2018 Honda CR-V problems & reliability
2,103 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2018 Honda CR-V, alongside 5 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.
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 | 516 | 25% |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 389 | 18% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 363 | 17% |
| Steering | 316 | 15% |
| Electrical System | 274 | 13% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 229 | 11% |
| Unknown OR Other | 201 | 10% |
| Service Brakes | 184 | 9% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 64 | 3% |
| Power Train | 59 | 3% |
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 14,250 miles (middle 50% between 4,506 and 39,668 miles), based on 822 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Component Affected: BACK OVER PREVENTION: REARVIEW CAMERA / INFOTAINMENT SYSTEMDescription of Safety Defect:The factory infotainment/Display Audio screen intermittently freezes, loses power, and goes completely black while driving or transitioning into reverse. When this manufacturing hardware defect occurs, the…”
Unknown OR Other · filed Aug 3, 2026
“The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving 53 MPH with the cruise control feature engaged, the vehicle started losing motive power with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact pulled over to the shoulder of the highway and had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic…”
Fuel System, Gasoline · filed Aug 3, 2026
“Vehicle steering wheel would eventually seize up, then snap out while driving on all types of roads, causing the whole car to jerk left or right. Happens at all speeds on any road type Upon inspection from Schofield Honda in Wichita KS, they determined that it was the electronic power steering module that failed and…”
Steering · filed Jul 31, 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
265 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2018 Honda CR-V. The 10 most recent:
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
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&08262024902 · Other · issued Aug 26, 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&08232024901 · Other · issued Aug 23, 2024
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2018-2022 Accord 1.5Ls (no 2.0L) & FHEVs, as well as 2017-2022 CR-V 1.5Ls (no 2.4L), & 2020-2022 CR-V FHEVs with a customer complaint of the…
ATI&08152024902 · Other · issued Aug 16, 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.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 14,250 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.