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 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.
10.0
really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
5,112 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
Head gasket problem leaking I contact American honda for over 2 years All the lights coming on and off Incident last year to now multiple times vehicles loss power
Blown head gasket leaked coolant in to cylinder. all warning alarms started rotating across dash, while all driver assist technology was also disabled. car then lost ability to accelerate, but kept running, and we were able to drive about one mile home at about 10mph. We towed car to Honda (it was always maintained by a honda dealership). Honda dealership confirmed blown gasket and replaced gasket and then injectors for $7,600 total repair bill. We did not see or receive the replaced parts. We have since learned that Honda is well aware of this particular design fault of their 1.5 engines from 2016 thru 2023 years. Even independent mechanics know of the trouble, as well as any internet search. we were totally unaware til now!
Three times in the past week, I have found the front and rear windows all the way down. I contacted the dealer and was told it's a cooling feature. Then when I told them it's winter rime, I was told that if you tap the remote three times it makes all the windows go down. I have never tapped my remote three times
After my last oil change on October 29, 2025, I began noticing a persistent gasoline smell outside the car. Concerned, I took the vehicle to Prince Honda Tifton and explained the issue in detail. They inspected it but reported no leaks and said everything looked fine. However, the odor continued. Starting December 1, 2025, I began smelling gasoline inside the car, with a particularly strong odor when starting the engine. I believe this poses a serious health risk and a potential fire hazard while driving.
all warning lights appear (flickering) while driving and also audio display gets completely black and only shows warning sentences Happened 2 times. First time fixed to remove battery. Second time doesn-??t work. Still shows signals.
- Bluffton , SC, USA
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I was driving on the freeway when my sunroof exploded spontaneouly. It was not hit by anything nor was the weather unusually cold for the location. If I had the sunroof screen open, I would have been hit by shattering glass while driving 70 mph. I understand this has happened to others who have Hondas and Acuras 2015-2022 and there is a class action lawsuit against Honda.
As I pushed the interior button on my vehicle to raise the back hatch, there was a winding noise that occurred & the door went down. I opened the back hatch with the button located near the rear license plate. as the hatch started making the loud winding noise going up, the left side hydraulic lifting mechanism shot through the roof of the car. I have contacted Honda several times & they said this is not a safety hazard. This mechanism could have shot out & impaired someone very easily. Other vehicles of the same have had this happen (please google it) & reported to Honda but they brush it off & close the case. This needs to be investigated to avoid injury to people in the future. Back spoiler was also blown off during the incident.
The engine and cooling system failed. Coolant is leaking into the engine, causing misfires, loss of power, and potentially leading to complete engine failure. The vehicle is currently at Zimbrick Honda in Madison, WI, and the engine is available for inspection upon request. The vehicle suddenly lost power while driving in traffic on multiple occasions. Each time, the vehicle slowed down unexpectedly and could not accelerate, creating a risk of being rear-ended, losing control in traffic flow, or becoming stranded in an active traffic lane. This sudden loss of power posed a serious danger to me and other drivers around me. Zimbrick Honda, an authorized Honda dealership, inspected the vehicle and confirmed coolant intrusion into the engine, repeated misfires, and loss of power. Their diagnosis concluded that the engine has failed and must be replaced. The vehicle has been inspected by the authorized Honda dealership (Zimbrick Honda). American Honda reviewed my goodwill assistance request using the dealership-??s diagnosis, but no separate manufacturer inspection was conducted. The vehicle has not been inspected by the police or insurance because no collision occurred. It remains at the dealership and is available for inspection. Before the complete engine failure, the vehicle experienced sudden loss of power, engine hesitation, and misfires. The check engine light appeared during the incidents. The first occurrence happened on August 19th, 2025, at approximately 109,356 miles.
On June 6, 2025 I brought my vehicle(2018 HONDA CRV EX ) to a Honda Dealership due to the vehicle rough idiling. The mechanics said the third solenoid is failing due to coolant being mixed with the engine fluid. Quoted $7496 -??just to start-??. Also stated the radiator would need to be replaced due to this issue and head gasket. Mind you I purchased This vehicle 12 months prior. I took it to a different repair shop for a second opinion but the other mechanic agreed with Honda Dealership regarding repair needs.
While the adaptive cruise control is on for no reason the car breaks giving risk of being hit from behind. While driving down the road the brake light just comes on to say brake brake and there is no one in front or on the side of us. This has happened multiple times and I have owned the car for 4 years.
Sullivan Tire (Ivory Street) recommended a change in coolant fluid 1/18/25 during a routine oil change. 4/11/25 another routine oil change with a recommendation to change coolant fluid again due to substantial and informed experience but was not done. Then 6/6/25 during a routine oil change said coolant fluid was dirty and got changed for no charge in addition to paying for rear brakes and break fluid serviced. 8/30/25 routine oil change with cabin & engine filter changed. Made the same claim that coolant and break fluid should be serviced, I declined as I knew they were both just done. 9/11/25 have to pull off road and get a tow due to dashboard message, "Stop Driving when safe. Engine Temperature to Hot." Sullivan Tire looked into the issue and found coolant fluid was down, and added more. they also ran it for two hours, did a test run and said everything was fine, with no leaks. 9/27/25 Was traveling on highway when a strange noise was heard, check engine light flashing and acceleration rapidly decreasing. Got off highway pulled over and waited over an hour for a tow. 9/29/25 vehicle was serviced for spark plugs and coils, picked back up that night. 9/30/25 Vehicle had to be towed again with an on again off again message of, "Stop Driving when Safe. Engine Temperature to Hot." waited more than two hours for a tow. 10/1/25 They looked at the vehicle and said they did not know what the issue was and had to call in a technician to help diagnose. 10/2/25 The technician called in discovered it was the head gasket and Sullivan Tire gave an estimate for $4400 despite not providing the service. Been with out a vehicle pretty much since 9/27/25. I drive a 2018 Honda CRV EX. I have also seen Law Suits against Honda for the issue described above.
I am writing to report a safety-related defect in my 2018 Honda CRV. My car started smoking, all dashboard lights flashing, slow acceleration. Took it to a Honda repair shop and gave codes for turbo failure. I have googled and see that this make and model has this issue. I know it says VIN specific but all models 2017-2020 I believe have turbo failure. It is very dangerous to drive and unsafe. I urge the NHTSA to investigate this serious safety defect to prevent potential injuries or fatalities. My personal identifiers may be shared with the manufacturer to help facilitate their investigation. I am available to provide any further information required for your investigation. Turbo Charge This abrupt flashing of all dashboard lights and immediate slowing down almost caused me to wreck. The smoking from the tailpipe, I didn't know what was going on. Sons Honda Code p0299 Yes No I have read that some common problems for the 2018 Honda CR-V include engine oil dilution from the 1.5L turbo engine.
Shortly after purchasing car I started getting all the error messages showing after I started the car and they would remain on sometimes it repeatedly happened. I brought it up to dealer several times during and in addition to maintenance and they told me it was not something they could replicate and found no issues. I was told it was the battery but it still happened after battery was replaced. On 07/17/25, with only 137000 miles on the vehicle, the error messages all came on again and the vehicle stalled at a stoplight. It would not shift into gear. Vehicle was towed where they had to replace engine valve cover gasket and the timing chain. The replaced parts listed: RTV gasket, cam chain tensioner, tensioner filter, 2 cam chain tensioner arms, cam chain guide, VTC EX actuator assy, VTC IN actuator assy, flange bolt, cam chain guide B, oil seal, chain, and and new oil. I know this is a known issue with the engine in this model and not an uncommon issue that Honda has refused to admit.
I am submitting this complaint due to repeated and unresolved safety and performance issues. Beginning in mid-2023, the vehicle experienced multiple system-wide failures, including: -All dashboard warning lights illuminating intermittently without cause, sometimes for days. -Sudden failure to accelerate after stopping, including stalling in intersections. -Engine running rich with repeated check engine light activations. On two occasions, the vehicle stalled in the middle of busy intersections, once with my [XXX] child in the car, posing a serious risk to my family and other drivers. The dealership replaced the A/C Control Unit (June 2023) citing it as the cause of the system alerts, but no improvement was seen. The dealership then diagnosed a faulty VSA unit, quoted $2,500, but never ordered the part or followed up. A third-party shop (Mr. Tire) diagnosed a faulty ECM, which the dealership ignored. In September 2023, dealership recommended replacing the fuel injectors, which I paid for out-of-pocket (~$1,000), which resolved the warning lights and stalling. However, ongoing problems persist: The air conditioning system is no longer cooling effectively, despite prior repair. The car also feels underpowered when accelerating or starting, with weak engine revving compared to when the car was new. While no current warning lights appear, the performance is noticeably degraded. In April 2025, the vehicle-??s fuel pump was finally replaced under Honda-??s service bulletin recall after being on the waiting list for the parts for nearly 1.5 years, but these other concerns remain unresolved. I am submitting this complaint because: The stalling incidents created serious safety hazards in live traffic. The vehicle has experienced repeated systemic failures that align with known issues reported by other 2018 CR-V owners. Despite multiple dealership visits and significant personal expense, the vehicle has not been restored to reliable and safe operating condition. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORM
On [XXX] I was driving my 2018 Honda CR-V on [XXX] near Livingston Montana. I was traveling at about 70 mph with my vehicle's sunroof closed and the inside panel closed, it was a warm day and my AC was on, all windows closed. Suddenly I heard a Bang above my head, I heard particles bouncing off the roof. I looked in my rear view mirror and saw chunks and particles landing in front of a Semi Truck behind me, the truck swerved to avoid the glass and passed me. I slowed down, slightly opened the inside sunroof cover and saw broken glass. Closed the inner cover and I pulled off the Freeway and inspected the damage to the skylight; a large area missing (1/3 of the glass) and glass remnants lifting up toward the sky. It looked as if the skylight glass had exploded outward. The safety part is: 1, If I had the inner skylight cover open, I or my passenger(s) could have been sprayed with glass particles traveling at 70 mph. 2. If a motorcycle or other vehicle was behind me they would have been sprayed with glass chunks and particles. 3. Swerving by the Honda being driven and Swerving by the vehicles following. I have read that other Honda owners have had similar Honda sunroof glass explode when not in use in a class action complaint. My vehicle was in excellent condition with only 43,000 miles at the time. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Subject: Fuel Pump Recall Remedy Denied -?" Ongoing Safety Risk I purchased a used Honda vehicle in December 2024, and shortly after, I learned it was under recall for the fuel pump. In January 2025, I took it to Lia Honda for an oil change and to perform the recall. The dealership refused to do the recall, saying the fuel pump had already been replaced with an aftermarket part by a previous owner. However, the official Honda recall repair was never performed. On June 5, 2025, the car stalled on I-91 while I was accelerating, and all the dashboard lights and alarms came on. I was able to coast to safety. I took the car to AutoZone at 7:28 PM, where a scan confirmed a faulty fuel pump. The car would not start and had to be left at AutoZone temporarily. Later that night, I was able to start it and immediately brought it to Lia Honda, leaving it overnight. On June 6, Lia Honda returned the car to me and claimed the issue was unrelated to the fuel pump, giving me a vague diagnosis involving fuel system cleanliness. Despite the AutoZone scan, the known recall, and the dangerous highway stall, Lia Honda refused to perform the recall or acknowledge the fuel pump as the problem. On June 13, the same issue occurred again while accelerating on I-91, this time with my family in the vehicle. The car stalled dangerously in traffic, again putting all of us at risk. I later contacted Honda Customer Support, and two representatives told me I was eligible for the recall repair. But when Honda USA followed up, I was informed they would not honor the recall or cover the repair, because the part had been replaced with a non-Honda pump by a previous owner. This is unacceptable. The recall remedy was never performed, and the part clearly failed again. Lia Honda-??s refusal to acknowledge the fuel pump failure on June 6 prevented me from protecting my family-??s safety, leading to a second highway incident that could have resulted in a crash I have all diagnosis and receipts in paper()
Ever since I purchased this car, my air conditioning have had nothing but problems. Even though it was recalled once and was repaired another issue is the Discharge Hose leaking which is preventing my air conditioning from cooling the cabin. This has been an ongoing issue ever since I purchased the car. I have not done any excessive or off road driving which would cause the damage and I believe it is a manufacturer defect on Honda. I have attached the report from the Honda Service Department.
I was traveling with my family and had just entered [XXX] I suddenly felt like I hit something like bags of sand...but nothing was there. My brother in back seat said it felt like a bowling ball hit sunroof. I slid open the protective guard and noticed all the glass in sun roof was pebbled and shattered. There were no overpasses nearby...there was little traffic as it was [XXX]. Not sure what happened. My insurance doesnt want to cover as they feel manufacturers defect. There is mention of several class action suits in progress online for imploding sunroofs, but I received no notices. Honda denies any defect and says not their problem. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Hamilton, NJ, USA