That same light came on about 58k miles or so and we went to auto zone to check code it said oil so BF checked oil and it was 2 quarts low. It wasn't even due for a change yet so we called our dealer and brought it in to be checked. They started a oil consumption test and we brought it back 3 more times. This last time they agreed to repair but never told me there was a deductible which I wasn't prepared for and had to borrow the money for. Honda! Recall these cars, and reimburse those who already paid for the repairs! It's not fair when it's clearly a manufacturer defect!

Same problem as everyone else. No oil consumption problems until mid 40K mileage, and then check engine light came on. I checked oil and there was none on the dipstick showing. Added oil and drove for another 1500 miles and noticed oil was barely showing on the dipstick again. Took the car to dealer, and started the oil consumption test process.

Came back 1000 miles later and they told me that it had only burned a half a quart of oil and that this was completely in the tolerance range of up to 1 quart every 1000 miles. I told dealer that I had never had a car burn that much oil, even my very first car which was a 66 ford pickup that needed a ring job!

I also compared this Honda to my 1998 Odyssey which we drove for 200K miles with never an oil consumption issue. I now have a call into American Honda about this. I provided my report and was given a person that was working the case, but every time I call the representative back, I get a recording that they are busy and will call me back within 24 hours. They have not called me back.

I chose a Honda over other brands because of my excellent experience with the 98 Odyssey and recommendations from leading consumer magazines. I am certain that no one would buy a Honda if they had a sign out in front of the dealership that stated "our cars normally burn up to 1 quart of oil each 1000 miles". Folks would certainly go elsewhere to purchase a car!

Update from Nov 5, 2016: After an oil consumption test showed 2 quarts of oil burned over 1000 miles, Honda fixed my insight by replacing the piston rings under warranty. It is no longer burning oil.

Started jerking right off idle at about 20000 miles. Took it into the dealer multiple times. Nothing ever got fixed. Now, at 102000 miles, it sputtered and died on a one lane 70 mph hiway! Lucky there was room to pull over on the right shoulder. Two miles to go- home. Kept turning it off and then back on and putting my foot on the gas-for about 80 times until I got home. PITIFUL!

Had it towed to the dealer and they showed me a valve with a hole in it at the seat. Started off at a $2600 fix, then went to $4200. I told them to keep it and it's not worth it to me. After the service manager calmed me down, he said he would call Honda and see what would happen. Now it is a $1700 fix. I am continuing to let this person that I AM NOT HAPPY!

Suffice it to say, I will never buy another Honda anything from now on. But this will probably not matter to anyone at Honda- they are not interested, in the least, at keeping a possible future customer. What a massive disappointment. I am stuck paying for a Honda defect. Can't wait until I get the payoff down far enough to get rid of it! And that day will come. Hear me Honda? This is one insignificant sale that gets away.

Update from Dec 26, 2017: This car is an absolutely piece of junk. Will never buy another crap Honda model ever again. It will be got rid of as soon as I get it paid off. Maybe I will get some money out of it-hopefully. Can't say enough negative comments about these cars. Cheap-cheap-cheap made. Never again Honda. Never again. Good bye Honda!

Update from Oct 7, 2018: motor blew up. Dealer did not back me up. Said "we do not have all the records for oil changer." I started doing them myself. Dealer "left out" half of the retainers. They said they fell out. Bullshit. I told the service manager he should keep a leash on his dog. Sorry establishment. Same goes for Honda central office. I will never be buying another Honda. They lost a customer for good.

Update from Oct 7, 2018: Had the motor rebuilt by dealer which was a joke.

Bought my car new.

It has been burning oil since 45,000 miles.

I have added a quart almost every 1000 miles, expensive and annoying.

Recently at 56,000 miles, right before my 60,000 power train warranty, the car stopped and stuttered.

I had the car towed to the dealer and fortunately I was still covered under the power train warranty.

They sent photos and all to the Honda corporation, currently the whole motor is being replaced.

Update from Dec 19, 2015: Whole motor was replaced.

Honda international spent over $8,500 replacing motor (includes the rental car fee).

Also honda did a sofware update.

I am very lucky that it happened before passing 60,000 miles.

Same as everyone else. No oil consumption for about 36,000 miles. Then the emissions light comes on, and I took it immediately to a nearby shop, not the dealer. No oil, doesn't register on the dipstick. Currently in the oil consumption test, but the dealer seems sure I'm just making up the whole thing. Adding insult to injury, I paid for the completely oil change to start if off, since just looking at the dipstick and the paperwork from the other garage wasn't enough to establish what and how much oil is in there. And day one after the test started, I checked the oil just for fun and found it about a quarter inch above the top fill mark. Never saw it there before, right after an oil change. Just a coincidence, I'm sure. I bought a Honda to try to avoid the world of problems I had with my piece of junk Subaru, and I'm not happy that Honda has apparently gone down the same route.

Update from Dec 8, 2016: SO - I went back to the dealership at least 8 times, and each time, no matter how much oil showed on the dipstick when I checked it at home, it always needed "8/10 of a quart, so it is within spec". Finally, I insisted on standing next to them while they checked it - since I had already checked it earlier, I knew there was almost no oil in the car at only a few hundred miles since the last check. The look on the mechanic's face as we both saw no oil was pretty priceless, since they had been insisting that they could only do something if the consumption was over 1 quart in 1000 miles. So they apparently replaced the entire assembly (the engine essentially). Luckily I was within the 60K powertrain warranty. They very clearly know they made a defective product, they know what the problem is and how to fix it, and the fact that they are jerking their customers around like this, whether in or out of warranty, is completely unacceptable. There was, at least in the spring, a law firm considering a class action suit related to the Insight - autodefectlawgroup.com. I know nothing about them - no idea if they are legit or not, or if they are moving forward with their suit, but they do have a place on their website soliciting complaints related to oil consumption in the insight.

WHEN I TOOK THE CAR IN FOR FRONT BRAKES (NOT TO THE DEALER), THE GOODYEAR GUY CHECKED THE OIL (THEY DO THAT ROUTINELY) AND TOLD ME IT DIDN'T REGISTER ON THE DIP STICK. I CALLED THE HONDA DEALERSHIP (RIGHT AROUND THE CORNER) AND THEY SAID TO BRING IT IN.

WHEN I GOT THERE, THEY ADDED OIL IN 1/2 QUART INCREMENTS TO A TOTAL OF TWO QUARTS. I HAD HAD THE CAR SERVICED IN MARCH--OIL CHANGE, FILTERS, ETC. AND HAVE NEVER ADDED OIL BETWEEN REGULAR MAINTENANCE DATES. THEY PUT THE INFORMATION IN THE COMPUTER AND GOT A MULTI-PAGE PRINTOUT THAT SAID, ESSENTIALLY, THAT IT WAS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THE RINGS AND THEY HAD TO BE REPLACED. WHEN THEY CALLED HONDA (IN THE SKY, WHEREVER) HONDA SAID TO DRIVE IT 1000 MILES AND CHECK THE OIL AGAIN, THEN THEY WOULD DO THE NECESSARY SERVICE.

I HAVE HAD NO PROBLEMS WITH THIS VEHICLE, AM A FAN OF THE BREED AND THE DEALERSHIP, BUT THIS IS A PAIN IN THE ASS. I'M MOSTLY SURPRISED THAT THERE HAS NOT BEEN A RECALL OR A NOTIFICATION OF SOME KIND. I HAVE CONFIDENCE THAT ANY PROBLEMS STEMMING FROM THIS SITUATION WILL BE HANDLED WITHOUT COST, BUT IS IS INCONVENIENT AS HELL.

Update from Aug 19, 2015: Honda replaced the pistons and rings on my INSIGHT (no charge, of course) and all is well to date — a little better than well, actually, since I'm getting somewhat better mileage (41 to 44 mpg in mixed driving). I'm not entirely comfortable terming my experience with this excellent automobile a "complaint." Yes, it was a pain to go through the hassle of loaner car and that, but it's not that big a deal.

The INSIGHT is the best car I've ever owned (I'm 79, so that's a lot of cars). I would recommend it unequivocally.

Purchased my Honda Insight 2012 on 3-3-2014 thinking this would be a great car due to my long hour commutes I do daily. I would save money on gas, reliable great on highway..

HOWEVER now today is 5.29.2015 I have been through the oil consumption test due to only having two oil changes from the purchase of my vehicle and by the 3rd oil change had a warning light appear (EMISSION WARNING!) NO OIL IN MY CAR when I took to the dealership! I don't know the exact millage I had on it at the time probably around the 67,000 mile mark. Also since the 3rd oil change every 1000 miles I have had to either buy oil to tap off my self or take into dealership for tap offs EVERY 1000 MILES!

I have had the emission light appear on my dash board at least 3 times DUE TO NO OIL!!!!!. WHY IS HONDA not recognizing this as a recall yet!!!!! My complaint is the same one that I see many others have out there!!! I am truly upset with this .. HONDA only covers a small portion of a bill that I have to pay which is $1572.29 .. Honda is paying only $395 towards my repair which is a known issue, yet THE CONSUMER has to pay out of pocket if it is out of the factory warranty?!..

I have to pay $1177.29, and to replace the PISTON rings my engine has to be taken apart!!! i am at 84,00 miles why is my engine being torn apart at this millage!!!!!! why should the consumer be responsible to pay for a repair that was never even caused by us to begin with! HONDA this was a defect caused at the level of the manufacturing of this vehicle...

WHY ARE YOU NOT RECOGNIZING THIS ISSUE IN THIS MAKE AND MODEL (HONDA INSIGHT 2012) yet their was already a class action lawsuit (http://www.hondaproblems.com/trends/excessive-oil-consumption/) made against this exact issue in other Honda Models!

To me looks like you forgot to add this make and model to that class action lawsuit! What makes this one different!!?? Already in the process of legal action due to how the consumer's are being unfairly treated and having to pay for a repair that was not caused by the consumer and KNOWING their is already a service bulletin 15-015 out there in regards to this known issue! If you are someone in my position or have been through this.

Please, please reply to this comment!

I purchased my 2012 Insight, new. I was very impressed with how far I could go between oil changes. However, halfway through the 3rd cycle, my Check Engine light came on. The dealership tried to convince me the oil consumption rate was normal.

A few Check Engine lights and oil changes later, we conducted an oil consumption check where the car went in every 1000 kms (621 mi) for a dipstick check, getting an oil top-up as needed. At 7000 kms (4350 mi), she had required more than 3 L (90 qt) of oil. That was enough to send the data in to head office.

The car was in for piston seal replacement for 3 days.

The irony wasn't lost on me that my hybrid had an oil consumption problem.

Seems to be running fine so far but it's early.

Noticed the car was burning through oil and took it in to Pep Boys for a change. They ran some tests and identified a "major issue" in the pistons and told us to take it to the dealer ASAP. The dealer played dumb (even though we brought the report from Pep Boys and the research we had done on the issue from the internet).

As others reported, they had us do an "Oil Consumption Test" by driving 1,000 miles after the new oil change they did (and charged us for) just 1 day after Pep Boys changed the oil. When we brought it back, they claimed that it was consuming oil within the tolerance range...but they would check with the "company".

Within 2 days we got a call from the dealer with the "good news" that Honda had decided to "replace the engine" in our vehicle, and we should bring it in "right away" for the service. We made the appointment, got our loaner car, and waited...and waited...and waited.

A week later, we got the car back and it was running fine. Turns out that they DID NOT replace the entire engine (as originally explained by the tech on the phone) but rather, they replaced the piston assembly and all the associated parts (rings, gaskets, bolts, fluids, etc).

Needless to say, we got the car back and it was not eating up the oil as quickly. We're monitoring the MPG to see if the changes have had an impact on the fuel efficiency.

I purchased this Insight in about June of 2012. It was at the dealer, but used with 1,200 miles on it. They said the previous buyer was an older person that didn't like the way it drove, as it is a hybrid & it does accelerate differently.

Anyway just recently I noticed between oil changes that it started to consume lots of oil for no apparent reason. About 1 qt each 2,000 miles. This was at the 57,000 mile mark. I made the mistake of not taking it to Honda at that moment, as I kinda thought, well maybe it was just 1 qt low from the oil change, as this is a newer, low mileage car. At the next oil change, same story. More than 1 qt low. By this time it was at the 63,000 mile mark & Honda told me sorry, it is beyond the warranty & therefore we will not be able to cover any issues now.

So, I will continue to drive it & either fix it myself or trade it back into Honda towards a different vehicle. I mean, that's the whole reason I went with Honda was for longevity, so I thought. What a disappointment.

2012 Honda Insight is a LEMON! There are many similar stories on this car. STAY AWAY!

I travel over three states, average yearly mileage 48,000. Oil changes at the dealership once a month, recommended maintenance performed. 2000 miles over end of extended warranty oil consumption escalates. The "consumption test" performed. Not one word said regarding the continuing use. Note: dealership experience has been exceptional in all other regards, and with 2 other Honda vehicles. April 29 engine failure occurs at approximately 139000 miles. ( Note - I ran an Odyssey to 460000 miles - not kidding) Total replacement recommended. I have requested an engine not 2012 year model. Will replace with used, as cost of new with no warranty or any consideration from American Honda is more than the car is worth. Now we will see.

Bought my 2012 Insight EX used last year with 52k miles. At 54980 my Check Emissions System light comes on immediately after a sharp right turn. After a quick online search, low oil appeared to be most likely culprit. Checked oil and there was no trace of oil on the dipstick. None. Had to top off with 2 quarts to get a 3/4 oil reading. Made appointment with dealer. They did an oil service at 55663 miles, sealed everything and told me to come back in 1000 miles to measure loss. Went back at 56702 miles, they confirmed there was a loss, topped it off and told me to come back now after 2000 additional miles to get a more accurate reading. This will be in about 3 weeks. When I asked how much oil was lost, they refused to tell me. Since this is still under warranty, I let them do as they please for now.

According to my preliminary calculations the car is burning 0.75 quarts per 1000 miles. Not good for a Honda, not good for a Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle.

Meanwhile I can see smoke clouds coming out the exhaust when accelerating after stopping at a light for example.

Funny thing is, I asked the dealer what to do if the red oil light comes on. They told me it's OK to keep driving, just bring it to the dealer ASAP. But the manual explicitly says:

"This indicator should never come on when the engine is running. If it starts flashing or stays on, the oil pressure has dropped very low or lost pressure. Serious engine damage is possible, and you should take immediate action. Running the engine with low oil pressure can cause serious mechanical damage almost immediately. Turn off the engine as soon as you can safely get the vehicle stopped."

I think one of the angles to look at this is that the Insight is a PZEV, which means Honda gets emissions credits with the EPA for every Insight sold. If the car burns oil, the clean emissions go down the drain and the credits should be revoked. I will put in a complaint with the EPA to make a stronger case at the dealer, because I don't expect much from the dealer.

Update from Mar 24, 2015: 3/24/1015: After 2 oil consumption tests, dealer confirmed loss of 2+ quarts per 2000 miles and that this is a warranty case. They ordered a kit provided by Honda to fix this, supposedly they will replace the piston rings. But the service advisor was not 100% sure what's in the kit. I'll update this post when it's done.

11/10/14: Check exhaust system light on. Codes indicate broken arm actuator control solenoid failure. Wilmington Honda dealer admonishes me for "driving too long without an oil change". The oil shelf life is reading 50 percent. The car was driven approximately 7k from last oil change. The estimate was $700, but they did not have the parts. The technician removed the "component" and cleaned up oil buildup, re-installed. Charged me $160. Problem solved for now.

1/15/15: Approximately 4k miles later: Check exhaust system light goes on while making a hard turn. Dealer now says there is a service bulletin, and they will probably issue a recall. They had me return in a few days because they had to speak to Honda in California. I went back, and they now say, drive it until the oil shelf life is at 50 percent again ,and then return, as Honda wants to collect data. They say it will not cost me anything to fix.....eventually, when the recall is issued.

In the mean time I feel very uncomfortable driving this car, that as far as I know, is spewing oil all over the engine. I have owned two Toyotas, a Nissan, a Volvo, a Volkswagen, and one other Honda and I have never had an oil problem like this, or been asked to assist a manufacturer in collecting data for their recall. I'm glad they are issuing a recall, but it seems to me that everyone who had "band-aid" fixes, and/or spent $ on oil should be reimbursed.