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 3.79 for 2006 (398 complaints across 105 listings) to 6.68 for 2003 (494 across 74), against a generation median of 4.44. The highest year, 2003, is 1.5 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 82K (CarComplaints average) | A/C compressor failure | $1,115-$1,770 typical replacement (RepairPal); $1,860 average among complaining 2004 owners (CarComplaints, 23 complaints, $1,860 at 81,950 mi) | CarComplaints describes the compressor coming apart and damaging other A/C parts, which is why bills run higher than a plain swap. One forum post puts a dead compressor with other parts at about $1,200, and a 2005 owner was quoted $3,000 for compressor, clutch and coil. Test the A/C hot and cold on the drive. |
| any | Recalls on file: driver-side power window switch may fail or melt (12V486000, 20V768000), headlight switch (12V136000, 2002-2004), shift cable corrosion on automatics (03V274000), air bag inflators (14V700000, 15V320000, 19V499000, 19V501000, 16V344000) | Free at a Honda dealer when open | 12V486000 covers 2002-2006 CR-Vs built February 2002 to July 2006. 03V274000: corrosion of the shift cable linkage could stop the driver shifting into Park. The air bag inflator recalls cover driver- and passenger-side inflator modules. 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 527 | Air Bags, Electrical System, Engine And Engine Cooling | |
| 2003 | 494 | Air Bags, Engine And Engine Cooling, Vehicle Speed Control | |
| 2004 | 501 | Engine And Engine Cooling, Air Bags, Electrical System | |
| 2005 | 479 | Air Bags, Exterior Lighting, Electrical System,exterior Lighting | |
| 2006 | 398 | Exterior Lighting, Air Bags, Electrical System,exterior Lighting |
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.