Honda Insight: 120 cars at risk of stalling on the road

© honda.co.jp

Honda has expanded its Insight recall in Japan. The action covers just 120 cars built between February 12 and 20, 2020, but the reason is serious: a fuel pump defect can cause the engine to stall while driving.

The fault sits in the low-pressure fuel pump. Its plastic impeller was produced outside proper moulding conditions, so the material density may be below spec. In contact with fuel, the part can swell and warp. The chain of events is simple: the impeller starts to rub against the pump housing, the pump misbehaves, fuel delivery is disrupted, and in the worst case the engine cuts out on the move.

For an owner, this is not the kind of fault you defer until the next service. The Insight is a hybrid, but the petrol engine is still part of the powertrain, and a loss of fuel supply can quickly turn an efficient sedan into a stationary one. The failure is especially dangerous on the motorway, mid lane-change or in heavy traffic, where a sudden loss of drive creates a risk well beyond the driver alone.

Honda will replace the low-pressure fuel pump with a revised one free of charge. According to the company, no complaints, failures or accidents have been registered so far on this specific added batch of cars. That detail matters: the recall has not been triggered by a string of incidents, but by an update to the list of cars that may be at risk.

The story ties back to a 2021 campaign: Honda had already issued a recall over this defect, but it has now emerged that more Insight units need to be added to the list. For the used market, that is a reason to check the VIN rather than take a seller’s word that “all recalls are closed”. Honda hybrids generally have a solid reputation, but even a reliable badge does not rule out small batches of parts with a manufacturing defect.

120 cars is a small number. But when the issue is a possible engine stall on the road, the size of the campaign matters less: one owner only needs one faulty impeller.