2018 Honda CR-V problems & reliability
2,137 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2018 Honda CR-V, alongside 5 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Sep 21, 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 components.
39 complaints report injuries (47 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2018 Honda CR-V vehicles were involved in 124 fatal crashes with 68 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Engine → | 527 | 25% |
| Forward Collision Avoidance → | 392 | 18% |
| Fuel/propulsion System → | 369 | 17% |
| Steering → | 323 | 15% |
| Electrical System → | 281 | 13% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline → | 230 | 11% |
| Unknown / Other | 206 | 10% |
| Service Brakes → | 186 | 9% |
| Vehicle Speed Control → | 65 | 3% |
| Power Train → | 63 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 30 reported components →Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Among the 828 complaints that included a usable odometer reading, the median reported incident mileage was 14,500 miles (middle 50% between 4,709 and 40,000 miles).
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Every few days or even every few weeks as I'm driving I get SRS airbag malfunction showing up on my dash cluster. So I have to pull onto the shoulder of the road or into a parking lot turn off my car hold power button to my radio turn my car back on and perform a system reboot to clear the message so I can continue…”
Air Bags · filed Sep 14, 2026
“Today, I attempted to drive my 2018 Honda CR-V, but the vehicle would not reverse. I had to turn it off, restart it, and quickly reverse it back into my driveway. The entire dashboard then illuminated with multiple warning lights. This created a serious safety concern because the vehicle could become immobile or fail…”
Fuel/propulsion System · filed Sep 12, 2026
“My 2018 Honda CR-V with the 1.5L turbo engine experienced an overheating condition while being driven. The temperature gauge fluctuated and reached the red zone, creating a potential risk of engine failure and loss of vehicle operation. The vehicle was inspected by a Honda dealership, which reported that the coolant…”
Engine · filed Sep 11, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking
Engineering Analysis EA24002 · opened Apr 15, 2024 · open
- Rear Differential Seizure
Preliminary Evaluation PE22011 · opened Nov 28, 2022 · closed Jul 22, 2024
- Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking
Preliminary Evaluation PE22003 · opened Feb 21, 2022 · closed Apr 18, 2024
Technical service bulletins
268 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2018 Honda CR-V. The 10 most recent:
Owner Notification Letter - Honda has developed software updates to the Honda Sensing system to enhance driver experience by modifying the circumstances when the advanced driver assist system (ADAS) decelerates the…
ONL6UV09092026 · Other · issued Sep 10, 2026
Dealer Message - Under certain conditions, the cylinder head gasket effectiveness may be reduced which may cause vehicles to experience overheating, coolant loss, misfire, and/or DTCs P0300 through P0304 stored.
AEBM08262026901 · Other · issued Aug 26, 2026
Service Bulletin - Under certain conditions, the cylinder head gasket effectiveness may be reduced which may cause vehicles to experience overheating, coolant loss, misfire and/or DTCs P0300 thru P0304 stored.
A26-016 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 26, 2026
Service Bulletin - Honda has developed software updates to the Honda Sensing system to enhance driver experience by modifying the circumstances when the advanced driver assist system (ADAS) decelerates the vehicle or…
A26-091 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 31, 2026
Service Bulletin - American Honda has identified a condition that may affect Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS) operation. Due to software programming issues of the Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS)…
A26-091 v1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 24, 2026
Dealer Message - Due to software programming issues of the Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS), unexpected vehicle deceleration may occur.
AEBM07242026901 · Other · issued Jul 24, 2026
Service Bulletin - Oil leak at timing chain tensioner inspection cover due to possible insufficient sealant adhesion on inspection cover.
A25-077 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 29, 2025
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2018-2022 Accord FHEVs, as well as 2017-2022 CR-V 1.5Ls (no 2.4L), & 2020-2022 CR-V FHEVs with a customer complaint of the Malfunction…
ATI&10112024901 · Other · issued Oct 11, 2024
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2018-2022 Accord FHEVs, as well as 2017-2022 CR-V 1.5Ls (no 2.4L), & 2020-2022 CR-V FHEVs with a customer complaint of the Malfunction…
ATI&09202024901 · Other · issued Sep 21, 2024
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2018-2022 Accord FHEVs, as well as 2017-2022 CR-V 1.5Ls (no 2.4L), & 2020-2022 CR-V FHEVs with a customer complaint of the Malfunction…
ATI&09112024907 · Other · issued Sep 11, 2024
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 2018 Honda CR-V has 5 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 2018 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.
- · Among complaints with usable mileage, the median reported incident mileage was 14,500 miles. This does not predict when a particular vehicle will develop a problem.