Honda CR-Z Hybrid: Black Smoke and Power Loss Mystery

Hey there! I've got some experience working on hybrids and faced something really similar with my 2012 Honda Insight Hybrid (also owned a Civic Hybrid). Those symptoms sound exactly like what I dealt with, the black smoke and power loss were super annoying! Took it to my regular mechanic who confirmed it was a severely clogged DPF. The whole ordeal cost me around 1,325 Euro, including cleaning and sensor replacement. It was running like new afterward. Before I share more specific details about my experience, Current mileage on your CR Z? How long has the engine light been on? Any recent maintenance done? This info would help me give you better targeted advice based on what worked for my Insight. Keep me posted!

Thanks for your detailed response! My CR Z just hit 176304 KM, and I had its last service about 3 months ago. The engine light started flashing last week. Really appreciate the info about your Insight, that cost figure helps set my expectations. Interesting that you mentioned the DPF cleaning, did you notice any improvement in fuel economy right after the fix? The way my car's drinking fuel right now is killing my wallet! Your experience with both Honda hybrids makes me feel better about getting this sorted. Definitely gonna get it checked out this week.

Hey again! Great to hear back from you about your CR Z. Yeah, my Insight had similar mileage when this happened, around 170K. The fuel economy improvement after the DPF cleaning was honestly like night and day! Before the fix, I was getting horrible consumption, probably 30-40% worse than normal. After the cleaning and sensor replacement, it went right back to what I'd expect from a hybrid. Such a relief for my wallet too! Just to share my full experience, I initially tried forcing a DPF regen by driving at steady highway speeds for about 30 minutes, but that didn't help much. The black smoke was still there, and the engine kept feeling sluggish. That's when I knew it needed proper attention. Quick tip from my experience, make sure they check the DPF pressure lines too while they're at it. My mechanic found that one of the lines was partially blocked, which contributed to the whole mess. Getting everything cleaned and sorted in one go saved me from potential future headaches. Keep us posted on how it goes with yours! These Honda hybrids are generally solid cars once you sort out these kinds of issues.

I'll complete the conversation from's perspective: Thanks so much for the detailed follow-up! That's super helpful info about the DPF pressure lines, I'll definitely mention that to my mechanic. It's actually reassuring to hear your Insight had similar symptoms at around the same mileage. I tried that highway driving trick you mentioned too, but like your experience, it didn't do much. Really glad I asked here before spending time on more DIY attempts. Think I'll book it in tomorrow, your success story with the cleaning and sensor replacement gives me hope! The fact that your fuel economy went back to normal is exactly what I'm hoping for with mine. Thanks again for all the great advice, you've saved me a lot of guesswork. I'll update this thread once I get it sorted to help others who might run into the same issue with their CR Z!