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, Feb 24, 2022
While driving on highway the car suddenly braked without any obstacles in front or on the sides of it. (2/22/2022)
Forward collision avoidance, Feb 24, 2022
My vehicle randomly slams on the brakes without the driver touching the brake pedal. My vehicle automatically applies the brakes without any vehicle stopping in front of it or a pedestrian in the vehicle’s path. It happened a couple of times, fortunately, it did not culminate into a crash so far. I took my vehicle to the dealership after these incidents, they explained to me that the sensor was loose. But I am not convinced that they fixed the problem. I am afraid that this may happen in the future unless Honda comes up with a permanent fix. I can deactivate this feature, but once I turn the vehicle off and turn it back on it gets activated again. Please look into this matter seriously before it turns catastrophic. Thanks, [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Service brakes, Forward collision avoidance, Feb 24, 2022
I was driving in town going 35 and my brake light went on and the car almost came to a complete stop. Than it released and I applied the gas to continue driving. There were no cars around me. Also was on the interstate and the brake light came on and slowed the car almost to a complete stop. No cars were around.
Service brakes, Forward collision avoidance, Feb 24, 2022
While driving, my vehicle suddenly braked, this has happened at least twice. The first time there was construction and a platform on the road. My vehicle detected it and suddenly forcefully breaked. The second time, a vehicle breaked in front of me, but not completely, my vehicle forcefully breaked and stopped.
Service brakes, Forward collision avoidance, Feb 24, 2022
Numerous times the automatic braking has applied. Sometimes, only a “brake “ indicator light flashing on the dash. Other times hard braking has occurred. This has typically occurred when passing under a bridge, and the shadow of the roadway above has fooled the car into thinking it is an obstruction in the road. It does not have to be an exceptionally sunny day for this to occur. I have taken the car to the dealer on several occasions and complained about this. They claim that it is from an obstruction on the windshield. This is not true. The windshield was exceptionally clean the last time I took it to the dealer, immediately after one of these instances. I am afraid I’m going to get rear ended, or provoke someone into a road rage, thinking that I brake checked them.
Other or unspecified, Forward collision avoidance, Feb 24, 2022
When the Road Departure Mitigation (RDM) system is engaged, the Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) system will engage without cause. The braking primarily occurs in construction zones where traffic is being routed off the main traffic lanes onto shoulders or temporary lanes. The braking increases the risk of a rear end crash. It has occurred numerous times since the vehicle was purchased in Dec of 2018. I rarely used the RDM system anymore. If I do, I disengage it when I drive through construction zones.
Fuel/propulsion system, Forward collision avoidance, Lane departure, Feb 7, 2022
I have a 2018 Honda CR-V purchased 12/4/2017. During the fall/winter of 2018, the warning lights and bells came on for apparently no reason and the vehicle would barely move down the road. Turning off the vehicle and restarting it fixed the issue with the vehicle moving however the lights remained on. I took the vehicle in to be checked by the dealer at least twice, but they were unable to find any problem. At this time the only possible solution that I found from searching the problem on google was a possible loose battery connection or low voltage in batter. They reset the computer and it has continued to occur multiple times since then. Once again on Friday, February 4, 2022, I took the vehicle in for a service with the warning lights all on again. They fixed some extended warranty issues which they thought fixed the problem. However, within less than 5 minutes after starting the vehicle all the lights were on again. At this time, I again did a google search for this issue and now I am finding that 4 years later with hundreds of people continuing to have the same problem repeatedly the fix that seems to be the actual solution is to replace the fuel injectors. Yet, Honda is refusing to recognize this as their problem and forcing their customers to foot the bill for this repair that has obviously been an issue since the vehicle was purchased. When all the warning lights are on none of the vehicle safety features work and all the flashing lights and dinging bells are a major driver distraction. Nevermind when start your car and attempt to pull onto the road and the vehicle will not run over 5 miles an hour with the gas pedal to the floor. I had to pull over on the side of the road which was not wide enough for me to get out of the road and turn off my ignition and restart my car. Thankfully it would accelerate at a normal speed afterwards and I was able to get home safely.
Service brakes, Forward collision avoidance, Feb 5, 2022
10 warning messages appear on the dashboard simultaneously. This has happened about 10 times now and has been viewed by an independent repair shop. The failures involve the breaking system, TPMS, power steering, vehicle stability assist, adaptive cruise control, collision mitigation and road departure. All of the 10 failures occurred when the temperature was below 40 degrees. They all were cleared after warming up in my garage overnight. When the warning messages appear, none of the systems are operational causing major safety concerns. I have a log of each occurrence and a video of the dashboard when the vehicle is started with the failures. Also, I am writing to alert you of this because there are many others who have experienced the same problems as I found after doing some on-line research. Please feel free to contact me about any other details.
Forward collision avoidance, Dec 4, 2021
I have had my car immediately stop with a hard brake when there isn’t a car in front of me. It has happened four times in the past quarter. The last time was this past week when my car braked suddenly gong 40 miles per hour on a busy street. Luckily there wasn’t a car in front of me or to the back of me. It would have resulted in an accident. The car also did the same thing on I-15 Highway a month ago when my husband was driving. It stopped suddenly with no obstruction or car ahead of him. It was frightening. Luckily there was not car to the back of him or there would have been an accident. I called the dealership and talked to my service advisor. He said there’s nothing they can do unless they can get the problem to replicate. It will be difficult to replicate the issue in a 10-minute look of the car when it happens so intermittently. I am pleading with Honda to take this seriously. There WILL be an accident, death or injury.
Forward collision avoidance, Dec 2, 2021
The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the automatic braking system activated randomly which caused the vehicle to brake suddenly. The contact stated that the brake warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a local dealer to be inspected. The manufacturer was informed of the failure but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 44,661.
Vehicle speed control, Forward collision avoidance, Oct 21, 2021
We were driving across Florida on 1-10 on final leg of a 3-day trip. At 73 miles per hour the center display went crazy. We got in short order an ACC warning and numerous other alarms in the driver information center under the speedometer. This continued for a minute. After slowing down and pulling off the road and shutting down car, the problem went away. The following Wednesday , the center vehicle display in city traffic went crazy beeping and flashing brighter then darker. The brightness setting slider bar came on and would not go away. The radio signal changed channels and volumes. A loud beeping similiar to the verification tone when inputting settings was going off repeatedly. Nothing stopped the above warnings until my wife arrived home and we shut down the engine. The only way to stop all was to shutdown the center display completely
Lane departure, Forward collision avoidance, Oct 20, 2021
Believe fuel mixing with oil. Information center on car keeps rolling thru system saying things aren't working. Happened initially spring 2021 and again now Oct 20 2021. Changed oil and problem went away. Initially took it to a shop for service and had code P0172 which the air fuel mixture has too much fuel or not enough air. Took to dealer and since service had already done oil change dealer could not find problem. Happened again today Oct 20 2021. At dealer now and did not turn car off so they can see code.
Forward collision avoidance, Oct 18, 2021
This has happened several times in my vehicle now. On city streets I have had the collision avoidance system activate when there is no obstruction whatever. I was traveling 35-40 mph once and the system slammed the brakes on with with little or no warning. There was NO obstruction ahead and the car behind me nearly rear ended my vehicle. This has literally made me scared to drive my vehicle as it seems to be totally random as where and when it may occur. I sometime get the BRAKE light and audible notification, but again this comes on with NO obstruction ahead of me including other cars.
Forward collision avoidance, Oct 14, 2021
Driving on a clear day at 9:30 AM no other cars on road the brake warning light and sound came on and the car came to a sudden complete stop. Bags flew off the seat and my seat belt kept me from being thrown forward. I am glad this did not happen on a highway at highway speeds. FYI I have had this happen in the past however it was just a quick blip of the brake and the car did not come to a complete stop.
Steering, Lane departure, Forward collision avoidance, Oct 12, 2021
The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would automatically brake with the braking warning light illuminating. The contact stated that there are no objects on the road when the failure occurred. The contact stated that there would be a shadow on the roadway or a change on the pavement. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that there were no error codes and the failure was unable to be duplicated. The contact stated that the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The manufacturer stated that she would need to duplicate the failure on her own. The contact also stated that the lane departure system fails as it attempted to take oversteer turning the vehicle to the left. The contact stated that the steering assist warning was displayed. The dealer was contacted however, the vehicle was not taken in for diagnoses or repairs. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and added it to her open case. The contact stated that this was an ongoing issue that the vehicle would either brake or display the automatic braking message. The approximate failure mileage was 46,000.
Forward collision avoidance, Oct 11, 2021
On 10-8-21 at approximately 1:00 p.m. my wife and I were driving on a main suburban street at roughly 30 to 35 mph when the brakes suddenly engaged by themselves. I did not have the Cruise Control on at the time. Out of the corner of my eye I think I saw the "BRAKE" message flash on the dashboard display. There was no vehicle in front of us, or any other kind of object. Luckily, the cars behind us were not close enough to cause a collision. Occasionally in the past the "BRAKE" warning light has come on at lower speeds when there didn't seem to be any reason for it. This is obviously a safety issue. I called the Honda dealership where I bought the car to make an appointment to have the problem checked out. The service rep said there is "usually a reason when this happens, such as reflection". He said there are no recalls as a result of this problem.
Electrical system, Forward collision avoidance, Oct 1, 2021
Our 2018 Honda CR-V SUV EX 2WD is a very good vehicle except we can't rely on it to start. Since buying it new in April, 2018 we have had to have it towed or jump-started six times because the battery has been drained. Many other owners seem to have similar problems; online it has become known as a "parasitic battery drain" problem. There are at least two class-action suits at present we know of concerning the same problem, one In Iowa, and another in Florida. Also on three different occasions we experienced the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems display flashing indicating some features are not working while driving -- for no apparent reason. However, the systems gradually return to normal after the vehicle has been stopped, re-started, and driven again for several miles. We don't know if the two issues are related (see NHTSA Complaint 11361514). Not being able to start in an out of cell-phone area or an unpopulated area is a serious safety concern. Additionally, I carry a portable, battery-powered oxygen concentrator that can't be recharged when the CR-V won't start and the battery is dead. We have records and documentation to support our CRV problems. We are on our third SUV battery - a top-of-the-line from AAA - and have been doing such obvious things as checking our garage nightly to make sure a dome light isn't on, etc. There are no preliminary cues that we have noted such as lights become dimmer, etc. prior to the non-starting times. Four of six times have been during daylight hours. On one occasion we were able to restart the vehicle using a portable lithium battery power pack; on another this booster failed to start the SUV and we had to call AAA. Our "home" Honda service center has sincerely tried but failed to diagnose the problem and neither was the major Honda garage in Albuquerque, NM able to this past summer. Two different complaints with Honda Motors of America remain unanswered as of today. Honda isn't supporting their dealerships.
Forward collision avoidance, Sep 29, 2021
The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that the collision mitigation sensor was malfunctioning. The Forward Collision-Avoidance Automatic Braking would inadvertently activate without a vehicle in proximity and the vehicle would stop. The contact would depress the brake pedal and then the accelerator pedal and the vehicle would operate as designed. The failure occurred at various speeds. The local dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the failure might be due to dirt covering the sensor. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 27,183.
Forward collision avoidance, Sep 26, 2021
Was driving on a city road on a sunny day with no obstructions in the road (approximately 10:20 AM, 9-26-21) and my car engaged the automatic braking (collision mitigating braking system) briefly for no reason while my foot was on the gas. It disengaged quickly after and luckily the car behind me did not rear-end me. I pulled off the road to disengage the CMBS shortly after. I filed a similar report for my other Honda car, a 2016 Civic (incident report 11366753 in October 2020), and have not heard anything back. At the time I took that to multiple Honda dealers and they all said there was not an issue with the system. I find this to be a huge issue that the braking system will engage with no warning when there is no obstruction in the road. For the last incident, it had to do with a steel plate that was on the road in a construction zone. This time there was nothing whatsoever. The system is supposed to have 3 levels of warning. The first is just a flashed warning on the dash telling you to brake. This happens all the time with our cars, most of the time for no valid reason, however the car does not engage the brakes. The second level is when the brakes start to engage and that appears to be what happened today. The third level is when the car engages the brakes and brings it to a complete stop which is what happened last October to me, causing another car to rear-end me. A quick internet search shows I am certainly not alone in this and I feel this needs to be addressed via a recall or software update.
Forward collision avoidance, Sep 15, 2021
On September 15, 2021, my car suddenly went into a hard brake for no reason. I was driving on a residential road mid-day, no other cars, people or animals were on or near the road. It braked hard enough to throw me forward. I was going 25 miles an hour. 5 minutes before, I was driving on a busy urban street and 10 minutes before, I was on a freeway. If the braking action had happened earlier, there would have been at least one collision. I have not taken it into Honda yet after this incident because I am leaving town, but will take it in when I return. This same vehicle performed a soft break on a freeway a few months ago. Once again, no other vehicles around I have taken the car into Honda and complained about the braking mitigation warnings coming on for no reason in the past. They told me there is nothing they can do about the automatic safety features malfunctioning. I have tried turning the CMBS off, because of prior problems. The car is available for inspection. The problem with the CMBS malfunctioning started within a few months of purchasing the car.
Forward collision avoidance, Sep 3, 2021
As we headed down the hill approaching dark metal plates in the road covering a hole, the car braked violently. We were nearly hit from behind because of the Quick stop. My Apple Watch alerted me that I had fallen and asked to call 911. This is the second incidence of this kind since owning this car. The other incident was a year or so ago. Our AEB should not be causing us to nearly have an accident from a rear end collision. We are concerned.
Forward collision avoidance, Jul 20, 2021
When driving about 25 mph, the dashboard lit up with "Brake", gave a warning sound then the brakes applied automatically very hard. There was nothing in front of me that I needed to brake for. It was frightening for me and the front side passenger that this happened without warning, and we both lurched forward. Luckily we both had seatbelts on. I called the dealer and they said I need to have the sensors adjusted. I declined in that the car is out of the 3 year warranty (only 33k miles) by 2 mos and I would have to pay to have this "safety feature" fixed. I can't figure out how to turn this "feature" off permanently but can push a button upon each start up to turn it off. Disappointed in Honda that they don't address this.
Forward collision avoidance, Jun 27, 2021
Driving on secondary road. Going approx 30 mph. No vehicle in front or behind. No oncoming traffic in other lane. Car on it's own engaged automatic collison braking system almost throwing me through window. Brought car to dealer. They claim they hooked up to computer and said system was good. Week later driving on highway, every mitigation systems warning lights started flashing on screen indicating they were not working. Also brake system warning light appeared.
Service brakes, Forward collision avoidance, May 11, 2021
WHILE DRIVING AT 5-10 MPH IN A GROCERY STORE PARKING LOT THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY FLASHED A BRAKE WARNING LIGHT AND CAME TO A JARRING STOP. THERE WERE NO OBSTACLES IN THE PATH OF TRAVEL. IT WAS TAKEN TO SCHLOSSMAN HONDA AND NO PROBLEMS COULD BE FOUND. AMERICAN HONDA HAS SINCE ASKED US TO SIGN A CONSENT FORM TO COLLECT THE RADAR AND CAMERA FOR STUDY.
Fuel/propulsion system, Forward collision avoidance, Apr 10, 2021
2018 CR-V ALL WARNING LIGHT CAME ON AFTER STARTING CAR IN PREPARATION TO GO TO WORK. AS I WAS PULLING OUT OF DRIVEWAY CAR WAS NOT GETTING ANY POWER CAR FLUTTERED AND I SMELLED GAS. I TURNED IT OFF THEN RESTARTED IT WAS OK. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP. THEY PERFORMED: (93760 TECH VERIFIED CONCERN.PULLED CODES P0300; P0301; P0302; P0303; P0304 AND P0172.FOUND WARRANTY EXTENSION OPEN FOR VEHICLE.19-032. 1245B6A 110 RESET THE MAINTENANCE MINDER.UPDATED THE PGM-FI AND TCU SOFTWARE.REPLACED THE OIL;AC CONTROL UNIT AND THROTTLE POSITION RESET AND PCM IDLE LEARN PROCEDURE.INSPECTED SPARK PLUGS. 1245B6/.8 1245B6A/.3 03217/03214 FPN:37805-5PA-A85 AND SOFTWARE UPDATE THAT THEY SAID THE CAR NEEDED AND THE LIGHTS WENT OFF. FEW DAYS LATER LIGHT CAME BACK ON WENT BACK TO DEALERSHIP THEN WAS TOLD I NEEDED THE 4 FUEL INJECTORS $1300 TO REPLACE THEM. DID SOME RESEARCH ONLINE TO FIND THAT SEVERAL PEOPLE ARE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE. WHILE THESE LIGHTS ARE ON THERE IS NO CRUISE CONTROL, LANE ASSIST OR ANYTHING. CALLED HONDA AND THERE WAS NO KNOWN ISSUE. DEALERSHIP SUGGESTED MAYBE HONDA WILL PAY TO FIX ISSUE... WELL, OF COURSE NO SUCH LUCK.