CarComplaints.com Notes: It's rare when a newer vehicle has defect trends. Judging from the identical 2017 model year, the 2018 Honda CR-V is likely to have at least two — overfilled oil levels with a gas smell, & heat not working.

Both problems affecting the Honda CR-V's 1.5L "Earth Dreams" engine appear to be related to cold-climate regions.

CR-V owners report overfilled oil levels due to fuel in the oil, & sometimes a gas smell in the cabin. That problem appears to be related to fuel injection which Honda hopes to fix via a software update. Honda so far has only conducted a recall in China & a "product update" in Canada.

CR-V owners also report no heat even after warming up their CR-Vs for 30 minutes — not even enough to defrost the windshield. So far, there has been no fix from Honda for this issue.

7.9

pretty bad
Typical Repair Cost:
No data
Average Mileage:
8,450 miles
Total Complaints:
63 complaints

Most Common Solutions:

  1. not sure (53 reports)
  2. campaign n61 software update (5 reports)
  3. going from bad to worse! (3 reports)
  4. no (1 reports)
  5. premature failure/ replacement of fuel injectors (1 reports)
2018 Honda CR-V engine problems

engine problem

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2018 Honda CR-V Owner Comments (Page 1 of 4)

problem #63

Jan 262024

CR-V EX-L 1.5L Turbo

  • Automatic transmission
  • 44,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Had all warning lights come on like a Christmas tree. This time issue was diagnosed as faulty fuel injectors which needed to be replaced. Thankfully, we had an extended warranty with a $100 deductible. The total invoice cost for the cost of repairs of fuel injectors was approx. $1,450.00. And of course, there is still the looming recall which was announced recently in Dec. 2023 for faulty fuel pumps which will ultimately need to be replaced. These 1.5L Turbo engines with the known fuel dilution issue seems to be plagued with a faulty design. This problems could all be very related: fuel dilution issue, fuel pump recall, premature fuel injector failures requiring expensive repairs. If you Google "fuel injector" and these 1.5L Turbo CR-Vs, you'll see many others have also encountered the same issue. Knowing what I know now, I would stay clear away from these CRV-S with the 1.5L Turbo engine.

- Ronnie L., Falls Church, US

problem #62

Mar 072023

CR-V Touring 1.5L 4 cyl Turbo

  • Automatic transmission
  • 71,692 miles

Oil was changed and is noted as very thin and has gas odor. White smoke is coming from exhaust. My family and I have owned Honda's for the past 40 years and I think this is ashame that I am having this issue.

- Kristen W., Pennsboro, WV, US

problem #61

Feb 012019

CR-V Touring 1.5L Turbo

  • Automatic transmission
  • 13,000 miles

There is a gas odor inside cabin and on dipstick. Oil level is exceeding max. I live in the northeast, and in the winter months, the car will not warm up while idling. It takes approximately 10 minutes driving at high speed to warm the car up. However, once you go back to idling, the car's heating system will go back to being cool again.

In February 2019, the dealership did a software update which did nothing. I had a mechanic at a Monroe Muffler shop check the oil and he acknowledged there was a strong odor of gas in the oil. I brought the car back to the dealership on 12/19/19 as the car will not heat up idling once the temperature reaches around 15 degrees F, and if the windows have frost, the heating system will not get rid of it. The service manager acknowledged the problem of the heating and oil dilution but could not fix the problem, and said Honda will not acknowledge it, and therefore there is no repair under warranty. He said he felt bad for me as members of his own family have the same issue with their CV-Rs. I had no choice but to join a class action suit. I will also file a complaint with the NYS Atty General's office. I am now at a dead end as the dealership will do nothing if I bring it back, even though the car is under warranty and the service manager acknowledges there is a problem.

- fabled1, Rome, US

problem #60

Dec 012018

CR-V LX 1.5L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 3,728 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Car now has 23000KM. Recall done and injectors changed with no noticeable results. Oil goes high on dipstick about 1/2 inch above the high mark on dipstick within about 1000km after an oil change. Engine doesn't produce enough heat in winter in the cabin and leads to discomfort, inadequate window defrosting and reduced visibility, smells like gas in cabin once in a while, and poor fuel economy. Honda Canada had the oil tested twice for oil dilution, most recent oil analysis result show that the car had “severe” oil dilution and reduced viscosity. Honda Canada is unwavering in their position that the vehicle is performing as designed. Unless there’s chunks of metal in the oil everything is normal to them.

- plamp, Ottawa, ON, Canada

problem #59

Jan 042021

CR-V EXL 1.5L Turbo

  • CVT transmission
  • 65,289 miles

Oil level rising with no solution other than Honda saying this is "normal". They did perform a software update when I brought it in during 2018 for a rear camera issue. Wasn't aware of this 'til I brought it in week of 1/4/21.

Can't make it 2000 miles w/o oil needing to be changed because it's overfilled with a strong gas smell and no doubt oil isn't doing the lubrication it needs to be doing.

- Charles P., Lakewood, US

problem #58

Dec 102019

CR-V EX Touring 1.5L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 3,000 miles

We bought a 2018 Honda CR-V EX AWD Touring at the end of 2019, only to SUBSEQUENTLY learn of people's problems with this "fuel in oil" issue on 2017 and 2018 model years with this 1.5L "Earth Dreams" engine. We now have over 6000 miles logged on the car, and have had no problems of this kind with it YET, but I've been worried they WOULD appear ever since I heard of the problem. Like all the rest here, we learned of the reported problems too late to influence our purchase decision.

I also heard about the recall and class action. I didn't act on the recall, because all the reports I've seen indicate the recall repairs didn't do a damn thing to fix the problem ... some people who weren't even having a problem took their cars in anyway, and THEN began having the reported problem AFTER the recall work was done! I didn't act on the class action either, because the only people able to get any benefit from the class action settlement are those who have had documented problems and related repair costs.

All I can do at this point is keep driving and making payments on the car, hoping that the good luck we've had so far continues to hold out, and keep an eagle eye out for fuel smells and unexplained oil level increases. I change the engine oil myself, so am in a good position to quickly learn/act if any problems like this come up.

I'm no auto engineer, but IMHO, a problem like this cannot physically occur in a new car without some MAJOR mechanical/design defect in the fuel delivery and cylinder/compression systems of the car. My educated guess: the fuel injection/turbo system used in Honda's whiz-bang "Earth Dreams" engine is over-pressurizing the vaporized fuel being pushed into each cylinder through the intake valve, to a point that, when both the intake and exhaust valves of each cylinder are closed, and the fuel vapor is being compressed in preparation for ignition (the compression part of the piston cycle is what maximizes the explosive force of the ignited fuel, creating more acceleration torque/power felt by the driver), unburned fuel vapor is blowing past even brand new seals/rings at the base of each piston into the crankcase, where it returns to a liquid state and mixes with the engine oil. No idea how/why this would be occurring only in some cars/engines and not others, except this: the harder each individual driver is pushing the engine/turbo at initial acceleration from a dead stop, the more likely that particular driver/car will start experiencing problems like these in this particular Honda engine.

This is obviously a MAJOR f***-up by Honda's design engineers ... one that SHOULD have been anticipated/spotted by them when the "Earth Dreams" engine was being designed and tested, and remedied LONG before they ever started putting these engines into their cars. My further educated guess is that the company's engineers DID anticipate this problem at the design stage, and were overridden/silenced by a bunch of non-engineer weasels in the Honda corporate empire. The same weasels are controlling the company's response to their customers' complaints/rage. Their cowardly foolishness is going to end up costing Honda MANY BILLIONS in lost sales, customers.and company/brand goodwill/loyalty, from which the company may never recover. Even if this problem never shows up in the car we bought, we will never look at Honda products, or the Honda company, in the same way.

- DMR T., Santa Barbara, CA, US

problem #57

May 162021

CR-V LX 2.4L 4 cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 29,200 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I bought this car in good faith and was told they can't sell a defective car. I was told the 2.4L wasn't a bad engine. After dealing with a bad smell for a week (I've had the car for one week), I'm sick with stress over this problem. The smell makes me sick and stays in my nose all day. I have two small girls that ride in the car and I'm afraid the fumes with kill us all.

- narhi, Ocala, US

problem #56

Jan 152020

CR-V EX 1.5L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 31,000 miles

I found this issue on YouTube. Honda America or dealerships never mentioned the issue, the campaign, or the extended warranty.

- Clifford L., Leesburg, VA, US

problem #55

Feb 112019

CR-V ES 1.5L

  • CVT transmission
  • 3,543 miles

Ok, here we go. We didn't have any problem with oil/gas overfill until we brought it in under the recall for software fix. Now we have the oil/gas problem. Dealer said Honda will not "fix" it again. So we are either stuck with a car, that if not dealt with correctly ie: change oil every month or so, the possibility of an engine fire is very high. Also, the destruction and deterioration of the engine is a given.

We called the dealer, they told us to have the car towed in and that the tow warranty would cover it. The service manager said no, they won't pay for the tow, but don't drive it in because if there is engine damage caused by the problem, warranty won't cover it. (really? now what?) we are going to call AAA and have them tow it.

I have written to Honda corporate complaining, there is only 3,500 mile on the thing. I have also joined a class action suit against Honda for their lack of a fix for this dangerous problem.

I really like this car, I hate to have to spend more money to go buy another brand. HONDA PLEASE FIX THIS ISSUE!

- Barbara D., Exeter, RI, US

problem #54

May 212019

CR-V EX-L 1.5L Turbo

  • Automatic transmission
  • 4,800 miles

I'd heard about the fuel dilution issue a while back, but since I live in Texas and it's supposedly a cold weather issue, I wasn't concerned. About a month ago I noticed a strange smell in the cabin (it was around 70 degrees outside). The next day I checked the oil level and noted it's above the full mark and smells like fuel.

- Wade R., Wichita Falls, US

problem #53

May 182019

CR-V EX 1.5L

  • CVT transmission
  • 16,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Have excess oil dilution in 1.5L engine. After 7,500 miles, oil level increased by 1.2 quarts to 4.5 quarts for a 3.3 qt. capacity engine. Afraid oil dilution is changing the oil viscosity and will cause undue wear. Had the Honda product update, doesn't help.

- Steven E., Wayne, US

problem #52

Jun 062019

CR-V EXL 1.5L

  • CVT transmission
  • 13,500 miles

Changed the oil myself for the first time. Noticed oil level was high and smelled of gasoline before changing it. Went online to see if other people experieced the same issue. I had no idea how widespread this problem is. I don't live in a cold weather environment. Costal North Carolina here. Cold weather is not the problem, the engine is. I had noticed the strong smell of gasoline in the cabin twice before, didn't pay too much attention at the time. I wonder how many are unaware as I was of the issues with this engine. I guess I will start changing the oil at much more frequent intervals, cheaper than taking the hit of trading this lemon in.

- John E., Manteo, NC, US

problem #51

Jun 152018

CR-V EXL 1.5L 4 cyl

  • CVT transmission
  • 1,000 miles

I was a Honda service manager and in the auto repair business for 38 years before retiring and have purchased nothing but Honda vehicles since 1985, so I know how to check oil and what fuel smells like! My Wife and I as well as one of my sons bought 2018 CR V's and experienced the high oil level and fuel smell dilution problem from the first week and have more or less been told by American Honda to live with it. My wife drove the vehicle 100 miles per day round trip to work and back so I just did not feel comfortable with her driving this vehicle with a fuel smell in the cabin as well as fuel diluted oil damaging our investment so 50 weeks after purchasing it we took a $3500.00 loss and traded for a new Ford Edge which is a wonderful vehicle so far.

By the way we live in Georgia not one of the "cold weather states" that Honda says is the only way the problem occurs and as I stated my wife was driving the vehicle 50 miles one way to work so the short distance thing is bogus as well. Due to my association with Honda for so long almost all of our family members also have them but it appears my loyalty with them may be over! By the way the warranty extension that American Honda offered me was for the camshafts and rocker arms as well as the spark plugs for 6 years or 150000 miles whichever occurs first and a free oil change without oil filter! When I asked about all the other internally lubricated parts in the engine the customer service representative at Honda headquarters just acted dumb! The Honda Earth Dreams engine is an Earth NIGHTMARE!!! GO BIG BLUE OVAL!!!! 

- Kent H., Ellijay, GA, US

problem #50

Jan 052019

CR-V NAV 1.5L Turbo

  • CVT transmission
  • 5,000 miles

I had the software fix, not sure yet if it helped. Alldata says a sensor issue caused the computer to think it was running too lean - compensating by actually running it too rich. = too much fuel.

For those saying it is a cold weather issue, the dealer I think more accurately described it as a cold engine issue. This is probably happening in any climate but if the engine fully warms up and is driven for a while, any gas getting into the oil is probably burning up. Less likely to fully warm up in cold climate.

I live in a cold climate and separately posted about this car having no heat on clod days.

- Gary E., Blaine, US

problem #49

Dec 262018

CR-V Touring 1.9L

  • CVT transmission
  • 3,500 miles

2018 Honda CR-V Oil Dilution problem. My wife only drives 2 miles to work and the engine never gets real hot and only puts about 4500 to 5500 miles a year on a car. The dealer does not want to change my oil until it gets to 15% oil life. The Dealer tells me that the gas smell is due to the breaking oil that Honda uses and to wait till I get to 15% or 1 year for the first oil change. Well I got my first oil change at 15% at 11 months 4800 miles with the break in oil and the dip stick was above full about a quarter with a gas odor. Now it's getting close to my 2nd oil change and after reading about this problem I don't know if I can trust my dealer for oil changes. I feel her car should be changed every 4 to 6 months because of the low miles and not go by the dealer 15% rating. I Think HONDA should pay for the oil changes until they get a fix for CRV and add owners in Mississippi to the list for the fix.

- Bob J., Gulfport, MS, US

problem #48

Mar 232018

CR-V ES 1.5L Turbo

  • CVT transmission
  • 7,500 miles

With only 7,500 miles on our nearly new CR-V my family and I were left stranded on the freeway in March of last year. The check engine light came on at 75 MPH and we lost all power...could only limp along the berm helplessly. After finding a safe place to park I checked the engine oil only to notice that I gained about a quart of gas-infused oil. Over a year later I've been to the dealership three separate times for the same issue, including one visit for a dubiously termed "software upgrade". Today I noticed a pronounced gasoline smell in the cabin at start-up, and once again found about a quart of extra oil....or should I say parts de-greasing fluid, churning around in the crankcase. I'm done. No more games with the dealership. The only acceptable solution is a new engine or a full refund. Made a Toyota fan from this once loyal Honda owner.

- Lauren S., Meadville, PA, US

problem #47

Dec 102018

CR-V EX-L 1.5L Turbo

  • CVT transmission
  • 15,000 miles

Less than a year after we bought the car I read a report about the Honda 1.5L turbo engines having oil dilution problems. When I checked the oil level it was much higher with gasoline smell just as others had been reporting. We took it in to the dealership and they changed the oil for free and did the required software update to fix the issue. After around a month when I checked the oil the level again was much higher and the issue had not been fixed. We live in San Diego and we do not do short commutes. We usually go on the freeway which should heat up the engine enough to avoid this problem. The Honda dealership said that high oil levels and oil dilution is normal for this engine and not to be concerned. The car drives fine but the long term reliability of the engine is a big concern since high oil dilution should not be normal. This should affect the durability of the engine since it doesn't get proper lubrication. It looks like they haven't found a real solution or they are not willing to fix it because of the expense. Some oil dilution is normal but not to this extent.

I really hope Honda corrects this issue soon and extends the warranty otherwise they will lose the trust of their current customers and future ones.

- gben, San Diego, US

problem #46

Mar 252019

CR-V 1.5L Turbo

  • CVT transmission
  • 7,500 miles

Hello people thanks for this site. I am smarter than the average bear so when I got the "recall" notice--engine light -a/c compressor re-program couldn't see a correlation. Brought car in yesterday. Oil level too high. Re-program of a/c compressor done and free oil change performed. I asked service rep what's the deal? He flat out lied and stated it only affected " The Asian market vehicles- like Honda's sold in China". Soooo, why the problem here and the need to fix it and the contaminated crankcase oil ??

Service tech had a blank expression on his face like a witness caught lying under oath.

We, as other kind posters here: intended this to be our last car for the foreseeable future. We have only logged 7500 miles on this vehicle in 1 year. We are in NY. and it takes 15 minutes to get the air to blow warm. THIS IS A SHAM BALONEY FIX! Honda wants our vehicles to throw the compressor on , to increase engine speed to warm engine faster to fix the problem? Why not duct tape? To the poster who was 1 liter high on the oil level because of gasoline contamination: 1 liter on a 4 liter capacity is REAL serious add to that the oil weight of 0-20 you are washing the engine not lubricating. We have short and long term problems ahead.

I am checking the oil level weekly. will update. I found this site because the front seat started fraying badly at 2000 miles, another rant , another day.Thanks everyone. We have to make a collective stink as our vehicles are in jeopardy.

- David D., Croton On Hudson, NY, US

problem #45

Jan 212019

CR-V EX 190 Hp

  • Automatic transmission
  • 2,600 miles

My 2018 Honda CRV started to smoke, had no get up and go and it started to smell like rotten eggs. Call Honda to come and tow it in. Told them I would not drive it this way. We got a letter the week before about a recall and the engine light went on a couple of day before I called and they told me that was because it was a year since we bought it. Now they start telling me it is because of the catalytic converter has gone bad. I said they are made to go for the life of the car. I am told they are also going to fix that and do some software update.

I got the car back on Friday and started to look over the things they fixed. There was a note in there that said that the oil was 2 inches over the full mark on the dip stick. Then I started asking a lot of questions because we bought a 2017 Honda Civic from the a little over a year ago and the same thing happened. We told them that we wanted a different car that didn't have that problem and that is when we got the CRV. I found out they both had the same engine at the time that the Civic had the problem. They told me they never had that problem before,it was a fluke that that happened and that that would not happened with the CRV.

So now I have to worry if I got a real lemon from Honda and how much damage is done to my engine driving with all that oil and gas mixed in the crank case.

- Mike B., Saint Paul, MN, US

problem #44

Mar 102019

CR-V EX 1.5L I4

  • CVT transmission
  • 15,600 miles

Terrible gas smell in the cabin. Smells like an open gas container in the vehicle. Googled to see if anyone else has experienced this issue and read about gas mixing with the oil. Once we got home I checked the oil. Very strong gas smell coming from oil dipstick. Plan to contact Honda and the dealership tomorrow to see what can be done.

- Matt T., Yacolt, US

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