Reliable Auto DB

2016 Honda HR-V reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 239 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Honda HR-V over 11 years — 15 per year. That is more complaints per year than most HR-V years here — over the median of the other years, which is 12. NHTSA has 2 recalls on file, including Caliper and Labels.

Honda HR-V LX, 2016–2022 body
Photo by MercurySable99, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
Complaints

239

Per year

15

Recalls

2

Years on the road

11

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Powertrain (74 of 239), then Electrical system (56) and Service brakes (23). Complaints that include an odometer have a median of 53,000 miles, and the middle half falls between 12,500 and 77,000 miles. Those filings include 13 that report a crash, 1 that reports a fire, and 11 that report an injury.

Next to 2017

The 2017 HR-V has 122 complaints, 13 per year. The 2016 has more complaints per year than the 2017.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2016 Honda HR-V. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (2)

Recall hydraulic brakes, foundation components, disc, caliper 2018-11-01 · NHTSA campaign 18V777000
Summary 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."
Remedy 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.
Vehicles affected 64,785
Recall Labels 2015-07-28 · NHTSA campaign 15V472000
Summary 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."
Remedy 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.
Vehicles affected 11,511

NHTSA's count is every vehicle in that campaign. A campaign can cover other model years and other models.

Complaints by component (239 total)

Powertrain
74
Electrical system
56
Service brakes
23
Engine
22
Structure
22
Speed control
14
Air bags
13
Exterior lighting
10
Seats
8
Suspension
6
Wheels
5
Visibility and wipers
4
Forward collision avoidance
3
Fuel and propulsion system
3
Steering
3
Electronic stability control (ESC)
2
Hydraulic brakes
2
Seat belts
2
Tires
2
Show 11 more Show less
Crash-flagged

13

Fire-flagged

1

Injury reports

11

Death reports

0

Of the 117 complaints that include an odometer reading, the median is 53,000 miles. The middle half fall between 12,500 and 77,000 miles.

Complaints filed per year

9201515201612201782018282019392020292021112022302023232024212025142026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "The factory white paint on my 2016 Honda HR-V is severely peeling, and delaminating from the vehicle body panels. The paint failure has exposed bare metal beneath, resulting in rapid corrosion and rust formation. Large…"
    Unknown or other · filed 2026-09-01
  • "CVT has gone into safety/limp mode. June 7 2026 First sign was the EPB not releasing. Became drivable after warm up period. Replaced EPB switch and vehicle drove normally. There was still a parking brake caution light.…"
    Powertrain · filed 2026-07-17
  • "The contact owned a 2016 Honda HR-V. The contact stated that while driving at 12 MPH, the vehicle experienced a brake failure, resulting in a frontal collision with a utility vehicle. The airbag deployed. There was no…"
    Hydraulic brakes · filed 2026-06-10
  • "My vehicle paint is peeling and it is the NH788P. ( Orchid Pearl White). I am the second owner of this car as of 2021. It started on the roof and has continued to doors etc. No recalls were shown on the CarFax at the…"
    Unknown or other · filed 2026-05-28
  • "Car went into limp mode far from home. Lots of lights on the dash lit up. I scanned the OBD and it came back with code P271E to replace the automatic transmission assembly. This was confirmed by a transmission repair…"
    Powertrain · filed 2026-05-21

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2016 Honda HR-V SUV AWD 5 stars 4 stars 5 stars 4 stars
2016 Honda HR-V SUV FWD 5 stars 4 stars 5 stars 4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
HR-V two-wheel drive 1.8L, 4-cyl Automatic (AV-S7) Front-wheel drive 28 34 31 MPG $2100
HR-V two-wheel drive 1.8L, 4-cyl Manual 6-speed Front-wheel drive 25 33 28 MPG $2300
HR-V two-wheel drive 1.8L, 4-cyl Automatic (variable gear ratios) Front-wheel drive 28 34 31 MPG $2100
HR-V four-wheel drive 1.8L, 4-cyl Automatic (AV-S7) All-wheel drive 27 32 29 MPG $2250
HR-V four-wheel drive 1.8L, 4-cyl Automatic (variable gear ratios) All-wheel drive 27 32 29 MPG $2250

Specs and fitment

1st generation (U.S. market), 2016–2022
Body styles SUV
Oil 0W-20 , 3.9 qt capacity
Tire size 215/55R17

Known issues for this generation

NHTSA recall 23V-046 covers 2019-2022 HR-V vehicles together with the 2018-2020 Fit, which share the same display audio unit; the 114,686-vehicle figure is the total for that whole campaign across both models, not the HR-V alone. A design error in the audio display power circuit can keep the rearview camera image from appearing when the engine is started with a key, which fails Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 111 for rear visibility and reduces the driver's rear view while backing up. Dealers update the display audio unit software free of charge, and owner letters went out March 13, 2023. That recall was later superseded by NHTSA recall 24V-384, so a vehicle already repaired under 23V-046 still needs the newer remedy; those owner letters were mailed July 8, 2024. Separately, Honda issued a technical service bulletin for 2016-2017 HR-V LX models whose Bluetooth HandsFreeLink system froze after a phone call and lost stored voice tags, fixed with an audio-unit software update.

Compare

Next year 2017 Honda HR-V See every Honda HR-V model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2016 Honda HR-V reliable?

Owners have filed 239 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Honda HR-V over 11 years — 15 per year. That is more complaints per year than most HR-V years here — over the median of the other years, which is 12. NHTSA has 2 recalls on file, including Caliper and Labels.

What are common problems with a 2016 Honda HR-V?

The complaints owners file most often name Powertrain (74 of 239), then Electrical system (56) and Service brakes (23). Complaints that include an odometer have a median of 53,000 miles, and the middle half falls between 12,500 and 77,000 miles. Those filings include 13 that report a crash, 1 that reports a fire, and 11 that report an injury.

Is the 2016 Honda HR-V more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2017 HR-V has 122 complaints, 13 per year. The 2016 has more complaints per year than the 2017.

Has the 2016 Honda HR-V been recalled?

The 2016 Honda HR-V has 2 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2016 Honda HR-V?

Owners have filed 239 complaints about the 2016 Honda HR-V with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2016 Honda HR-V get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2016 Honda HR-V is 29.6 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What oil does a Honda HR-V take?

US HR-V generations tracked here use 0W-20 (about 3.9 qt on 1st gen; about 4.4 qt on 2nd gen with filter).

Does recall 24V-744 cover the Honda HR-V?

Certain 2023-2025 HR-V vehicles are part of campaign 24V-744 (with Civic, CR-V, and Acura Integra): the steering gearbox may have excessive friction; dealers replace the worm-gear spring and add grease. The published unit count covers the whole multi-model campaign.

What generation is my Honda HR-V?

US 1st generation: 2016-2022. US 2nd generation: 2023 onward.