[Honda2019]

Well after having my 2019 Insight for 88 days, I have experienced by first "failure". Leaving work yesterday I got into my car, closed the door, and couldn't get the car out of park. Turns out the exterior drivers side door handle was stuck in the open position, causing the car to think the door was still open and not closed. I had to physically close the door handle in order for it to retract. After doing this about a dozen times, it started to retract on its own, but grudgingly.

Have had my Insight garaged at home and parked in a covered garage at work. Have never had to do anything with my door handles (no ice accumulation, etc.) other than open them (have done it approximately 176 times now to the drivers door handle). Have 3,081 miles on it.

Dropped it off at my dealer this morning and they are going to take a look at it (as well as all the other exterior door handles).

Here is a video I took when it first happened:

http://bit.ly/2019insightdoorhandle



Has anyone else experienced this issue?

Makes me think it is time to reconsider Honda Care for my Insight, as I'm sure this would be covered by it if I was out of warranty.

 

[Mr. Natural]

Well after having my 2019 Insight for 88 days, I have experienced by first "failure". Leaving work yesterday I got into my car, closed the door, and couldn't get the car out of park. Turns out the exterior drivers side door handle was stuck in the open position, causing the car to think the door was still open and not closed. I had to physically close the door handle in order for it to retract. After doing this about a dozen times, it started to retract on its own, but grudgingly.

Have had my Insight garaged at home and parked in a covered garage at work. Have never had to do anything with my door handles (no ice accumulation, etc.) other than open them (have done it approximately 176 times now to the drivers door handle). Have 3,081 miles on it.

Dropped it off at my dealer this morning and they are going to take a look at it (as well as all the other exterior door handles).

Here is a video I took when it first happened:

http://bit.ly/2019insightdoorhandle



Has anyone else experienced this issue?

Makes me think it is time to reconsider Honda Care for my Insight, as I'm sure this would be covered by it if I was out of warranty.

In the video it looks like the handle has some damage on the bottom edge? Or is that just a light reflection? By the way, are those aftermarket door edge protectors?

 

[richinsight21]

maybe someone yanked really hard on a break in attempt or someone just being dumb and damaged the handle ?

 

[Honda2019]

In the video it looks like the handle has some damage on the bottom edge? Or is that just a light reflection? By the way, are those aftermarket door edge protectors?

No damage on the handle that I can tell although I never noticed that white mark on the handle until you just pointed it out. We'll see what the dealer has to say about that mark. The door edge protectors came with the car from the dealer so not aftermarket.

 

[andrew28]

In the video it looks like the handle has some damage on the bottom edge? Or is that just a light reflection? By the way, are those aftermarket door edge protectors?

It looks like something smashed and scraped into it... Honda offers door edge protectors for the Insight(MSRP $99 - installation not included).

 

[Mr. Natural]

No damage on the handle that I can tell although I never noticed that white mark on the handle until you just pointed it out. We'll see what the dealer has to say about that mark. The door edge protectors came with the car from the dealer so not aftermarket.

The reason I asked about the edge protectors is because I expected them to be less noticeable. Like the same color as the car. Or maybe I’m seeing things again. 😛

 

[Mobilcams]

I’m wondering about the build quality of the doors in general. I’m about to take mine in because I can’t even listen to music without hearing the plastic on the door rattle now. I’ve only had it since mid January.

 

[Honda2019]

So the dealer just called and said that something/someone damaged the door handle which now needs to be replaced (they even saw the marking on the handle in my video on Youtube just like Mr. Natural pointed out). He thinks it might have been a bike, but it is anyone's guess. This is a mystery to me as I always try to park my Insight where other cars won't ding it or people walking between my car and the next won't bump into it. Normally this wouldn't have been covered under warranty and I would have had to pay for this repair and the parts, but my dealer is being very nice and covering the charges for me (probably because I bought the car from them, but in general I have received top notch service from them in terms of my general interactions with them since I bought the car). So now it is a waiting game for the door handle part to come in and then I'll schedule another service with them to replace it.

Anyone have any ideas on how to better protect our Insight door handles from being damaged by pedestrians or bicyclists?

 

[andrew28]

The reason I asked about the edge protectors is because I expected them to be less noticeable. Like the same color as the car. Or maybe I’m seeing things again. ��

The Honda Insight description for the accessory list it as color matched for factory appearance. Maybe @Honda2019 's dealership did it with the crystal black pearl one by mistake?

So the dealer just called and said that something/someone damaged the door handle which now needs to be replaced (they even saw the marking on the handle in my video on Youtube just like Mr. Natural pointed out). He thinks it might have been a bike, but it is anyone's guess. This is a mystery to me as I always try to park my Insight where other cars won't ding it or people walking between my car and the next won't bump into it. Normally this wouldn't have been covered under warranty and I would have had to pay for this repair and the parts, but my dealer is being very nice and covering the charges for me (probably because I bought the car from them, but in general I have received top notch service from them in terms of my general interactions with them since I bought the car). So now it is a waiting game for the door handle part to come in and then I'll schedule another service with them to replace it.

Anyone have any ideas on how to better protect our Insight door handles from being damaged by pedestrians or bicyclists?

I think it's just bad luck and not much can be done to protect that handle. The person that damaged and scraped it is just a douche that didn't bother leaving a note. It probably was intentional cause a scrape shouldn't have damaged the handle like that. I'm amazed that your dealership is willing to cover the cost of replacement when they didn't need to.

 

[Verdier]

I’m wondering about the build quality of the doors in general. I’m about to take mine in because I can’t even listen to music without hearing the plastic on the door rattle now. I’ve only had it since mid January.

Sound dampening on this car's stereo speakers was a disaster. The dealer will foam tape it and you'll be much happier I think. I went through the same problem. I'm going to assume you like your music loud like I do? 😊

 

[insightfully]

The Honda Insight description for the accessory list it as color matched for factory appearance. Maybe @Honda2019 's dealership did it with the crystal black pearl one by mistake?

I have the OEM door edge guards in silver; even with body-matched color, they're pretty noticeable and I'm not sure I love them. (Same is true for the body side molding I added; more noticeable than I'd like.) The floor models at my dealer had some cars with black door edge guards instead of body-matched; they said some cars got black as a general default... maybe because they didn't want to order the color-matched ones that are available (?). My dealer adds door edge guards and splash guards to all cars as "standard" accessories.

I think it's just bad luck and not much can be done to protect that handle. The person that damaged and scraped it is just a douche that didn't bother leaving a note. It probably was intentional cause a scrape shouldn't have damaged the handle like that. I'm amazed that your dealership is willing to cover the cost of replacement when they didn't need to.

I haven't seen anything that would protect the handle from impact either. But I have to say that since this handle was so different from my older Hondas with 'passive handle' - I've been careful when opening my door. I pull the handle just enough to crack the door open, then use the inner side-windowsill to open the door the rest of the way. I figure the windowsill is stronger than the handle, and I haven't wanted to rely on the handle to carry the weight of the door.

I was afraid this handle would be a point of failure, and it's a sad day to see/hear about it here. Hope your car comes back better-than-new @Honda2019 !

 

[Honda2019]

I was afraid this handle would be a point of failure, and it's a sad day to see/hear about it here. Hope your car comes back better-than-new @Honda2019 !

Thanks for the encouragement Insightfully. I guess having a not so durable door handle is better than having a faulty one that would require a recall for all Insights. Today I compared the Insight door handle to the door handle of a current model Chrysler Minivan a friend drives (which has the same pulling mechanism type), and it is night and day (the Insight door handle feels like a toy handle compared to the durability of the Chrysler's).

I think it's just bad luck and not much can be done to protect that handle. The person that damaged and scraped it is just a douche that didn't bother leaving a note. It probably was intentional cause a scrape shouldn't have damaged the handle like that. I'm amazed that your dealership is willing to cover the cost of replacement when they didn't need to.

Agreed on your assessment of the person that damaged my door handle. I suspect it was a white colored car door that was swung open too far and rammed into my door handle (I'll be looking for it in my work parking garage tomorrow), since the white paint is now gone from my door handle after the car went through a car wash at the dealer today (see photo below). The dealer of course has to order the part so it will be a week before I get it replaced. The service team at my dealer definitely went above and beyond with offering to replace the handle for free (although they did have to lobby Honda corporate to get permission to do so). If anyone is looking to buy a Honda in the D.C. area, I would definitely recommend Ourisman Honda of Bethesda.

 

[Mobilcams]

Sound dampening on this car's stereo speakers was a disaster. The dealer will foam tape it and you'll be much happier I think. I went through the same problem. I'm going to assume you like your music loud like I do? 😊

Yes sir! it didn’t do it really until now. Now I can be listening to a podcast and a transition with music makes me cringe. There’s also a little bit of wind noise coming through the drivers side at 65 or more that I can’t hear on the passengers side. They are supposed to address both of those issues.

 

[andrew28]

I hope by the time I'm in the market for my next car. Other manufactures will have something like Tesla's Sentry mode.

Lady purposely vandalized the Tesla with a key. 1:04.

Door ding by kid 0:36 Another ding at 0:57

Bad parking and sideswiped rear of the Tesla

Another door ding by careless kid

Trying to break into Tesla and other cars in the lot

 

[Mobilcams]

So my car is at the dealership to get the door rattles fixed when listening to music. They gave me a 2018 accord loaner. It has the leather trim and all the features plus the upgraded sound system I guess I would have gotten if I’d upgraded to the touring model. Have to say I really miss my Insight right now. The accord is nice and even has ventilation in the seats - BUT it’s not as smooth and responsive as the electric motor. Maybe it’s faster (not off the line though) but it’s definitely not smoother. Also not impressed with the upgraded stereo system. The sound system can play louder, but there’s something amiss compared to the 8 speaker system. Needless to say I can’t wait to get my car back. Rant over.

 

[hasarad]

So my car is at the dealership to get the door rattles fixed when listening to music. They gave me a 2018 accord loaner. It has the leather trim and all the features plus the upgraded sound system I guess I would have gotten if I’d upgraded to the touring model. Have to say I really miss my Insight right now. The accord is nice and even has ventilation in the seats - BUT it’s not as smooth and responsive as the electric motor. Maybe it’s faster (not off the line though) but it’s definitely not smoother. Also not impressed with the upgraded stereo system. The sound system can play louder, but there’s something amiss compared to the 8 speaker system. Needless to say I can’t wait to get my car back. Rant over.

I have a friend who bought a 2018 Accord Hybrid. It's nice to look at, but I still prefer my Insight. I'm also getting 15mpg more than he's getting. The insight has better headlights, an AGM battery and feels lower and sportier than the Accord. My wife has a 2018 Civic, and the Insight seems to drive/float much better. The Civic feels like you're sitting up higher. I was able to eek out 40mpg highway with it, but it has a whiny engine and an awful stereo interface (no physical buttons).

I'll keep my Insight, thank you very much.

 

[andrew28]

I have a friend who bought a 2018 Accord Hybrid. It's nice to look at, but I still prefer my Insight. I'm also getting 15mpg more than he's getting. The insight has better headlights, an AGM battery and feels lower and sportier than the Accord. My wife has a 2018 Civic, and the Insight seems to drive/float much better. The Civic feels like you're sitting up higher. I was able to eek out 40mpg highway with it, but it has a whiny engine and an awful stereo interface (no physical buttons).

I'll keep my Insight, thank you very much.

Did your wife ever got the chance to drive your Insight? If she did, does she prefer the Civic or Insight?

 

[hasarad]

Did your wife ever got the chance to drive your Insight? If she did, does she prefer the Civic or Insight?

She's driven my Insight once or twice, but she drove it like she drives her Civic (foot to the floor). She did like it and commented how much quieter it was than her Civic, but she still prefers the Civic. Due to her driving style, she really wouldn't be able to appreciate the mpg increase of the Insight. If we switched cars for a tank, she MIGHT be able to pull off a 40 average in my Insight.

 

[Honda2019]

Got my door handle replaced yesterday by my dealer's service dept. The unlock and lock function (when you use your hand) seemed to be a little slow in response at first compared to how fast it was with the original handle, but seems to be getting faster over the last 12 hours of use. The part of the door handle that has the key lock wasn't replaced (just the handle that you pull on), so I need to do a paint touch up on the paint that was chipped off. The dealer gave me the attached form showing which Modern Steal Metallic paint to get (either through them or third party). Found it on Amazon here as well:

https://smile.amazon.com/Honda-Acce...ords=NH797MAH&qid=1554909086&s=gateway&sr=8-1

Overall very impressed with my dealer's response to this issue and for getting Honda Corporate to agree to replacing the handle under warranty. I am a very happy customer of theirs.