Overview & Reviews

Why are Honda vehicles so highly regarded by American drivers? Certainly, their excellent reputation for reliability and quality is a major factor. But it also has to do with the overall driving and owning experience. Read any Honda review and you'll likely notice common themes such as thoughtful design, a friendly nature, better-than-average fuel economy and attention to safety.

Japan-based Honda Motor Company was founded in 1948 by Soichiro Honda. The company got its start making motorbikes. Japan had been rendered cash poor and fuel-starved after World War II, and its citizens were hurting for an inexpensive, fuel-efficient mode of transportation. Honda's first motorcycles mated engines with bicycles to create a motorbike that was cheap to make and operate.

Honda's bikes quickly evolved into vehicles far more sophisticated than small engines stuck into bicycle frames. The manufacturer's 1949 D-Type could reach speeds of up to 50 mph, and offered front and rear suspension. The 1950s saw the launch of the successful Juno scooter, built to steal market share from the Vespa knockoffs that were popular in Japan at that time. In the latter part of that decade, Honda introduced the ultra-successful C100 Super Cub. The motorbike was remarkably easy to operate and featured a crossbar-free frame that made it popular with women. It went on to become the first Honda motorbike sold in the U.S. via then-new American Honda Co. in 1959.

By the early 1960s, Honda had built its first automobiles for the Japanese home market and entered Formula One racing. But it wasn't until 1970 that it exported its first car, the diminutive N600, to the U.S. The automaker initially had a hard time sparking interest among American buyers, but that all changed in 1973 with the introduction of the Civic. The car was larger than Honda's previous models even though it was still very petite compared to compact American cars. The Civic's high fuel efficiency (an important selling point given that decade's energy crisis) and affordability made it Honda's first American success story. By 1976, the Civic had been joined by the Accord, which quickly became a favorite with U.S. consumers as well.

By the 1980s, Honda's success and its reputation as a maker of well-built reliable cars and motorcycles continued to grow. It began building Accords in the U.S. in 1982 and by 1989 had earned the distinction of making America's most popular car. This was also the decade in which Honda created the Acura brand as a way to sell more upscale and luxurious vehicles. Throughout this decade and into the 1990s, the Civic and Accord were huge sellers and considered class benchmarks. Also during this time, Honda continued to innovate through such technologies as variable valve timing, aluminum body construction and improved safety features.

Today, Honda's lineup runs the gamut. Included are fuel-sipping hybrids, a spacious minivan, reliable family sedans, practical SUVs and even a pickup. Although the latest Civic and Accord aren't quite the benchmarks they once were for their respective classes, Honda's brand as a whole continues to be one of the most well respected in the industry, with millions of loyal and satisfied customers.

User Reviews:

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  Worst invention of Honda ever - 2015 Honda CR-V
  By Vijay - January 8 - 11:37 am

  Alert! Those who want to purchase this car, please test drive it for at least 200 miles :) and go for a decision. Look for videos and blogs reporting vibration problem in this car. You will find a ton of them. Worst part is that, even though Honda is aware of this problem, it is getting rid of its stock with out fixing the problem. Customers have to go to the dealership and beg for the fix. Dealership is not ready to take the car back. Really disappointed with this purchase. Will never trust Honda. They have performed 4 repairs on the car in the first month. Now that they are completely exhausted with their solutions they are pretending that the car is in good condition now and nothing needs to be fixed.

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  Transmission Failure - 2015 Honda CR-V
  By MP - December 30 - 3:58 pm

  I purchases this vehicle in August of 2015. I put roughly 3,300 miles on it. While driving it on December 12 the transmission failed and I was stuck on the side of the Hwy waiting 4 hours for a tow truck. The dealer replaced the transmission and I was able to pick up my vehicle yesterday December 29th. On the way home I noticed a couple odd sounds while driving at highway speeds (55-60 mph). I now have about 3,400 miles on the car so it will be interesting to see if the transmission simply needs a break in period or if I will experience this trouble again. I love everything else about the vehicle, I am just hoping that it will be reliable from this point forward.

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  Vibration Makes You Sick - 2015 Honda CR-V
  By J Warner - December 28 - 7:20 am

  We bought our 2015 CRV wanting to keep it for a longtime, but with the vibration issues it doesnt look like thats going to happen. I cant believe that Honda would allow this vehicle to be sold without a notice to the consumer. If they disclosed the vibration issue it wouldnt be the #1 selling SUV. Honda really ruined the brand with me. I have owned 4 Accords, 2 Pilots, we just bought my daughter a HRV and now this piece of junk CRV. This is the last Honda I will buy.

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  A piece of junk - 2011 Honda Civic
  By J. Aiello - December 21 - 12:48 am

  This is my second Honda and I regretted buying both. Our troubles started immediately with the A/C. The dealer replaced the compressor TWICE (Honda replacement parts are rebuilt!!) and then replaced almost every other part of the A/C system, including the 3rd compressor. I took it to another repair shop and they found a broken expansion valve, but the system failed again a short time later. I also had issues with the rear window lifts. After the dealer tried to fix the problem numerous times I finally called Honda HQ and they replaced both rear window registers. The paint on the top was beginning to wear off!! Gas mileage dropped from 32 MPG to less than 28 for no reason. I finally traded it in with just 11,000 miles for a new 2015 KIA Soul which we love.

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  Buyer beware - 2012 Honda Odyssey
  By clint - December 16 - 9:07 pm

  Bought new. About 10k miles both front shock strouts came loose. (noticed a clicking noise during slow sharp turns). One strout replaced and the other only tightened. Covered under warranty, but in the shop for a week. 36,036 miles power steering pump went out. (Noticed excessive whining noise . Dealer refused to cover since the 36000 mile warranty expired. Lucky we had a 3rd party 100k mile warranty (deductable was $100). Finally 39k miles and after an 800 mile road trip. The traction control light and check engine light came on. Take it to the dealer and they find the piston rings wore out prematurely. Covered under the lawsuit settlement against Honda. This motor has been known to burn oil! So we took it to A local dealership and sold it. Honda is not what it used to be. Never buying Honda again. We have a new Sienna SE. Hope we have better luck !

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  Done with Honda - 2015 Honda CR-V
  By Toonces - December 15 - 12:56 pm

  Yes, the SUV vibrates..As the driver, you dont notice too much. But literally 7 out of 7 passengers have said they feel dizzy or a bit sick whenever they are in it. The interior quality is like a Chevy, and thats not a compliment. Hard touch plastic everywhere. Yes, I bought the LX, the base, but I recently traded this for an Ouback, and the Outback is on another level of quality. Before the Outback, I drove the Touring, the top CRV made, its literally the same quality on the panel, dash, door...Even with leather seats, the rest of the interior is cheap...Im sure the transmission and engine will last 200,000 miles, but the engine does not work with the car, thus the vibration. And the interior is closer to a toy than a real car. I have owned 11 new Hondas, there will never be a 12th. My last civic was also pretty cheap feeling. I drive 50% on highway, 50% in town, and never got better than 21.6 mpg. The other day was the first day in Oregon we had frost on the window. I turned on the car to warm it up, waited 2, 2.5 minutes for it to warmup a bit, and turned on the defrost, 100% on high...It took 11 additional minutes before I could barely see out of the bottom of the windshield...At 14 minutes, with the help of wipers I could see safely enough to drive.

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  Honda does not stand by their warranty. - 2014 Honda Odyssey
  By Jason - December 1 - 10:32 pm

  Our 2014 Odyssey is still within warranty. The vehicles rear camber is out 1.8 on the drivers and 1.4 out on the passenger side. Honda did not engineer the rear suspension with adjustments. There is a $400 dollar camber kit to correct the problem but since it is manufactured by another company, Honda will not authorize the dealership to fix it. This is a common problem with the Odyssey and the Pilot but Honda sweeps it under the rug and chooses not to deal with the problem. As a result of the camber being out, the tires are wearing out at a ridiculous speed. If you are thinking about buying an Odyssey, buy a Toyota instead.

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  Youll be sorry - 2013 Honda Insight
  By judy - November 30 - 4:52 pm

  This is the most uncomfortable, loud, gutless car you can buy. The mileage is not worth it, and goes down quickly if you have to do even small inclines. (not hills, just normal on the freeway or average road inclines) There is no way to get your money out of it if you buy it new. You cant hold a conversation without yelling in the car because of the noise. The car is so gutless, you put yourself at risk to pull out of your street if you see another car coming. Not to mention you cant see out of the car easily at all. A lot of blind spots. Dont get the light fabric seats. They stain with water. You may not listen to this. Thats fine, but be warned, you will not be happy.

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  WOW WHAT A POS - 2007 Honda Odyssey
  By lt - November 23 - 4:31 pm

  OK let me just say I almost NEVER leave a bad feedback and this is my first time on Edmunds. My wife and I owned a 2002 Honda Odyssey and loved it so when she wanted to purchase another I said no problem I trust Honda and we certainly had a good experience last time. WOW what a change! The 2007 Honda Odyssey Touring version is a POS and that doesnt even do it justice. Let me tell you my next car WILL NOT be a Honda. List of nightmares..... 1. Run flat tires that cost $1000.00 each to replace so everyone buys the NON-run flat tires and wheels which cost me $1200.00 2. Never ending low tire pressure light even after 10 trips to discount tire and dealership. Dealer charged me $200.00 to reset the light and it still came back on 3. Power Steering pump nightmares that dont go away no matter what you do 4. Bad alternator at 63K 5. Bad compressor at 60K 6. Bad HVAC controls at 50K 7. Factory tire size way to small scraps over a pebble in the road 8. light bulbs out several times before 30K 9. Ashtray fell off 10. No center seat, what a stupid option 11. seats hard to fold up and down, too confusing

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  Honda reliability reputation-A thing of the past - 2008 Honda Accord
  By Jim - November 13 - 12:55 pm

  I bought this car brand new and had problems shortly after with fit and finish - the carpet would continually pull up on the passenger size. The dealer failed 3 times to re-attach it and after a stern talking to, agreed to replace the carpet with one that fit. In the meantime, the dealer would perform unnecessary maintenance at their convenience until I gave the service manager an F-bomb laden speech about who gets to decide what gets done to my car on my money (they threw out my 15$ old filter and mobile 1 synthetic change that was less than a month old to replace it with shop-quality replacements that time). I had the usual problems with brakes and rotor replacements and I thought it was all over. Then I get a notice about oil burning and the 2.4L engine. They extended the warranty in a way that seems to suggest they will try to weasel out of paying out. This is done by limiting mileage and date and specifying a redemption process which is a PIA. I did have to add a quart between changes, but I try to take care of this car as if I would keep it forever - this is why I spend the extra money to get high-quality fluids and filters and yet keep to the mgrs maintenance schedule. I have just sent some used oil out for analysis and if it shows oil burning at 73K miles, I will trade the car in. The transmission went out at 72k and required a full replacement. Since I had no faith in the abilities of the dealership, I had the work done at an independent shop I trust. I inquired about a "honda good faith" program and the gentlemen basically tried to hang up on me when I told him I wasnt working with a dealer. I asked him how long a transmission should last and the answer in a nutshell was 5 years/50K miles. This lifetime on a modern car is, quite frankly - unacceptable. Ive had 3 Hondas in the past and they were boring and reliable. This one is just boring. So no more Hondas for me. Ever.