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2016 Honda CR-V

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2016 Honda CR-V do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 400.5.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

235 reports with mileage · 157 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Engine. Review the 101 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Fuel/propulsion System. Review the 65 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 64 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

40 crash reports4 fire reports28 injury reports

Engine complaints

101 reports
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100 miles · Feb 13, 2018
EngineFuel/propulsion SystemInjury

FROM NEW, THE CABIN FILLS WITH NOXIOUS GAS FUMES. HONDA DEALERSHIP SAYS HONDA IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT WILL NOT DO ANYTHING TO FIX IT AS THEY ARE UNAWARE OF A FIX. UNACCEPTABLE FROM HONDA

NHTSA ODI #11072515

41,000 miles · Nov 1, 2017
EnginePower Train

WHEN SITTING AT A RED LIGHT IN DRIVE/IDLE WITH BRAKE ENGAGED, THE CAR VIBRATES SEVERELY. THIS WAS KNOWN DEFECT ON THEIR 2015 MODEL CRV'S AS WELL. DEALER SAYS NO FIX AVAILABLE BECAUSE HONDA NORTH AMERICA HAS NOT ACKNOWLEDGED THE PROBLEM. I HAVE SEEN MULTIPLE SIMILAR COMPLAINTS FROM OTHER 2016 HONDA CRV OWNERS ALL OVER THE INTERNE…

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WHEN SITTING AT A RED LIGHT IN DRIVE/IDLE WITH BRAKE ENGAGED, THE CAR VIBRATES SEVERELY. THIS WAS KNOWN DEFECT ON THEIR 2015 MODEL CRV'S AS WELL. DEALER SAYS NO FIX AVAILABLE BECAUSE HONDA NORTH AMERICA HAS NOT ACKNOWLEDGED THE PROBLEM. I HAVE SEEN MULTIPLE SIMILAR COMPLAINTS FROM OTHER 2016 HONDA CRV OWNERS ALL OVER THE INTERNET.

NHTSA ODI #11042125

1,200 miles · Oct 19, 2017
EngineUnknown Or Other

WHEN STOPPED (FOR INSTANCE, AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT, OR AT A STOP SIGN) AND IDLING WITH FOOT ON THE BRAKE, THE CAR BEGINS TO SHUDDER. IT IS SO STRONG, IT HURTS. EVEN THE CHILDREN IN THE BACK SEAT NOTICED IT. IF I SHIFT TO NEUTRAL WHILE WAITING FOR THE LIGHT TO CHANGE, IT MOSTLY STOPS SHUDDERING. WHAT IS THE FIX? THIS IS A NEW CAR. …

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WHEN STOPPED (FOR INSTANCE, AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT, OR AT A STOP SIGN) AND IDLING WITH FOOT ON THE BRAKE, THE CAR BEGINS TO SHUDDER. IT IS SO STRONG, IT HURTS. EVEN THE CHILDREN IN THE BACK SEAT NOTICED IT. IF I SHIFT TO NEUTRAL WHILE WAITING FOR THE LIGHT TO CHANGE, IT MOSTLY STOPS SHUDDERING. WHAT IS THE FIX? THIS IS A NEW CAR. THIS IS ALMOST ALL THE TIME !! IT IS AN ONGOING CONDITION.

NHTSA ODI #11034556

350 miles · Mar 21, 2017
EngineService BrakesVehicle Speed Control

MY FEET GET TANGLED BETWEEN THE BRAKE AND GAS. I HAD UNINTENDED ACCELERATION DUE TO THIS PROBLEM. THE CAR IDLE IS SET AT 5MPH ONCE YOU TAKE YOUR FOOT OFF THE BRAKE THE CAR ASSUMES YOU ARE GOING FORWARD AND DOES SEEK TO GO 5 MPH NO MATTER YOUR INTENTIONS. THE BRAKE AND THE GAS ARE ONLY 2.5 INCHES APART. WHEN TRYING TO BRAKE MY F…

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MY FEET GET TANGLED BETWEEN THE BRAKE AND GAS. I HAD UNINTENDED ACCELERATION DUE TO THIS PROBLEM. THE CAR IDLE IS SET AT 5MPH ONCE YOU TAKE YOUR FOOT OFF THE BRAKE THE CAR ASSUMES YOU ARE GOING FORWARD AND DOES SEEK TO GO 5 MPH NO MATTER YOUR INTENTIONS. THE BRAKE AND THE GAS ARE ONLY 2.5 INCHES APART. WHEN TRYING TO BRAKE MY FOOT WAS PINNED UNDER THE BRAKE PEDAL AND CAUSING THE CAR TO GO 5 MILES PER HOUR. I HAVE AVOIDED ANY NUMBER OF UNTENDED CRASHES DUE TO THIS PROBLEM.

NHTSA ODI #10967526

13,000 miles · Mar 17, 2017
EngineFuel/propulsion System

GASOLINE SMELL COMES INTO A CABIN: -WHILE DRIVING, -WHEN THE ENGINE STARTS AFTER 5-10 MIN OF RESTING GASOLINE SMELL COMES OUTSIDE OUT OF THE ENGINE. THE CAR WAS INSPECTED AT HONDA AUTHORIZED SERVICE AND THE ISSUE WAS CONFIRMED. THE ISSUE IS NOT REPAIRABLE ON MARCH 2017. THERE ARE FOLLOWING CONCERNS: - THE CAR MAY BLOW ON…

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GASOLINE SMELL COMES INTO A CABIN: -WHILE DRIVING, -WHEN THE ENGINE STARTS AFTER 5-10 MIN OF RESTING GASOLINE SMELL COMES OUTSIDE OUT OF THE ENGINE. THE CAR WAS INSPECTED AT HONDA AUTHORIZED SERVICE AND THE ISSUE WAS CONFIRMED. THE ISSUE IS NOT REPAIRABLE ON MARCH 2017. THERE ARE FOLLOWING CONCERNS: - THE CAR MAY BLOW ON A RODE WHILE DRIVING - MAY CAUSE A FIRE WHILE STORED IN A GARAGE - MAY CAUSE HEALTH ISSUES DUE TO BREATHING GASOLINE FUMES

NHTSA ODI #10966493

6,000 miles · Feb 28, 2017
Engine

THERE IS A DISTINCT GASOLINE SMELL IN THE CABIN WHILE DRIVING AND ALSO SOMETIMES WHILE PARKED IN THE GARAGE. THE FIRST TIME WE NOTICED THE ODOR WAS IN NOVEMBER OF 2016. WE HAVE NOTICED IT AT LEAST A DOZEN TIMES SINCE THEN. AFTER TAKING IT TO A HONDA DEALERSHIP, WE HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT HONDA IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM, BUT THERE IS…

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THERE IS A DISTINCT GASOLINE SMELL IN THE CABIN WHILE DRIVING AND ALSO SOMETIMES WHILE PARKED IN THE GARAGE. THE FIRST TIME WE NOTICED THE ODOR WAS IN NOVEMBER OF 2016. WE HAVE NOTICED IT AT LEAST A DOZEN TIMES SINCE THEN. AFTER TAKING IT TO A HONDA DEALERSHIP, WE HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT HONDA IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM, BUT THERE IS NO FIX.

NHTSA ODI #10957520

18,000 miles · Feb 11, 2017
EngineUnknown Or Other

GASOLINE SMELL IN CAB. WE HAVE HAD A STRONG GASOLINE ODOR THE LAST FEW MONTHS IN THE CAB OF OUR 2016 HONDA CR-V. THE HONDA DEALER HAS NOT HEARD OF THIS HAPPENING BUT THERE ARE QUITE A FEW CLASS ACTION LAWSUITS AGAINST HONDA FOR THIS SAME ISSUE. HONDA, PLEASE FIGURE THIS OUT SO WE DON'T DIE! HTTP://WWW.CRVOWNERSCLUB.COM/FORUMS…

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GASOLINE SMELL IN CAB. WE HAVE HAD A STRONG GASOLINE ODOR THE LAST FEW MONTHS IN THE CAB OF OUR 2016 HONDA CR-V. THE HONDA DEALER HAS NOT HEARD OF THIS HAPPENING BUT THERE ARE QUITE A FEW CLASS ACTION LAWSUITS AGAINST HONDA FOR THIS SAME ISSUE. HONDA, PLEASE FIGURE THIS OUT SO WE DON'T DIE! HTTP://WWW.CRVOWNERSCLUB.COM/FORUMS/98-2012-2016-OFFICIAL-SPECS-FEATURES-ETC-GEN-4/110761-2016-HONDA-CRV-GAS-SMELL-FILLS-CABIN-VERY-STRONG.HTML HTTPS://TOPCLASSACTIONS.COM/LAWSUIT-SETTLEMENTS/LAWSUIT-NEWS/343631-HONDA-CLASS-ACTION-FILED-UNFIXED-CR-V-GAS-ODOR-PROBLEM/

NHTSA ODI #10953998

1,600 miles · Oct 24, 2016
Engine

ENGINE SUDDENLY OVERHEATED AND STOPPED RUNNING. CAR IS 4 MONTHS OLD WITH 1,600 MILES ON ODOMETER. NO ADVANCE WARNING. HAD CAR TOWED TO DEALER. OURISMAN HONDA BETHESDA MD DIAGNOSED AS PINHOLE IN RADIATOR HOSE. NO CAUSE PROVIDED. ON DOWNTOWN WASHINGTON DC STREET BUT COULD HAVE BEEN ON HIGH-SPEED HIGHWAY.

NHTSA ODI #10918581

14,500 miles · Oct 6, 2016
Engine

EXCESSIVE VIBRATION - THE ENGINE IS AT 600 RPM WHEN IDLING. THIS CREATES A NOTICEABLE VIBRATION THROUGHOUT THE CAR AT IDLE. THIS IS ALSO A PROBLEM WHEN DRIVING IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. THIS VIBRATION IS CAUSING ME DIZZINESS AND SOMETIMES I HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO CONTINUE DRIVING (AND I NEEDED TO BE PICKED UP). I TOLD THE SERVICE DEPA…

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EXCESSIVE VIBRATION - THE ENGINE IS AT 600 RPM WHEN IDLING. THIS CREATES A NOTICEABLE VIBRATION THROUGHOUT THE CAR AT IDLE. THIS IS ALSO A PROBLEM WHEN DRIVING IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. THIS VIBRATION IS CAUSING ME DIZZINESS AND SOMETIMES I HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO CONTINUE DRIVING (AND I NEEDED TO BE PICKED UP). I TOLD THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AT MY HONDA DEALERSHIP. THEY SAID THAT ALL 2016 HONDA CR-V IDLE AT 600 RPM. THEY OFFERED NO RESOLUTION TO THIS PROBLEM.

NHTSA ODI #10914213

800 miles · Apr 14, 2016
EngineSteeringUnknown Or Other

2016 HONDA CRV VIBRATION AT 50 AND 70 MPH SPEEDS AND SHAKES EVEN ON A SMOOTH ROADWAY.

NHTSA ODI #10855509

Official recalls

3

23V858000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump

Dec 18, 2023

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline, Odyssey, Acura ILX, MDX, MDX Hybrid, RDX, RLX, TLX, 2019-2022 Honda Insight, Passport, 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Clarity PHEV, Fit, and 2015-2020 Honda Accord Hybrid, Pilot, Acura NSX vehicles. The fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 6, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are KGC and KGD. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall numbers 21V-215 and 20V-314.

17V305000 · Engine

May 4, 2017

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Honda CR-V vehicles that recently received a replacement engine. The replacement engine may have been built with the wrong pistons, potentially affecting the engine's performance.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: The reduced performance may result in an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the engines and replace the incorrect components, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began June 20, 2017. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is KF6.

15V714000 · Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module

Oct 29, 2015

American Honda Motor Company, Inc. (Honda) is recalling certain model year 2016 CR-V vehicles manufactured October 12, 2015, to October 19, 2015. The metal housing surrounding the driver's air bag inflator in these vehicles may have been manufactured incorrectly.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.

Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver side frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began in November 2015. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda'a number for this recall is JV9.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

1

EA19001 · Electrical Overstress

Opened Apr 19, 2019 · Closed Sep 19, 2024

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Air Bags: Air Bag/restraint Control Module

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation to determine if the failure of airbags to deploy during severe crashes, in certain vehicles, was the result of a safety related defect.  During the investigation a complex failure was studied that can result in non-deployment of subject vehicle air bags and other restraint system devices in severe crash events. The subject vehicles may be equipped with an airbag control unit (ACU) for the supplemental restraint system (SRS) Electronic Control Unit (ECU) manufactured by ZF-TRW.  The ECU receives signals from crash sensors mounted in the vehicle and deploys the vehicle air bags and seat belt pretensioners in accordance with manufacturer design specifications.  The ECU in the subject vehicles contains a model DS84 application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) which controls the communication of the crash sensor signal, firing commands (i.e., when to deploy the airbag(s) and/or pretensioners), and fault information (e.g., diagnostic trouble codes). In September 2016, FCA announced recall 16V-668 for certain model year (MY) 2010 to 2014 Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep products manufactured with the subject ZF-TRW ACU.  In this recall, FCA discussed an EOS condition that resulted in a failure of the subject DS84 ASIC, which caused air bag non-deployment.  FCA noted that the defect condition had only been observed in vehicles equipped with sensor harnessing routed across the front of the vehicle.  Other FCA vehicles that also used the subject ACU, but were not equipped with cross-car harnessing, had not experienced EOS failures, despite similar time in service. During the course of this investigation, ODI sent two separate Information Request (IR) letters to six vehicle manufactures (including FCA, Hyundai, Honda, Kia, Mitsubishi, and Toyota) and one IR letter to ZF-TRW.  These IR letters resulted in ODI receiving comprehensive data from these manufacturers and suppliers. Studies of this data found that the DS84 ASIC does not have sufficient protection against negative electrical transients or electrical overstress (“EOS”) that can be generated in certain severe crashes.  An electrical transient occurs when the electrical power supplied to a circuit changes momentarily over a short duration of time.   In these severe crash cases, the crash sensors and other powered wiring can be damaged and short circuited so as to create a negative electrical transient of sufficient intensity and duration (that are outside the vehicle manufacturer's specification) to damage the ASIC before the restraint device deployment signal is received by the SRS ECU.  This damaged signal can lead to incomplete or nondeployment of the air bags and/or pretensioners.  Airbag non-deployment and/or lack of pretensioner operation can increase the risk or severity of injury in a crash.A total of 8 fatalities and 14 injuries were associated with known EOS events. The common element in all investigated manufacturers vehicles is the SRS ECU containing a DS84 ASIC manufactured by ZF-TRW.  The risk associated with the ASIC is equally shared among all OEMS involved in the investigation.  The actual real-world risk can be mitigated by other factors which were assessed by ODI during this investigation. The first mitigating factor involves protections built into the ACU design which protect the DS84 ASIC from damage.  There are multiple strategies and levels of protection employed by different OEMs that provide effective EOS mitigation.  The two most common strategies at the ACU level are circuit protection diodes on the remote senor signal lines, and current limiting resistors that protect critical components. The second mitigating factor is found at the vehicle level and involves the location and routing of the wires leading from the crash sensors to the SRS ECU.  If the wires are well protected in a crash and are not routed with other power wires carrying large currents, the risk for an EOS event is significantly reduced or eliminated. These design specific factors combine to produce a spectrum of risk for the vehicles equipped with ACUs using the DS84 ASIC.  Given the many of years of field exposure, it is possible to divide the subject population into two groups; vehicles which have experienced EOS events, and vehicles which have not experienced EOS field events. Four of the six OEMs involved in this investigation have experienced EOS field events on at least one of their models equipped with a DS84 ASIC.  All vehicle models (including the Toyota models identified in the Failure Report Summary of the opening resume for this investigation) with field events have been recalled.  In an abundance of caution, ODI kept this investigation open five years to monitor field performance and did not identify any field events on vehicles not included in existing safety recalls. Given the spectrum of risk identified in this investigation and that all vehicles with a demonstrated unreasonable risk have been recalled, ODI is closing this investigation. ODI is closing this investigation with the following manufacturer safety recalls: 16V-668, 18E-043, 18V-137, 18V-363, and 20V-024.  With the recall actions taken by the subject vehicle and equipment manufacturers, this investigation is closed. The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exists on other model or model year vehicles outside of the recall scopes. The agency reserves the right to take further action if warranted by the circumstances.

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