Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1997 Honda CR-V owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
My CR-v will stop running suddenly and without warning. I found that other CR-v's had a recall for the ignition switch which is exactly the same as what my car has.(a faulty ignition switch. Even though the car has 200500 miles it has been garage kept and serviced regularly and is in excellent condition. It seems that my car having the exact same symptoms of the same year ignition switch recalls should be covered as well. While driving anywhere between 30 and 55 m.p.h. The car stalls because engine stops running without any warning. I put it into neutral and it starts right back up. It will keep doing the exact same thing once or twice a week now. It started out once or twice a month.
Car will stop suddenly while driving at any speed all lights will come on power steering will go out and car will not run I will turn it off and a few minutes later it will start again usually but this last time it stopped and wouldnt start again iv had the battery altogether and starter checked at auto zone and all are strong iv had them run a device on it to see if it has any error codes and it has non they said it was the fuel filter and it wasnt iv changed my main relay and ran fine for 2 days then it stopped again with no warning and that's when it wouldnt start again all lights come on stereo works but car wont turn over
Tl contact owns a 1997 Honda CR-v. While driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle completely shut down. The failure occurred many times while driving at various speeds. The contact pulled over to the side of the road, shifted, and attempted to restart the vehicle. Initially, he would be able to restart the vehicle after 2 or 3 attempts. The failure progressively worsened and took 20-30 attempts to start again and would only drive a few feet afterwards. The failure occurred approximately 20 times; therefore, he stopped using the vehicle. After the contact replaced the fuel filter and fuel pump, which did not remedy the issue, the vehicle was towed to the dealer. They stated that the ignition switch failed. The dealer referenced NHTSA campaign id number 02V120000 (electrical system:ignition:switch), but they did not repair the vehicle under the recall. …
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 Honda CR-v. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign numbers: 20V026000 (air bags) and 02V120000 (electrical system) however, the part to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repairs. The local dealer autonation Honda hollywood (2400 n state rd 7, hollywood, fl 33021) was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
My 1997 Honda CR-v is cutting off 5 or more times a day, going down the free way,in mid turns, while setting still, it is a very huge concern of mine for the safety of my 3 children and I. Everytime I need to roll my windows up to have to turn the ignition switch a notch further than needed...almost starting it again for it to register..on the middle notch the dash lights won't even turn on..and when it's going to cut off the gauges go haywire...and I checked my VIN # but no recalls but for the year make model there is...
"recall camaign" concerning ignition switch/electrical: consumer stated that this was replaced under a safety recall. However, I could not find that recall number. The problem emerged again. Vehicle will completely shut down while driving. NHTSA campaign id number : 02V120000. The original ignition was replace and the new ignition was the one that failed. Honda did not care to assist the consumer because their obligation was fulfilled.
Tl contact owns a 1997 Honda CR-v. The contact stated that when she placed the ignition key into the ignition switch and turned it, the vehicle did not start. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
The car stalled at 35 MPH and then restarted. It does this every once in a while at different speeds, I have read many complaints on the internet about the same problem, I feel this is very dangerous and needs addressed.
Ignition switch for a 1997 Honda crv without warning or any indication the car will stop this is a dangerous situation driving on any road today. Honda should have acknowledge way before it ever got started.
The vehicle stalls suddenly for no apparent reason. Sometimes when I first start the engine and in idle, the car will suddenly shut off by itself. Other times I will be driving on the street and the engine will suddenly stop. Sometimes there is an indication that it will stall because moments before it does the RPM guage will drop to zero and go back to where it was before but then the car will stall. Other times the engine will just shut off in the middle of the road. We have taken the car to have a diganostic done at the Honda dealer and they said there is nothing wrong with it. We have also replaced the computer module and the coils from a private auto mechanic. The car restarts after stalling but it takes up to 5 trys to restart the engine. This is very dangerous because it has stalled on the freeway and in traffic.
Related recalls
Electrical system › Ignition › Switch
On certain sedans, coupes, hatchbacks, and sport utility vehicles, electrical contacts in the ignition switch can degrade due to the high electrical current passing through the switch when the vehicle is started.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the ignition switch. Owner notification began June 14, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a…
Electrical complaints in other CR-V years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 1997 Honda CR-V?
NHTSA has 31 complaints about the electrical system of the 1997 Honda CR-V, 29% of the model year's 108 complaints. The component named most often is ignition › switch (11 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1997 Honda CR-V electrical problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 02V-120 (switch, May 16, 2002). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 1997 Honda CR-V electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 125,000 miles.
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.