Honda Cr V
Problems & Worst Years

Few models in this data run as long an arc as the Honda CR-V's eleven reported model years, and the story clearly breaks into two chapters. The first, spanning 2017 through 2019, centers on the engine and the automatic braking system. The 2017 model year alone drew 1,038 complaints, an enormous figure led by automatic emergency braking malfunctions rated as a safety concern (511 occurrences) and fuel dilution in the engine oil, also safety-rated (405). That fuel-dilution issue got even worse the following year: 2018 posted 930 complaints with oil dilution from gasoline cited a remarkable 625 times, again safety-rated, alongside forward collision system malfunctions and ongoing fuel-system recall complaints. Recalls 17V256, 18V663, and 23V858 stack up across this stretch. The pattern peaked for safety severity in 2019, when total complaints reached 605 across a record 17 safety-rated problem clusters — the highest of any year for this model — still dominated by forward collision and automatic braking malfunctions.

The second chapter starts around 2021 and runs through the most recent data: steering. Steering wheel sticking, gearbox failure, and rack defects show up somewhere in the top five every single year from 2021 to 2024, peaking in 2023 when a steering gearbox failure alone drew 102 complaints rated as a safety concern, alongside continued sticking (94) and jerking at high speed, also safety-rated (27). Recall 24V744 covers both the 2023 and 2024 model years.

Earlier and later years look comparatively calmer: 2015 centered on engine vibration at idle (147 occurrences) rather than anything safety-critical, and the newest year here, 2025, shows just 89 total complaints, though three of its clusters — including unintended acceleration — still carry a safety rating. Given how much ground this model covers, a 2017-2019 CR-V warrants specific attention to fuel-dilution and automatic-braking service history, while 2021 and later cars deserve a steering-focused test drive. These counts reflect what owners reported to NHTSA rather than a measured failure rate, and the newest years simply haven't had as long to accumulate reports — a pre-purchase inspection and service history matter more than the model year alone.