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Highly-Reliable Honda Drops In Consumer Reports Reliability Survey

Honda is known for building reliable cars, but they drop this year in the Consumer Reports reliability survey. See where they rank for 2018.
2018 Honda CR-V, Honda Civic, Honda Accord, reliability, Consumer Reports reliability

Honda has a reputation as one of the most reliable brands among all automakers, but they dropped significantly in the latest Consumer Reports reliability survey. Honda Motor Co moves down six spots in the survey and dropped to 15th place among all automakers. Porsche, Mazda, and Hyundai moved ahead of the Japanese automaker. Acura, Honda’s luxury brand, moved up six spots to #13.

According to Consumer Reports, Honda’s reliability dropped because of its new and redesigned models. CR says, “The Odyssey minivan had much-worse-than-average reliability, with problems including the infotainment system, and door locking and unlocking. Honda’s Clarity line of alternative-fuel cars had much-worse-than-average reliability as was the brand’s least reliable vehicle. Reported problems included electronic glitches.”

The Honda Fit hatchback is Honda’s most reliable vehicle in the lineup. The subcompact is a fuel-efficient city commuter with versatility with its five doors. The Honda Accord, the brand’s third best-selling vehicle in the lineup, dropped to average in reliability, with problems including the infotainment system and interior rattles. Accord sales are down -13.6 percent for the year even after the four-door sedan received a complete remodel for the 2018 model year.

The popular Honda CR-V, the brand’s top-selling vehicle in the stable of vehicles, also dropped to average and sales are down -4.1 percent in 2018. Honda fully-redesigned the popular model for the 2017 model year with more comfort inside, more fuel-efficiency, and more versatility. The exterior was completely restyled and is more attractive and modern looking.

The Honda Civic, the brand’s hot new compact, hasn’t dropped in reliability. Sales are up +0.3 percent and the new Honda Civic Hatchback is sporty, fuel-efficient, fast, turbocharged, fun-to-drive, and has the utility of a hatch. The Civic with the 6-speed manual rower is the way to go if you like to drive. It has quick throws and smooth shifts making it a joy to drive. The 1.5-liter turbo feels extra quick, thanks to the additional, steady low-end torque. 

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Photo credit: Honda USA

Automotive News
Honda
Honda Accord News, Pricing and Reviews
Honda Civic News, Pricing and Reviews

Comments

AutoDataNet (not verified)    October 25, 2018 - 9:28AM

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so sad. i have always though that Honda make one of the most durable vehicles available on the car market. so sad!

Richard Joash Tan (not verified)    November 7, 2018 - 5:32AM

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But I do not care. I will buy a honda no matter what you say. And I do not care about the haters because I am VERY happy with Honda being the MOST reliable company that can do EVERYTHING I want!

Tony (not verified)    August 16, 2022 - 1:03PM

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Totally agree. I honestly think they are trash. Had a to type s back in 2000s at 60k transmission went and it went 2x after until I got a jasper remanufactured and the interior fell apart too cloth lose rear view mirror lose side door panels lose what a shitty car and babied purchased new and pain faded only see this on Honda Acura vs Toyota , Toyota is so much better comparituvely shame on Honda and soon they joint effort with Gm and who knows will put Gm engines in em lol

Wes (not verified)    January 31, 2019 - 10:33AM

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But don't take too much notice of the drop. As soon as they mention (which is the main item cited for the drop) 'infotainment', bear in mind that this includes EVERY SINGLE COMPLAINT by people who are too damn lazy or stupid to read the manual and work out how to use the infotainment system. Honda has a habit of doing things its way, which is usually better than other manufacturers and it can have some things like infotainment that are a little more to get used to... no one is saying that their other areas of reliability have gone backward and as for the Clarity, it's a revolutionary vehicle that is leased in small numbers and is so far ahead of everyone else, cutting edge technology that it is bound to have teething problems. Look at the related articles... Accord sales down??? Yet it scores Car and Driver 10 best for the 33rd time in a row.

Chandrasekhar V (not verified)    November 17, 2021 - 10:35PM

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The redisigned models from 2016 have lot of issues. I own 4 Hondas and 3 of them had(and have) good number of issues even before reaching 70k mikes. Then why did I buy Honda? only because they have spacious interior compared to Toyotas. Read some websites like NHSTA and other places where people record their issues. You will see more issues for Honda and all new models from 2016 have several issues. Read before you buy, quality has gone down a bit.

Anna K. Dailey (not verified)    April 21, 2023 - 8:42PM

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I will never buy another Honda. I have a 2018 Honda CRV and my air conditioner went out at 35,000 miles. Honda has had problems with their AC systems for years yet continued to sell defective cars. Now I have to fix it at my expense and rent a car in the meantime. I am disappointed because I went with Honda based on their known reliability. Next time I shop for a car, it will NOT be a Honda.

Marco Polo (not verified)    December 7, 2018 - 10:06AM

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I can’t remember last time an infotainment system left someone stranded on the side of the road! Does AAA cover roadside rattle repairs?

Lee (not verified)    May 20, 2020 - 5:27PM

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Exactly! Those are not reliability problems. You can tell how spoiled most modern people are because they find little small things like that like it's the end of the world. You can tell they've never been through any trouble, and that's what Honda avoids, trouble.

Rone' Denny (not verified)    May 4, 2023 - 9:17PM

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Yep you right because i had to buy a motor for my honda polit 2013 do to bad oil leak. I only had the car months. Buying a motor is major, and still having problems. Still in the shop for 3 month.

Dave J (not verified)    December 17, 2018 - 4:55PM

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It's about time that Honda is recognized for their lack of reliability. My 2005 Odyssey looks like it was splashed with paint remover. Have never owned any other car with peeling paint. Never again will I buy a Honda, this one was off the showroom floor.

Joshua Bensadon (not verified)    August 5, 2020 - 10:24AM

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Many Honda's suffer from bad paint. Either Nonda tried an environmentally friendly paint (and failed) or they got cheap (and failed). Oops, I meant to say Honda but Nonda works too! LoL

G Wilson (not verified)    January 17, 2019 - 1:27PM

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I recently sold my 2018 Accord sport 2.0T started smelling gas in the oil. Never again will I buy one. Toyota here I come.

Miranda (not verified)    January 18, 2019 - 12:51PM

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Never again will I buy another Honda. I bought a 2019 Accord and it has been in the shop since Dec. 24th 2018. Yes, it was in the shop before 2019, before I made my first payment and before I got a tag. It has braking system issues. Lane Assist System not working, cruise control not working, collision mitigation braking system not working. All before 2019. I'm reading Honda isn't fixing it. The car has slammed on brakes for no reason with me, too. I am not willing to gamble with my life any more. I spoke with Honda and they told me all they can do is expedite shipping for some camera to the dealership (thats a whole other story there) and couldn't do anything else. Thankfully I bought the car in Georgia where we have a lemon law and I plant to get my money back. Unhappy is an understatement.

Dr v srinivas (not verified)    April 6, 2019 - 1:43PM

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I recently purchased BRV IDTEC MT Bangalore from Dakshina Honda, Bangalore.After a week of purchase my front door started rattling shown to the showroom more than 6times they kept the vehicle for more than 3days last time but could not rectify.They say the standard of Honda cars have detoriated of late and they could not sorted out the rattling issue.why should a customer pay a premium price for such a tin metal Honda cars sorry my previous cars Hyundai were well built.I will not recommend anyone to buy latest Honda vehicles

alan (not verified)    May 9, 2019 - 8:45PM

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You should have mentioned the CRV recall in China and potential class action in North America over oil dilution. THE problem has continued into the 2019 model year

Tim (not verified)    July 4, 2019 - 6:17PM

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I was ready to purchase a new 2019 Honda CR-V EXL but after researching and finding massive complaints and issues with these new models from 2017, 2018, and the 2019, I've decided not to purchase. The complaints can be found on NHTSA.gov.

I wanted one of these so bad, loved the new look, test drove it, and it would have been my fifth Honda but I don't want what I would call major problem with a new vehicle. Electronic issues, oil dilution problem, vehicles will not start after sitting for two days, it's as if Honda doesn't have the new electronic system figured out on the latest generation of the CR-V, and it's very sad.

Quality and value were Honda's reputation and the number one thing going for it. All the Honda's I've owned had very few problems, and that was a GREAT plus!

The 2005 Accord EX I have now has had very few problems but it's getting old. Headliner has now come loose and being held up with pins, and I'm having to replace a part here and a part there now. Signs that the vehicle is getting old and it's time to replace it. I am just sickened that the quality of the new CR-V is this bad as reported.

If you own a new CR-V, 2017 and newer, I hope you will post a comment here and let everyone know how yours is doing and if you have had problems.

Honda, if you are reading any of these comments or read the ones on NHTSA.gov, you need to fix your problems and bring back the reputation that Honda has been known for many years.

It pains me to have to now start looking for another automobile brand that has decent quality and good value for the money. PLEASE Honda, fix your problems before you lose all your customers!

Vicki Gorman (not verified)    June 21, 2020 - 12:31AM

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I have owned 5 Honda’s and recently purchased a 2020 CRV Hybrid after test driving several other vehicles. No problems so far with anything. It is a good idea to read the manual prior to using the newest technology like another person suggested. This CRV as good or better than other CRVs I have owned and I average 36.4 miles per gallon. Absolutely no complaints!

Rick Casieri (not verified)    August 31, 2022 - 8:37PM

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I have a 2018 Honda CR-V Touring with 51,000
Miles and am trading it in for a Mazda CX-5 before
The puny overworked 1.5 Turbo fails.
I just don’t want to absorb a huge repair bill for a head gasket or new engine after 60,000 miles.

I like the cabin in the car and it is comfortable to drive. Had to have a real alignment done at a specialized front end shop because it completely
Scalloped all the tires at 40,000 miles even with rotating them at 8000 mile intervals . Honda did an alignment that did not improve the wear pattern!
The recall for the oil dilution was done but the engine blows a 2 stroke smelling exhaust and the
Oil is pretty black at 4000 miles, just bad signs
Compared to a normal engine. Many rattles I fixed myself . A Major one is the first year engineering
Student design who made the glove box door a 1/4 “ too loose. The body panels are paper thin and dent easily. Upgraded radio had the cheapest
Speakers they could find and no signal processor
Or amplifier in the on board basic radio.
Build quality is poor the door garnish was replaced
On 3 doors and held on by double sided tape.
Battery failed at 35 months and 3 weeks replaced by Honda under warranty which was unusually
Close! Like they calculated it to fail!
On the plus side . Adaptive cruise control and lane
Correction although could have a tighter lane margin work well. Gas mileage is 29 in the winter and 31 plus in the summer don’t know why.
I would probably keep this car if it had the 2.5 liter
Normally aspirated . If someone else out there
Needs tires on this model go for the Continentals
That are night and day over the cheap Hankook
Go cart tires it came with. Hope this helps.

Mark P (not verified)    July 10, 2019 - 3:44AM

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Have a 2002 Honda Accord EX V6
From deceased relative. Mileage 54,000 orig
Records show trans failed 41,000 miles 2011
He paid $4600 for new trans install. Complained it shifting problems 2012,2013 then Honda rebuilt that trans for another $2700. No shame from Honda with their defective product and ripping off a sick dying senior citizen. They should have covered cost. Also failed ball joints 51,000 miles. Recall fixes on airbag and front headlights. Have a stack of service tickets. Obvious why they still only offer 3yr 36,000 mile warranties.

Joshua Bensadon (not verified)    August 5, 2020 - 10:28AM

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Yeah, the 2002 and 2003 Accords are famous for failed transmissions and almost all Hondas of those years failed ball joints! I've seen dozens of Honda's with broken wheels on the side of the road, very scary. But, do you blame Honda for taking an old man's money? Nobody these days cares where the money comes from, everyone is out to rip you off! Honda is not the only one here.

Rollo (not verified)    July 17, 2019 - 4:08PM

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Just had the battery fail and replaced. The VSA light came on and stayed on. Car runs fine but I am told the cost to make the light oo out is $3200! The part is $2672 plus tax. DON"T buy and Honda with VSA. It is a time bomb waiting to hit your wallet.

Drake (not verified)    July 19, 2019 - 6:52PM

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Have 2017 CRV EXL. REGRET IT. LOUD RIDE. EATS TIRES. TPMS junk and worthless false alarms. Oil and gas solution. Dead battery three times. Large body panel gap. Bought it for wife without research. She wanted it. Will dump this tin can junk soon. Headed back to Toyota or even Hyundai.

Brent Hall (not verified)    August 2, 2019 - 12:38PM

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2015 Honda fit transmission just died at 82k miles. $4,700 replacement. We traded on an HRV instead. I've had Honda's my whole life but if this HRV has issues I'm done.

PizzaMan (not verified)    September 21, 2019 - 11:01AM

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Honda has truly been falling from Grace for over 15 years, but it takes that long to break the propaganda cycle that Honda is exemplary. I worked at a Honda factory, it was sickening. Only crippled post menopause women and illiterate immigrants build them anymore, but only after complaining about it.
And sending mistakes downline of course.

The workers are starting to catch on and ditch their Hondas. Getting your brand new Honda towed 3 times after a long day working at Honda will do it.

Mike Hogan (not verified)    October 22, 2019 - 2:22PM

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I drove Honda Civics and Accords from 1976 until 2018. My last Honda was an Accord Sport 1.5 and I'm sorry to say it was a poorly assembled rattling POS!. I now drive a Lexus must say it is the best built, most trouble free car I've ever owned. Yeah it cost more, but it's worth it. I think Hondas, especially the ones built in the US, have dropped significantly in quality and I'll probably never buy another one.