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2016 Honda HR-V

Gas

Small Sport Utility Vehicle 2WD
5 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-10-26

Safety Signal

89 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record

RecallsNHTSA campaigns 2

Complaints13 crash · 1 fire · 11 injured reported 243

Crash ratingNHTSA overall 5★

Fuel economybest combined, EPA 31 mpg

2027 2026 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016

The 2016 Honda HR-V is sold in the U.S. as a gas compact SUV with 5 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the HR-V 2WD, is EPA-rated at 31 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns for this model year, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of B. Owners have filed 243 complaints, most often about the power train. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.

Honda HR-V — photograph via Wikimedia Commons — Honda HR-V · Photo: MercurySable99 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov

Configuration	Powertrain	Drive	Engine / motor	City	Hwy	Comb	Annual fuel*
HR-V 2WD	Gas	FWD	1.8L 4-cyl	28	34	31	$2,150
HR-V 2WD	Gas	FWD	1.8L 4-cyl	28	34	31	$2,150
HR-V 4WD	Gas	AWD	1.8L 4-cyl	27	32	29	$2,300
HR-V 4WD	Gas	AWD	1.8L 4-cyl	27	32	29	$2,300
HR-V 2WD	Gas	FWD	1.8L 4-cyl	25	33	28	$2,400

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 35999, 36000, 36001, 36002, 35998.

Emissions & certification

Source: EPA emission certificates

Configuration	Smog rating	Emission standard	Where it can be sold new	SmartWay
HR-V 2WD, HR-V 4WD	5–6 / 10	Bin 5 / LEV-II ULEV	All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards	SmartWay

Certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S.

The smog rating scores tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, 1 (worst) to 10 (best), and is comparable only within a model year. The standard is the federal bin or California tier the configuration was certified to. Both come from the EPA certificate behind the window sticker.

Specifications filed with NHTSA

Source: NHTSA vPIC

Dimensions Exterior

Body style	Sport Utility Vehicle [SUV]/Multipurpose Vehicle [MPV]
Doors	5
GVWR class	Class 1C: 4,001 - 5,000 lb (1,814 - 2,268 kg)

Engine Basics

Cylinders	4
Displacement	1.8 L
Engine configuration	In-Line

Engine Output

Horsepower

141 hp

Fuel Economy

Fuel	Gasoline

Seating

Seating capacity

5 seats

Transmission

Drivetrain	4x2
Transmission	Manual/Standard
Transmission speeds	6

Filed by the manufacturer with NHTSA under the federal vehicle-identification rule and decoded from the VIN pattern — not a manufacturer press kit, so it describes the configurations we could identify rather than every trim (seen: EX, EX-L, LX). Figures for the trim you are looking at may differ.

Dimensions & weight

Source: Transport Canada

Length	168.9 in
Width (body, without mirrors)	70.1 in
Height	63.0 in
Wheelbase	102.8 in
Track, front	60.6 in
Track, rear	60.6 in
Curb weight	2,910–3,062 lb
Weight distribution, front/rear	60/40 to 62/38

Measured by Transport Canada for its Canadian Vehicle Specifications database, which covers the North American versions of each model — here 2 configurations: AWD, FWD. Where a range is shown, those versions differ. Width is the body without mirrors, which is why it can read narrower than a brochure figure. Before we used it we checked it against the US manufacturer press kits we hold (27 Sep 2026): wheelbase agreed within 1% on every vehicle we could compare, length on 98%, and the curb weight fell inside the manufacturer's range on 96%. Source dataset. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. Licence.

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Recalls (2)

Source: NHTSA recall database

▲high

Service Brakes, Hydraulic

C31, L30

64,785 vehicles 92% reported repaired built Feb 16, 2016 – Mar 19, 2016

Problem 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. 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. 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.

Filed with NHTSARemedy instructions PDF

NHTSA campaign 18V777000 reported Nov 1, 2018 Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) the full filing, and every vehicle covered →

○minor

Tires

JT2, JT4

11,511 vehicles 77% reported repaired built Jan 12, 2015 – May 20, 2015

Problem Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2016 HR-V vehicles manufactured January 12, 2015, to May 20, 2015. 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. 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.

NHTSA campaign 15V472000 reported Jul 28, 2015 Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) the full filing, and every vehicle covered →

These are vehicle campaigns — the ones the automaker filed against this model. NHTSA also records equipment recalls, filed by a parts maker against a component (a tyre, a child seat, an aftermarket part), and those are not listed here or counted above. nhtsa.gov/recalls shows both for a VIN.

Whether any of this applies to one specific HR-V

A campaign covers a build range, not a model year, so two identical-looking cars from 2016 can differ. Both of these check a VIN against the manufacturer’s own list, free, in about ten seconds. Honda publishes its own lookup because federal rule 49 CFR 573.15 requires it to, and to keep it current to within seven days.

NHTSA VIN check →Honda’s own VIN lookup →

Hear about a recall before the letter does

The manufacturer’s letter is the last step of a recall: it has up to 60 days after filing to mail owners, at the address on the registration. We email you the day NHTSA posts a recall on the 2016 Honda HR-V, with what to do next. Nothing else, ever — no newsletter, no marketing, one-click unsubscribe in every message.

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database

243complaints filed

13 involved a crash · 1 a fire · 11 injuries · 0 deaths reported

Filed per year: 2015: 9 · 2016: 15 · 2017: 12 · 2018: 8 · 2019: 28 · 2020: 39 · 2021: 29 · 2022: 11 · 2023: 30 · 2024: 23 · 2025: 21 · 2026: 18

Most-cited components

Power Train → 76

Electrical System → 57

Unspecified 45

Service Brakes 26

Engine 23

Structure 22

In depth: transmission and drivetrain problems → · electrical problems →

In owners' own words

Filed with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, one per problem area. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed.

My air bag light is on. Honda told me the wiring to my air bag sensor is not working. Problem was discovered after I brought in my car for an oil change

Air Bags at 5,300 miles Apr 17, 2017 NHTSA owner report · ODI 10978963

While driving on a costa mesa street at 30 miles per hour, the car brakes came on hard without me touching the brake pedals. Also a voice from the speaker system came on and said: brakes are set. The problem lasted for about 3 to 4 seconds and then the brakes were released by themselves.

Service Brakes at 5,100 miles Mar 27, 2017 NHTSA owner report · ODI 10968854

I was driving about 65mph on the freeway at about 4:00pm on monday, february 27, 2017 when the moonroof suddenly exploded. The glass blew outward and a large chunk flew back into traffic behind. No object struck the glass

Visibility/Wiper at 5,850 miles Mar 26, 2017 NHTSA owner report · ODI 10968540

My wife and I purchased a new 2016 Honda Hr-V on oct.15.2016 from townsend Honda in tuscaloosa, alabama. The car spontaneously caught on fire while sitting on a concrete slab in our driveway on dec.24.2016 (odometer approximately 300 miles).

Engine at 300 miles Feb 25, 2017 NHTSA owner report · ODI 10956885

Check charge system light came on. Took it to dealer, coggin ft. Pierce, they said it was a faulty sensor but was safe to drive until new sensor came in. Drove it and whole system shut down on the road while I was driving. Had it towed to dealer. They replaced the sensor and told me that was the only problem.

Electrical System at 11,400 miles Nov 17, 2016 NHTSA owner report · ODI 10926688

I bought this car new, and discovered that I can't be driving it, because my back and my hip hurts so bad, that I can only use this car if my trips are no longer than few miles. Anything further than that, I get so uncomfortable that I can't move my leg from gas to brakes. It is dangerous to operate this car.

Seats Oct 9, 2016 NHTSA owner report · ODI 10915002

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Reported by Honda itself: 74 death-or-injury claims on this model year in its quarterly Early Warning reports to NHTSA (49 CFR 579.21): 1 killed, 92 injured, as claimed, not verified. Every HR-V model year, by year and system → Dated and by system, they are exhibit F of the defect dossier.

When owners reported it

Reported at 58k

miles, typically

Half the 112 owner reports with an odometer reading on file fall between 16,000 and 78,000 miles. That is when problems get reported, which is not the same as when they start — and not a failure rate, because nobody knows how many of these cars never had a problem at all.

under 10k 22

10k–20k 11

20k–30k 6

30k–40k 2

40k–50k 8

50k–60k 12

60k–70k 13

70k–80k 13

80k–90k 10

90k–100k 4

100k–150k 9

150k + 2

Median mileage by component

Component	Reports	Median miles	Vs same age
Power Train	34	79,000	1.52×
Electrical System	27	45,666	1.01×
Unspecified	18	31,000	—
Service Brakes	14	58,000	1.45×

Vs same age is this model year’s median for the system divided by the median of every 2016-model-year complaint about the same system, all makes: under 1× means owners of this car reported it at lower mileage. Here, owners reported later: power train (1.52×). Which systems go early across the whole fleet: the component study.

Odometer readings as filed by owners with NHTSA. Readings under 100 or over 400,000 miles are dropped as data entry rather than history, and a component needs at least 12 readings before a median is shown for it.

Crash ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP

Configuration	Overall	Frontal	Side	Rollover	Rollover risk
SUV AWD	★★★★★	★★★★☆	★★★★★	★★★★☆	14%
SUV FWD	★★★★★	★★★★☆	★★★★★	★★★★☆	15%

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program.

Service bulletins & campaigns

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications

Extended coverage on file 1 filing by the manufacturer with NHTSA naming this model year

7 years or 150,000 miles, whichever comes first · Honda bulletin A21-047"Service Bulletin - Due to the possibility of early deterioration of the Continuous Variable Transmission (CVT) drive belt, American Honda is extending the warranty coverage on these CVT models to 7…

The term and the vehicles it covers are the manufacturer’s, as NHTSA’s summary of each filing states them; a dealer checks one particular car by its VIN. Every Honda warranty extension (66) → · Every warranty extension on file, all makes →

Communicationsfiled with NHTSA 109

Most recentmanufacturer date 2025-02-20

Kindsas classified by NHTSA 109 service bulletins

Most often about: Equipment, Fuel/Propulsion System, Structure, Electrical System, Engine.

A21-047 Service bulletin
2025-02-20 · Power Train
Service Bulletin - Due to the possibility of early deterioration of the Continuous Variable Transmission (CVT) drive belt, American Honda is extending the warranty coverage on these CVT models to 7 years from the original date of purchase or 150,000 miles, whichever comes first.
A21-047 Service bulletin
2023-05-03 · Power Train
Service Bulletin - Due to the possibility of early deterioration of the Continuous Variable Transmission (CVT) drive belt, American Honda is extending the warranty coverage on these CVT models to 7 years from the original date of purchase or 150,000 miles, whichever comes first.
A22080B Service bulletin
2022-08-25 · Visibility
Servicenews article - If you are inspecting an HR-V and notice oil residue on the A/C condenser, it's not always an indication that the condenser is leaking refrigerant. The source of oil residue can potentially come from other components.
ATI&07112022902 Service bulletin
2022-07-11 · Visibility
Dealer message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2016-2021 HR-V that exhibits a leak at the A/C Condenser. To better understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to inspect the vehicle prior to you attempting a repair of any kind.
ATI&06032022901 Service bulletin
2022-06-03 · Equipment — Appliance — Air Conditioner
Dealer message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2016-2021 HR-VS that exhibit a leak at the A/C Condenser. To better understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to inspect the vehicle prior to you attempting a repair of any kind.
ATI&05252022901 Service bulletin
2022-05-25 · Visibility
Dealer message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2016-2021 HR-V that exhibits a leak at the A/C Condenser. To better understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to inspect the vehicle prior to you attempting a repair of any kind.
ATI&05202022901 Service bulletin
2022-05-20 · Visibility
Dealer message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2016-2021 HR-V that exhibits a leak at the A/C Condenser. To better understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to inspect the vehicle prior to you attempting a repair of any kind.
ATI&05162022901 Service bulletin
2022-05-16 · Visibility
Dealer message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2016-2021 HR-V that exhibits a leak at the A/C Condenser. To better understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to inspect the vehicle prior to you attempting a repair of any kind.

A service bulletin is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a known condition. It is not a recall, not a finding that the vehicle is defective, and the work is not automatically free — though a bulletin is often what a dealer works from when you describe a symptom, so quoting the document number can save a diagnosis. The count is every communication filed; the list shows the most recent, one entry per campaign, because a single campaign is usually filed as several documents on the same day. The summaries are NHTSA's; the full documents come from the manufacturer.

Diagnostic trouble codes on file

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications and complaints

Codes documented against this model year in the federal record. A code appearing here does not mean this vehicle will set it — it means the code is part of this nameplate-year's documented history.

Code	What it means	Most often filed under	Where it appears
P271E P271E on Honda →	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Power Train	7 bulletins · 3 owner reports
B12C5 B12C5 on Honda →	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Electrical System · Battery →	2 bulletins · 2 owner reports
P154A	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Electrical System · Battery →	3 bulletins

Generic codes (the second character is 0 or 2) mean the same thing on every vehicle sold in the United States. Manufacturer-specific codes (1 or 3) mean whatever the automaker assigned, and no honest source can define them for you — which is why the ones here carry the evidence instead of a definition. A code is a link when enough separate federal documents name it across the catalogue to be worth a page of its own; the rest are listed here, where the vehicle is the context that makes them mean something.

At the New York inspection station

Source: New York State DMV

New York inspections 4.7%

failed emissions

5,239 initial inspections of 5,101 vehicles.

Measure	The 2016 HR-V	Every 2016 vehicle	Behind it
Failed the emissions check	4.7%	4.2%	5,227
Failed the safety inspection	1.4%	2.2%	5,239
Air-bag warning lamp stayed lit	0.23%	0.27%	5,239
Miles driven a year	9,582	10,028	odometer at inspection
Average odometer	98,444	103,109	odometer at inspection

New York’s emissions test on these model years is an on-board diagnostics check: it fails a car whose check-engine light is on or whose self-tests have not finished. First inspections only, so a car that failed and came back is counted once; private and special plates, not taxis, livery or commercial plates. A rate appears only where at least 200 inspections stand behind it. “Every 2016 vehicle” is every 2016 model-year car, SUV and pickup inspected in the same window, all makes. This is the state’s record of test results, not a reliability score by itself. Source: New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, Vehicle Inspections (data.ny.gov, Open NY terms).

HR-V by model year

all years, side by side →

Year Safety Recalls Complaints

2027 A 0 6 28 mpg 2026 A 0 18 28 mpg 2025 A 1 48 28 mpg 2024 C 4 110 28 mpg 2023 C 3 687 28 mpg 2022 B 3 89 30 mpg 2021 C 4 64 30 mpg 2020 C 5 85 30 mpg 2019 D 7 236 30 mpg 2018 C 3 160 31 mpg 2017 A 0 123 31 mpg 2016 this page B 2 243 31 mpg

Common questions about the 2016 HR-V

Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kits

Does the 2016 Honda HR-V have any recalls?

NHTSA has posted 2 recall campaigns for the 2016 Honda HR-V. The most serious on file is 18V777000, covering Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Check your own VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a recall applies to specific build ranges, not every car.

How safe is the 2016 Honda HR-V?

NHTSA gave the 2016 Honda HR-V 5 stars overall in its New Car Assessment Program tests — 4-star frontal crash, 5-star side crash, 4-star rollover. WhichTrim also grades it B (89/100) on its recall record, which is a different question from crash protection.

What is the fuel economy of the 2016 Honda HR-V?

Across the 5 EPA-rated configurations of the 2016 Honda HR-V, the best EPA combined figure is 31 mpg. Figures are the EPA's own, per configuration, and every one is listed above.

What are the dimensions of the 2016 Honda HR-V?

Transport Canada measured it at 168.9 in long, 70.1 in wide (body, without mirrors), 63.0 in tall, on a 102.8 in wheelbase. Curb weight: 2,910–3,062 lb depending on configuration. Those are its measurements of the North American versions; every figure is in the table above.

What do owners complain about on the 2016 Honda HR-V?

Owners have filed 243 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Honda HR-V, most often about power train, electrical system, unspecified. Of those, 13 involved a crash, 1 a fire, 11 reported injuries. Complaints are unverified owner reports, so treat the pattern as a signal and the individual report as an anecdote.

How clean is the 2016 Honda HR-V?

The EPA smog rating for the 2016 Honda HR-V runs 5 to 6 out of 10 across its configurations. That score covers tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, and it only compares vehicles within the same model year. It is certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S. Its configurations were certified to different standards — Bin 5, LEV-II ULEV — which the table above lists per configuration.

Are there service bulletins for the 2016 Honda HR-V?

The manufacturer has filed 109 service bulletins and related communications with NHTSA for the 2016 Honda HR-V, most often covering equipment, fuel/propulsion system, structure. The most recent is dated 2025-02-20. A bulletin is not a recall: it is the repair procedure a manufacturer sends its dealers for a condition it knows about, and the work is not automatically paid for. It is still worth knowing — if the symptom matches, quoting the bulletin number at the service desk can save a diagnosis. The document numbers and summaries are listed above.

How does the 2016 Honda HR-V do at state inspection?

In New York’s inspection lanes over the 12 months to Oct 10, 2026, the 2016 Honda HR-V failed the emissions check on 4.7% of first inspections — close to the 4.2% for every 2016 model-year vehicle inspected; and the safety inspection on 1.4% (every 2016 vehicle: 2.2%). The figures are New York State DMV’s own inspection records, first inspections only, and the table above sets each one against every vehicle of the same model year.

What we hold, and what an empty row means

Paid vehicle-history reports will not tell you the difference between “nothing happened to this car” and “we never received that record” — both of the big two say as much in their own help pages. Most of what is on this page comes from complete federal registers, so we can tell you which is which, row by row.

Data	Held	Source	What it covers — or what empty means
Fuel economy & configurations	5 configurations	EPA certification records	Every configuration the EPA certified for sale, with its own test figures.
Emission certificates	5 configurations	EPA emission certificates	Smog rating, standard and the sales area that decides where the car can be sold new.
Recalls	2	NHTSA recall campaigns	A complete federal register: every campaign covering this model year, with severity and advisory flags.
Owner complaints	243	NHTSA complaint database	Also complete, but unverified: these are reports owners filed, not findings. Counts scale with how many were sold.
Crash ratings	2 tested	NHTSA NCAP	Only the configurations NHTSA chose to crash-test, which is never all of them.
Service bulletins	109	NHTSA manufacturer communications	Everything the manufacturer told its dealers about a defect or malfunction, short of a recall.
Investigations	none	NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation	No defect investigation has been opened.
Driver-assist crash reports	none	NHTSA Standing General Order 2021-01	No report has been filed. Only entities named in the order report, and only crashes they hear of — so this is also what an unequipped car, or a manufacturer without telematics, looks like.
Specifications filed with NHTSA	12 fields	NHTSA vPIC, decoded from VIN patterns	What the manufacturer filed under the federal VIN rule — a configuration, not the full trim ladder.
Measured dimensions	7 fields	Transport Canada, Canadian Vehicle Specifications	Length, width, height, wheelbase, track and curb weight, measured on the North American versions.
Trims, pricing & equipment	none	Manufacturer press kit	We have not transcribed a press kit for this model year yet. This is our gap, not the manufacturer's — the one row here where an empty cell means we are behind.

Rebuilt nightly; this page was generated 2026-10-26. Every figure above is traceable to the source named beside it, and the JSON for this page carries the same values with their identifiers.

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). The most serious recall counts in full and each further one counts 85% of the one before, because a vehicle sold in millions is recalled more often than a rare one without being more dangerous — and because a flat subtraction bottomed the scale out, scoring a vehicle with 22 recalls within a point of one with six. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Read it as what it counts: recall campaigns on the federal record, weighted by severity. The damping reduces the sales bias by roughly 40% but does not remove it: like our complaint counts, this is not normalized by how many were sold, so a best-seller still scores somewhat worse than an obscure model with the same real risk. NHTSA crash ratings, do-not-drive and park-outside advisories, and the crash, fire, injury and death counts in owner complaints are reported separately on every page and never blended into the letter — a vehicle can hold five stars and a poor letter at once, and where that happens we say so rather than leave you to notice. Because the scale subtracts from a clean sheet, a model year too new to have been recalled, complained about or bulletined scores full marks on an empty record; we label those grades provisional rather than present them as earned.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed nightly.

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