Honda CR V Reliability by YearBest & worst years, problems & recalls โ NHTSA data
Comparing used Honda CR V options? We analyzed 10 model years (2017โ2026) using real NHTSA complaint and recall data so you can spot stronger years, avoid riskier ones, and know what to inspect before buying.
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Found a Honda CR V? Check that exact car.
Model-year trends show patterns โ they can't tell you whether this car was crashed, flooded, or rolled back. A VIN check can.
- Accident & damage history
- Odometer rollback records
- Open recalls & title brands
Based on NHTSA complaint data, the Honda CR V has 7,174 owner complaints and 40 safety recalls across model years 2017โ2026. The most reported issue area is STEERING. 2018 drew the most complaints; 2026 drew the fewest.
- Make
- Honda
- Model
- CR V
- Model years analyzed
- 2017โ2026 (10 years)
- Total NHTSA complaints
- 7,174
- Safety recall campaigns
- 40
- Crash-related complaints
- 244
- Fire-related complaints
- 21
- Worst model year (by complaints)
- 2018 (2,128 complaints)
- Best model year (fewest complaints)
- 2026 (127 complaints)
- Top reported issue area
- STEERING
- Reliability signal
- Poor
By model year
Honda CR V: which years to avoid & which to buy
Based on total NHTSA owner complaints per model year. Higher complaint counts indicate a riskier year to buy used โ lower counts suggest a cleaner reliability record.
These years have the most owner complaints. Inspect carefully and always run a VIN check.
These years have the fewest owner complaints on record โ lower risk starting points.
Crash test ratings
NHTSA NCAP crash test ratings
New Car Assessment ProgramNCAP crash tests measure how well a vehicle protects occupants in controlled frontal crash, side crash, and rollover scenarios. Stars are awarded per category (5 = safest). These laboratory results are independent of owner complaints and are performed by NHTSA engineers on new production vehicles.
NCAP crash test ratings for this model are not yet loaded or this vehicle was not tested in the years analyzed. NHTSA tests a subset of new vehicles each year. Check nhtsa.gov/ratings directly for the latest results.
What the complaint data suggests
PoorThe HONDA CR V has 7,174 NHTSA complaints and 40 recalls on record. 244 complaints involve crash-related incidents. This data reflects owner-reported issues submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
- 7,174 total complaints filed with NHTSA
- 40 federal recall campaigns
- 244 crash-related complaints on record
- Review NHTSA complaint history for the most-reported components
- Check recall completion status at nhtsa.gov/recalls
- Verify service records for frequently complained components
Consult the by-year breakdown to identify model years with elevated complaint rates.
Consult the by-year breakdown to identify model years with fewer reported issues.
- Run a VIN check on the specific vehicle you are considering
- Verify all open recalls are completed at nhtsa.gov/recalls
- Request service records for the most-reported complaint components
- Have a certified mechanic inspect the vehicle before purchase
Problems by model year (best vs. worst)
Source: NHTSA public complaints database. Updated: Sep 2026
Safety recalls
NHTSA safety recalls
40 recalls foundSafety recalls are mandatory repair campaigns ordered by NHTSA when a vehicle defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety. Manufacturers are required to fix recalled vehicles free of charge. Always verify open recalls before buying a used car.
STEERING
STEERING
STEERING
TIRES:MARKINGS
AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER
AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY
STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS
EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER
SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER:RETRACTOR
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:STORAGE:TANK ASSEMBLY
EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER
SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
Source: NHTSA Recalls Database. Data covers model years 2017โ2026. Always run a VIN-specific check below for the most up-to-date open recall status.
Common problems
What goes wrong most often
The vehicle systems owners complain about most, ranked from all 7,174 NHTSA complaints โ these are the areas to inspect first on a used car.
Owner complaints
NHTSA complaint reports
7,174 totalThese are consumer-submitted safety complaints filed directly with NHTSA. Each complaint describes a real owner's experience. Complaints flagged as crash-related or fire-related are highlighted.
Steering wheel sticking when I turn left and making ticking noise. Took it to Honda and I have to pay $5k to replace the steering wheel rack. They wonโt tell me why this happened and itโs because they know the manufacturing part has a defect but they wonโt put out a recall for this issue, even though Honda crv years 2023-2025 have an open recall for this issue.
The Steering appears to be sticky on highway speeds. Honda has the recall for this exact same issue but seems like 2022 CRV was excluded from the recall. This is a major safety issue which can easily lead to over correction as you need to add extra strength to adjust the steering wheel when driving on the road.
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? When I drive, whether at low or highway speeds, the steering sticks in place and needs to be yanked lightly to correct it. This behavior is described by NHTSA Campaign 24V-744, but Honda says that my VIN is not covered. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? I have to force correct my steering which can lead to overcorrection. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes, it has been confirmed by a diagnostic at Honda East Cincinnati. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Only the dealer service department. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? There are no warning lights or messages. The problem appears in daily driving.
I was driving on hwy when I had to do a hard stop because traffic stopped suddenly in front of my vehicle, no physical contact was made to any cars in front or back of me, suddenly dark smoke started coming from under the hood of car, The car started stalling in middle of the hwy I got out safely opened hood and seen engine area was on fire another person in a vehicle pulled over came out with a fire extinguisher and sprayed to put fire out. there were no prior symptoms or warnings prior to this problem occuring.The car was picked up by my insurance company and taken to a Honda dealer and that is where car is located as they are trying to repair fire damages and no one knows why this fire ocurred.
Driving downhill on Ohio Turnpike at high speed the check engine light started flashing and the car lost power. 2nd time this has happened in one month's time this summer. First time was also on the Turnpike at high rate of speed, going uphill, on a 90+ degree day. Second time was mid 80's, going downhill. Both times after turning car off and on again, check engine light was no longer visible. No codes stored to help determine issue.
My 2022 CRV steering wheel sticks when driving and does not want to turn and is difficult to steer causing me to have to force the wheel and nearly wreck my car. The steering wheel also feels loose and spins around and round while at a stop. The steering wheel knocks/pops during a hard turns. Since this a safety issue well documented online for Honda CRV 2022-2025, I would expect for there to be a recall, but there is not one on my 2022 CRV even though I have been experiencing the issue since 4-6 months ago.
Read 14 more owner reports
Driving down highway and sunroof spontaneously shattered/exploded. There was no external impact, debris or collision that could explain the failure. Fragments scattered outwards toward roadway as well as lying in sunroof well. I am filing this report to to document the incident and request that NHTSA consider it as part of an ongoing or future investigation into sunroof failures. Car was brought into a local Honda dealer which assumed no responsibility for factory free repair.
About two years ago on an unfamiliar 2 lane highway the stearing failed to recenter itself at the end of a sweeping corner and felt unusually heavy. Thought it might be tire ruts in the road. Breifly on a couple different occasions the steering didnt feel right, like "is it the road or the car". then a few weeks ago on a very familiar stretch of interstate, the car started to pull right so I corrected but the stearing was heavy/ stiff feeling. It continued for about a mile though bends in the road and then became very heavy, feeling similar to trying to turn the wheels sitting still with the engine off. Then suddenly after that felt normal again. No doubt now something is wrong. My wife usually drives the car. I'm a retired local truck driver of mainly urban driving. A less experinced person could easily apply the needed force to correct, then overcorrect causing a crash. To random to be reproduced by dealer. No warning lamps. Formal complaint made to the manufacturer. It is available for inspection
It seems that once the vehicle has been driven for a bit and things heat up, the steering will become 'sticky' when trying to turn, even small turns of the steering wheel. This is accompanied by a creaking sound when turning. At high speeds this is especially concerning due to the steering sticking, which then requires a big of additional force, which abruptly yanks the direction of the vehicle as opposed to smooth steering transitions. The problem was diagnosed by a local mechanic center, which informed me that a recall for this exact problem was issued for 2023 and newer models of my vehicle, which is a 2022. Due to my vehicle falling just outside of the 2023 window, the manufacturer would not help me.
The contact owns a 2022 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds and turning on several occasions, the steering wheel became firm and excessive force was needed to turn the steering wheel. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed, and it was determined that the rack and pinion and gearbox needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact believed that the failure was associated with an unknown recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 43,700.
When the car is cold and driving around town the electric power steering is fine. But once the car heats up and especially when driving on the highway there is a noticeable issue with the steering. When trying to maintain my position in the lane or making a gradual turn on a curve, the steering sticks for an instant. This continues for the entire trip. It is difficult to have a smooth drive with the steering. I have been told there are some gears that expand with the heat causing them to have a slight hesitation trying to mesh whenever a turn is made. This seems to me to be a big safety issue wondering when the gear won't mesh properly and I may be unable to navigate a turn. This is not a one time incident. This happens every time the car gets heated up during a drive. I called Honda and was told that my VIN did not qualify for a recall. I have seen other complaints filed with this same problem.
CRV began a slight resistance feeling when steering coupled with a slight screeching/rubbing sound. Took vehicle to Gilman Honda, in Rosenberg Texas. They kept the car over 24 hours and told us they didnโt notice anything. We went to dealer and drove the vehicle with technician. He stated the noise wasnโt worth a fix and the car was ok to drive until the noise got worse. He stated the car would most likely need a whole power steering rack replacement in the future but was not needed at that moment. The noise is a lot worse now and the resistance on the steering is too. Our major problem is dealer technicians not giving us an accurate diagnosis, so we can make a decision on repairing the vehicle. I have since began reading about steering issues and became aware this new steering component used by Honda has had numerous recorded issues but it has failed to back its product. It doesnโt help that they are also not assessing the problem honestly at the dealer repair locations.
My 2022 Honda CR-V has a "sticky steering" issue. This is a well-documented problem that has resulted in the recall of many Honda vehicles. It occurs regularly and results in the need to apply additional pressure to the steering wheel in order to correct the vehicle direction on a curve. This often results in an over-correction.
The contact owns a 2022 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving at a very slow speed in heavy traffic, the vehicle suddenly experienced "Phantom Braking" causing the vehicle to abruptly stop in the middle of the road, causing a second vehicle to almost crash into the rear end of the vehicle. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 18,540.
The contact owns a 2022 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel failed to turn in the intended direction. The contact stated that the steering wheel was sticking. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the failure had occurred after the vehicle was driven approximately 20โ30 minutes. The failure was persistent. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact was informed that the failure was a known failure with similar vehicles. The contact referenced an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not associated with a recall related to the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 26,000.
Steering "sticks" when going at highway speeds around long corners in any weather condition. The steering also sticks and clicks in tight turns at any speed, noticeably more often when outside temperatures are 85 degrees and above. I thought it could be the road departure mitigation or the vehicle stability assist system, but neither indicator was shown on the dash during the sticky steering incidents. The sticky steering makes me worried about driving on the highway and having to maneuver corners, since the only way to regain control of the wheel is to lightly jerk it out of the stuck position. The fact that the 2023-2025 models were recalled for the sticky steering made me believe my 2022 CR-V was safe from the steering issue so the first few times it occurred during my warranty period I thought it was an actual safety feature. I was certainly wrong! I have 16,500 miles on my car, do not drive many miles, and am 9 months outside of the warranty. The dealership wants to replace the steering gear on the vehicle in accordance with Honda Service Bulletin 24-011 charging me a cost of $2,200.
On or about April 17, 2026, while driving my 2022 Honda CR-V equipped with the 1.5L turbocharged engine (approximately 53,890 miles), I experienced a sudden loss of engine power and performance. There were no warning lights, warning messages, or other symptoms prior to the incident. The first indication of a problem occurred during the failure itself. Diagnostic testing later identified DTC P0299 (turbocharger underboost). The vehicle was transported to an authorized Honda dealership (Stokes Honda North), where technicians diagnosed a catastrophic turbocharger failure. During their inspection, they determined that metal from the failed turbocharger had contaminated the engine and recommended complete engine replacement. The sudden loss of engine power created a significant safety concern because the vehicle could not accelerate normally in traffic. A loss of power while merging onto a highway, crossing an intersection, or attempting to avoid another vehicle could increase the risk of a collision. The failure was confirmed by the authorized Honda dealership. The vehicle was also inspected by American Honda as part of its warranty review. Although Honda denied warranty coverage, I am submitting this complaint to report what I believe is a potential safety-related failure involving the turbocharger and resulting engine damage. The vehicle remains available for inspection if requested. I respectfully ask NHTSA to determine whether similar failures are occurring in other 2022 Honda CR-V vehicles equipped with the 1.5L turbocharged engine and whether further investigation is warranted.
On July 15 around 7:15 AM in the morning I was driving on my way to work at a highway speed of about 55mph and all of a sudden I just heard almost like an explosion or something had hit the vehicle and I saw something flying off the roof. The vehicle has the sunroof and so I decided to pull over and I checked the vehicle and sure enough the sunroof seemed to randomly shatter. nothing had hit the vehicle, there were no other vehicles near me. I donโt recall having vehicle being hit by anything anytime recently. The last two days we had extremely high temperatures and I did use the AC at low temperatures and wondered if the change of temperature may have played a role. I purchased the vehicle on February 7, 2026. I got really scared that that if the sunroof had been uncovere, that glass could have shattered and hurt me or could have hurt someone else. I had the car towed and had it repaired and they told me that there was no warranty to repair the vehicle so I had to pay out-of-pocket.
Vehicle makes a clicking noise and steering hesitates while making a turn left or right sometimes the steering freezes up. Local Honda dealer diagnosed it has needing a new power steering and rack system, on newer models, This is a recall item, but they said our VIN number did not fall within the parameters of the recall, but yet we are experiencing the same problem as described in their safety bulletin.
Car went into "limp mode" while we were driving on the turnpike on a hill at 70 MPH. Speed dropped to 30 MPH in an area with a construction zone so there was little room to pull to the side of the road safely. We were lucky to be in the right lane so made it to the side next to the construction barrels.
Showing 20 of 7,174 total NHTSA complaints. Source: NHTSA Complaints Database
Check the exact car
Before you buy, check the exact Honda CR V
These pages show model-year patterns across 10 years. Enter a VIN to verify the exact vehicle's accident history, title brands, odometer records, and open recall status before purchase.
The basics
How to read this data
Complaints, recalls, investigations โ hereโs what each number actually tells you about a used Honda CR V, in plain English.
What is an NHTSA Complaint?
An NHTSA safety complaint is a report filed directly by a vehicle owner or driver describing a safety-related issue. Anyone can submit a complaint at NHTSA.gov. The number of complaints is a signal of how common a problem is โ but complaints per model-year matter more than raw totals, since popular vehicles naturally receive more reports. The Honda CR V has 7,174 complaints on record across 10 model years.
What is a Safety Recall?
A safety recall is a mandatory campaign issued by NHTSA when a vehicle component poses an unreasonable risk to safety or does not comply with federal motor vehicle safety standards. Unlike complaints (which are owner-reported), recalls are formally investigated and confirmed by regulators. Manufacturers must fix recalled vehicles free of charge. The Honda CR V has 40 recall campaigns in the NHTSA database.
What Are Crash Complaints?
Crash complaints are NHTSA filings where the owner indicates a crash occurred as part of the incident. 244 of the Honda CR V's 7,174 complaints involved a crash. This metric is particularly important because it indicates how often defects resulted in actual collisions โ a key safety signal beyond general reliability.
How Is the Reliability Verdict Calculated?
The reliability verdict (Poor) is generated by analyzing the vehicle's total complaints, recall history, crash complaint ratio, fire complaint ratio, and top component failures relative to class averages. This verdict gives buyers a quick interpretation before they review year-level details and VIN-level history. It should be treated as one decision input, not a substitute for a VIN-specific report.
Why Do Newer Years Have Fewer Complaints?
Newer model years appear to have fewer complaints because there has been less time for owners to file them. Complaints accumulate over years of ownership. A 2020 model year vehicle will typically show fewer complaints than a 2015 model year even if it is less reliable โ simply because fewer owners have had time to report issues. Focus on complaints per year of market presence when comparing across model years.
Fleet Data vs. Individual VIN
Everything on this page reflects aggregated data across all Honda CR V vehicles on the road โ not any specific car. Two Honda CR V vehicles of the same year can have very different histories: one may have been in three accidents and have an open recall; another may be clean. A VIN check gives you the individual car's history: accidents, title brands, odometer records, service history, and real-time recall status.
What Are NHTSA Investigations?
When NHTSA receives a pattern of related safety complaints, it opens a formal investigation. A Preliminary Evaluation (PE) is the first stage โ NHTSA determines if a safety defect may exist. If evidence is strong, it escalates to an Engineering Analysis (EA), which can result in a mandatory recall. The Honda CR V has 0 investigations on record (0 active). Investigations listed above may have already led to the recalls shown on this page.
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Honda CR V reliability โ frequently asked questions
Is the Honda CR V reliable?
Poor. The Honda CR V has 7,174 NHTSA owner complaints and 40 recall campaigns across model years. A commonly reported issue area is STEERING. Use year-level data as a pattern guide, then verify the exact car with a VIN check before purchase.
Which Honda CR V years to avoid?
Years with the most NHTSA complaints: 2018 (2,128 complaints), 2017 (1,759 complaints), 2019 (1,088 complaints). Use these years as a shortlist for deeper inspection, and always run a VIN check on the exact vehicle before purchase.
What are the most common Honda CR V problems?
Top reported issues: STEERING (1,356 complaints); ENGINE (1,328 complaints); FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE (1,315 complaints).
Does the Honda CR V have recalls?
Yes โ 40 NHTSA recall campaigns have been issued for the Honda CR V. Check nhtsa.gov/recalls or run a VIN check to see if your specific vehicle has open recalls.