2011 Honda CR-V problems & reliability
551 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2011 Honda CR-V, alongside 13 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.
11 complaints report injuries (12 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2011 Honda CR-V vehicles were involved in 90 fatal crashes with 51 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 | 295 | 54% |
| Electrical System | 55 | 10% |
| Unknown OR Other | 55 | 10% |
| Structure | 42 | 8% |
| Engine | 37 | 7% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 19 | 3% |
| Service Brakes | 18 | 3% |
| Suspension | 18 | 3% |
| Power Train | 14 | 3% |
| Wheels | 13 | 2% |
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 56,039 miles (middle 50% between 29,563 and 91,514 miles), based on 194 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The contact owns a 2011 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed, the vehicle rear-ended the vehicle ahead. The front driver's side air bag did not fully deploy. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that during the crash, the right wrist went through the steering wheel…”
Air Bags · filed Jun 23, 2026
“23V228000 recall involving rust on the frame and rear end. Called into Honda and was told that the recall was closed and repairs were made ?? Impossible I just bought this vehicle in 02-2026 and was not made aware of anything being done.. no records online either of repairs . Car is very unsafe to be driving”
Suspension · filed Jun 7, 2026
“Recall 23V228 was performed on my vehicle (brace installed), but the structural failure the recall was meant to prevent has occurred anyway. Honda is denying a buyback by claiming 'general rust,' despite stating the vehicle is irreparable and unsafe to drive.. I live in [XXX] . [XXX] on [XXX] noted the frame damage. I…”
Unknown OR Other · filed May 9, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
90 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2011 Honda CR-V. The 10 most recent:
Service Bulletin - Warranty Extension: Customer Support Program For Front Passenger's Airbag Inflator.
A18-066 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 30, 2026
Service Bulletin - Warranty Extension: Customer Support Program For Driver's Airbag Inflator for 2007-11 CR-V and Other Listed Years and Models.
A18-048 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 28, 2026
Service News - The navigation clock and date are incorrect. This is due to a limited GPS receiver Capacity resulting in a rollover of the internal chip memory; the rollover occurred on January 1, 2022, at 12:00AM local…
A21120B · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 13, 2023
ServiceNews Article - The clock shows the incorrect time. This issue is due to a limited GPS receiver capacity resulting in "rollover" of the internal chip memory; the "rollover" will occur on January 1, 2022 at 12:00AM…
A21120B · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 29, 2022
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for any and all 2007-2011 CR-Vs which come into your dealership for a service, repair or in your Certified Pre-Owned vehicle inventory that fit the…
APaS03102021910 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 10, 2021
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for any and all 2007-2011 CR-Vs which come into your dealership for a service, repair or in your Certified Pre-Owned vehicle inventory that fit the…
APaS02152021909 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 15, 2021
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for any and all 2007-2011 CR-Vs which come into your dealership for a service, repair or in your Certified Pre-Owned vehicle inventory that fit the…
APaS01222021911 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 22, 2021
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for any and all 2007-2011 CR-Vs which come into your dealership for a service, repair or in your Certified Pre-Owned vehicle inventory that fit the…
APaS01062021909 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 6, 2021
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for any and all 2007-2011 CR-Vs which come into your dealership for a service, repair or in your Certified Pre-Owned vehicle inventory that fit the…
APaS12052020911 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 5, 2020
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for any and all 2007-2011 CR-Vs which come into your dealership for a service, repair or in your Certified Pre-Owned vehicle inventory that fit the…
APaS11042020912 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 4, 2020
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 2011 Honda CR-V has 13 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 2011 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 56,039 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.