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Model file · HondaUpdated · 10 sources

Selling a Honda CR-Z hybrid that won't run

The CR-Z was Honda's small hybrid sport coupe. US sales began in August 2010, and production ended at the close of 2016. Every one has a 1.5-liter four with Honda's IMA electric assist, paired with a six-speed manual or a CVT. A CR-Z with a weak hybrid battery, a failed engine or crash damage can be sold whole. We buy whole non-running and junk cars, and pickup is free anywhere in the US.

A black Honda CR-Z hybrid coupe parked in dappled shade on a concrete driveway in front of a house
Photo: wallerdog · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Model years
2011-2016
Complaints to NHTSA
68
Complaints about air bags
33
Recall campaigns
3
Drivetrain
1.5 four with IMA hybrid assist; six-speed manual or CVT
Built in
Suzuka, Japan

What NHTSA has on file

Just 68 complaints across six model years as of October 10, 2026, and 33 of them concern air bags. The 2011, the first year, accounts for 38.

Model yearComplaintsAbout air bagsRecall campaigns
201138133
2012762
20131192
2014431
2015622
2016200

Recalls 16V061 and 19V500 each span several years, which is why that column totals 10 rather than 3.

The three recalls

  • 11V458, September 2011. On 5,626 manual-transmission 2011 cars, if the engine stalled while the brake pedal wasn't pressed, the engine computer could move the car the opposite way from the gear selected. Dealers updated the software for free.
  • 16V061, February 2016. Dual-stage driver air bag inflators on 2011-2015 cars, part of a campaign of 2,232,187 Honda and Acura vehicles. Dealers replace the inflator free of charge; repairs began in March 2017.
  • 19V500, June 2019. Driver inflators that had been installed as a recall remedy or replacement part on 2011-2013 and 2015 cars. Its 1,558 vehicles are the whole campaign, which also takes in Acura models and the CR-V, Fit, Insight and Ridgeline. If one explodes, metal fragments can strike the people inside.

The IMA battery

Honda's product update 14-064 covers every 2011-2012 CR-Z. The original battery control software could build up a memory effect that shows as a drop in capacity, and it can store code P0A7F. Dealers reprogram the battery control module to fix it. Honda told dealers full capacity returns within a few drive cycles and the memory effect does no lasting harm to the battery.

For 2013, Honda moved to a 144-volt lithium-ion pack and raised motor assist from 10 kW to 15 kW, for 130 horsepower combined. Unlike the Civic Hybrid, the CR-Z has no battery warranty extension among the Honda bulletins we checked on NHTSA's site.

Fix it, or sell it?

On a 2011-2012 with a weak battery or an IMA light, have a Honda dealer look up whether the 14-064 update was ever done before you pay for a new pack. Run the VIN at NHTSA's recall search for open inflator recalls too. After that, compare a written quote with what a running CR-Z of the same year brings. Our guide to what a junk car is worth explains the rest.

Selling a CR-Z whole

Get an offer online or call (877) 421-6008. Tell us the year, mileage, manual or CVT, and what's wrong, plus where it's parked: a driveway, a street spot or a shop. Leave the hybrid pack and the converter on the car; if something has been pulled, say so. Have the title ready at pickup. Weighing other small Hondas? See the Insight, Civic and Fit.

Questions people ask

Does the CR-Z have a known hybrid battery problem?
On 2011-2012 cars, yes: a software one. Honda's product update 14-064 says the old IMA battery software could leave a memory effect that looks like lost capacity and can store code P0A7F. The fix reprograms the battery control module, and Honda told dealers capacity comes back within a few driving cycles.
Are there air bag recalls on the CR-Z?
Two. Recall 16V061 replaces the driver frontal inflator on 2011-2015 cars, and 19V500 replaces driver inflators that were fitted as a recall remedy or a spare part on some 2011-2013 and 2015 cars. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Will you buy a CR-Z with a dead IMA battery?
Yes. We buy whole non-running and junk cars, hybrids included, and pickup is free anywhere in the US. Say whether the IMA light is on and whether the car still starts.

Sources

Every fact on this page comes from one of these. Checked October 10, 2026.

  1. NHTSA complaints API, Honda CR-Z by model year 2011-2016 (counts from NHTSA's flat file, October 10, 2026; 2011 shown) api.nhtsa.gov
  2. NHTSA recalls API, Honda CR-Z by model year (2011 shown) api.nhtsa.gov
  3. NHTSA recall 11V458: unexpected movement after a stall, 2011 CR-Z manual api.nhtsa.gov
  4. NHTSA recall 16V061: driver frontal air bag inflator, 2011-2015 CR-Z api.nhtsa.gov
  5. NHTSA recall 19V500: replacement driver inflators, CR-Z api.nhtsa.gov
  6. Honda product update 14-064 (revised Nov. 27, 2014): IMA battery software, 2011-2012 CR-Z (on NHTSA) static.nhtsa.gov
  7. Honda dealer notice on 14-064: capacity recovery after the update (on NHTSA) static.nhtsa.gov
  8. Honda: 2013 CR-Z gets a lithium-ion battery and more power hondanews.com
  9. NHTSA: Check for recalls by VIN nhtsa.gov
  10. Wikipedia: Honda CR-Z (production, Suzuka plant, drivetrain) en.wikipedia.org