Honda 1.5L Turbo Reliability?

[raaizin]

Thank you for all the feedback.

I wanted the type of long term reliability that people are used to seeing with Japanese cars with this next purchase and I’m thinking the best bet would be to stick with a naturally aspirated engine instead of a turbo.

Unfortunately a lot of the Hondas have switched to turbos. I’m still not sure about the hybrids. I see Toyota and Mazda still sell cars with naturally aspirated engines.

Curious what people’s opinions are of Mazda? Specifically the CX-5 2.5l, cx-50 2.5l, and Mazda 3 2.5l? They seem to depreciate a lot more than the Honda and Toyota which makes it nice for a certified pre owned purchase, but curious how they compare in terms of quality reliability. Same tier, or completely different group?

The hybrid CRV is naturally aspirated. You can get a sport hybrid for about mid 30ks.. My Daughter has the Sport Touring Hybrid and is getting 37 mpg in local driving. The fuel savings are worth looking into as they have had a hybrid for a few years and seem to be reliable.

 

[Rust_Belt_Pete]

as long as you dont chip or tune the 1.5T it should be reliable. They do have some head gasket blowing issues. I am not sure if that has been addressed

 

[duck__dodgers]

- looking at purchasing a 2024 Honda Accord with the 1.5L turbo engine

Do you own one? What problems have you had? How many miles are on the vehicle? Would you purchase one if the goal was reliability?

Recommend w/the usual disclaimers....

So far---4 years, 80,000 miles on a 2020 CRV with a 1.5L turbo. That CR-V replaced an owned-since-new 2009 CR-V with 299,000 miles (which got sold to our mechanic). Also had an owned-since-new 2004 Accord that lasted 18 years and 180,000 miles before being sold to a family friend.

Oil changes when the minder is at 30% to 40% (4 to 5,000 miles?). CVT fluid changes at the interval in the manual.

Never stranded, 1 unscheduled visit to the shop (excluding a flat tire). High-pressure fuel pump failed at 75,000 miles, causing the limp-mode for the 15-mile drive home. Supposedly failure of the Honda high-pressure pump is somewhat common, but an easy repair. Replaced w/another OEM fuel pump for $800-ish.

The leather seats and interior still looks new, no rips or creases. You may/may not like Honda's infotainment system, if that's important to you.

One annoying thing about the 1.5L...it never warms up in extreme cold while idling, even after all the factory software updates. Want the coolant temp to rise and heat to flow? ...start driving after 5 - 7 min.

If its small size is not an issue, also look at the Mazda CX-5. 6-speed auto, 2.5L 4-cylinder, made in Japan, simple electronics (by today's standards), and they removed the cylinder deactivation for 2024 (if I remember correctly).

Good luck.

 

[meep]

We owned a 1.5T 6MT in an 18 civic. Loved the motor. We did see some evidence of it “making oil” for the first 2 years of ownership. We changed it just whenever the OLM went off, or maybe early once or twice, but always either mixed in a little heavier oil, same brand, or at some point went to a 5-30. My son drove it hard at times. It made wonderful torque down low, was as smooth as a sewing machine at upper revs, and returned incredible gas mileage. Never missed a beat. We owned it for 4-5 years until he traded for something bigger. I’d own another, no question. With all of the concerns about fuel dilution, my preference would be to pick one up earlier in its life so that it gets moved to a slightly thicker oil sooner, but that’s just me being careful.

 

[Patman]

One annoying thing about the 1.5L...it never warms up in extreme cold while idling, even after all the factory software updates. Want the coolant temp to rise and heat to flow? ...start driving after 5 - 7 min.

Don’t you mean 5-7 seconds? Nobody needs to be idling for 5-7 minutes unless the windows are completely fogged up. Otherwise start and go. Even when it has been -30 degrees here I will still start moving right away. That’s always going to be the quickest way to get the coolant up to temperature.

 

[meep]

The motor is so tiny it probably doesn’t burn enough fuel to get warm. We’d just start and go. And here’s the thing - it’s so small, heat came on pretty quickly once it was doing something.

 

[cryptolyme]

2.0T really seems to be the sweet spot. A lot more torque and it seems like everyone's 2.0T is reliable.

i've heard of some people blowing head gaskets on those as well. some have found the head bolts undertorqued from the factory.

 

[I<3oil]

83k so far and the only things I’ve done to engine are PCV and spark plugs.

 

[dishdude]

i've heard of some people blowing head gaskets on those as well. some have found the head bolts undertorqued from the factory.

Not surprised Honda is the only manufacturer that can't make a decent 2.0T. The worst new car I ever purchased was a 2023 Integra, what a joke of a car.

 

[andrew_j]

Oil dilution is over blown. If you fall into the driving criteria which increases oil dilution, like short trip in cold temps, change the oil at 5k intervals and rest easy. And/or, use 5w30 oil, since it's thicker, and better able to hold up to dilution.

Blow head gaskets can happen, but it's not a high failure rate. People blaming the use of regular fuel are just guessing. There are NO FACTS in support of this. Speculation is the flavor of the day it seems, and anyone can create a youtube channel.

Honda head gaskets blowing on 1.5T failure rate is above average rate of other vehicles. Happened to my sister with 18 CRV and coworkers Civic. That is atypical for any car maker unless there is an issue present.

Ironically my nephew (mum has CRV) drives my mums 2000 Forester notorious for blowing head gaskets. It has 212k and original head gasket!

 

[Pablo]

2017 CRV 1.5T still strong.

 

[Nessism1]

Honda head gaskets blowing on 1.5T failure rate is above average rate of other vehicles. Happened to my sister with 18 CRV and coworkers Civic. That is atypical for any car maker unless there is an issue present.

Ironically my nephew (mum has CRV) drives my mums 2000 Forester notorious for blowing head gaskets. It has 212k and original head gasket!

Agree that the head gasket failure rate is above average. It's not an epic fail, though, unlike the Civic AC system failure rate. I'm way more worried about that, again, than losing the head gasket.

 

[Rmay635703]

I had a 2023 Integra and the oil level rose, never owned a car that did that.

My 2010 Cobalt does that, dumps a quart of fuel into the oil in 3500 miles, even better the injectors and o2 have been replaced many times with no affect.

Been that way 100,000 miles since GM was forced to replace the timing chain under warranty, at this point I just replace the oil with a heavier grade often and am running it into the ground

 

[Patman]

Agree that the head gasket failure rate is above average. It's not an epic fail, though, unlike the Civic AC system failure rate. I'm way more worried about that, again, than losing the head gasket.

My 2016 Civic’s only problem was the AC condenser and Honda covered it with their extended warranty

 

[PandaBear]

Interesting. My ford fusion 1.5l ecoboost engine has the same slotted grooves between the cylinders and is losing coolant because of it. Was looking at the 2024 Accord 1.5l as a replacement.

Did honda take any corrective action(s) to address the issue with the blown head gaskets? Design change to the block? Change to the head bolts? Etc if yes when did these corrective actions get implemented?

I think the later model removed that slit between the cylinders.

 

[fdcg27]

If you are looking at a used Accord, the hybrid is the way to go.
A lo-cal NA Atkinson cycle two liter and not much of a transmission to worry about.
Fuel economy is very good, which matters more when fuel prices spike, like now.
134K on our '18 HAH with no problems other than the A/C condenser, repaired under warranty extension by Honda.

 

[Cujet]

Oil dilution is over blown. If you fall into the driving criteria which increases oil dilution, like short trip in cold temps, change the oil at 5k intervals and rest easy. And/or, use 5w30 oil, since it's thicker, and better able to hold up to dilution.

Blow head gaskets can happen, but it's not a high failure rate. People blaming the use of regular fuel are just guessing. There are NO FACTS in support of this. Speculation is the flavor of the day it seems, and anyone can create a youtube channel.

Maybe. On every rental 1.5 turbo Accord I’ve rented and driven on highway trips they always gain a quart in 1500 miles of my high speed antics.

 

[edyvw]

Maybe. On every rental 1.5 turbo Accord I’ve rented and driven on highway trips they always gain a quart in 1500 miles of my high speed antics.

Even VW’s with FSI and TFSI engines that we called “fuel dilution monsters,” didn’t do that.

 

[edyvw]

Agree that the head gasket failure rate is above average. It's not an epic fail, though, unlike the Civic AC system failure rate. I'm way more worried about that, again, than losing the head gasket.

The argument: “Other than head gaskets, excellent engine.”

 

[4wd]

The argument: “Other than head gaskets, excellent engine.”

The operation was a success - but I’m missing a surgical glove