2018 Honda CR-V
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Engine is the leading concern among 2,145 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the highest complaint count among 26 CR-V model years with reports.
Of the 2018 reports, 46 involved a crash and 2 involved a fire. 47 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Air bags, sensor, occupant classification, front passengerMay 21, 2026
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2021, 2023 Acura TLX, 2019-2024 RDX, 2017-2020, 2022-2026 MDX, 2017-2021, 2023, 2025 Honda Ridgeline, 2017-2022 Pilot, 2019-2021 Passport, 2018-2026 Odyssey, 2019-2022 Insight, 2019-2021 HR-V, 2018-2020 Fit, 2020-2022 CR-V Hybrid, 2017-2022 CR-V, 2017-2018, 2021 Civic Type R, 2017-2021 Civic hatchback, 2016-2020 Civic coupe, 2016-2022 Civic, 2017-2022 Accord Hybrid, and 2016-2022 Accord vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, which can cause the air bags to deploy unintentionally during a crash.
Air bags that deploy unintentionally during a crash increase the risk of injury.
Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 7, 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are BOL, WO9, OOA, WOM, XOH, NOC, POD, BOE, UOF, POB, EOG, AOI, QO8, TOJ, DO7, and SOK. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 24V064. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning May 29, 2026.
Campaign 26V332000 on NHTSA.gov
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
Seat belts, front, buckle assemblyMar 9, 2023
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2017-2020 CR-V, 2018-2019 Accord and Accord Hybrid, 2018-2020 Odyssey, 2019 Insight, and 2019-2020 Acura RDX vehicles. A manufacturing issue with the front seat belts may cause the seat belt buckle channel to interfere with the release button, preventing the seat belt buckle from latching.
An unlatched seat belt cannot properly restrain the seat occupant during a crash, increasing their risk of injury.
Dealers will replace the driver and front passenger seat belt buckle release buttons or the buckle assemblies as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 18, 2023. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are NDA, QDB, BDC, MDD, LD9. TDF, FDG, ODH, YDI, ZDE.
Campaign 23V158000 on NHTSA.gov
Fuel system, gasoline, delivery, fuel pumpMar 25, 2021
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Acura MDX, MDX Sport Hybrid, RDX, TLX, Honda Accord, Civic Hatchback, Insight, 2019 Acura ILX, Honda Accord Hybrid, Civic Coupe, Civic Coupe Si, Civic Sedan, Civic Sedan Si, Civic Type R, Fit, HR-V, Odyssey, Passport, Pilot and Ridgeline, and 2018-2019 CR-V vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump assembly, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed May 18, 2021. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Note: This recall is an expansion of recall 20V-314.
Campaign 21V215000 on NHTSA.gov
Steering, electric power assist systemSep 27, 2018
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Honda Civic and CR-V vehicles. The magnet that controls the torque sensor output signal for the electronic power steering system may not be properly secured, allowing the magnet to become dislodged. During a full lock turn, the dislodged magnet may cause steering assist to be applied in the opposite direction.
The unintended steering input reduces vehicle maneuverability and increases the risk of a crash.
Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering gearbox assembly, free of charge. The recall began November 9, 2018. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are C2N, P2O.
Campaign 18V663000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: forward collision avoidance
394 reports, newest first. Show all
Forward collision avoidance, Aug 30, 2022
I have been driving on a regular street at about 25-30 m/hour. There were no cars in front of me and the road was straight and clear. Suddenly emergency breaking system turned on and car has stopped. Another similar incident occurred several weeks ago when I was driving on a highway on HOV lane at about 70 m/hour and had cruise control on. These instances did not cause any accident but if there was another car behind me, it certainly would. I did not have any issues with car besides this. I have not contacted the dealer yet but if there will be another instance, I definitely would.
Forward collision avoidance, Aug 24, 2022
On four occasions the AEB engaged for no reason. Three times we were on residential of city streets under 40 mph. There were no cars or obstacles for several hundred feet. One time was driving into the morning sun, the other times the sun was higher in the sky. The warning indicator engaged and the brakes engaged on three occurrences with hard braking. The fourth incident was on a freeway travelling 65 mph with no cars to the front for about 300 feet. On this incident the warning light flashed about t4 times but brakes were not applied. The date listed was the most recent. THe other three were within 3 months of this date.
Forward collision avoidance, Aug 23, 2022
While using Adaptive Cruise Control, driving down a clear road with no obstacles, vehicles, or road imperfections, the car flashed "BRAKE" on the screen, played an alarm, and moderately hit the brakes as if there were an object in front of the car, which there was not. I pressed the gas pedal and it stopped. If there was a car behind me, there would be a high risk of accident. The vehicle had no prior warning lights or issues.
Forward collision avoidance, Aug 19, 2022
Recently while driving home in a residential area, i came upon a road construction area. The part of the road being worked on was covered with a steel plate when i got to that area my car suddenly completely stopped and the seat belt snapped tight. Luckily there was no one behind me. Now i am scared to drive this car at all. What if this happens when I’m on the highway?
Forward collision avoidance, Aug 10, 2022
Traveling at 45mph 4 lane divided road, no traffic in front of me, 1 car behind at reasonable distance. Without warning, automatic brakes slammed on, throwing me forward. Fortunately the car behind me was able to change lanes and pass. This was terrifying. This incident happened around 9:15 am July 31, 2022 on dry sunny roads. I took it to the Honda dealership. They kept the car, did Diagnostics and returned it saying they could not replicate, therefor unable to repair. I have turned off the Automatic Braking System. Its a safety feature I wanted on the vehicle, but am no longer comfortable driving with it on. The technician at Honda said the unwarranted braking would not occur with it off.I have a photo of the billing of $65 but can't seem to download. The consumer added that on another occasion while driving on the highway at 45mph the brake light flashed and the alarm sounded. The automatic braking system is turned off and the consumer was assured by the dealer service department that they would not have an issue with it being turned off.
Forward collision avoidance, Aug 9, 2022
I was traveling up a rural road on Sunday, August 7 around 1 pm. There was nothing in front of me and the automatic brakes system activated. I was traveling approximately 40 mph at the time. There was no one in front of me or in back of me. There was no damage or incident. I continued home without any issues. I have not taken it to a dealer. I did an internet search and saw that this organization was/is conducting and investigation.
Forward collision avoidance, Aug 5, 2022
While driving in town going about 45 miles per hour, my 2018 Honda CR-V automatically and fully applied the brakes causing the car to skid to a complete stop. Immediately before braking, the brake alert display and audible alert came on just as it would if there were an obstacle in front of the car. In this case, there was nothing in front of me at all. The car behind me was forced to brake and take evasive action to avoid hitting me. After the stop, the car returned to normal operation. I contacted Honda and they referred me to a dealer. I will schedule an appointment in the next week.
Forward collision avoidance, Jul 28, 2022
2018 Honda CRV with 31,690 miles, while driving home on city arterial at the posted speed of 35 mph, vehicle made a sudden, unexpected hard braking application which was very frightening to myself, the driver and my wife, the passenger. We had just gotten the vehicle back the day before from the dealer after they had replaced the rack & pinion steering box for intermittent sticking or binding during turning. The vehicle had about 10 miles on it since the repair, we where returning from a local errand, I was operating using the foot feed only with no cruise or any other driver assist options turned on, when it made a completely random and hard brake application coming to a near stop. The dash instrument cluster illuminated a large BRAKE warning with a possible audible warning also, but not totally sure on that because of the panic it caused. Fortunately we were traveling in light traffic at the time with no other vehicles following close or near in front to initiate such an automatic brake application. I called the dealer to report the issue immediately after returning home and have another upcoming appointment to have it inspected for this new issue. We have lost complete confidence in the safety of this vehicle and will not drive until after it is inspected and repaired!
Forward collision avoidance, Jul 28, 2022
I would like to report an instance of failure of my 2018 Honda CRV EXL automated emergency braking system. I was on Interstate 80 in Indiana traveling west on July 22, 2022. Traveling at 75 mph with no cars ahead of me and suddenly the automated braking system engaged by itself slamming on the brakes. Slowing the car to almost an immediate stop. Throwing myself and my wife forward into our seat belts. Thankfully there were no cars following closely behind ours. I understand there is currently an investigation into this automated braking system. Please add me to the list of concerned consumers. I would expect this failure is causing more accidents than preventing. Thank You [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Forward collision avoidance, Jul 24, 2022
The forward collusion warning and “brake” alert have activated several times at random intervals when no vehicles or pedestrians were ahead of me in the roadway.
Forward collision avoidance, Jul 21, 2022
While driving down a highway exit ramp at about 40 mph, my car suddenly slammed on the brakes for no reason -- on its own -- and came to a complete stop. The road was completely clear in front of me. I was nearly rear-ended by a driver directly behind me, who had to slam on his brakes and swerve to avoid hitting me. A car behind that driver also had to brake sharply. It's very, very lucky that none of us got in a crash. The items in my backseat flew forward and some framed paintings in my front passenger seat flew toward the dashboard, which nearly caused them to shatter -- I threw out my arm to hold them back. My arm was bruised in the process. I drove to the side of the road and parked, totally shaken. I had no idea whether it was safe to drive the car anymore. But I was in the middle of nowhere (near Gold Creek, Montana). There were no services for miles. So I had to get back on the road. This happened at about 5 pm, June 18, 2022. It was sunny. There was no water on the road. The pavement was clear except for a metal plate over a bit of road construction, completely flush with the road. The plate did not pose any hazard at all. I called American Honda when I got back home. A representative told me to take my car to a Honda dealer and get a software update to fix things. But when I called a local Honda dealer, they said there was no software update to fix a CMB issue. They also said it could cost hundreds of dollars to run diagnostics that would likely turn up nothing. So I didn't bring the car in. I did, however, find out that scores of other people have had this same problem. One online complaint described my situation exactly: "The Collision Mitigation Braking System is malfunctioning when driving over metal construction plates. Every time I get close to them, my car slams on the brakes. If anybody were behind me, they would rear-end me. This is very dangerous, as somebody will get hurt soon."
Forward collision avoidance, Jul 20, 2022
Automatic Emergency Braking - the car abruptly stopped while screaming BRAKE on the dash Although in this particular incident I was driving under 25 mph and there were no vehicles behind me, it could have been a much more serious incident if I was driving on a highway, say. I was pulled out of my seat and almost hit my head to the steering wheel. All loose items in the car pretty much fell to the floor. I have not gone to the dealer to check this out. I looked up the problem on the internet and it seems like model year vehicle is affected by this problem.
Forward collision avoidance, Jul 19, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH with the Forward Collision Avoidance system activated, the vehicle independently stopped. The contact stated that the Lane Departure Assist feature was inoperable. The contact was informed to manually select Forward Collision Avoidance: Adaptive Cruise Control for the Collision Mitigation System to work properly. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was then taken to several dealers who were unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 20,000.
Forward collision avoidance, Jul 16, 2022
This has happened several times since I've owned this vehicle, which I purchased new. Yesterday, July 15, 2022, it happened again. I was driving at approximately 50mph and with no other cars or obstacles near me, the BRAKE light flashed as if I should brake because something was in front of me. Each time this has happened, there is no other vehicle in front of me and no obstacle in the road. It's terrifying because I fear if the automatic braking system kicks in at that speed my car will flip.
Forward collision avoidance, Jul 14, 2022
First incident, after driving over a pothole the car engaged the automatic braking system and came to a sudden stop. Second incident (same day) after driving over an uneven surface on the freeway the car once again engaged the automatic braking system.
Forward collision avoidance, Jul 13, 2022
EBS (automatic emergency braking system) warning had flashed and sounded briefly and intermittently without breaking in the last several months with No obstruction in front of the car.! One time, a short time ago the car did break briefly on its own. Again with No obstruction in front! Yesterday the vehicle at 45mph broke on its own with the BRAKE warning flashing and warning sounds blaring. Again No vehicles or obstructions near by. Vehicle is going to the dealership tomorrow, July 24,2022 for diagnostic inspection.
Forward collision avoidance, Jul 12, 2022
Saturday, July 9 while driving on a mountain road the Road Departure, Collision and Braking System alert came on and said not operational. My car shows no recall but apparently Honda is being investigated for this. This is highly dangerous as the car can brake without warning and we could have gone off the road! This is unacceptable!!!
Service brakes, Forward collision avoidance, Jul 12, 2022
The screen of my vehicle shows BRAKE SYSTEM PROBLEM. I couldn’t turn on my car. It was totally stuck.
Service brakes, Forward collision avoidance, Jul 11, 2022
My Honda CRV has experienced "phantom braking" four times now. In each case the automatic emergency braking system activated while I was driving, even though there was no other car or object in my car's path. On two of the occasions, the BRAKE warning appeared but the break system did not engage. More concerning was the other two times when the BRAKE warning appeared and the car actually started to brake for a moment. One of these times, I was on the freeway; it was very disconcerting and potentially dangerous. I mentioned this to the Honda dealer when my car was in for maintenance. They said they had never heard of this issue before. Additionally they said unless they could re-create the issue, there was nothing they could do.
Service brakes, Forward collision avoidance, Jul 10, 2022
7/8/22: Driving at 20-25mph in a residential neighborhood, no cars were in front of me, the car beeped, the dashboard BRAKE light came on and the car did a hard brake. I did not press on my brakes and there was nothing in front of me to trigger the emergency brakes. Fortunately, nothing was behind me. If something was behind me, I would have most likely been rear ended and my 12 and 13 year old as well as myself would have been injured. My car was inspected on 5/3/22 and as part of that inspection new brakes were installed. Right after the incident, the Maintenance light came on with code B. I already have an appointment scheduled for 8/10 to have the turn signal and brake light fixed. I immediately called to see if I could move up the appointment but they didn’t have any earlier openings. They suggested I just take it to the service center if it occurred again. 7/10/22: About 10 minutes after leaving home, driving about 20-25mph nothing in front of me or behind me, the car beeped, the dashboard BRAKE light came on and the car did a hard brake. AGAIN, no reason for the car’s emergency brake system to engage. I will be taking it to the service center on Monday. I am now afraid to drive this car or take it on any highways or major routes.
Electrical system, Forward collision avoidance, Jul 6, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated while driving at highway speeds, the vehicle stopped independently with several unknown warning lights flashing on the instrument panel. The contact stated that the failure violently shifted he and his wife forward. No injuries were sustained. The contact also experienced various electrical failures with the liftgate, power windows, and power door locks. The dealer had been notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The contact attempted to reach the manufacturer but was unable to speak with a representative. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was unknown. The consumer stated he and his wife was on the interstate while changing lanes, the vehicle stopped abruptly and emergency braking came into play.
Forward collision avoidance, Jul 5, 2022
On several occasions and even after bring the vehicle to the dealership. The Cr-V will automatically break with no car in front it. I have noticed this on the highway and streets as well. The dealership stated the sensor was dirty, but even after they "cleaned" it, the issue persist. This put me and my wife at risk for an accident since the car behind us does not expect us to brake suddenly for no reason. It also puts us at risk for losing control of the car if we turn and the car is braking. I have tried when these issues occur to override the braking by accelerating and that does not appear to work. This has occurred over 10 times since ownership of the vehicle.
Forward collision avoidance, Jul 2, 2022
I was driving down a straight 4 lane road, no vehicles around me or in front of me, going 45mph, and my vehicle emergency braked for no reason. It didn’t even give me the normal braking warning on my dash it should, it just braked out of no where. I had my hand on the shift stick and the braking whiplashed and I accidentally hit my car out of Drive into Neutral, and that appeared to stop the emergency braking. As soon as I put the car back in Drive it was like the vehicle hadn’t even emergency braked in the first place.
Forward collision avoidance, Jun 27, 2022
There have been two situations in which the Forward Collision Warning system has caused my vehicle to brake incorrectly. 1) With Adaptive Cruise Control enabled, on the highway this has happened 4 times in 3 years. This seems to happen when the lane curves to the left. The car will brake unnecessarily. This has happened at different speeds between 50 - 70. I believe that the ACC is sensing the vehicle in the lane to the right of me. The sudden unexpected decrease in speed is a dangerous situation. When this has occurred, I have put my foot on the accelerator to speed as quick as possible. 2) This recently happened driving on a straight upward inclined rural road. The ACC was not on, traveling 35 mph.
Forward collision avoidance, Jun 24, 2022
At around 6:45pm on June 23, 2022, the emergency braking system activated as I was traveling at about 35 MPH. This occurred without warning and brought the vehicle to nearly a full stop before disengaging. Fortunately, the car behind me was able to stop before hitting me. I've reported this to the dealer and am waiting for a response. I had my seat belt on and was not on the highway, nor in a lot of traffic. This could have been a much more serious event.