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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  The design is lazy and thoughtless - 2014 Honda Accord
  By Kmarie - April 10 - 10:41 am

  The Bluetooth works half the time and cuts the speaker and mic mid call, forcing me to randomly hang up on people, but not with the steering wheel controls. Oh no, not with those, because when the sound randomly cuts out, none of the buttons work and the call screen just stays there taunting me until I turn the car off or turn off my Bluetooth on my phone and then hit buttons randomly until it unfreezes. Either I have to deal with it until my destination or use my phone while driving, which I was trying to avoid by getting a car with Bluetooth. And when it does work, the speaker and mic are so terrible I can barely have a conversation. Plus, the road noise is so loud Im often asked if my windows are down by people on the line. The lumbar support is ridiculously low, by at least 4"s on me. The media controls are so far away I have to lean forward in my seat to reach them, which is at least a break from the horrible headrest that forces my neck forward by about 45 degrees. The seat just moves weird too. After over 2 years, I still cant settle on a comfortable position. And it has the turning radius of an 18 wheeler. That combined with the inaccurate back up camera caused me to curb my wheels more than once. I drive dozens of different cars daily and havent hit a curb in years. I gave up using my car port since its too narrow to turn in to unless the spots opposite are empty. It has enough space in the cabin for passengers, which is a plus, but it feels excessively bulky. Back to the rearview camera, the guides that are supposed to show you the trajectory of you car, are off by at least 12". Backing up straight, the curbside lines are way too narrow, which defeats the whole purpose. Im guessing no one told them that the lines are actually meant to serve a purpose? Ill help them out, its supposed to help you avoid obstacles AND show you accurate clearance so when youre trying to park just so far from a curb you can aim appropriately. Youre not supposed to show them they are a foot from the curb when their wheel starts grinding on cement.

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  Misrepresented gas milage - 2005 Honda Accord
  By Pearl - April 9 - 4:33 am

  I bought my Accord Hybrid in Jan.05. At that time, the mileage was grossly misrepresented. It has since been adjusted downwards, but I wish I got the mileage they are claiming now. It is a very pleasant car to drive. It should be advertised as a performance car that gets mediocre mileage. The quality of the leather interior is awful. Also, my car did not come with a spare tire. There is a space for one. Cost me $200 to have one installed. Although I will probably keep this car for now, I will not buy another Honda.

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  Disappointing - 2015 Honda CR-V
  By djm182 - April 3 - 6:25 pm

  I wanted the flexibility and fuel economy of a smaller SUV. I got all that, plus a lot of other things I did not bargain for. The seats are firm and uncomfortable. The driveability is completely uninspiring - I wasnt expecting much and still was disappointed. The in-car audio/hands free system was a complete disaster. Music would start playing halfway through a phone call. People on the other end of the line had great difficulty hearing me through the hands free microphone. My dealer could/would do *nothing* about this. The controls on the steering wheel are not intuitive in the least. The second screen mounted above the main entertainment system is spectacularly useless. Dont ever try to do a thing with the LCD screen while making a right turn because youll be subjected to the right side mirror mounted cam which serves little if any practical purpose. The headlights are SO bright that you cannot drive this vehicle at night without others flashing their bright lights at you - even when yours are not turned on. I made a huge mistake in purchasing this vehicle and am about to do something Ive never done before - turn a car in after less than a year with it.

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  Another LEMON amongst many! - 2006 Honda Civic
  By only1harry - April 3 - 12:50 am

  Where do I start? My LX coupe has not tracked straight since the day I bought and after reading other reviews I noticed it seats higher on one side too. Dealer did a wheel alignment - no improvement. 2,300 mi. on the odo. Car is going back to the dealer because its wandering way too much and wants to change lanes by itself if you take your eyes off the road or hands off the steering wheel for 1/2 sec. Feels like the shocks are bad or the frame is bent. The brakes get mushy when going over bumps or while taking a turn. Steering vibrates under hard acceleration. There is abundant torque steer like a motor mount are broken. Seats are very uncomfortable! This is my 4th Civic and the worst1

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  Rain Drops - 2017 Honda CR-V
  By Mary - April 1 - 10:55 am

  Has anyone experienced when it rains that you your inside driver door where the rubber drains that rain stands in the car and when you open the door rain drips (if too close) on my shoes. Plus the frame beneath my seat retain water and if Im getting in the door my dress/skirt or pants gets wet getting and/or of the vehicle. In the addition, the drivers rear passenger side does the same. Also, where the tail gate frame closes that somehow when I lift the gate it is wet. Im not happy about this since I bought my car a month ago. I took it back to the dealership and they said "oh! thats just the way they made the vehicle". I didnt agree and was told they would check with the engineers and get back in a couple of days - nope! NO WORD SINCE THEN. If I could turn the car back in I would in a heart beat because of this problem. Who wants to carry a paper towel in hand when it rains.

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  dissapointed - 1997 Honda Civic
  By jg - March 28 - 2:12 am

  After having this car I can not understand how everyone seems to love it. I bought the car with 46,000 miles on it and now have 93,000. The AC blower motor went out, Ive replaced the radiator because it was leaking, it has an oil leak, I have had to replace the muffler, then I had a problem where my break lights wouldnt turn off causing the battery to die constantly. The AC is broken AGAIN, the windshield wipers broke and now will turn on if I go over any kind of bump. There are numerous rattles and shakes. The interior is low quality. I will be so happy when I get rid of the car. I wish it was as reliable as everyone else says they are.

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  Not a True Honda - 2006 Honda Civic
  By Incurorish - March 25 - 7:33 am

  I traded my 98 Disco in on this Civic coupe and I loved it for the first week. Then I had so many problems. The check fuel cap light comes on, the airbag malfunction light keeps coming on and the interior rattles like a drunk put it together with superglue. Ive been to the dealer four times and next week will be my fifth time. Ive already had talks with the manager and they are incompetent. I wish I bought a Ford Fusion.

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  Be careful when you are merging................. - 2014 Honda Accord
  By Chet - March 24 - 3:42 am

  10/16/2016 Update: I have now had the car to my dealer 3 times. The last was with the assistance of the factory rep who admitted to just having a similar complaint within the past week. The hesitation/stalling has not improved (since i wrote my first review I have seen this problem described as "stalling" and I thinks it fits). I have reduced my "safety" stars to three because I just dont believe the car is safe. I also reduced the "miles per year" number because I dont drive the car if I dont have to. I have another vehicle. The last comment from my dealership was "whatever it is doing...it is normal for the car". I will trade this car in as soon as I can afford to. First, about the performance. There is something wrong with the acceleration when you have been coasting before merging into traffic. When you try to accelerate nothing happens! My dealer says unless I can demonstrate it they cant help but it doesnt always do it. Ive seen other complaints about it but the best my dealer service person would say is that customers have told him if you roll through a stop sign and then hit the gas it hangs up for a bit. Well, it sometimes does the same when you are merging. I almost got rear ended by the guy behind me when it happened the first time. Now I dont merge unless there is a huge gap for me to merge into and Im worried when I do it. Most of the people who complain feel it is the CVT transmission that is the problem and I agree. Now for the head rest. After I bought the car I realized that the head rest was causing me to get a neck ache as it is too far forward. The parts man at my dealership told me he couldnt drive his wifes Accord for the same reason. I tried to find an upholstery person to fix it for me but no one wanted to touch it. I finally I opened it myself and used my wifes carving knife to shave the foam rubber down and stitched it up with mono fishing line. It was a shame to have to do that but Honda (I called Honda customer service) wouldnt help me so I had no choice. At least my dealer parts man tried to help. The head rest was made by two manufacturers so he ordered the other one for me but it was the same. I think he was hoping that would work so he could do the same for his wifes car. By the way, this problem also occurs when parking. If you turn into a parking space and realize you arent straight enough and have to back out and go forward again, the car may stall and then suddenly surge forward so I dont park where there is a curb or concrete block in front of me for fear I might hit it or worse yet go over it. Now for the tech stuff. The email & texting features dont work. They dont tell you that only certain cell phones will work with the system when you buy the car. I am sorry I purchased this car. I also have a 2008 Honda CRV which is a great car (including the head rest) but it also now comes with a CVT transmission. I wont buy another Honda.

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  Transmission Problems - 2007 Honda Odyssey
  By DP - March 23 - 4:41 pm

  After owning many vehicles I decided to take the Minivan plunge. Thought I was going with the best after all my research. Odyssey has been in shop four times for transmission problems. Seems to surge at specific times and speeds. Dealer has said this is "normal" but it is to the point it is so noticeable I cant drive this vehicle. Other than this issue we have not had any other problems. Road noise is an issue but it is a good family car. So much for the Honda "Quality".

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  Honest Review / Inferior Vehicle - 2008 Honda Odyssey
  By OddVan - March 15 - 8:23 pm

  Vehicle purchased new 08/07. Have had many issues that started as early as 500 miles including dead battery, headlamp switch short, relays short, clunking noises to front undercarriage, steering column replacement, slider door safety locks freeze preventing sliders to lock while open, rattles to right door trim panels. The newest of the problems now at 21K to address with dealer is the headliner seam coming apart and the heater controls not functioning properly. We have NEVER been so unhappy with a vehicle. Traded our 02 Toy Sienna, what a mistake. Tried trading this vehicle in, dealers are offering low trade... now I wonder if the reliability factor was utilized in the low trade offers.