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, Jan 7, 2024
Video is attached. Apon starting my car I can have a electrical/computer problem where all my safety systems start flashing problems or warnings. This can go on for a week and then disappear. When on I loose my cruise control, emergency braking and warning, low tire light stays on and other emergency systems show failure. My dealership said it could be low fuel pressure but not sure. Car runs great. I should not loose safety systems if pressure is low. I will be going back in and have a serious talk with service supervisor. Again I have attached a video of the drivers dash. Program doesn't allow me to upload files.
Service brakes, Fuel/propulsion system, Forward collision avoidance, Dec 5, 2023
The fault code P0172: System too Rich (Bank 1) has resulted in loss of all Advanced Safety features, as well as the electric parking brake becoming inoperable.
Forward collision avoidance, Nov 27, 2023
I was driving towards a metal plate in the road, and the emergency braking mechanism engaged, stopping me suddenly with no warning. Luckily the car behind me was able to stop and didn't rear-end me.
Electrical system, Forward collision avoidance, Nov 21, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the instrument cluster and the Lane and Collision Warning Systems failed, and the instrument cluster went dark. The contact stated that the failure was a recurring failure and happened at various speeds. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that the rear taillights had failed, and the Forward Collision Avoidance system was also malfunctioning. The contact stated that the vehicle reset independently when the vehicle was parked and turned off and the instrument cluster and other electrical failures regained functionality. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the fuel injectors needed to be replaced and would resolve the electrical failures. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000.
Forward collision avoidance, Lane departure, Nov 17, 2023
Lane keep assist, adaptive cruise, collision mitigation control, and other safety features are unavailable. Problem has been confirmed by independent service center. Has not been inspected by manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives. No prior warning lamps until all warning lamps come on. Appears to be related to fuel injector failure code but the mechanic is not certain. I wonder if this is related to the fuel/oil contamination issue that this vehicle was part of a recall for.
Forward collision avoidance, Nov 2, 2023
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? AUTOMATIC BRAKING SYSTEM ACTIVIATED ITSELF AS I WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30MPH. THIS OCCURED 2XS AT DIFFERENT INTERVALS/MONTHS. YES IT IS AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? CAR ABRUBTLY STOPPED CAUSING SEATBELT TO PULL ON ME WHEN DRIVING. I WAS THE ONLY PASSENGER WHEN THIS HAPPENED HOWEVER IF ANOTHER VEHICLE HAD BEEN BEHIND ME AT THE TIME, I WOULD HAVE BEEN REAR-ENDED. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center?NO Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? NO Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? NO WARNING LIGHTS, MESSAGES OR SYMPTOMS WHICH APPEARED IN APPROXIMATELY 2020
Service brakes, Forward collision avoidance, Oct 30, 2023
On two separate occasions while driving the brakes locked up. The first time it happened was while driving over a steel street plate in a construction zone. The second time was while driving over normal road conditions. Had anyone been following closely it would surely have resulted in a collision. It also creates a real risk of injury to the driver being thrown forward without warning. These incidents occurred months apart.
Forward collision avoidance, Oct 26, 2023
Most recent issue occurred 10/25/23 with 2018 CRV. Traveling 15-20mph and approached a metal plate in the roadway in a construction area when car abruptly applied breaks without warning and car came to complete stop, almost causing me to be rear-ended by truck behind me. This is multiple occurrence. About a year ago, same issue happened when traveling 25mph and approached a metal plate in the road with asphalt surrounding it. No cars were slowly down nor impacted by the metal plate. My car misfired and abruptly slammed on the breaks to a halt without warning, causing the car behind me to slam in his breaks, swerve into next lane and honk as he passed me. Another time I was traveling 45mph on a country road with no objects or obstacles in the road when CRV abruptly braked down to 20mph and again, I almost caused an accident with the driver behind me. Other times, my CRV will flash brake and beep and slow when there aren’t any objects in the road. This is very concerning.
Forward collision avoidance, Oct 26, 2023
I was driving eastbound with two passengers over the upper deck of the George Washington Bridge on a sunny clear morning around 10:30. Traffic was typical - heavy but moving steadily at about 15-20 miles per hour. I was in a middle lane about 2-3 car lengths from a truck in front of me when our car very abruptly braked hard for no apparent reason, with an orange warning flashing on the screen at the same time - so quickly I did not even have time to read it. We came to a complete stop or close to it, and then immediately the car resumed moving forward as if nothing had happened (my foot was still over the gas pedal). I was so confused, the lurching of the car felt like we had been in an accident and it took a few seconds to realize we had not been. I am shocked that we were not rear-ended by the car behind us, given the traffic. I would note that the abrupt braking occurred as we were about to go over one of the metal joints in the bridge surface, and I wondered if that had confused the sensors. Since there was no accident or damage, we continued on (no need for police or insurance). Our car is up to date on all inspections and recalls and this is the first time this has happened (though we do sometimes have issues with other aspects of the advanced safety system, including warnings about low driver attention and/or lane departures when these things are not happening).
Forward collision avoidance, Oct 25, 2023
Today, October 25 was the fourth time my 2018 Honda CRV abruptly braked and stopped without warning. Today I was driving in a construction zone, and I was approaching metal plates on the roadway. I was traveling about 15-20mph when my car abruptly stopped. I was almost rear-ended by the truck driving behind me. The first time was in a construction area with a metal plate on the roadway and I was traveling 25mph when my CRV abruptly brakes without warning and stopped. Again, I almost got rear-ended. The car behind me brakes hard and swerved i to the other lane to avoid a collision and then honked at me when passing. Other times I am driving on the roadway, traveling 40mph when my car abruptly brakes but there isn’t an object in front of me. I’ve called the dealer and made an appointment for 10/26/23 to see why my CRV forward collision mitigation is misfiring. The technician will drive in the construction zone. I’ve driven in the same construction zone without any previous problem-today was a misfire. What if I’m driving at freeway speed of 65-70 and my CRV brakes suddenly without reason? This is a serious situation-with fatal consequences. My dashcam may have picked it up. I haven’t checked.
Back over prevention, Forward collision avoidance, Oct 21, 2023
When I drove at around 4-50 mph. The car lost power, stalled and all the sensors and warning were on. I also smelled gasoline inside the cabin.
Forward collision avoidance, Oct 14, 2023
I was driving on a 2 lane highway, in the right travel lane, at approximately 60 MPH. There were no vehicles immediately in front of me in this lane, however, there was a line of stopped vehicles in the breakdown lane (to the right of my vehicle), because the off-ramp was backed up onto the highway. My forward collision warning system flashed BRAKE, 3 times on the dashboard. I took my foot off of the gas pedal, and before I could apply the brake, the car automatically slammed on the brake. My car stopped in the middle of the highway. Thankfully I was not rear ended by the car behind me. I took my car to OCEAN HONDA OF HANOVER, MA. They said everything is in working order, and "this just happens sometimes." I am not able to turn off this feature! I read a report (Consumer Reports Feb 2022) stating that you have been notified of approximately 300 of these instances with the 2018 HONDA CR-V. There is no recall. Are you still looking into this?
Fuel/propulsion system, Forward collision avoidance, Oct 4, 2023
Fuel injectors. This causes electronic safety system to go haywire telling me they have malfuctioned. Evidently this is caused by the fuel injectors going bad. This puts the safety of me and my family at risk. All these failures can cause an accident. Research shows Honda Knows this and has discontinued the fuel injectors because they are faulty leaving owners without any resolution. They have no timeframe to resolve this. Could be months with owners not knowing how to proceed. therefore should not Honda be forced to buy back the curve just like Volkswagen did a few years back. Tired of car manufacturers putting the publics safety at fault because they put profits ahead of safety. I did my due diligence in researching this. Dealership in no help as their hands are tied because of Honda corporations failure.
Forward collision avoidance, Oct 2, 2023
Was driving at night when automatic emergency braking immediately kicked with no car immediately in front of us What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Automatic emergency braking system. yes How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? there was a car behind us that also had to suddenly brake. if they had not, we would have been in a car accident Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? No Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? No Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? no
Steering, Forward collision avoidance, Sep 28, 2023
I have been having issues with steering on the Honda CRV. The steering catches while driving down the interstate, which makes it hard to keep it in your lane. I have had the vehicle into the Honda dealer twice and they say that they can’t find anything wrong with the steering. The auto braking also comes on unexpectedly at times. I have contacted American Honda twice and can’t get a response on what I should do.
Forward collision avoidance, Sep 25, 2023
Driving in a neighborhood going 25 mph no one in front of me or behind me and the car flashes BRAKE makes a beep and then just locks the brakes and I skid to a stop. Took the vehicle to the dealership to check on it and they could not find anything wrong with it however the person said that the systems are not perfect, and things can happen. If someone was behind me, I would have caused an accident.
Forward collision avoidance, Sep 18, 2023
On multiple instances and most recently two days ago, the Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS) has triggered orange "BRAKE" warnings or automatically applied the brakes to my 2018 CR-V despite there being no vehicles or obstacles ahead. Sometimes, this is caused by the system apparently getting confused by flat plates on the ground (for construction), shadows, or construction markings on the road, but about half of the time, there is absolutely nothing there. Most cases just flash a visual warning with beeps, but in two cases, I have almost gotten rear-ended because the car came to a complete stop in the middle of the road while traveling at 25-30 MPH. This has been going on for at least 2 years. I have tried to disable this system repeatedly to avoid accidents, but it keeps turning back on every time I start the engine. I read about an NHTSA investigation into this in 2022 but have not heard of any recalls or recommended actions for this safety issue. Thank you.
Electrical system, Fuel/propulsion system, Forward collision avoidance, Sep 15, 2023
2018 Honda CR-V EX Shortly after purchasing my Honda CR-V in Feb 2018, I noticed a strong smell of gas when I changed the oil. I found a recall bulletin regarding fuel mixing with oil and worked with Honda to have a software update (Case #*******) in late 2018. Afterwards, the vehicle performed normally and has for a few years. Approximately 12 months ago every light on the instrumentation panel came on (Vehicle Stability, Adaptive Cruise Control, Tire Pressure monitoring, Collision avoidance, Lane Keep assist, etc) I used a code reader and found that the only hard code was P0172 “Fuel System Too Rich”. I reset the code and it came back the following day. I reset the code again and it came back 2 months later. Since then, the exact same code has shown up at least 6 times. It always occurs while the engine is running and I am idling, not when driving. Sometimes the dash warning lights clear automatically after a few days and sometimes I have to manually reset the P0172 code with a OBD tool. I have replaced the battery to ensure it wasn’t a low voltage issue, but it continues. While the code is set and all of the warning lights are present on the dash, none of the vehicle safety features work. Collision avoidance, Lane Keep assist, Adaptive Cruise Control. I do have an appointment scheduled with my local Honda Service Center for Oct. 2. Reading through TSBs and Customer complaints, I find hundreds of examples of this exact issue. I am concerned I will be billed $2K for a known issue with the fuel system in this vehicle. I recently purchased a 2023 Ridgeline and plan to give the CR-V to my 16 yr old son and I am also concerned about the reliability and safety systems on this vehicle. Please advise. Regards,
Forward collision avoidance, Sep 12, 2023
As I drove down the street at around 43 miles per hour my car suddenly braked then the sound and sign for brake came on. It came on after the car had breaker already.
Forward collision avoidance, Sep 12, 2023
On September 6, 2023 at approximately 5:30 pm, I was driving approximately 30 mph when suddenly my car stopped abruptly for no reason. Consequently although with seat belt on, my head and neck were thrown forward and back. There was no obstacle in my path...the nearest vehicle in front of me was about one city block away. I had an immediate headache and my neck was hurt also. This pain lasted several hours. I had my grandson and his friend in my vehicle at the time and they were wearing their seatbelts and fortunately they were not injured.I made an appointment with the dealer and went the next day They adjusted this system and told me these things have occurred possibly because of a shadow or something else off to the side of the road. There was nothing in either case.
Fuel/propulsion system, Forward collision avoidance, Sep 1, 2023
On 8/28/23, I turned my car on and all the warning lights were flashing on the dashboard. Two days later, just before bringing the car in for diagnostics, they stopped flashing. Then today, started again. This happened before in April, of this year, but the lights stopped flashing until now. In May, my car slammed on the brakes while I was driving down a side road. The diagnostics showed nothing. Today, 9/1/23, the diagnostic report states the following need immediate attention:Fuel Injector Replacement: Need fuel iniector; *Brake Flush; Valve Cover Gasket Replacement; *Spark Plug Replacement 4 Cylinder My car is no longer under warranty
Forward collision avoidance, Aug 28, 2023
I was driving down a straight road on Sunday, August 27 going 50 mph in a 55 mph zone with no other cars on the road around me. My foot was on the gas. My car automatically braked with no warning. We went from 50 mph to stopped in the middle of the road and even with our seatbelts on, we almost hit the windshield it stopped so violently. As soon as it happened the car started to go again. We were very lucky no one was behind us or we would have been rear-ended due to the sudden stop. It also hurt our necks and backs from being jerked forward so violently. There were no warning messages or any warning signs before this occurred. This happened one other time about 6 months ago. It was the same scenario except we were going about 25 mph and just had gone through a stop light. The first time we thought it was just a glitch as my battery had died and we had just replaced it and the electronics were not working correctly just before the battery died. We notified the dealership and they were of no help. They said it was probably because we had just had a windshield replaced and it needed recalibrated, but it had just been calibrated a week prior. We took it to our mechanic and there were no codes on the computer except for a software update, which we have scheduled. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.
Forward collision avoidance, Aug 27, 2023
I've had 2 incidents where the car automatically applied braking when it thought I was about to have a collision when there were no obstructions to my vehicle. The first was within my first 2 years of owning the vehicle. There was a steel plate in the road in a construction area that everyone had to drive over. I received the "BRAKE" warning on the display and the car immediately applied braking. Luckily there was no one behind me for this incident. There was a second time more recently where this happened, but there was literally nothing in the road or in front of me. The only thing I could think was that some light may have reflected and hit the sensors at the right angle and caused the car to think I was too close to another vehicle. This is a serious safety concern that could cause rear end collisions.
Forward collision avoidance, Aug 25, 2023
On 2 occasions the automatic braking system has kicked on for no apparent reason. First time my husband was driving at 55 mph on route 33, passing the exit to route 42. It kicked on twice. Second time I was driving at 50 mph on route 203, a country setting, no cars in front either coming at me or driving towards me. No animals around. It kicked on for no apparent reason and slowed the car way down. My fear is that we could be rear ended. If a person we’re riding in the car, unbuckled it could throw them around in the car and cause injury.
Back over prevention, Forward collision avoidance, Aug 19, 2023
The brakes of my car activated automatically while my foot was pressing neither the gas nor the brake pedal. The forward collision alert also sounded. I was traveling at around 45 mph and was suddenly slowed to about 20 mph. Afterwards, everything seemed to returned to normal. I am unsure if this is available for inspection. There were five of us in the car and we were all put in danger due to the sudden change in speed while in traffic, however no collisions or injuries resulted from this incident. This issue has been previously reported by the NHTSA. The vehicle has not been inspected. There were no prior messages or symptoms.