Engine complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
The contact owns a 2025 Honda CR-V Hybrid. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked in the morning, and in the evening, the fire department knocked on the contact's door, advising that neighbors had called to report that there was a significant amount of smoke coming from the contact's garage. The contact stated that the garage was detached and was located in the rear of the residence. The contact stated that upon opening the garage door, the contact noticed a significant amount of smoke. The contact noticed that the front end and the hood of the vehicle had caught on fire, and the fire had spread to the entire garage. The fire department was able to extinguish the fire; however, the contact later noticed a spark of fire on the rear wooden wall of the garage after the fire department had left. …
This is a complaint about the unresolved recall that I have been put on a waitlist for many months now. The Dealership said that Honda will mail me when the parts will be ready for repaired, but it's been many months since the NHTSA saying the remedy is available. My appointment with the dealership had been canceled the last minute by my dealership after a promise of a mailing notice, but time has flew long enough. I am afraid for my safety on the road as my new vehicle is completely within the range of damage for the unresolved remedy.
Driving on an [redacted] near St Pauls NC at 70mph the engine shut off. Annunciator came on stop now engine is quitting. Check engine light came on. We were in a construction zone so there were barriers blocking the shoulders. We were in a high risk of someone behind ramming into us. We coasted to the exit which was 1/2 mile away. We exited at 2mph. We were very fortunate that no one from the rear, hit us. There was a tractor trailer behind us who put his flashers on, realizing the issue stayed behind us to keep cars from hitting us. All warning lights came on, first engine then all of the safety warnings. Car would not run. It was towed to a Honda dealer in Fayetteville. Honda analyzed the issue as a misfire resulting in engine damage. They performed a boroscope and found 3 piston cracked. Honda after 3 weeks installed a new short block and fuel injectors. …
On 1/21/25 I had multiple warning lights appear while driving along the highway @ 60 mph. The error messaging included "transmission failure, loss of power, emissions control...". I had not seen alerts prior to this incident, and was not aware of changes in performance other than a recent, minor, decrease in fuel efficiency. Fortunately, I was able to safely exit the freeway & park in a nearby shopping center. My vehicle was towed to the local dealer, Marin Honda. After a week of evaluation, and consulting with Honda America tech support, the dealer reports difficulty isolating the problem and determining appropriate repair. At this time a cracked piston has been identified, and the plan is for a technician to use a barescope to evaluate the cylinder for damage, and the potential need to replace the engine. …
The contact owns a 2023 Honda CR-V. The contact scheduled an appointment for a maintenance repair on the vehicle and was informed that recall services would also be performed on the vehicle while the vehicle was with the dealer. The vehicle received repairs under 23-049 (HYBCKP Emission Recall) and 24-049 (HTBrid Press Fuel Safety Recall). Upon retrieving the vehicle, the contact stated that an "Engine Temperature Too Hot" message was displayed on the instrument panel within 5 miles of driving. The dealer was alerted to the failure, and the contact was instructed to bring the vehicle back to the dealer. The vehicle was taken to the vehicle the following day and another message "Avoid Acceleration and High-Speed Engine Temperature Near Limit" was displayed on the instrument panel. …
The contact owns a 2023 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the message "Engine Overheating Do Not Drive" displayed, and a red Check Engine warning light illuminated. The contact smelled smoke and observed smoke coming from the interior vents. On each occasion, the contact pulled over safely, turned off the vehicle for nearly an hour, and then restarted the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that the head gasket had failed with potential engine damage, and the head gasket and engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact associated the failure with an unknown recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 193,000.
The contact owns a 2022 Honda CR-V. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, several unknown messages became displayed on the instrument panel. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle began to hesitate upon depression of the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and after several days, the dealer performed a valve adjustment to repair the vehicle. Recently while driving 73 MPH, the vehicle hesitated while depressing the accelerator pedal, with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and drove to an independent mechanic. The mechanic retrieved a DTC code for an engine misfire. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
I was on the highway going approximately 65mph for 10 minutes when my engine light turned on and began blinking. Immediately when it turned on I lost the ability to accelerate and had to go across 3 lanes of extremely busy and fast traffic to pull over onto the shoulder. Once I was on the shoulder, I shut my car off for 2 minutes and restarted it and the car worked as normal again. The initial incident occurred on October 4th, 2024, and it has happened again on November 29th, 2024. I do have an image of the engine light on that was taken on October 4th if that would be helpful at all. I've looked online to find out that other Honda CR-V Hybrid owners have had this issue with no fix provided from Honda at all. …
NHTSA investigations
Loss of Motive Power
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received 48 Vehicle Owner Questionnaire (VOQ) reports and some Early Warning Reporting (EWR) field reports alleging intermittent loss of motive power in Model Year (MY) 2020-2022 Honda CR-V Hybrid vehicles.
Frequently asked questions
Which Honda CR-V Hybrid years have engine problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2021 (36), 2020 (23), 2024 (18), 2022 (11) and 2023 (8) model years. Engine complaints make up 34% of all complaints for the 2021.
Is there a recall for Honda CR-V Hybrid engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for any Honda CR-V Hybrid model year. A widespread problem may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin, so ask a dealer.
At what mileage do Honda CR-V Hybrid engine problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 73,000 miles; 44% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the engine › gasoline (1 mentions), followed by the exhaust system › emission control (1).
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.