What ownership is like, what breaks at what mileage, what the repairs cost, and what to check before you buy one.
NHTSA complaints per catalog listing run from 4.75 for 2001 (152 complaints across 32 listings) to 27.00 for 1997 (108 across 4), against a generation median of 6.23. The highest year, 1997, is 4.3 times that median. No year reaches the 2.0x our rule needs together with an above-median ad share and 30 or more listings, so nothing is flagged.
| Miles | Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| about 124K (CarComplaints average) | Engine valve trouble | $2,040 average repair (CarComplaints: 2000 CR-V, 20 complaints, $2,040 at 123,950 mi) | This rests on 20 complaints for one model year, and it is an average from complaining owners, not a shop quote. CarComplaints lists engine as the worst complaint area for the 1999 and 2001 as well. Ask for service records and listen for valve noise on a cold start. |
| any | Recalls on file: ignition switch contacts (02V120000, 1998-1999), under-dash wiring harness (99V282000, 1998-1999), driver air bag inflators (20V026000, 20V027000) | Free at a Honda dealer when open | 02V120000: electrical contacts in the ignition switch can degrade from the current drawn at start. 99V282000: a badly routed harness can be damaged by the brake light switch. Confirm each by VIN. |
No year in this generation was flagged. A year is flagged by our rule only when all three hold: (1) its NHTSA complaints per catalog listing is at least 2.0x the median for its generation, (2) the share of ads that mention a problem is above the generation median, and (3) we track at least 30 listings for that year. The cutoff was fixed before we looked. Ad mentions are not failures, and a flag is a reason to inspect harder, not a verdict on any one car. We also re-ran the ad test with the 'rust' flaw left out, because the ad reader counts phrases like 'no rust' as mentions, and publish a flag only if it passes both ways.
| Year | Complaints | Top components | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 108 | Electrical System, Air Bags, Tires | |
| 1998 | 143 | Electrical System, Air Bags, Engine And Engine Cooling | |
| 1999 | 137 | Air Bags, Electrical System, Engine And Engine Cooling | |
| 2000 | 139 | Air Bags, Engine And Engine Cooling, Tires | |
| 2001 | 152 | Air Bags, Engine And Engine Cooling, Tires |
source: NHTSA complaints database (api.nhtsa.gov). Complaints are owner reports, not confirmed failures.
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We don't tell you to skip a year; we flag by a fixed rule, and it flags only 2023, on thin data. Third-party lists commonly name 2007 (CoPilot), 2007 to 2009 (AGT Auto) and the 2017-2019 turbo cars. 2018 has 10.60 NHTSA complaints per catalog listing (2,163 complaints across 204 listings) against a 2017-2022 median of 5.60, 1.9 times, short of the 2.0x cutoff, and ads for it do not mention problems more than the median, so it is not flagged. 2015 has 2.43 (673 complaints across 277 listings) against a 2012-2016 median of 1.54.
On 2017 and 2018 CR-Vs with the 1.5L turbo, owners report the oil level rising above Full with a gasoline smell. CarComplaints lists 89 complaints for the 2017 (average $300 at 12,550 miles). Consumer Reports says NHTSA received complaints about it. In May 2019 Honda extended the warranty for certain 2017-18 CR-Vs to six years with unlimited mileage. CoverageX puts engine damage from dilution at $4,000 to $6,000 or more.
We don't rank generations. CarBuzz ranks the 2007-2011 generation least reliable and the 2017-2022 generation below the 2012-2016 one. Our own numbers: the 2012-2016 generation has the lowest median complaint rate in the catalog at 1.54 per listing, against 5.60 for 2017-2022.
RepairPal puts a CR-V compressor replacement at $1,115 to $1,770 and YourMechanic starts at $1,253. CarComplaints averages $1,860 at 81,950 miles among 23 complaining 2004 owners, whose compressors came apart and damaged other parts.
NHTSA recall 23V228000 covers 2007-2011 CR-Vs sold or ever registered in a list of salt-belt states. Honda says road salt can corrode the frame and possibly detach the rear trailing arm. The repair is free at a Honda dealer. CarBuzz also advises an underbody inspection on this generation.
Yes. NHTSA files it under CR-V HYBRID from 2020 onward. Many hybrid complaints are also filed under the plain CR-V name, so we counted both names and each complaint once.