YearToAvoid

2016 Honda HR-V Electrical System Problems

NHTSA lists 63 Electrical System complaints for the 2016 Honda HR-V, 26% of its 239 total complaints for the year. No related recall is listed for this area. Median mileage at failure is 45,000 miles.

Electrical System complaints
63
26% of 239
Crashes reported
0
Fires reported
0
Injuries reported
0
Median mileage
45,000 mi
Related recalls
0

Typical electrical symptoms owners report

  • Rear tail lights and hatch area fill with water, causing lights to fail and creating interior mold and stains.
  • Push-button start fails intermittently, with the key icon staying lit and dealers eventually tracing it to a failed start/stop switch.
  • Instrument cluster odometer and gas gauge display go blank or show scrambled characters, especially in cold weather below 60 degrees.
  • Vehicle fails to start with all dashboard warning lights illuminated, sometimes followed by inability to shift out of gear.
  • Dashboard lights all illuminate suddenly while driving, coinciding with a transmission fluid leak and start/stop switch failure.

When 2016 Honda HR-V electrical complaints were filed

First complaint Feb 25, 2016, latest Feb 19, 2026.

2016 Honda HR-V electrical system complaints: complaints filed per month3Feb 2016Feb 2018Aug 2019Nov 2020Oct 2021Dec 2022Apr 2024May 2025
63 complaints filed with NHTSA from Feb 2016 to Feb 2026; peak Sep 2020 (3).

Electrical System recalls for the 2016 Honda HR-V

No safety recalls on record for this model year.

Electrical System complaints by HR-V model year

Raw complaint counts per model year; newer years have had less time to accumulate complaints.

  1. 201663 (26%)
  2. 201729 (24%)
  3. 201848 (31%)
  4. 201967 (29%)
  5. 202021 (25%)
  6. 202115 (24%)
  7. 202227 (31%)
  8. 202333 (5%)
  9. 202413 (12%)
  10. 20255 (12%)

Frequently asked questions

How common are electrical problems on the 2016 Honda HR-V?
NHTSA has 63 Electrical System complaints for the 2016 HR-V, making up 26% of all 239 complaints filed for that model year.
Is there a recall for the 2016 Honda HR-V electrical system?
No related recall is listed in NHTSA data for this problem area on the 2016 HR-V.
At what mileage do electrical issues typically show up on the 2016 HR-V?
The median mileage at failure reported to NHTSA for this area is 45,000 miles.
What specific electrical failures do owners report on the 2016 HR-V?
Owners describe water intrusion shorting rear tail lights, push-button start and start/stop switch failures, and instrument cluster displays going blank or scrambled in cold weather.
How does the 2016 HR-V compare to other years for electrical complaints?
The 2016 model's 26% share is close to other early years like 2017 (24%) and 2018 (31%), while later years such as 2023 (5%) and 2024 (12%) show lower shares.

Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint and recall databases; U.S. EPA fuel economy data; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

Data updated Sep 24, 2026. Read the methodology and data sources. The Complaint Index is based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls; it is not a reliability rating.