Reliability has always been a mainstay feature of Honda’s products, and is part of the reason for this company’s success around the world. It’s also part of the reason why Hondas’ generally premium pricing can be deemed justifiable by most customers, and part of the reason why many of this brand’s cars have comparatively slow depreciation.
With this in mind, we looked into the Honda HR-V’s reliability ratings on the international stage, seeing as there aren’t any comparable local resources on hand. Our first stop was on the J.D. Power website, where we looked up the HR-V’s “Consumer Rating” heading.
This is based on feedback from actual HR-V drivers, and gave the 2021-model an “Average” Quality and Reliability rating (78%). Other model years didn’t score much differently, with the exception of 2019, when the same rating dropped to only 71%.
What seems to be the issue?
This piqued our interest, so we dug a little deeper, and came across the (again, US-based) NHTSA organisation (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), which lists recalls as well as owner’s complaints for all cars sold in the USA. Browsing through the list of owner complaints revealed a few consistent mentions.
The biggest one to bring cause for concern is the transmission. The HR-V is exclusively equipped with a CVT (Constantly Variable Transmission), which helps it achieve good efficiency and reasonable performance. Unfortunately, this particular CVT seems prone to some odd behaviour, and, in extreme cases, failure.
How much of this is related to American driving styles, servicing, and road conditions is an open question, but it is something worth remembering if you’re considering a second-hand HR-V. Drive it extensively (at least 15 km from cold) and watch out for unusual behaviour from the transmission, such as a hesitation to engage drive from a standstill, surging on the freeway, or a shudder on low-speed uphill sections.
Anything else we should know?
Other problems seem to be few and far between, fortunately. There are a number of instances of fuel pump failures on site, some minor electrical problems, and a few owners complaining about poor paintwork quality. Again, it’s hard to say whether these problems are unique to the USA, or if they occur elsewhere too.
However, these (and most other) issues are comparatively minor, and will be covered locally by Honda SA’s excellent 5-year/200 000 km warranty on this model. And, because the HR-V’s mechanical hardware is used in a myriad of other local-market Hondas as well, long-term parts availability should be fairly good.
Verdict
Seeing a Honda score only “Average” on Quality and Reliability comes as a bit of a disappointment, really – we’ve grown expect to excellent feedback from Honda owners, and seeing the HR-V give such a middling performance is a bit confusing. With that said, the HR-V’s CVT is the only potential cause for concern in the longer term, so used-car buyers would be wise to check its operation thoroughly. Such a pity it doesn’t come with a manual gearbox, then…
Keyword: How reliable is the Honda HR-V?