The 2001 Honda Insight has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 440,375 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 17 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the exterior lighting. Last updated July 6, 2026.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE LOW-BEAM TERMINAL ON THE HEAD LIGHT WIRE HARNESS CAN OVERHEAT AND COULD CAUSE THE LOW BEAMS TO FAIL WITHOUT WARNING.
Consequence
AN UNEXPECTED LOSS OF LOW BEAMS COULD RESULT IN A CRASH.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE HEAD LIGHT SWITCH AND COUPLER FOR SIGNS OF HEAT DAMAGE. IF HEAT DAMAGE IS PRESENT, THE DEALER WILL REPLACE THE SWITCH AND COUPLER. IF NO HEAT DAMAGE IS PRESENT, THE DEALER WILL REPLACE THE HEAD LIGHT SWITCH AND ONE MATING PIN IN THE COUPLER. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON APRIL 5, 2004. …
AIR BAGS02V1960002002-07-24375 affected
Defect
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, SOME OF THE PASSENGER AIR BAG MODULES WERE NOT PROPERLY WELDED AND MAY NOT DEPLOY IN A COLLISION.
Consequence
THE SEAT OCCUPANT MAY NOT BE PROPERLY PROTECTED IN THE EVENT OF A COLLISION, INCREASING THE RISK OF PERSONAL INJURY.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE PASSENGER AIR BAG MODULE. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN AUGUST 2, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT HONDA AT 1-800-999-1009 OR ACURA AT 1-800-382-2238.
Complaints by component
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
4
STEERING
2
AIR BAGS
1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY
1
1fires
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL:AUTOMATIC (ASC)
1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
1
1fires
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
1
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
1
POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION
1
Total complaints17
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Low-beam headlights failed w/o warning or external cause. Worked one day but not the next morning. No obvious fuse or relay is the cause. Found that there was an inadequately designed switch that ws prone to failure by googling the failure, which hwas covered by a recall. Honda's website vin…”
“Both my low beams failed simultaneously while driving, but high beams still work. I confirmed that there is no power being sent to the low beams. This vehicle had a recall for 2000-2002 model years for exact issue. American honda, and the local honda dealer tell me my vin# is off by 1 month…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 2001 honda insight. The contact stated that the low beam headlights failed to operate properly. The vehicle was repaired under nhtsa campaign number: 04v086000 (exterior lighting) but the failure recurred. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made…”
“Headlights go off. Fixed once on recall. Now same problem. Same heat damaged switch & they wont repair. *tr”
“Monday morning I had an appointment to bring my cat to the vet. I put her in a pet carrier and put the carrier in my 2001 honda insight with the pet door facing forward. I got on the 101 n. In los angeles and had driven only a few miles when I smelled a strong chemical odor. Thinking the smell was…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 2001 honda insight. While driving 55 mph she smelled a chemical odor, and saw flames behind her. She pulled over and attempted to put out of the fire. The fire department was able to extinguish the flames. The entire interior of the vehicle was destroyed. . The vehicle was…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 2001 honda insight. While examining the vehicle the contact noticed that the check engine light had appeared on the dashboard. The vehicle was taken to the dealership where the contact was informed that the airbag needed to be replaced. There were no prior warnings.the…”
“Both doors on our 2000 the honda odyssey get stuck and pose a safety threat. *tr”
Defect investigations
InvestigationDP22005 Opened 2023-01-27 · closed 2023-08-07
Pedestrian alert sounds
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2001 Honda Insight as of
July 6, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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