Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise, lane keeping, backup camera).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2019 Honda Insight owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact who is an attorney, called regarding the crash of a 2019 Honda Insight and another vehicle. The contact stated that while the Honda Insight driver was driving approximately 65 MPH with the Forward Collision Avoidance: Adaptive Cruise Control activated, the vehicle crashed into the rear of another vehicle. The contact stated that the Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking feature malfunctioned, and failed to prevent the crash. The contact stated that the air bags in the Honda Insight deployed. Unfortunately, the driver of the other vehicle died in the crash. The driver of the Honda Insight was arrested; however, there was no information regarding injuries being sustained. The contact stated that the driver was found to not be intoxicated and was not distracted while driving during the crash. …
i was going home from work in my Honda insight 2019 and all of a sudden my car started showing all kings of warnings every single indicator was on and my car started to spin and hit the side railing of the highway i almost died that day no airbags deployed that is also an other safety function did work that day. Honda refuse to take any kind of responsibility for the car malfunction i called and ask for help they said go ahead buy a new car we can't help you with anything. my request to the department is take a action against HONDA so no other family or any other driver go through this. and no one lose love ones.
The contact owns a 2019 Honda Insight. The contact stated that the after starting the vehicle and shifting to reverse(R), the backup camera failed to display an image, creating a visibility hazard for the driver. Additionally, while the vehicle was parked several electrical features could not be accessed, with a message stating that the features could not be accessed because the vehicle was in motion. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer was contacted and a service appointment was schedule. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 27,000.
I was driving down the street and a car slowed down way in front of me. While I was braking my automatic braking system turned on and brought me to a complete stop. This caused my car to get hit from the back. The automatic braking does not slow down the car, it brings the car to a complete stop. Another incident, I was driving on the highway with nothing was in front of me and the brake signal started flashing and slowing the car down.
I drove into my friends driveway with my foot on the brake to drop her off. All of a sudden my car lurched forward damaging my friends garage door and the foundation of her house. I had zero control of the car at that point. I plan on notifying Honda. There were no warning lights, or messages prior to this disaster.
I experienced an inadvertent emergency braking action in my 2019 Insight while cruising at highway speed. I was in the right lane, which had just doubled in width due to an on-ramp joining the highway. This situation will sometimes confuse my car's Lane Keeping Assist System, causing a side-to-side shudder or swerve, but in this case the Automatic Emergency Braking activated, causing me to lose about 10-15 mph in speed. There were no other cars around, and I never lost control of the vehicle. Most of the time, an AEB activation like what I experienced is completely harmless. There are no other cars around, and the road surface is good enough to prevent a loss of control. If another car is close behind or the road surface is extremely poor (ice, substantial water, etc.), this experience could possibly result in a rear-end collision or a spin-out. …
The lane departure warning system in my Insight has, for the six years I have owned it, regularly been confused by shadows on the road - flashing a departure warning and trying to adjust the steering while I am driving within my lane. I was prompted to write this today because the LDS went off four times during my 8-mile drive to work this morning. It's mostly been a distracting annoyance, but as far as I know the system can't be disabled - just turned off manually every time the car is started. In sum: the vast majority of the times the lane departure system has alerted, the vehicle has not in fact been departing from a lane, but the LDS appears to be responding to shadows on the road - particularly in the morning and afternoon when shadows are darkest, and specifically while crossing a cable-stayed bridge (the cables cast lines of shadows across the roadway). …
On [redacted] while driving my 2019 Honda Insight Touring at approximately 35 mph on [redacted] , the vehicle's automatic emergency braking system suddenly activated without any obstacle present. The car braked very hard, creating a dangerous situation in traffic. This was not the first time it has happened. The same issue occurred on two separate occasions in 2022, also with no vehicles or obstacles nearby. Each time, the system engaged abruptly and without warning. I am concerned about the safety risk of the Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS) activating erroneously, as it could easily cause a rear-end collision.
I was stopped at a stoplight and then the light turned green. I began to accelerate and immediately and simultaneously my car began flashing BRAKE, beeping, and slamming on the brakes. I came to a literal grinding halt. There was no car in front of me nor was one merging into my lane. It was completely unwarranted and quite honestly frightening. There was a car behind me but thankfully they did not hit me. The CMBS clearly malfunctioned. Because there was no collision I did not file a police report. This however did put me at a huge risk of getting rear ended. The car has not been inspected since as this is not an open recall. There were no warning signs (lamps, messages, etc) before this occured.
Driving on the highway in the evening with no obstruction ahead of the vehicle, the "Automatic Emergency Braking" system engaged, giving an audible alert, visual alert, and applied braking enough to accelerate the car from 65 mph to 40 mph. No one was behind us luckily so there was no crash or injury but there easily found have been. I took the car in for repair and the service techs found no issue with the car or the system. I have now seen this reported in Accords which share much of the same design and technology as the Insight. Please add this to the the complaint list for the outstanding issue so Honda will include the Insight into their analysis.
Related recalls
Back over prevention › Sensing system › Camera
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2020 Accord Sedan, Accord Hybrid, and 2019-2020 Insight vehicles. A software error may cause intermittent or continuous disruptions in communication between the Body Control Module (BCM) and other components.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will update the BCM software, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin February 22, 2021. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138.
Back over prevention › Sensing system › Camera
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018 Honda Accord and 2019 Honda Insight vehicles. In certain scenarios, the back-up camera center display may not function properly. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rearview Mirrors."
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the display audio unit software, free of charge. The recall began October 30, 2018. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138.
NHTSA investigations
Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking
On March 7, 2024, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE24008) to assess reports of inadvertent activation of the Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) system in model year 2019-2022 Honda Insight and 2019-2022 Honda Passport vehicles. The complainants allege activation of the AEB system with no apparent obstruction in the vehicle's path, resulting in rapid vehicle deceleration.
Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking
On March 7, 2024, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE24008) to assess reports of inadvertent activation of the Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) system in model year 2019-2022 Honda Insight and 2019-2022 Honda Passport vehicles. The complainants allege activation of the AEB system with no apparent obstruction in the vehicle's path, resulting in rapid vehicle deceleration.
Collision Avoidance complaints in other Insight years
Frequently asked questions
How common are collision avoidance problems on the 2019 Honda Insight?
NHTSA has 24 complaints about the driver assistance of the 2019 Honda Insight, 24% of the model year's 99 complaints. The component named most often is automatic emergency braking (13 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2019 Honda Insight collision avoidance problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 20V-771 (camera, Dec 10, 2020); NHTSA recall 18V-629 (camera, Sep 13, 2018). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2019 Honda Insight collision avoidance problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 32,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 4 crashes, 0 fires and 1 injury to driver assistance problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.