2011 Honda CR-Z
Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report
Quick Summary
The 2011 Honda CR-Z has 54 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 0.7x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is air bags problems (30% of all complaints), specifically: ****revision to previous complaint**** i was recently involved in a frontal collision in this vehicle. i am fine, however, the seat belt did not hold me to the seat properly. as the impact happened the seat belt locked and held me midway, from the back of the seat to the steering wheel, and did .
54
Total Complaints
0
Recalls Issued
—/5
Safety Stars
0.7x
vs Segment Avg
Known Problems
AIR BAGS
16 complaints- • ****REVISION TO PREVIOUS COMPLAINT**** I WAS RECENTLY INVOLVED IN A FRONTAL COLLISION IN THIS VEHICLE. I AM FINE, HOWEVER, THE SEAT BELT DID NOT HOLD ME TO THE SEAT PROPERLY. AS THE IMPACT HAPPENED THE SEAT BELT LOCKED AND HELD ME MIDWAY, FROM THE BACK OF THE SEAT TO THE STEERING WHEEL, AND DID
- • NOTE: THIS IS THE SECOND FRONTAL BASED CRASH LISTED ON THIS SITE FOR A HONDA 2011 CRZ PERHAPS THE DRIVER THAT WAS INVOLVED WITH THE PREVIOUS CRASH DID NOT REALIZE THE BRAKES FAILED. AT APPROXIMATELY 17:17 I NOTICED THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME WAS STOPPED IN TRAFFIC I TRIED TO APPLY MY BRAKES AND PUS
- • TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 HONDA CR-Z. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTIFICATION FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V061000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR.
“****REVISION TO PREVIOUS COMPLAINT**** I WAS RECENTLY INVOLVED IN A FRONTAL COLLISION IN THIS VEHICLE. I AM FINE, HOWEVER, THE SEAT BELT DID NOT HOLD ME TO THE SEAT PROPERLY. AS THE IMPACT HAPPENED THE SEAT BELT LOCKED AND HELD ME MIDWAY, FROM THE BACK OF THE SEAT TO THE STEERING WHEEL, AND DID ”
— NHTSA complaint filing
OTHER
6 complaints- • THE AUTOMATIC AIR DOES NOT ALWAYS TURN ON WHEN THE CAR IS STARTED. ALSO, THE REAR HATCH IS ALWAYS FROZEN SHUT IN TEMPERATURES BELOW 32 DEGRESS....
- • DOOR KNOB ON DRIVIERS SIDE WON'T OPEN AND FINALLY BROKE. RUST ON INSIDE OF HATCHBACK. PASSENGERS SIDE DOOR IS NOT OPENING LIKE IT SHOULD. BEEN HAVING TROUBLE SINCE I PURCHASED CAR. IT IS A DEFECT.
- • TAKATA RECALL, I WAS INVOLVED IN TWO DRIVER SIDE COLLISIONS, THE FIRST HAPPENED JULY THE SECOND SEPTEMBER 13TH THIS YEAR. MY AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY IN EITHER INSTANCES BOTH DIRECT IMPACT WITH DRIVER'S SIDE. THE FIRST INCIDENT MY CAR HAD A POWER SURGE FORWARD OVER A CURB INTO MY PROPERTY DE
“THE AUTOMATIC AIR DOES NOT ALWAYS TURN ON WHEN THE CAR IS STARTED. ALSO, THE REAR HATCH IS ALWAYS FROZEN SHUT IN TEMPERATURES BELOW 32 DEGRESS....”
— NHTSA complaint filing
BODY/STRUCTURE
5 complaints- • IN TEMPERATURES BELOW 32 DEGREES, THE REAR HATCH LOCK FAILS TO OPEN AND FREEZES SHUT. *TR
- • DOOR KNOB ON DRIVIERS SIDE WON'T OPEN AND FINALLY BROKE. RUST ON INSIDE OF HATCHBACK. PASSENGERS SIDE DOOR IS NOT OPENING LIKE IT SHOULD. BEEN HAVING TROUBLE SINCE I PURCHASED CAR. IT IS A DEFECT.
- • BOTH DOOR HANDLES HAVE MALFUNCTIONED AND I HAVE NO WAY OF ENTERING THE CAR!
“IN TEMPERATURES BELOW 32 DEGREES, THE REAR HATCH LOCK FAILS TO OPEN AND FREEZES SHUT. *TR”
— NHTSA complaint filing
TRANSMISSION
4 complaints- • TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 HONDA CR-Z. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND THE VEHICLE JERKED FORWARD ABNORMALLY. ALSO, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD EXHIBIT AN UNUSUAL CLUNKING NOISE WHEN ACCELERATING AND WAS A CONSTANT OCCURRENCE. THE V
- • 2011 CR-Z PASSENGER CARS WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS THE ENGINE STALL WHILE THE BRAKE PEDAL IS NOT PRESSED, THERE IS A POSSIBILITY THAT THE ENGINE CONTROL UNIT (ECU) SOFTWARE MAY CAUSE THE ELECTRIC MOTOR OF THE HYBRID SYSTEM TO MOVE THE VEHICLE UNEXPECTEDLY IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION OF THE SELECTED
- • As I was pulling away from a stop sign, the right-hand CV shaft snapped in the middle. Fortunately, I had just enough speed to coast into a parking lot, so I was not a traffic obstacle. On closer inspection, the failure occurred underneath the rubber/metal dynamic damper clamped to the center of the
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 HONDA CR-Z. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND THE VEHICLE JERKED FORWARD ABNORMALLY. ALSO, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD EXHIBIT AN UNUSUAL CLUNKING NOISE WHEN ACCELERATING AND WAS A CONSTANT OCCURRENCE. THE V”
— NHTSA complaint filing
ELECTRICAL
4 complaints- • CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON WHEN DRIVING VEHICLE THE MOTOR STARTED TO SPUTTER. WHEN I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP THEY SERVICE MANAGER STATED THAT A RODENT HAD EATEN THE WIRE THAT GOES TO THE AMBIENT TEMP. SENSOR. PER DEALERSHIP THIS SENSOR CONTROL THE ABILITY FOR THE MOTOR TO PROPER ADJUST FUEL
- • DOOR LOCKS ON DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE WILL NOT LOCK OR UNLOCK WHILE USING INTERIOR DOOR LOCK BUTTON OR KEY FOB. PARKING LIGHTS WILL FLASH WHEN KEY FOB BUTTON IS PRESSED. PROBLEM STARTED WITH PASSENGER DOOR FIRST THEN 2 WEEKS LATER DRIVER DOOR STOPPED. DEALERSHIP DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS FAILED L
- • ON 09/04/2018 MY HONDA CR-Z IMA LIGHT CAME ON, I TOOK IT TO THE HONDA DEALERSHIP THEY SAID THEY NEVER HAD AN IMA LIGHT COME ON WITHOUT THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT BE ON. THEY TOOK IT FOR DIAGNOSTICS, AND CAME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT MY CLUTCH SENSOR IS BAD AND THAT IS WHATS CAUSING THE IMA LIGHT TO BE ON.
“CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON WHEN DRIVING VEHICLE THE MOTOR STARTED TO SPUTTER. WHEN I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP THEY SERVICE MANAGER STATED THAT A RODENT HAD EATEN THE WIRE THAT GOES TO THE AMBIENT TEMP. SENSOR. PER DEALERSHIP THIS SENSOR CONTROL THE ABILITY FOR THE MOTOR TO PROPER ADJUST FUEL”
— NHTSA complaint filing
Estimated Repair Costs
Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.
🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist
Based on 54 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:
- ☐AIR BAGS: ****REVISION TO PREVIOUS COMPLAINT**** I WAS RECENTLY INVOLVED IN A FRONTAL COLLISION IN THIS VEHICLE. I AM FINE, HOWEVER, THE SEAT BELT DID NOT HOLD ME TO THE SEAT PROPERLY. AS THE IMPACT HAPPENED THE SEAT BELT LOCKED AND HELD ME MIDWAY, FROM THE BACK OF THE SEAT TO THE STEERING WHEEL, AND DID
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
- ☐OTHER: THE AUTOMATIC AIR DOES NOT ALWAYS TURN ON WHEN THE CAR IS STARTED. ALSO, THE REAR HATCH IS ALWAYS FROZEN SHUT IN TEMPERATURES BELOW 32 DEGRESS....
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
- ☐BODY/STRUCTURE: IN TEMPERATURES BELOW 32 DEGREES, THE REAR HATCH LOCK FAILS TO OPEN AND FREEZES SHUT. *TR
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
- ☐TRANSMISSION: TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 HONDA CR-Z. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE CONTACT DEPRESSED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND THE VEHICLE JERKED FORWARD ABNORMALLY. ALSO, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD EXHIBIT AN UNUSUAL CLUNKING NOISE WHEN ACCELERATING AND WAS A CONSTANT OCCURRENCE. THE V
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
- ☐General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)
Honda CR-Z — Year Comparison
How does 2011 compare to other years? Fewer complaints = more reliable.
Full years-to-avoid analysis →NHTSA Safety Rating
No NHTSA safety rating available
At a Glance
- Complaints
- 54
- Recalls
- 0
- Fire reports
- 0
- Crash reports
- 9
- Injury reports
- 12
- Segment avg
- 80
Check a Specific VIN
See recalls for YOUR 2011 Honda CR-Z