Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power windows, windshield, wipers, mirrors, sunroof).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2012 Honda CR-V owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2012 Honda CR-V. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact noticed that the heating system and defroster were inoperable. The contact stated that both the heater and defroster would not function properly as no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the water pump may have failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The mechanic referred the contact to the dealer for further assistance. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 117,000.
2012 to 2014 honda crv's have a "blockage problem" on the driver's side of the heater core and the driver's side of the heater does not put out any heat. this is a safety issue as condensation builds up on driver's side of the windshield and snow/ice can build up on driver's side of the windshield due to no heat. honda has known of this problem (defect in heater driver side heater core) since at least 2014, see their service bulletin 14-063 dated november 20, 2014. our local honda dealer service department doesn't feel the heater flush produces worthwhile results on an ongoing basis and recommends heater core replacement at $1500-$2000. the service department at our local honda dealer was rather evasive about the cause of the driver's side heater core blockage/failure. …
This has now happened twice, in early 2014 and early 2015. Driving on the highway in a snowstorm, the windshield wipers work fine for a while, and then rather suddenly the windshield ices up to a point that visibility is extremely poor. The wipers themselves fail, and no amount of defrosting/heat directed at the windshield will help. The only thing that helps is pulling off the highway and manually de-icing them. The problem with that, of course, is that one is not always in the position to be able to do this, and certainly not immediately once the problem starts. The first time this occurred was in awful traffic in a snowstorm with my two daughters in the car. There were accidents all along our route, so even with visibility the driving was hairy. There was nowhere to pull over for a long period in order to fix the problem. …
The driver side defroster will not blow hot air. This makes it difficult to defrost the windshield in order to have proper visibility during winter driving conditions. This is especially true when the weather suddenly changes while driving and the windshield starts to frost over. The local authorized Honda dealer performed TSB 14-063 which flushed the heater core with clr and fresh water. This did not solve the problem. Again, the passenger side is blowing extremely hot air, but the driver side is cool. This TSB was issued in November of 2014 for a 2012 vehicle. Obviously a heater core should not be clogged with contaminants after 2 years while running approved Honda antifreeze in the cooling/heating system. The TSB also explains to the technician how to check for proper movement of the mixture door for fresh air. …
Rear window shattered following use of electric rear window defogger. Outside air temperature was about 30 degrees f, active freezing drizzle. Started the engine and without delay began driving and then turned on rear window electric heat switch to improve rear visibility, which worked. I left the switch on until we reached our destination about 8 to 10 minutes later, parked the car inside a garage, shut off the engine, exited, all vehicle windows seemed intact when we departed the car. We did not come in contact with any object or experience any impact. We went inside the house, then by remote control closed the garage door. …
I went through two windshields made by Honda for this car. I get a chip or crack in the windshield almost monthly. I've also owned a Honda element and Honda civic. Every single windshield made by Honda is exactly the same. The chips are a danger to visibility and to the structural integrity of the windshield during an accident. For the latest windshield, I went to henderson glass and they installed an aftermarket windshield not made by Honda. I've had the new windshield for 6 months now and not one single chip for crack. I'm finding blogs all over the internet with hundreds of Honda owners all in the same boat. Somebody please do something about Honda windshields. There was a class action lawsuit against Honda when I owned the Honda element. I had sent in receipts for 3 windshields and multiple chip repairs on all of them and was awarded over $1000 from that. …
It is well documented by Honda that there is an issue with heater cores on these cars. Heater will eventually become plugged and not work. Heat is significantly cooler on drivers side vents than passenger side. My complaint is without heat to defrost windshield in winter conditions it will become a visibility issue due to not having the ability to defrost the windshield. And potentially cause a crash. Honda is very much aware of this issue, yet is charging customers that are out of warranty to rectify the issue. I have 46K miles on my car and am having heater core issues? I noticed the issue early on and it has gotten progressively worse. Had I of known what it was I would have had it fixed under warranty. Honda TSB number is 14-063. Temperature differential from passenger side to driver side in my car is 40+ degrees.
Problem with cooling system. The 2012-2016 CR-v models have issues with the heater core becoming clogged, and not generating enough heat for proper defrosting, defogging and cabin heating. Honda is aware of this problem and it is wide-spread enough for them to issue technical service bulletin #14-063 (see attached) for flushing of cooling system, at a cost to the car owner of approximately $470.00. This problem seems to be caused by factory-installed coolant (this is not scheduled to be replaced until 105K miles). Since our CR-v still had the factory coolant and all related components, and could be safety-related due to ineffective defrosting and defogging, should these be subject to a recall at Honda's expense, and those owners who paid for this to be corrected be reimbursed?
I. Headlights are terrible. I only drive occasionally at night. The high beam points too high and the low beam too low. I asked rep in service dept. At don jacobs, lexington, ky and he advised the headlights are set at factory. They could not do anything to adjust them. I don't think he even made out a report. But the more I think about it, Honda should have a "fix" for this problem. 2. Battery. Local temps have been -/+ zero outside. My Honda is parked in garage and temps in this cold weather in my garage is 34 degrees, average.. My Honda "groans" when starting, but so far has managed to get started. I have not mentioned this to don jacobs as I didn't think they would do anything about it. They would probably say "it was set at factory".
The car is a 2012 Honda CR-v lx AWD. The driver's side heat is significantly lower than the passenger side heat. This is a know issue, Honda TSB 14-063, low driver's side heat. The low driver's side heat makes driving in the snow dangerous as there is not enough heat to adequately defrost the windshield. The driver's side windshield wiper will also start to ice up the passenger side is fine. I measured a 40 - 50 degree f temperature differential between the far passenger and driver side vents using a thermocouple display device. This occurs while the vehicle is in motion or stationary and on city streets and highways.
Window & Wiper complaints in other CR-V years
Frequently asked questions
How common are window & wiper problems on the 2012 Honda CR-V?
NHTSA has 32 complaints about the windows, wipers & sunroof of the 2012 Honda CR-V, 8% of the model year's 403 complaints. The component named most often is sun/moon roof assembly (3 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2012 Honda CR-V window & wiper problems?
No. NHTSA lists no windows, wipers & sunroof recall for the 2012 Honda CR-V, though it has 3 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2012 Honda CR-V window & wiper problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 32,000 miles, and 50% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 0 crashes, 0 fires and 1 injury to windows, wipers & sunroof 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.