire placard indicating "Tire and Loading Information." These vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 110, "Tire Selection and Rims and Motor Home/Recreation Vehicle Trailer Load Carrying Capacity Information for Motor Vehicles with a GVWR of 4,536 kilograms (10,000 pounds) or less."
Risk: If the tire placard is missing the driver or owner may not know at what pressure to inflate the tires, resulting in over or under tire inflation which potentially increases the risk of a tire failure and crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicle, and apply a new label, free of charge. The recall began on September 18, 2015. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is JT2, or JT4.
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2016 HR-V vehicles manufactured January 12, 2015, to May 20, 2015.
Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA investigations
NHTSA's investigations file, dated Nov 12, 2026, lists no investigations for the 2016 Honda HR-V.
What owners report
Owners have filed 244 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 HR-V. Below, they are sorted by the problems owners describe and by the areas NHTSA files them under. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
Median 78,500 miles at failure, from 36 reports with mileage
Electrical system57 · 23%
Median 45,300 miles at failure, from 28 reports with mileage
Brakes25 · 10%
Engine23 · 9%
Body structure22 · 9%
Most named: body (21)
Speed control14 · 6%
Air bags13 · 5%
Unknown or other45 · 18%
Median 15,200 miles at failure, from 20 reports with mileage
A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%. Mileage is shown where at least 15 owners reported it.
Honda HR-V recalls and complaints by model year
The highlighted bars are the 2016 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2023 HR-V drew the most (671) and the 2016 drew 44.
Owner complaints
2016: 244 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Owner complaints by model year, Honda HR-V
Model year
Complaints
2016
244
2017
124
2018
161
2019
242
2020
88
2021
66
2022
90
2023
689
2024
110
2025
49
2026
21
Safety recalls
2016: 2 recallsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, Honda HR-V
Model year
Recalls
2016
2
2017
0
2018
3
2019
7
2020
5
2021
4
2022
3
2023
3
2024
4
2025
1
2026
0
Crash test ratings
NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
In the 244 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2016 Honda HR-V, the problems described most are transmission failure or replacement (44), loss of power or limp mode (19), and the check engine light coming on (15). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can describe several problems.
Is the 2016 Honda HR-V safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2016 Honda HR-V earns 5 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.
Is NHTSA investigating the 2016 Honda HR-V?
No. NHTSA's investigations file, dated Nov 12, 2026, lists no investigations for the 2016 Honda HR-V.
How do I check if my HR-V has an open recall?
Enter the 17-character VIN from your dashboard, door jamb or registration at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The lookup lists unrepaired recalls for that exact vehicle. Safety recall repairs are free at Honda dealers.
Sources and method
NHTSA recalls file (NHTSA datasets), dated Nov 12, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Nov 11, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
NHTSA investigations file, dated Nov 12, 2026. Defect petitions, which ask NHTSA to open an investigation, are listed apart and only while open. Audit queries, which check whether a company met its recall and reporting duties rather than whether a vehicle has a problem, are not listed.
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP).
NHTSA model names covered: HR-V.
Complaint counts are unverified owner reports. They rise with sales volume and time on the road, so compare model years with care. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.