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2019-2020 Honda Insight Fuel Pump Motor Recall (NHTSA #23V-858, 2/1/2024)

59K views 119 replies 31 participants last post by  newsguy99  
#1 · (Edited)
2/1/2024 Update

Model Year: 2019 - 2020
Insight Production Dates: FEB 13, 2018 - NOV 21, 2019

Description of the Defect : The fuel pump impeller was improperly moulded, resulting in low density impellers. Over time, the low-density impeller can deform and interfere with the fuel pump body, rendering the fuel pump inoperative.

Description of the Safety Risk : If the fuel pump module is inoperative, the engine may not start or can stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.

Description of the Cause : The fuel pump impeller was improperly moulded, resulting in low density impellers. If the surface of a lower density impeller is exposed to production solvent drying for longer periods of time, surface cracking may occur. These cracks may lead to excessive fuel absorption, resulting in impeller deformation, interference with the fuel pump body, and, possibly, an inoperable fuel pump.

Identification of Any Warning that can Occur : Warnings may include illumination of the Malfunction Indicator Lamp (MIL), and intermittent loss of power, difficulty starting, or stalling of the vehicle.

Description of Remedy Program : Registered owners of all affected vehicles will be contacted by mail and asked to take their vehicle to an authorized Honda or Acura dealer. The dealer will replace the fuel pump module with an improved part. Owners who have paid to have these repairs completed at their own expense may be eligible for reimbursement, in accord with the recall reimbursement plan on file with NHTSA.

How Remedy Component Differs from Recalled Component : Remedy parts have impellers with greater density and expanded clearance between the impeller and fuel pump body.

Identify How/When Recall Condition was Corrected in Production : The supplier improved the fuel pump modules with greater density impellers and expanded clearance between the impeller and fuel pump body during production on July 23, 2019.

Planned Dealer Notification Date
: DEC 19, 2023 - DEC 19, 2023
Planned Owner Notification Date : FEB 05, 2024 - MAR 18, 2024

May 21, 2020
Honda determined that a defect related to motor vehicle safety existed and decided to conduct a safety recall (NHTSA ID no. 20V-314).

March 19, 2021
Honda determined that a defect related to motor vehicle safety existed and decided to conduct a safety recall (NHTSA ID no. 21V-215).

September 11, 2023
Honda observed a trend of incidents in vehicles outside of the affected population in Japan and restarted its investigation of the issue.

October 20, 2023
Honda analyzed the recovered parts and continued to investigate the issue.

December 1, 2023
Honda decided to conduct a foreign safety recall of certain vehicles in Japan and China. (NHTSA ID no. 23F-254). Honda continued to investigate and analyze the issue for other countries.

December 12, 2023
After confirming the affected population of vehicles expanded, Honda determined that a defect related to motor vehicle safety existed and decided to conduct a safety recall. This recall is an expansion of the same condition/defect reported in NHTSA recall IDs 20V-314 and 21V-215, but it does not include any vehicles previously recalled in either. As of December 12, 2023, Honda has had 4,042 warranty claims, and no reports of injuries or deaths related to this issue from January 2018 through December 12, 2023.

December 20, 2023
Honda amended the Part 573 recall filing to include 2017-2020 model year Pilot vehicles that were inadvertently left off of the affected vehicle list in the initial recall filing.

January 25, 2024
Honda continued its investigation of the affected vehicle population and determined that additional units should be added to this safety recall due to the installation of defective service parts.

I was notified of a pending recall for my Insight on Friday via carfax. I use carfax maintenance service to keep track of my service records since my dealership automatically uploads them there. The recall doesn't appear to have an official NHTSA recall number so I can't confirm the recall is legit yet.

5346
 
#2 ·
Will be interested in further details, but this seems kinda weird at initial glance. Honda would own the VIN identification / notification list, and would publish that first before anyone else can see or access it. And CarFax seems an unlikely first place to be notified.

Do you see anything listed for your car when you look up VIN on Honda's site? If it's VIN specific and CarFax was notified, perhaps something will show up there online for you. Quick check of my VIN on the site still says "no safety recalls for this vehicle."
 
#7 ·
Do you see anything listed for your car when you look up VIN on Honda's site?
I'm not seeing any results on Honda or the government's recall database. Carfax might've received the pending recall somehow ahead of time(My VIN is registered with them).

^I'm thinking it might've something to do with the denso fuel pump recall announced a few weeks ago.
 
#3 ·
Honda/Acura has an open fuel pump recall for 437k cars (16-18 Acura MDX, 15-19 Acura TLX V6, 15-17 Honda Accord V6)... and there's an extended powertrain warranty for 1 million CR-Vs and Civics with 1.5L turbocharged engines. But both have the common them of larger and/or higher-powered engines. Highlights from this prior recall:
  • the recall only applied to models with the 3.5-liter V-6 engine
  • sodium particulates in low-quality fuels may cling to internal fuel pump components, causing electrical and mechanical resistance and poor fuel pump performance
  • Honda dealers will perform a fuel injection ECU software update to eliminate 10V fuel pump operation to prevent issue; OR if diagnostic scan indicates the pump previously stalled, owner will receive a new fuel pump
  • any owners who repaired or replaced this prior to recall will receive reimbursement.

Honda also has a weird fuel pump recall for 107k 17-19 Ridgeline models, due to acids in car wash products having an adverse reaction with the fuel pump.


In China, 775k Honda models are being recalled for fuel pumps. This was one of the newest recall announcements Honda has made (late-May 2020), but as of now seems local to the Chinese market.


Toyota/Lexus also has a larger (1.8 million) car recall involving fuel pumps on 2013-2019 models.


Haven't seen anything yet for the GenX (18-20) Honda Accord Hybrid, which would be the closest engine comparison to the Insight. It's surprising just how many cars with fuel pump issues are being recalled across multiple manufacturers. Hoping the Insight notice is not related to any of these examples above...
 
#5 ·
Didn't receive email, and VIN-lookup didn't show anything for my car. When you look up your VIN on the Honda site, is there any additional info/detail? Was hoping it wasn't real...

There's mention above from @andrew28 above that this same "#W7F" recall ID appeared for VIN that is listed/tracked via CarFax.

These resources / contacts are listed on Honda's recall page:

American Honda Motor Co., Inc.
Honda Automobile Customer Service
Recall Line:
(888) 234-2138
Monday-Friday: 6am-5pm PT

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Vehicle Safety Hotline
(888) 327-4236 toll free
safercar.gov
 
#11 ·
Dealerships have access to the service bulletin. Someone over the CivicX forum posted one for the type R issued on 5/29/20. No official announcement from Honda yet most likely due to dealerships waiting for parts as stated in the service bulletin.
 
#12 ·
The following is a Canadian site, so the data/reporting may be limited to Canada... but it quotes 10459 cars affected in Canada across 12 Honda models including the 2019 Insight.

Apparently the Canadian government is more timely/forthcoming about recall information,
Transport Canada Recall # 2020236.
 
#16 ·
Likely so. The AP article andrew28 shared above mentions it includes 2019-2020 Insights, and owner notification in July. The article snippet mentions 1.4 million cars worldwide, and 136k cars in the US. (10k cars in Canada are mentioned in separate article.)

Given that it's "only" 136k cars in the US and is spread across multiple model years (2018-2020) and model types (Accord, Civic Hatch, Civic Type-R, HR-V, Fit, Insight, Acura RDX/RLX/NSX) it seems like it will be variable as to who's affected by production date.

This is still speculation as we await details - but one thing going "against" this chance of likelihood is that all Insights are produced at a single plant, rather than multiple plants. So high probability that the part(s) affected all Insights in the investigated time frame.
 
#17 ·
Carfax updated the recall with a little more detail on the defect along with the official NHTSA #.

5356


NHTSA Report 20v-314:
5357


5358


If you own a 2020 Insight only 10 units affected. Apparently Honda only made 10 2020 Insights during that one month period between 8/2019 - 9/2019 before they stopped using the defective Denso part.

I wonder what happened to the Insights produced between 3/8/19 - 8/26/19 unless Honda just stopped making Insights during that period as they planned for the 2020 model year... It does align with our suspicion that Honda dealerships were lacking Insight inventory after August.
 
#18 ·
Carfax updated the recall with a little more detail on the defect along with the official NHTSA # 20V-314.
Skimming thru the 17 (!!) documents posted:
 
#21 ·
Just wondered if anyone in Canada has checked out the recall for the fuel pump. I entered my Vin number 19..............400.... and it says Vin not found as part of the recall yet my car has a build date of 01/19 which falls within the parameters
 
#24 ·
Same...affected and going to hold off on repair.

Aside from waiting techs to 'learn' on other cars, I was also avoiding having unnecessary people in my car at this time. I don't like the chemicals (or is it steam?) dealers are spraying to disinfect interiors. It may clean now (short term), but it affects the interior materials (long term). Hand sanitizer (alcohol) is one material that degrades plastic and leather (like dissolves like)... as in example below.
5373

I'm kinda annoyed that this is happening now, when I have no other need or reason to visit a Honda service center.
 
#25 ·
Parts are currently available for the Accord and Insight models through the controlled parts ordering system. We will notify you when parts become available for the Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, Fit and HR-V models.

Parts and repair instructions are available for the Insight. Fuel pump is under the rear seat where the lithium battery is located. Definitely going to wait until the techs get familiar with the repair process after looking through the service bulletin.
 
#26 · (Edited)
I put off the master cylinder replacement in my Odyssey for about a year. There's really no harm in waiting. I doubt the Insight would leave you totally stranded in the middle of the freeway due to it being a hybrid. I don't want to be the guinea pig on this one. After they lost all my settings while doing the rear camera recall, I'm not willing to go first.
 
#27 ·
Yeah, I'm waiting too as mentioned - but still a little unnerving due to it being a safety issue. I was also thinking that we hybrid owners may be better off since we have electric back-up energy (assuming that there isn't an interlock with the gas engine?).

The impeller metal sounds like it's too porous, in that it can swell and affect the clearance to the fuel pump wall. And given that the fuel pump is submerged and constantly exposed to this risk is concerning. I'd normally jump on doing this, but not this time.

The 20-step repair instructions that I linked in post #18 are pretty involved, including the 12V battery and rear seat removal to access the area. They're gonna be all-up-in my car, and I don't think they're as concerned about keeping things tidy as I am. And with the battery being disconnected, there may be some issues - or at least settings that need to be redone, if not saved in advance by service tech.

But on the bright side (?) - for anyone considering installation of the OEM rear seat covers, this would be an IDEAL time to get them and have them installed while the rear seats are out...
 
#30 ·
I was notified of a pending recall for my Insight on Friday via carfax. I use carfax maintenance service to keep track of my service records since my dealership automatically uploads them there. The recall doesn't appear to have an official NHTSA recall number so I can't confirm the recall is legit yet.

View attachment 5346
I just checked my Vin number on Hondas website and sure enough it’s affected by the recall. I received a phone call from them the other day so this appears to be legit. I’m getting service within the next 30 days anyway, so I think I’ll just wait for that. I doubt it’s going to fail within the next 30 days, plus as others have mentioned, let the technicians get the hang of this first!
 
#36 ·
I was notified of a pending recall for my Insight on Friday via carfax. I use carfax maintenance service to keep track of my service records since my dealership automatically uploads them there. The recall doesn't appear to have an official NHTSA recall number so I can't confirm the recall is legit yet.

View attachment 5346
I got a notification from the GasBuddy app on my phone for the recall. When I put my vin number on the United States Department of Transportation site it said their wasn’t any repairs for my vin. My Insight is 2020 so it’s possible my vin is not associated if the problem was fixed before it was built. I’m going to check with my dealer.
 
#39 ·
I read last night that it seems at this moment, only ~200 +- Honda's have been brought into the dealership for the issue. That's out of the thousands and thousands that have been sold (this does not only include the Insight - but the other models as well). The piece I read also said all cars that have been affected are also under warranty still.. I am going to take my time bringing mine in since I have had my car for a year and a half and already have 44,000 miles on it. I do not like the idea of the dealership tearing all those things apart. They've already done enough damage to my car when they tinted my windows.
 
#40 ·
I read last night that it seems at this moment, only ~200 +- Honda's have been brought into the dealership for the issue. That's out of the thousands and thousands that have been sold (this does not only include the Insight - but the other models as well). The piece I read also said all cars that have been affected are also under warranty still.
I think we read this same following excerpt (included in recall docs posted on NHTSA site):
"Honda has received 183 warranty claims, 68 field reports, and no reports of injuries or crashes related to this issue."

I interpreted as a significant-enough issue surfaced to trigger warranty claim and troubleshoot back to the fuel pump. And while no major issues have occurred, this is a safety issue that could result in injuries or accidents.
 
#42 · (Edited)
5400


I found this review on edmunds that was posted back in May before anyone knew about the recall.

I wonder if this(Power System Failure) is what @JasonRL is experiencing(fuel pump failure?)...
 
#43 · (Edited)
View attachment 5400

I found this review on edmunds that was posted back in May before anyone knew about the recall.

I wonder if this is what @JasonRL is experiencing...
Wow, so lets condemn an entire line of cars because of an issue with a fuel pump that has affected 3 major manufacturers. Sorry - get off the forum if you have nothing but trolling to do..

UPDATE I am so so sorry for misreading that!!!!!! I was half reading things and ended up looking like a butthead!
 
#49 ·
I'm undecided on whether to do it early or later right now. If I see covid-19 spiking again in Massachusetts I will probably do it early to get it over with. If not I will wait until the Fall when I'm due for my next oil change.
As a lower-mileage driver, I'm prepared to wait up to a year to schedule the recall repair. Although bringing the car to the dealer at any point before then could trigger the 'involuntary recall repair' for Honda liability reasons, as experienced by @Pb42.

The main deciding factor for me will be when replacement parts also become available for the Civic Hatchback/Type-R, Fit, and HR-V. Parts currently are available only for the Accord and Insight, which combined are <20% of affected vehicles. I want to wait until dealers have 'practiced' on HR-Vs and Civic Hatchbacks before my Insight. The Civic Hatchback setup will be most similar to the Insight's, so I'm waiting for those owners to report successful recall repairs.

Here's the relative ranking for affected US vehicles, out of 136k total across Honda and Acura:
29.2% = 2018-19 Honda HR-V (20416 in 2018, 19260 in 2019 model year)
25.3% = 2019 Acura RDX (34405)
17.8% = 2018-19 Honda Civic Hatchback (14838 in 2018, 9397 in 2019 model year)
11.0% = 2019-20 Honda Insight (14949 in 2019, 10 in 2020 model year)
7.5% = 2018 Honda Accord (10152)
6.8% = 2019 Honda Fit (9294)
1.3% = 2018-19 Honda Civic Type-R (1248 in 2019, 537 in 2018 model year)
0.2% = 2019 Acura RLX Hybrid (206)
0.1% = 2018-19 Acura NSX (14 in 2018, 132 in 2019 model year)
0.1% = 2019 Acura RLX (124)

The top 3 models are 72% of affected vehicles across Honda and Acura. And if Acuras are excluded, the HR-V and Civic Hatch are 63% of the Honda recall.