Which Honda CR-V years should you avoid?

2017, 2018, 2019 carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates of any Honda CR-V model year measured over an identical 60-month window.

What is the best year for the Honda CR-V?

2010 is the best-scoring Honda CR-V model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 77.7 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.

How many recalls does the Honda CR-V have?

39 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored Honda CR-V model years. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.

Which Honda CR-V years to avoid

Across 12 scored model years, the 2017, 2018 and 2019 model years carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates.

Ownership label · Honda CR-V Full report

Grade 2010–2021

2017 vs model median 3.7×

Model median3× median

Engine 379

Electrical 235

Fuel System 204

Avoid

2017 · 2018

Best

2010 · 2011

What the record shows

Written from this model’s own complaint and recall history.

Engine complaints drive the CR-V’s flagged years, and they arrive early — the median odometer reading when owners file is around 17,000 miles, one of the lowest figures on this site. That pattern, a large volume of engine reports on nearly-new cars, is unusual and worth understanding before buying.

The 2017 model year introduced Honda’s 1.5-litre turbocharged engine to the CR-V. Owners reported fuel diluting the engine oil in cold-weather driving, producing a rising oil level, a fuel smell and, in a number of filings, rough running. Honda issued a service bulletin and a warranty extension covering affected cars, and adjusted the software and hardware for later model years. Fuel-system complaints appear as the third-largest group in 2017, consistent with the same underlying issue.

The complaint rate stays elevated through 2018 and 2019 before falling. Note what the record does not say: these are owner reports, not confirmed failures, and many affected cars were remedied under the extension. The 2010 and 2011 CR-Vs, on the previous naturally-aspirated engine, record the lowest rates of any year here.

Reviewed Claude, 10 August 2026, against the model's own record and NHTSA campaign filings

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Severity-weighted complaint volume and grade by model year for the Honda CR-V
Year	vs median	Reports	Grade
2010	0.29×	109	B
2011	0.35×	124	B
2012	0.62×	224	B
2013	0.71×	256	B
2014	1.17×	469	C
2015	1.88×	730	D
2016	0.88×	307	B
2017	3.65×	1,519	F
2018	3.55×	1,445	F
2019	1.98×	836	F
2020	0.91×	331	C
2021	1.09×	451	C
2022 P	1.03×	424	C
2023 P	1.82×	798	D
2024 P	1.66×	653	D
2025 P	1.20×	384	C

P — provisional. These years have not completed 60 months on the road, so their totals are incomplete and they are excluded from the verdict.

What owners report

The component groups most often named, with one representative report. These are unverified — allegations, not findings.

2017 F 1,519 reports · median 17,260 mi

Engine 379

Rodents keep chewing through air hoses for the emissions system. It's happened twice in a week despite traps, rodent deterrent, etc. owner complaint filed with NHTSA
Electrical 235

Engine light came on and message said emissions system problem and the headlights got high and then low and then high and then low. owner complaint filed with NHTSA
Fuel System 204

The contact owns a 2017 honda cr-v. The contact heard an abnormal noise associated with the fuel system. The dealer was unable to replicate and diagnose the failure. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

42 crash · 5 fire · 42 injuries

2018 F 1,445 reports · median 7,900 mi

Engine 402

The contact owns a 2018 honda cr-v. While driving 45 MPH, the brakes failed and the vehicle stalled without warning. The ABS indicator illuminated after the failure. owner complaint filed with NHTSA
Fuel System 216

Like many other 2017-2018 honda cr-v owners, I discovered a significant amount of gasoline in the oil reservoir of my vehicle after normal usage. owner complaint filed with NHTSA
Driver Assist 205

The day after we bought a brand new 2018 honda crv, I was driving down the highway using adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assistance and lane departure mitigation the vehicle started braking and the gas pedal did… owner complaint filed with NHTSA

44 crash · 2 fire · 39 injuries

The best year for the CR-V

Ranked by overall score among years with a full 60 months on the road.

2010 is the best-scoring CR-V model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 77.7 out of 100 — a score that combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.

Best-scoring model years
Year	vs median	Reports	Grade
2010	0.29×	109	B
2011	0.35×	124	B
2013	0.71×	256	B

Recalls

39 campaigns on record.

Recall campaigns, largest first
Campaign	Component	Model years	Units affected
16V346000	AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE	2010, 2011	2,719,386
23V858000	FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP	2013–2023	2,490,460
16V061000	AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE	2010, 2011	2,232,187
24V744000	STEERING	2023–2025	1,693,199
11V395000	POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:CONTROL MODULE (TCM/PCM/TECM)	2010	1,512,107
18V661000	AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE	2010, 2011	1,355,406
19V182000	AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE	2010, 2011	1,101,534
17V030000	AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE	2010, 2011	977,708
24V064000	AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER	2020, 2021	750,114
18V042000	AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE	2010, 2011	691,726
21V215000	FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP	2018, 2019	624,552
23V228000	STRUCTURE:FRAME AND MEMBERS	2010, 2011	616,128

+ 27 further campaigns

How long do they last?

Complaint records show when problems get reported, not how long a car survives. Where owners gave an odometer reading, faults on the 2017 were reported at a median of 17,260 miles. Treat that as the point problems start being noticed, not a lifespan.

Common questions

Answered directly from this model’s record.

Which Honda CR-V years should you avoid?: 2017, 2018, 2019 carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates of any Honda CR-V model year measured over an identical 60-month window.
What is the best year for the Honda CR-V?: 2010 is the best-scoring Honda CR-V model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 77.7 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.
How many recalls does the Honda CR-V have?: 39 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored Honda CR-V model years. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2017 CR-V

Complaints in window: 1,519
Severity-weighted: 1,968
Model median (weighted): 538
vs model median: 3.65×
Recall campaigns (weighted): 7
Open investigations: 1

Score 6.7 F