1996 Honda CN250

Routine

Owners filed 4 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the engine and engine cooling › engine. No safety recall has been issued.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine2
000
Tires1
000
Service Brakes, Hydraulic1
000

What owners reported

Newest filings
Service Brakes, Hydraulic
Filed Aug 1, 20054,581 milesCT

1996 HONDA GL1500 ASPENCADE ENGINE WILL STOP RUNNING AS I AM OVERTAKING ANOTHER VEHICLE AND ALSO DRIVING UP INCLINES WITHOUT ANY TYPE OF WARNING WHAT SO EVER. NUMEROUS TIMES I HAVE ALMOST BEEN REAR ENDED BY TRACTOR TRAILERS AND CARS AS I TRY MY BEST TO PUT ON THE 4-WAYS AND GET THE MOTORCYCLE OFF OF THE ROADWAY BEFORE I AM KILLED. I HAVE HAD IT BACK TO THE SHOP NUMEROUS TIMES BUT IT SEEMS THAT NO MATTER WHAT THE BIKE COMES OUT WORSE. I AM ALSO ENCOUNTERING THE SAME PROBLEM THAT I HAVE SEEN LISTED IN ANOTHER COMPLAINT AND THAT IS DEALING WITH THE HYDRAULIC BRAKES. NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES I HAVE COMPLAINED THEY NEVER SEEM TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. WHEN THE BIKE IS SITTING THE BRAKES APPEAR TO WORK OK BUT WHEN THE BIKE IS BEING RIDDEN YOU HAVE TO STOMP DOWN ON THE BRAKE PEDAL IN ORDER FOR IT TO EVEN START TO WORK, NEVER MIND STOPPING THE BIKE IN THE NEXT 4 MILES. *NM

Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine
Filed Dec 20, 200490,856 milesPA

I BOUGHT A 1996 HONDA ACCORD COUPE W/91,000 MILES AND A VTEC ENGINE, IN MAY OF 2004 AND NOW ITS DEC 2004 I WAS TOLD THAT MY ENGINE IS GONE DUE TO A BALANCE SHAFT SEAL WITHOUT ITS RETAINER ATTACHED. WITHOUT THE RETAINER, THE BALANCE SHAFT SEAL CAME LOOSE AND MY OIL CAME OUT AND NOW I'VE BEEN TOLD BY TWO MECHANICS THAT MY ENGINE IS BAD. THIS ALL HAPPENED IN THE SPAN OF TWO DAYS.*AK

Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine
Filed Oct 11, 200481,133 milesCA

THE OIL LIGHT CAME ON AT 81133 MILES WHILE DRIVING. I PULLED THE CAR OVER. ALL THE ENGINE OIL HAD SPILLED OUT OVER THE PREVIOUS MILE, IN A SCHOOL ZONE. A PARTICULARLY LARGE PUDDLE OF OIL WAS AT THE LAST STOP SIGN WHERE THE OIL LIGHT HAD COME ON. THE MECHANIC AT ANDERSON HONDA IDENTIFIED THAT THE BALANCE SHAFT SEAL HAD FAILED (POPPED OUT). TOTAL REPAIR COST $857, INCLUDING THE REQUIRED BALANCE SHAFT SEAL RETAINER. HONDA ADMITS TO HAVING A "SERVICE UPDATE" FOR THIS ISSUE FROM 09/2000 TO 01/2003. DURING THIS PERIOD HONDA NOTIFIED THEIR SERVICE DEPARTMENTS TO INSTALL A BALANCE SHAFT SEAL RETAINER. SINCE 01/2003 HONDA HAD PROACTIVELY REMOVED INFORMATION REGARDING THE NEED FOR A BALANCE SHAFT SEAL RETAINER FROM THEIR SERVICE DEPARTMENT DATABASES. SERVICE DEPARTMENTS ARE NO LONGER MAKING OWNERS AWARE OF THE NEED FOR A BALANCE SHAFT SEAL RETAINER. SIMILARLY HONDA HAS REMOVED ALL EVIDENCE OF THIS REQUIRED SERVICE UPDATE FROM THE OWNERS LINK AT HONDA.COM. HONDA IS FAILING IN IT'S RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE CUSTOMERS AWARE OF THE NEED FOR THIS BALANCE SHAFT SEAL RETAINER. YES HONDA NOTIFIED CUSTOMERS BY MAIL IN 2000, BUT THIS IS NO EXCUSE FOR BURYING THIS ISSUE AFTER 01/2003. *NM

Tires
Filed Nov 18, 1996NV

HELIX SCOOTER HAS TIRES THAT ARE J SPEED RATED(62MPH), HOWEVER BIKE CAN GO OVER 70MPH. MANUFACTURER SHOULD EQUIP BIKE WITH TIRES THAT MATCH THE SPEED CAPABILITIES.

4 of 4 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 1996
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
20070100Routine
20060100Routine
20041000Routine
1996 — this page4000Routine

Compare every CN250 year →

Reading this record

No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.

Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Most recent recall on file: none. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.