2016 Honda CR-V
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Engine is the leading concern among 393 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 17th highest complaint count among 26 CR-V model years with reports.
Of the 2016 reports, 40 involved a crash and 4 involved a fire. 36 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Fuel system, gasoline, delivery, fuel pumpDec 18, 2023
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline, Odyssey, Acura ILX, MDX, MDX Hybrid, RDX, RLX, TLX, 2019-2022 Honda Insight, Passport, 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Clarity PHEV, Fit, and 2015-2020 Honda Accord Hybrid, Pilot, Acura NSX vehicles. The fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 6, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are KGC and KGD. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall numbers 21V-215 and 20V-314.
Campaign 23V858000 on NHTSA.gov
EngineMay 4, 2017
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Honda CR-V vehicles that recently received a replacement engine. The replacement engine may have been built with the wrong pistons, potentially affecting the engine's performance.
The reduced performance may result in an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the engines and replace the incorrect components, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began June 20, 2017. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is KF6.
Campaign 17V305000 on NHTSA.gov
Air bags, frontal, driver side, inflator moduleOct 29, 2015
American Honda Motor Company, Inc. (Honda) is recalling certain model year 2016 CR-V vehicles manufactured October 12, 2015, to October 19, 2015. The metal housing surrounding the driver's air bag inflator in these vehicles may have been manufactured incorrectly.
In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver side frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began in November 2015. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda'a number for this recall is JV9.
Campaign 15V714000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints
393 reports, newest first.
Fuel/propulsion system, Jun 29, 2022
I smelt gas while driving, the smell continued. The underbody of my gar was spraying gasoline due to a faulty quick connect fitting or fuel line. Leaking gasoline is fire/explosion risk. I received no warning signals nor did the leak trigger any messages from the system.
Engine, Jun 28, 2022
The pistons and piston rings have failed, and the engine burns oil rapidly. There is no indication by the vehicle of the issue as far as any dashboard lights, etc. I brought my vehicle into the Honda dealership over a year ago with a noise the car was making. I was told by Honda that my car had burned oil, and to do an oil consumption test and the results would be submitted to Honda corporate. Honda corporate forced me to do multiple oil consumption tests for over a year while my car was still in warranty. Now that my car is out of warranty, Honda corporate will not pay for my car to get fixed. This is a huge safety issue because this car in that year's make & model will burn oil to the point without making the driver aware of it until the engine combusts and can destroy the engine entirely. Anyone with this year make & model should not have to worry about their car having a factory defect and the dealer refusing to pay for it. There is nothing I could have done to cause the piston and piston rings to fail. Especially for the fact that I am the first owner of this car.
Steering, Jun 23, 2022
Electronic power steering repeatedly fails, car needs to be turned off then on to reset.
Other or unspecified, Jun 10, 2022
My 2016 Honda CRV AC is not cooling to its full capacity.
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, May 20, 2022
Oil stick smells heavily of gas, the engine which my car has is known to inject too fuel in the oil. I have had it checked at the honda dealership and was informed, it was normal that there is nothing wrong, however when I check my oil stick it is very apparent that there is gas in the oil compartment. (my dipping stick should not smell like my gas tank) I will be having a second dealership look at the oil tank again.
Forward collision avoidance, May 17, 2022
Approximately three months ago, all advanced safety features stopped working. I took the vehicle to the nearest Honda dealer and their troubleshooting indicated a defective windshield camera which is used by all the advanced safety features. They ordered a replacement camera but unfortunately the camera is on back order and the dealer has no idea when it will be available. Meanwhile I am driving a vehicle with no working advanced safety features.
Electrical system, May 11, 2022
I have to keep a solar panel attached to my front visor or my new batteries will go dead. This is a problem for other vehicles the same as mine. 2016 Honda CRV. I understand that the electrical, battery parts are very faulty. I was going through batteries, and the Honda dealership never figured this out. A friend of mine attached the solar panel so I won't have a dead battery every day. Thanks for reading.
Structure, Mar 20, 2022
Driving down the highway at around 60 mph and the hood became unlatched. Hood started to vibrate excessively. Hood had to be re-seated when it was safe to do so. - Hood latch/striker malfunctioned. Component is still on vehicle. Vehicle can be inspected if required. - Issue has not been reviewed with dealer or independent service center. However, there is a recall on other Honda vehicles for this issue. - Vehicle has not been inspected. - No warning lamps or messages were present at prior to or at time of failure.
Fuel system, Gasoline, Mar 14, 2022
The contact owns a 2016 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while his cousin was driving 30 MPH, the vehicle shut off without warning. His cousin had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic where they performed a diagnostic and discovered that the fuel pump had failed. The dealer nor the manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Forward collision avoidance, Feb 23, 2022, crash
I have a 2016 Honda CR-V. I few days ago, pulled into a parking spot, stopped my car and placed the gear into park. I was sitting in the parking spot for a few minutes while waiting to pick someone up when I hear a strange noise come from the car, not even a second later my car suddenly accelerated on its own without me pressing the gas pedal or touching anything. I was completely caught off guard. The car shot forward at such a rate of speed, so fast that it threw me back in my seat. I suddenly reached to grab the steering wheel, and tried to take control of the wheel, but the steering wheel would not turn, it was completely locked. I placed both feet on the brake pedal and pushed as hard as I could but the car would not stop. It was like the car suddenly had a mind of it's own and someone else was controlling it. It literally accelerated on it's own. I couldn't stop it or steer it, everything was disabled. My car jumped a curb and slammed into a pole. Upon the first impact, none of the airbags deployed even though my entire chest slammed the steering wheel, it was only when I hit the pole did the airbags deploy. I sustained injuries to my head, back, chest and hands. Witnesses at the scene quickly pulled me out of the car, closed my door and took me away from the car because it was leaking oil and fluids everywhere and they were afraid it would explode. The entire front end of my car was completely destroyed. Nobody else was hurt other than me, but it could've been much worse if someone was walking or standing in front of my car. The way it shot forward on it's own could've killed someone. There was no way to control the car. Police, fire and ambulance showed up to the scene. Witnesses took pictures of the damage both inside and outside my car. People at the scene said it was possibly the cars computer gone bad. When I looked back at the photos, I can see that my car was in park. Thankfully I had my seatbelt on so I survived it.
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Feb 18, 2022
Gas in the oil 2016 2.4 l
Tires, Feb 16, 2022
I purchased Cooper Evolution Tour tires (DOT U92Y VN 1820, Size 225/65R17) on August 10, 2020. Since then, I've only put 16,000 miles on them. I've been consistently losing air and recently brought them into my dealer for inspection, and they located a bulge in the sidewall in all four of my tires. (I have pictures of each of the buldges as marked by the dealer.) They told me it was a manufacturer's defect and to contact Cooper Tires. Cooper Tires has a recall out for the same type of tire, only an earlier model, with the same exact defect: Recall No. 19T-024 on Cooper Evolution Tour DOT U9 40 1LT 3019. (Dated Dec. 2019.) When I contacted Cooper customer service, they said no recall for my model exists, and I'd have to get replacements under the warrantee, costing me an additional $350. If these tires have the same defect as the earlier model, they should be recalled immediately. I've been driving around on four bulging sidewalls and risking a crash as indicated by Recall No. 19T-024, all of which they recognized enough to recall their earlier model. Attached is the print out from the dealer with the estimate to replace the tires with my road hazard warrantee through them, and pictures of where they marked the sidewall bulges on each tire. (Rear passenger, front passenger, driver passenger, driver rear.)
Power train, Other or unspecified, Fuel/propulsion system, Feb 3, 2022
Intermittently my crv will stall/shut off after a complete stop. It happens almost every day now.
Electrical system, Jan 30, 2022
ELECTRONIC TRUNK SYSTEM/HATCH BACK DOOR SWITCH REPEATEDLY DOES NOT OPERATE IN COLD CONDITIONS . THERE IS NO WAY FOR A CONSUMER TO MANUALLY OPEN HATCH BACK DOOR WHEN IT FAILS.
Electrical system, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Jan 29, 2022
I have submitted this complaint before. We sold the car rather than deal with a potential t-bone accident. When starting from a stop, as you would accelerate into a traffic lane the car without warning would suddenly act as if the key was turned off, ceasing to accelerate. Exiting our neighborhood onto a thoroughfare with typical 35-50 mph traffic, my wife & I both had frequent instances of this failure to accelerate or dead throttle response. With 50+ years of driving, 5 years of SCCA road racing, 5 years of teaching defensive driving, I'm still not sure what I've done to get the car to accelerate & avoid getting t-boned. Several Honda dealerships have acted as if this is an unknown situation/condition. Actually talked to 5 different Honda service writers who all denied that the problem existed. Went to an independent Honda garage who had 5 boxes of the offending part-Throttle Position Sensor-on their office counter. I was told it is a common problem, as evidenced by the number of TPS boxes they had. This is an extreme hazard & danger to anyone driving a Honda that uses this particular piece of hardware. I would urge a recall to force Honda to re-design this sensor to eliminate the potential non-acceleration issue.
Fuel/propulsion system, Jan 25, 2022
I first detected a smell of gasoline at the rear of the vehicle. Appox. one week later, I began to smell gasoline inside the vehicle. I've taken the car to the Honda dealership and I'm awaiting the repair. The dealer service adviser said the problem was found to be one or more failed seals in the fuel line. I was advised by the dealer not to drive the vehicle until it is repaired. I looked for Service Bulletins for this vehicle, and I found several related to "the smell of gasoline" around the fuel tank. The vehicle is still at the dealership for repair.
Vehicle speed control, Service brakes, Engine, Jan 16, 2022, crash
I bought this car from Honda and I had to bring it back three times within the first 30 days for them to fix a window that was making a noise I also asked him if he could please take a look and drive my car because whenever I break or I’m trying to speed up my car seems to stall and the engine can’t catch up and then all of a sudden it bucks forward of course they said they cannot find the issue they will call the manager and no one has ever called me back to fix this issue I looked up recalls I don’t know if there is one on this vehicle or not but I need some help
Power train, Jan 15, 2022
- While driving, sudden smoke from the engine and burned rubber smell occurred. - Upon pulling over, the drive belt was atop the engine burned cut. - Diagnosis by an authorized Honda dealer revealed the water pump seized thereby snapping the drive belt. Mileage on vehicle 33,849. Summary: - The water pump seized suddenly with no warning. As a result, the drive belt/serpentine belt melted and snapped while driving. This occurred for no known or commonly seen reason at such low mileage. with absolutely no warning lamps, messages or symptoms prior to failure.
Structure, Other or unspecified, Jan 14, 2022
IN COLD WEATHER TRUNK WILL NOT OPEN. THE ONLY ACCESS TO THE SPARE TIRE AND TRUNK IS CLIMBING OVER THE BACK SEAT. THIS PROBLEM IS REPORTED BY OTHER OWNERS OF THE 2016 CRV ON THE INTERNET. I LIVED IN SOUTH FLORIDA AND RECENTLY MOVED TO A COLD WEATHER CLIMATE FOR WORK. IT IS COLD IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA AND I CANNOT OPEN MY TRUNK. WAS ABLE TO SEE THAT MANY DRIVERS HAVE THIS PROBLEM WHEN I DID A INTERNET SEARCH. I FOUND A SERVICE BULLETIN 16-063 ON THE INTERNET. IT IS A SAFETY HAZARD BECAUSE ONE SHOULD NOT HAVE TO CLIMB THROUGH THE BACKSEAT TO GET INTO THEIR TRUNK. IN CASE I HAVE A FLAT TIRE I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO LIFT THE TIRE OUT OF THE TRUNK OVER THE BACKSEAT.
Electrical system, Dec 10, 2021
Battery will drain overnight and will not retain enough charge to even unlock the doors. Battery tested by two auto part stores and determined the battery is ok. Took vehicle to Honda and said they found no problem. Problem occurred again the same night.
Suspension, Other or unspecified, Engine, Nov 23, 2021
my car started to feel like it rides rough and uneasy. I herd a loud pop inside from the engine when reversing out of my parking stall. It sounded like something inside the suspension or the engine: The engine also feels off and not running like it should. The tire warning also keeps coming on and i replaced all the tires already.
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Nov 13, 2021
On Sep 10 2020, when I drove the CR-V uphill on Crenshaw southbound near Indian Peak, it could not accelerate and get into "limp" mode. No engine light was on. Once I was able to use momentum to pull over, restarted the car, it was driving as normal. I drove it to the nearest Honda dealer and left with them for a week. They could reproduce the issue by driving exactly to the same spot. They investigated and replaced the whole tank of fuel, suspecting water in the gas tank. On Sep 19 2021, my husband was driving on Lancaster 14 north bound (uphill). The CR-V go into "limp" mode and could not accelerate. Engine light turned on soon after. He was able to cruise to the shoulder and restart the vehicle. Once it was restarted, the engine light turned off, the car could go again, and he drove and left it to the nearest dealer, they could not find any issue. On Nov 7 2021, as I am driving on 73 toll road north bound (uphill) near Catalina View Toll Booth, CR-V traveling around 65 MPH started to get into "limp" mode and I could not accelerate it pressing the gas pedal, then the engine light turned on. I was able to cruise by momentum and pull to the shoulder. I stopped and restarted the car, and it was able to travel again. All through my trip afterward (405 NB), the car felt "choked" and "stuttered" when I tried to accelerate.
Electrical system, Structure, Nov 5, 2021
When the weather gets under 50F, the trunk will not unlock and will not open. It seems as if the actuator freezes. When the temperature is above 50F you can hear it click and unlock. This was an issue with 2011-2015 CRV and it is still an issue with 2016.
Power train, Engine, Oct 18, 2021
The car vibrates so much my hands will shake on the steering wheel while idling and at time while driving. Any items in the car will shake. Complained to service department everytime vehicle brought in for service. Was told nothing could be done to fix issue and vibration is normal.
Engine, Sep 15, 2021
Car is burning oil very quickly, no apparent leaks. Bad noise coming from front end when going up and down hills caused me to investigate this problem with mechanic. Notice many complaint on the internet regarding this problem with the Honda CRV 2016.