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Honda lemon law
If your Honda keeps going back to the dealer for the same problem, your state's lemon law may make the maker buy it back or replace it, and pay your lawyer when you win. Here is what Honda owners report to the federal government, and how to check your own car.
What Honda owners report most
| Problem area | Complaints |
|---|---|
| Steering | 2,970 |
| Wiring, battery, lights and electronics | 1,852 |
| Automatic emergency braking and collision warning | 1,478 |
| Engine | 1,258 |
| Brakes | 766 |
| Transmission, drive shafts and axles | 716 |
A complaint can name more than one area. 1,783 complaints name none.
Models with the most complaints
- CR-V 1,944
- Civic 1,522
- Pilot 1,120
- Prologue 1,028
- HR-V 1,022
- Odyssey 1,001
Latest Honda recalls
- Tires, October 8, 2026: 2025 CR-V Fuel Cell EV, 2023 Accord Hybrid, 2024 Accord Hybrid, 2025 Accord Hybrid, about 4,804 vehicles.
“A detached bottle cap can become a projectile and strike the user or others nearby, increasing the risk of injury.”
NHTSA recall 26V663000 - Fuel System, Gasoline, October 1, 2026: 2023 VT1300CX, 2024 VT1300CX, 2025 VT1300CX, 2025 VT750, about 4,206 vehicles.
“Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.”
NHTSA recall 26V633000 - Steering, July 30, 2026: 2025 CMX500, 2025 CMX300, 2023 CMX300, 2026 CMX300, about 43,913 vehicles.
“A detached screw may lodge between the frame and stem, interfering with steering and increasing the risk of a crash or injury.”
NHTSA recall 26V500000 - Structure, July 1, 2026: 2026 Pilot, 2026 Passport, about 3,933 vehicles.
“Loose rear subframe bolts can lead to a loss of vehicle stability or rear subframe detachment, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.”
NHTSA recall 26V424000 - Suspension, June 4, 2026: 2022 Passport, 2021 Ridgeline, 2022 Ridgeline, 2023 Ridgeline, about 965,561 vehicles.
“Failure of rear suspension components, such as the rear control arm, can cause a loss of vehicle handling and control, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.”
NHTSA recall 26V365000
Check your own car by its VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup. Recall repairs are free at any Honda dealer.
Recalls, repairs and the lemon law
A recall alone does not make a car a lemon. What counts is a defect the dealer cannot fix: most states presume a lemon after 3 or 4 repair attempts for the same problem, fewer for a defect that could cause a crash, or about 30 days in the shop, inside the first one to two years. A recall repair for a defect that keeps coming back is a repair attempt like any other, so keep the repair order from every visit.
In California, Honda was not on the state's list of makers in the new lemon law process on October 26, 2026, so the older rules apply. The list
How a Honda lemon law claim and buyback work
Keep the repair order from every visit, then write to Honda, not only the dealer, at the customer relations address in your owner's manual or warranty booklet, and ask for a buyback or a replacement. In a buyback Honda refunds the price, taxes and fees and costs like towing, minus a deduction for the miles you drove before the first repair, and pays off the loan.
The steps · Letter template · Buyback or cash and keep · Estimate a buyback
Honda lemon law in your state
The rules depend on the state where you bought or leased the car:
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Questions about Honda lemons
How many complaints have Honda owners filed with NHTSA?
10,553 for 2021 to 2027 model years, received through October 22, 2026. The most reported area is steering.
How many Honda recalls are there?
80 safety recalls cover 2021 to 2027 Honda models, for about 13,532,186 vehicles in all.
Is a recall enough to make my Honda a lemon?
No, not on its own. But if a defect keeps coming back after repairs, recall repairs included, each visit can count as a repair attempt under your state's lemon law. Keep every repair order.
How do I start a Honda lemon law claim?
Keep every repair order, then write to Honda at the address for customer relations in your owner's manual or warranty booklet, asking for a buyback or replacement under your state's lemon law. Send it by a tracked method and keep a copy.
Does Honda have to buy back a lemon?
Yes, when your state's lemon law rules are met. The maker must buy the car back or replace it, and most states let you choose. The rules differ by state: see your state guide.
Did Honda opt in to California's new lemon law process?
Not on the state's list on October 26, 2026, so California's older lemon law rules apply to Honda cars.
About the data
From NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation files (complaints received 2020 to now, and recalls), counted for 2021 to 2027 model years and filed under the make HONDA. Read on October 26, 2026. Complaints are what owners report, not findings, and big sellers get more of them: a count is not a defect rate, and it says nothing about your car. We keep no complaint text or personal details.
Is your Honda a lemon? Find out free
Free, about ten taps. You see what your state's law says first. If you want a lawyer, we find a lemon law firm in your state that takes cases like yours, and they contact you.
Your state: Ohio
What model year is it?
Who pays the lawyer? In Ohio, an owner who wins can make the maker pay the lawyer.* * So most lemon law lawyers ask nothing up front. Some charge costs, or a share of a settlement: ask before you sign. You never pay us. More