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 2003 Honda CR-V owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2003 Honda CR-V. The vehicle had previously been serviced at the dealer under NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V768000 (Visibility, Electrical System) however, the failure recurred. The contact stated that the driver's side front power window switch failed to operate as needed. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000.
There was a recall for 2003 CRV will water getting into master door look switch. This switch would cause fire. The smell off burning plastic and smoke came from the door look switch. The the rear driver window didn't work. I don't use the window so it wasn't important. About 6 months later it happened again the smoke almost caused an accident. The passenger side front door wouldn't work. I changed both blown fuses. And smoke started right away and pooped both fuses. I removed the door look master switch. There are burns and melted plastic on switches and plastic body. I called Honda and they say it's the same symptoms but they're not covering it. There was a recall for this on Honda CRVs of this year for the same reason. Please tell me why some vehicles are covered and some are not when it's the same thing happening. …
SRS LIGHT CAME ON 2 MONTHS AGO. FEAR FOR MY SAFETY. RECALL PLEASE. ELECTRICAL. BACK RT WINDOW AND RT FRONT DOOR LOCK CANNOT BE OPERATED FROM FRONT DRIVER DOOR. LIGHTING. BACK INTERIOR LIGHT DOES NOT TURN OFF AUTOMATICALLY. Paint is peeling from all over the car, especially on the front of it. Looks ghastly.
On Tuesday March 14, 2017 the car window motor started acting up, the window would go down on its own. As I started the car I started I began to smell smoke, it appeared to be coming from driver side door near the window. Upon turning the car off and removing the negative end to the battery the car began smoking more and in seconds the drivers door was up in flames. I had to run and grab a fire extinguisher from inside. The fire was put out however the door was completely destroyed, the car seat was burned as well as the steering wheel. The vehicle was luckily stationary, and the event occurred on my property where I was able to put the fire out without causing more extensive damage. I noticed online that there were previous recalls for Honda and the window switch causing a fire. There had been no previous issues with the window.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Honda CR-v. The contact stated that his front driver side window master switch had began to emit a grayish smoke after he had made an attempt to wind down his passenger front window. Since the failure, the contact stated that his passenger side front window no longer operated. The contact then called Honda of pasadena(1965 e foothill blvd, pasadena, ca 91107) where he was informed that his vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 20V768000 (visibility, electrical system). The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.
While driving down the road at 6:30 am this morning my low beams headlights went out. Not able to see I pulled over and put my crv in part. I noticed that my light switch was still on but I did not have any lights. I pushed the light control forwards and noticed I did have use of my high beams. Luckily I was driving to work and only had about 5 more mile to go being Saturday on coming traffic was minimal. While at work I had time to research what the problem May possibly be that's when I stumbled upon a few recalls. Need my heads lights I went to autozone and bought a replacement switch but while plugging in the new switch I noticed that one of the connections was burnt. I.e. The recall in ?. I'm concerned that this is going to happen again so I would like to know the steps I need to take so that I can get this properly taken care of. …
The air conditioner unit has broken over and over. I've paid thousands of dollars repairing it. I'm disabled and get very ill in the heat. There was a recall but I was not told of it until I had too many miles on my car because I used to use my car for work as a social worker. But it starting breaking long before the miles were too high. It's defective. And breaking again. There are other issues such as the automatic windows and door locks. The passenger front window does not work at all. And the driver door lock does lock with the auto locks. And the key hole is broken. So every time I drive I have to lock the front door from the back seat and then use the auto lock. The driver visor has been broken for years. It just hangs. So I have to drive with it to the side. And it hangs lower than normal. Which is dangerous because it obstructs my view and I can't use it to block out the sun. …
Vehicle fire regarding 2003 Honda crv. There was overheating of the electrical components that caused the fire. The consumers wife was locked in the burning vehicle. The locks remained activated and would not open from the inside or the outside, even though the ignition was off. The entire vehicle had become filled with heavy black smoke along with the instrument panel warning lights flashing. The consumer was informed that the damage found was consistent with a high resistance condition occurring in the crankshaft sensor oil control solenoid circuit wiring resulting in electrical overheating, resulting in a fire. Minor heat and fire damage was sustained to the right front area of the engine starting near the crankshaft pulley extending upwards towards the valve cover area. …
I believe my 2003 Honda crv has a defective ignition switch interlock. The key can be removed when the car is off and the gear is not in park. As a result my crv has rolled down my driveway 3 different times, plowing into the hillside across the street, and recently nearly ran over my wife. On 10/07/10 I took my car to our local Honda dealer who said there was no recall for this problem on my car. Honda acknowledged and I believe corrected key interlock failure problems on pre-2003 models and should be required to correct post-2003 crv defective ignition switch interlocks.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 Honda CR-v. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 20V768000 (electrical system, visibility). The contact stated that after parking and rolling down the window, the window failed to roll back up. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and an unknown repair was performed. The contact was concerned that the failure would recur if the window was rolled back down. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 170,000.
Related recalls
Electrical system
Honda is recalling certain model year 2002-2006 CR-V passenger vehicles, manufactured from February 19, 2002, through July 28, 2006. The driver-side power window switch may fail or melt.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and repair the switches, as necessary, free of charge. The safety recall began on November 2, 2012. Owners may contact Honda at 1-800-999-1009.
NHTSA investigations
Low Beam Headlights Stop Working
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation based on 12 reports from consumers alleging the low beam headlights stopped working simultaneously.Several of the complainants reported that the headlight switch and/or its wiring harness connector required replacement to repair the low beam headlight circuit, and also reported that the switch and/or the wire harness connector were damaged from…
Low Beam Headlights Stop Illuminating
This investigation was prompted by Preliminary Evaluation (PE) 11-017, and was based on reports from consumers alleging that both low beam headlights stopped illuminating simultaneously.Some complainants also reported that the combination switch (switch) that controls the headlights and turn signals, and/or its electrical wiring harness connector were damaged by overheating.ODI's PE information request letter asked…
Driver's Power Window Master Switch
This investigation was prompted by Preliminary Evaluation (PE) 10-047 and was based on reports from consumers alleging that smoke and/or fire, as defined in 49 CFR ? 579.4, had occurred inside of the driver's door.The subject vehicles, model year (MY) 2006 CR-V, were manufactured at two different assembly plants.The vehicles manufactured in Japan (Sayama plant) were produced with a power window master switch (PWMS)…
Electrical complaints in other CR-V years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2003 Honda CR-V?
NHTSA has 62 complaints about the electrical system of the 2003 Honda CR-V, 13% of the model year's 468 complaints. The component named most often is wiring (3 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2003 Honda CR-V electrical problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 12V-486 (electrical system, Oct 5, 2012). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2003 Honda CR-V electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 98,000 miles, and 15% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 9 fires and 1 injury to electrical system problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.