2002 Honda CR-V problems & reliability
515 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2002 Honda CR-V, alongside 15 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
35 complaints report injuries (48 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2002 Honda CR-V vehicles were involved in 55 fatal crashes with 37 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | 143 | 28% |
| Electrical System | 95 | 18% |
| Exterior Lighting | 60 | 12% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 58 | 11% |
| Equipment | 38 | 7% |
| Seat Belts | 25 | 5% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 25 | 5% |
| Power Train | 24 | 5% |
| Seats | 24 | 5% |
| Unknown OR Other | 22 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 91,700 miles (middle 50% between 50,025 and 140,000 miles), based on 323 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The air bags were replaced but the SRS light stays on because of seal belt tensioner issues and it is not been repaired.”
Seat Belts · filed Apr 19, 2026
“My 2002 Honda CRV's ENTIRE Passenger Side Airbag Assembly was REPLACED on 11-20-2019, per Honda. This was done as (per Honda) the Inflator bolt was broken and the applicable part to remedy the recall would not be available for approximately 3 months. An open recall (NHTSA Recall # 19V-501) from 06-27-2019 still is…”
Air Bags · filed Apr 23, 2024
“My front driver side seatbelt is not working properly and never has. I've had trouble getting it to roll into position instead it gets stuck outside the car door.When trying to find it to buckle up. When I unbuckle the seatbelt it Will not roll back into position and when I try to pull to get it to click onto I have…”
Seat Belts · filed Feb 5, 2024
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
Engineering Analysis EA21002 · opened Sep 17, 2021 · open
- Air Bag Inflator Rupture
Engineering Analysis EA15001 · opened Feb 24, 2015 · open · led to recall 22V945
- Air Bag Inflator Rupture
Preliminary Evaluation PE14016 · opened Jun 11, 2014 · closed Mar 2, 2015 · led to recall 15V226000
- Low Beam Headlights Stop Illuminating
Engineering Analysis EA11012 · opened Sep 12, 2011 · closed Sep 17, 2012 · led to recall 12V136000
- Low Beam Headlights Stop Working
Preliminary Evaluation PE11017 · opened Apr 29, 2011 · closed Sep 23, 2011
- Driver's Power Window Master Switch
Engineering Analysis EA11004 · opened Apr 11, 2011 · closed Oct 24, 2012 · led to recall 12V486000
- IGNITION-PARK INTERLOCK SYSTEM
Engineering Analysis EA03018 · opened Sep 9, 2003 · closed Nov 13, 2003 · led to recall 03V422000
- IGNITION-PARK INTERLOCK SYSTEM
Preliminary Evaluation PE03013 · opened Apr 15, 2003 · closed Sep 9, 2003
Technical service bulletins
256 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2002 Honda CR-V. The 10 most recent:
Service Bulletin - REVISION SUMMARY - Under WARRANTY CLAIM INFORMATION, a note was added. BACKGROUND Under severe conditions, water or other liquid may enter the driverâ s window and reach the power window master switch…
A20-122 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 10, 2022
Service Bulletin - This bulletin is a notification of a class action settlement relating to airbag inflators. American Honda is offering a Customer Support Program (Warranty Extension) to cover any manufacturing defects…
A20-014 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 10, 2020
Service Bulletin - This bulletin is a notification of a class action settlement relating to airbag inflators. American Honda is offering a Customer Support Program (Warranty Extension) to cover any manufacturing defects…
A20-009 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 10, 2020
Service bulletin - This bulletin is a notification of a class action settlement relating to airbag inflators. American Honda is offering a Customer Support Program (Warranty Extension) to cover any manufacturing defects…
A18-049 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 25, 2018
Service bulletin - This bulletin is a notification of a class action settlement relating to airbag inflators. American Honda is offering a Customer Support Program (Warranty Extension) to cover any manufacturing defects…
A18-046 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 24, 2018
Posters sent to hawaiian independent repair facilities, automotive part stores, car washes, and gas stations to remind owners of the takata recall and to schedule an appointment at their earliest convenience.
TAKATA_HAWAII PO · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 7, 2016
Flyer circulated to the residents of hawaii to remind owners of the takata recall and to schedule an appointment at their earliest convenience.
TAKATA_HAWAII FL · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 7, 2016
Letter sent in conjunction with the florida highway safety and motor vehicles department to remind florida owners of the takata recall and to schedule an appointment at their earliest convenience.
TAKATA_FLORIDA D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 29, 2016
Us virgin islands newspaper advertisements to remind owners of the takata recall and to schedule an appointment at their earliest convenience.
TAKATA_TEXT MESS · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 23, 2016
Text messages sent to remind owners of the takata recall and to schedule an appointment at their earliest convenience.
TAKATA_TEXT MESS · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 23, 2016
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2002 Honda CR-V has 15 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2002 Honda CR-V?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 91,700 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.