2018 Honda CR-V Problems & Complaints

Avoid6.7× as many complaints as a typical year of the CR-V at the same age

Owners have filed 2,160 complaints about the 2018 Honda CR-V with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That is 6.7× as many as a typical CR-V model year at the same age, which makes the 2018 one of the CR-V years to avoid. The most reported problem area is the fuel & propulsion system (608 complaints, typically around 8,000 miles). 5 recalls cover this model year.

2,160complaints
5recalls
46crashes
2fires
47injuries
0deaths

Most common 2018 Honda CR-V problems

Share of the 2,160 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.

Honda CR-V complaints by model year

’97’98’99’00’01’02’03’04’05’06’07’08’09’10’11’12’13’14’15’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25’261081281271291425154685014793988879623864815544033825876723941.8k2.2k1.1k356338268517392260167
Owner complaints per model year, Honda CR-V. Colour = our verdict for that year (red: avoid, orange: caution, green: better than average, blue: too new).

Best CR-V years: 2001, 2000, 1999. Years to avoid: 2018, 2017, 2025, 2024, 2023. Compare all years →

2018 Honda CR-V recalls (5)

Air bags › Sensor › Occupant classification › Front passenger

NHTSA recall 26V-332 · May 21, 2026 · 98,892 vehicles

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2021, 2023 Acura TLX, 2019-2024 RDX, 2017-2020, 2022-2026 MDX, 2017-2021, 2023, 2025 Honda Ridgeline, 2017-2022 Pilot, 2019-2021 Passport, 2018-2026 Odyssey, 2019-2022 Insight, 2019-2021 HR-V, 2018-2020 Fit, 2020-2022 CR-V Hybrid, 2017-2022 CR-V, 2017-2018, 2021 Civic…

Remedy: Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 7, 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138.

Fuel system, gasoline › Delivery › Fuel pump

NHTSA recall 23V-858 · Dec 18, 2023 · 2,490,460 vehicles

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline, Odyssey, Acura ILX, MDX, MDX Hybrid, RDX, RLX, TLX, 2019-2022 Honda Insight, Passport, 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Clarity PHEV, Fit, and 2015-2020 Honda…

Remedy: Dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 6, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are KGC and KGD.

Seat belts › Front › Buckle assembly

NHTSA recall 23V-158 · Mar 9, 2023 · 448,613 vehicles

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2017-2020 CR-V, 2018-2019 Accord and Accord Hybrid, 2018-2020 Odyssey, 2019 Insight, and 2019-2020 Acura RDX vehicles. A manufacturing issue with the front seat belts may cause the seat belt buckle channel to interfere with the release button, preventing the seat belt buckle…

Remedy: Dealers will replace the driver and front passenger seat belt buckle release buttons or the buckle assemblies as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 18, 2023.

Fuel system, gasoline › Delivery › Fuel pump

NHTSA recall 21V-215 · Mar 25, 2021 · 624,552 vehicles

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Acura MDX, MDX Sport Hybrid, RDX, TLX, Honda Accord, Civic Hatchback, Insight, 2019 Acura ILX, Honda Accord Hybrid, Civic Coupe, Civic Coupe Si, Civic Sedan, Civic Sedan Si, Civic Type R, Fit, HR-V, Odyssey, Passport, Pilot and Ridgeline, and 2018-2019 CR-V…

Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump assembly, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed May 18, 2021. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138.

Steering › Electric power assist system

NHTSA recall 18V-663 · Sep 27, 2018 · 54 vehicles

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Honda Civic and CR-V vehicles. The magnet that controls the torque sensor output signal for the electronic power steering system may not be properly secured, allowing the magnet to become dislodged.

Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering gearbox assembly, free of charge. The recall began November 9, 2018. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138.

NHTSA defect investigations

Federal safety investigators have looked into 3 possible defects involving the 2018 Honda CR-V:

Rear Differential Seizure

NHTSA investigation PE22011 · opened Nov 28, 2022 · closed Jul 22, 2024

On November 29, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE 22-011 after reviewing field reports alleging rear differential seizure in 2018-2022MY Honda CR-V and HR-V vehicles equipped with all wheel drive. To date, ODI has not received any consumer complaints. Some of the field reports received alleged the vehicle's wheels locked up with no warning while the vehicle was in motion.

Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking

NHTSA investigation PE22003 · opened Feb 21, 2022 · closed Apr 18, 2024

On February 21, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation (PE22003) to assess reports of inadvertent activation of the Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS), an automatic emergency braking (AEB) system, in model year 2017-2019 Honda CR-V and 2018-2019 Honda Accord vehicles.

Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking

NHTSA investigation EA24002 · opened Apr 15, 2024 · open

On February 21, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation (PE22003) to assess reports of inadvertent activation of the Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS), an automatic emergency braking (AEB) system, in model year 2017-2019 Honda CR-V and 2018-2019 Honda Accord vehicles.

What 2018 Honda CR-V owners say

Fuel & propulsion system all 608 →

The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 70 MPH, several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle lost motive power. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal; however, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact was able to pull off the roadway. The contact stated that her husband arrived to help and was able to restart the vehicle but was not able to exceed 20 MPH while driving. …

63,000 miles · Apr 2024

While driving approximately 70 mph on the highway, my 2018 Honda CR-V suddenly lost engine power and rapidly decelerated. At the same time the check engine light began flashing and multiple warning lights illuminated on the dashboard, including the ABS warning light. I was unable to accelerate and the vehicle would not restart after the loss of power. I attempted to guide the vehicle toward the shoulder for safety, but the vehicle was rear-ended shortly after the power loss occurred. The vehicle has since been declared a total loss by my insurance company. Approximately two weeks prior to the incident I experienced intermittent engine sputtering while driving. No repairs had yet been performed at that time. After the accident I discovered that my vehicle VIN is associated with an open fuel pump motor safety recall (EXP2) that had not been remedied prior to the incident. …

Feb 2026 · crash

Engine & cooling all 544 →

The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving at low speeds, the vehicle was stalling and losing motive power. The vehicle was able to restart. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact then stated that while his wife was driving at approximately 30 MPH and merging onto a road, the vehicle stalled, she lost control of the steering wheel, and she crashed into a ditch where the vehicle came to a stop. The contact stated that the air bags had failed to deploy and that his wife was hospitalized with neck, shoulder, and back injuries. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the undercarriage, radiator, oil drain pan, and additional unknown components needed to be replaced. The contact referenced the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V215000; however, the VIN was not included in the recall. …

15,000 miles · Mar 2023 · crash · 1 injury

The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated while sitting at a stop light, another motorist hit her vehicle on the front passenger side. The air bags did not deploy upon impact. The contact nor the other driver sustained any injuries. A police report was filed. The vehicle was driven to an independent body shop where it was repaired. Since the accident, the contact stated that several warning lights would flash on the instrument panel either upon start of the vehicle or while driving at various speeds, . The vehicle was then taken to the dealer where a diagnostic showed that the fuel injector needed to be replaced. Prior to owning the vehicle, the contact was informed that a recall(recall unknown) was performed on the vehicle that was related to the fuel injector. A software was performed to repair the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. …

74,000 miles · Apr 2023 · crash

Driver assistance all 417 →

The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently started braking. The contact stated that the brake warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that she started to pull over however, the vehicle resumed normal operation. The vehicle was taken to an unknown Honda dealer in Las Vegas who was unable to diagnose a failure. The contact stated that the failure recurred 6 months later. The vehicle was not taken back to the dealer. The contact stated that the failure continued and the vehicle was taken to Sierra Honda of Monrovia (721 E Central Ave, Monrovia, CA 91016, [phone]), who advised the contact to turn off the Collision Mitigation feature each time the vehicle was restarted. The contact stated that with the feature disabled, the failure persisted. …

7,000 miles · May 2019

The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would automatically brake with the braking warning light illuminating. The contact stated that there are no objects on the road when the failure occurred. The contact stated that there would be a shadow on the roadway or a change on the pavement. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that there were no error codes and the failure was unable to be duplicated. The contact stated that the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The manufacturer stated that she would need to duplicate the failure on her own. The contact also stated that the lane departure system fails as it attempted to take oversteer turning the vehicle to the left. The contact stated that the steering assist warning was displayed. …

Automatic emergency braking · 46,000 miles · Mar 2021

2018 Honda CR-V engines & fuel economy

EngineTransmissionDriveMPG city / hwy / combined
1.5L 4-cyl turboCVTFWD28 / 34 / 30
1.5L 4-cyl turboCVTAWD27 / 33 / 29
2.4L 4-cylCVTFWD26 / 32 / 28
2.4L 4-cylCVTAWD25 / 31 / 27

EPA ratings. Class: Small SUV.

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2018 Honda CR-V a good car?

Based on 2,160 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2018 CR-V rates avoid: 6.7× as many complaints as a typical year of the CR-V at the same age. It is one of the CR-V years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.

What is the most common problem with the 2018 Honda CR-V?

The fuel & propulsion system — 608 complaints, 28% of all complaints for this model year, most often about fuel injection system › injectors. Next are the engine & cooling (544) and driver assistance (417).

How many recalls does the 2018 Honda CR-V have?

There are 5 recalls for the 2018 Honda CR-V, the most recent from May 21, 2026 (front passenger). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.

What are the best and worst years of the Honda CR-V?

The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2001, 2000 and 1999. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2018, 2017, 2025, 2024 and 2023. See the full Honda CR-V years comparison.

At what mileage do 2018 Honda CR-V problems happen?

The median mileage reported in complaints is about 13,000 miles; 81% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 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.