2013 Honda Insight Engine Problems

I have had a 2013 Honda Insight since September 2024 and I have complained about excessive oil consumption since October 2024.This past Saturday my car stopped on the highway when I tried to accelerate. It was towed to Honda and the diagnostic comes back as piston ring replacement with spark plugs. Last November I had 2 spark plugs replaced and my ignition coils. There was an ESB put out by Honda but I was not the current owner then so Honda doesn’t want to cover the cost. I also have contacted the dealership, that is not a certified reseller of Honda, mark Sweeney Buick of Cincinnati, Ohio but since I signed an As Is contract they stated they wouldn’t assist. The first week I got the car there were problems. I feel like mark Sweeney didn’t fully check their car before it was sold. Honda clearly saw that customers were having issues with the oil consumption, otherwise they wouldn’t have put out an 2 ESBs in the first place. I’d really like some assistance on this problem if possible. Attached will be both quotes, 1 from Nov 2024 were actually work was done and the other is what currently needs to be fixed on the car, mainly the piston rings and spark plugs.

Noticed decreased performance & frequent oil changes in 2015. At first, I did not know the weak engine performance was related to the oil consumption & was never offered diagnostic testing until May 2023 across multiple Honda shops in different states. With this, I was under the impression that my car was performing within normal limits. Finally in May 2023 the local Honda shop recommended the proper diagnostic test & told me about the known piston/oil consumption defect known to this model & the (expired) warranty extension that was associated with it. I returned end of Aug 2023 to get results of my oil consumption test, which was positive. At this time, they quoted me a repair cost (to change out the piston rings, gaskets, & spark plugs) but I had to defer due to the high cost. The service representative that day happened to be rude/dismissive & also did not tell me how urgent this repair is or what the consequences of not repairing could be. I have been driving my car in the local area/mainly on surface streets while waiting for the service manager to get back to me about appealing to Honda USA for a goodwill repair. In the interim, my car suddenly & randomly stopped working while on the road. Just started shuddering, engine lost power & could not go more than 10 mph. 4 engine lights came on (check emissions, steering, VSA, hill assist systems). No real warning beforehand, I had been living with this defect undiagnosed for years. I was fortunately on a small streets at night when there was no traffic, so I did not lose power with other cars around, but had this happened on a busy/fast road, it could have easily caused an accident.

The contact owns 2013 Honda Insight. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle shuddered. Additionally, the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The contact stated that the engine was consuming 3-4 quarts of oil per 1,000 miles driven. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who performed an oil change. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 92,000.

We were driving our Honda in a 70mph zone and the car's speed suddenly dropped to 15mph. We were not able to drive any faster than 15mph and could have been killed while driving on a highway where other cars were driving at 70mph, or we could have caused a pile up of cars with multiple accidents. We were very lucky that we were able to pull over to the side of the highway before another car hit us. We were not even able to drive to an exit, and had to sit on the side of a busy highway for nearly 3 hours as we waited for a tow truck. Multiple warning lights came on at the same time the speed of the car suddenly dropped. Warning lights for most systems on the car starting flashing at this point, but not in advance to warn us. We had the car towed to a local mechanic and he told us that a piston in the engine had failed completely and the engine would need to be rebuilt. We contacted Honda on the first business day after our engine failed, which was Monday, November 15. The engine in our car is currently under an extended warranty with Honda because of problems with the pistons and engine. It was not part of a recall, but definitely should have been! Instead, Honda called it a "customer preference". Honda admitted to us on the phone that this was part of the "customer preference" and that the Honda dealer should repair the engine as part of the extended warranty; however, it has been nearly a month since our initial call to Honda and they still have not authorized the work. We have called them approximately 15-20 times in the past month and they continue to evade our calls by telling us that "a manager will get back to us". We have been told this repair will cost approximately $10,000, and therefore, it's not an option for us to just pay for the repair ourselves. Honda is aware of this safety issue, they have not issued a recall for it and they clearly have no intention of honoring their warranty for this issue. As consumers, we don't know what to do.

PROGRESSIVE INCREASE IN LOSS OF MOTOR OIL FOR THE PAST 12 MONTHS. I HAVE TO ADD 1 QUART OF 0W-20 VALVOLINE SYNTHETIC MOTOR OIL EVERY 2 WEEKS! DARK SMOKE COMING OUT EXHAUST WITH ACCELERATION. KNOCKING SOUND FROM THE MOTOR OBSERVED. I USED TO HAVE HONDA ACCORD AND NEVER HAD THIS PROBLEM.

TRAVELING 65MPH ON HIGHWAY WITH CRUISE CONTROL ON. LOST POWER AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I PULLED TO THE SHOULDER, ENGINE CONTINUED TO RUN, BUT WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. TURNED CAR OFF AND BACK ON AND MULTIPLE CHECK MESSAGES DISPLAYED. I HAD CAR TOWED TO LOCAL HONDA DEALER SHOP. THEY INFORMED ME SPARK PLUGS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I AGREED, BUT NEXT DAY THEY CALLED TO TELL ME THE ENTIRE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. HONDA HAS EXTENDED THE ENGINE WARRANTY, BUT NO ONE FROM DEALER MENTIONED THAT. THEY WANTED MORE FOR NEW ENGINE THAN THE CAR IS WORTH.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 HONDA INSIGHT. WHILE DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND ALL THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THE SPARK PLUGS WERE REPLACED AND MORE OIL WAS ADDED TO THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS BURNING EXCESSIVE OIL AND MORE OIL WAS NEEDED EVERY 1,000 MILES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO ALTOONA HONDA (201 VALLEY VIEW BLVD, ALTOONA, PA 16602, (814) 944-4517) WHERE AN OIL CONSUMPTION TEST WAS PERFORMED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 76,276.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 HONDA INSIGHT. WHILE DRIVING 73 MPH, THE VEHICLE DECELERATED AND SHUT OFF. THE CONTACT COULD NOT COAST THE VEHICLE AND LET IT VEER OFF TO THE SHOULDER. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESTART AND WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S HOME. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO VANDERGRIFF HONDA (1104 W INTERSTATE 20, ARLINGTON, TX 76017, (817) 533-4266), BUT THEY STATED THAT THEY COULD NOT ASSIST. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,514.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 HONDA INSIGHT. UPON INSPECTION, THE CONTACT NOTICED AN ABNORMALLY LOW OIL LEVEL AFTER DRIVING 2,000 MILES. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO WINTER HONDA (3850 CENTURY CT, PITTSBURG, CA) WHERE IT WAS CONFIRMED THAT THE VEHICLE CONSUMED AN ABNORMAL AMOUNT OF OIL. THE DEALER STATED THAT THERE WERE NO FURTHER ACTIONS THAT COULD BE TAKEN AT THAT TIME DUE TO THE CONSUMPTION BEING LESS THAN ONE QUART EVERY 1,000 MILES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 56,000.

EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION - WARNING LIGHTS DO NOT COME ON TO TELL YOU THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH LOW OIL. ONLY NOTICE AT TIME OF OIL CHANGES THAT LEVELS SEEMED LOW. AND NOT OIL IS BASICALLY NEEDING TO BE CHECKED AND MONITORED LIKE GAS. AND THEN SUDDEN EMISSION LIGHT AT ONLY 60,000 MILES ON THE CAR AND I AM TOLD ALL THEY WILL DO IS FIX SOMETHING ONCE IT BREAKS. WHY WONT HONDA JUST REPLACE ENGINE PIECES WITHOUT CONTINUED IMPACT ON MY TIME. THIS OIL TEST IS GOING TO COST ME AN ADDITIONAL 2 HOURS OUT OF MY DAYS COMING UP FOR EVERY 1000 MILES, 3X!

ON INTERSTATE, CHUG CHUG, STOP; LIFE IN DANGER, STUCK ONE HOUR, WAITING FOR AAA; TOWED, HONDA DEALER, OIL CONSUMPTION BLOWS OUT SPARK PLUGS; HONDA ISSUES EXTENDED WARRANTY; AN OIL TEST IS DONE; LIFE IS IN DANGER FOR SEVERAL MONTHS DRIVING 1,000 MILES AT A TIME; VEHICLE COULD COME TO COMPLETE STOP AT ANY MOMENT. THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL, A LAWSUIT; NOTHING THE DRIVER CAN DO; OWNER PAYS FOR THE FIRST REPAIR; WHY? IT IS HONDA'S DEFECT. DEATH BEFORE REPAIR AN ACTUAL CONCERN.

MAJOR CARBON BUILD UP IN A CAR THAT HAS LESS THAN 63,000 MILES ON IT.

I HAVE NO LOANER CAR TO DRIVE FOR MORE THAN ONE WEEK

2013 HONDA INSIGHT. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION. *LD CONSUMER SENT ADDITIONAL CORRESPONDENCE. *LD CONSUMER SENT ADDITIONAL CORRESPONDENCE. THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE WOULD SHAKE AND HESITATE WHILE DRIVING. *JS THE CONSUMER STATED THE ENGINE DIED TWICE ALMOST CAUSING A CRASH. THE CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THE VEHICLE WAS OPERATING AS DESIGNED. *JS

TL* THE CONTACT LEASED A 2013 HONDA INSIGHT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS A PREMATURE FAILURE OF THE ENGINE ASSEMBLY. THE DEALER (HONDA OF SALEM, 1101 VAN NESS AVE NE, SALEM, OR 97301, (971) 701-2708) INDICATED THAT THERE WAS A SERVICE CAMPAIGN AND AN EXTENDED SERVICE CAMPAIGN TO REMEDY THE FAILURE. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THAT THE OIL CONTROL RINGS BUILT UP RESIDUE, WHICH CAUSED THE ENGINE TO SEIZE. ALSO, THERE WAS A LACK OF OIL INTERNALLY AS THE FAILURE OCCURRED. THE CONTACT WAS TO CHECK WITH THE MANUFACTURER TO DETERMINE A SOLUTION AND TO TRADE-IN THE VEHICLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,000.

2013 HONDA INSIGHT. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO UNINTENDED ACCELERATION AND TEMPORARY BRAKE FAILURE. *SMD CONSUMER SENT ADDITIONAL CORRESPONDENCE. *SMD SENT AGAIN ON 12/22/16, 1/11/17. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED WHILE THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED, THE ENGINE MADE A LOUD NOISE OF ACCELERATION AND THE VEHICLE SPED UP. ON A SEPARATE OCCASION THE OIL, CHECK ENGINE, CHECK EMISSION, CHECK HILL START ASSISTANT, AND CHECK VSA LIGHT ALL ILLUMINATED. THE ENGINE SHUTTERED. *JS THE CONSUMER STATED THE ENGINE OIL DIP STICK SHOWED A DROP OF OIL BELOW THE LOWEST OF THE TWO HOLES. THE CONSUMER ADDED OIL. HOWEVER, SEVEN DAYS LATER, THE OIL WAS LOW AGAIN. THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE IS EXCESSIVELY BURNING OIL. *JB UPDATED 08/4/2017*JS *JS *JS

I HAVE LIFE TIME OIL CHANGES, I HAD THE OIL CHANGED ON 10/27/16, I ADVISED, FOR THE SECOND TIME THAT IT WAS USING QUITE A BIT OF OIL (IT WAS LOW AGAIN). THEY SAID IT WAS NORMAL FOR THE CAR. ON DECEMBER 1, I WAS ON THE FREEWAY AND MY CAR STALLED. I WAS ABLE TO PULL OFF OF THE FREEWAY AND HAD TO WAIT FOR A TOW TRUCK AS MY CAR WOULD NOT START. WE HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP, AND WHEN THEY ESTIMATED THE REPAIRS, IT WAS $8200.00 TO FIX. THE CAR IS NOT EVEN WORTH $7500.00. THEY TOLD ME THAT THE VALVE TIGHTENED, WHICH WAS RARE AT THIS MILEAGE, CAUSING THE SPARK PLUGS TO MELT, BURN THE EXHAUST VALVE, AND A BURNT CYLINDER HOLE. I WAS INFORMED BY THE DEALERSHIP THAT VALVE JOBS DON'T OCCUR UNTIL 100,000 MILES IN THESE VEHICLES. THEY ALSO SAID THAT THE OIL SHOULD HAVE BEEN CHANGED MORE OFTEN DUE TO THE OIL CONSUMPTION. I WAS ALREADY ADDING OIL IN BETWEEN OIL CHANGES. DUE TO THE COST OF THE REPAIRS, I AM IN SEARCH OF A REPLACEMENT MOTOR TO INSTALL INSTEAD OF HAVING THE DEALERSHIP REBUILD IT. *TR

MY HONDA IS BURNING OIL FROM THE INGINE.NO LEAKS. I CAN GET A OIL CHANGE TODAY AND IN 5 DAYS I NEED MORE OIL. I'VE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND SEE ONLINE 64 COMPLAINTS OF THIS CODE 1982A. NOW THE DEALER WANTS ME TO PAY ALMOST 4,000 DOLLARS TO GET IT FIX WHEN THEY KNOW THEY SOLD ME A LEMON. HONDA DEALER SAID I NEED PISTONS,RINGS AND SPARK PLUGS. TODAY THEY GAVE ME A LOANER CAR BUT SAYS I HAVE TO PAY 485 TO BREAK DOWN MY ENGINE AND POSSIBLY 485 TO PIT IT BACK TOGETHER AFTER THE TEST.

EXCESSIVE ENGINE OIL CONSUMPTION. ENGINE STALLING WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE. LARGE CLOUD OF BLUE SMOKE COMING FROM TAIL PIPE WHEN ACCELERATING UP TO HIGHWAY SPEEDS. ALL THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES.

EXCESSIVE OIL CONSUMPTION. USES A MINIMUM OF 1 QUART EVERY 1,000 MILES. HONDA REFUSES TO DO ANYTHING WITH REPAIRING IT.