Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise, lane keeping, backup camera).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2018 Honda CR-V owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
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. …
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. …
The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, DTC: P0172 and P0300 were displayed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that while the codes were illuminated, the ADAS system became inoperable. The contact stated that the Lane Keep Assist, Forward Collision Avoidance, and other systems that were inoperable. The contact stated that the vehicle recently was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the error codes illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle back to the dealer where the recall repair was performed, and a diagnostic test was performed. However, the failure was not duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic and the ignition coils, 12-Volt battery, and the sparks plugs were replaced. …
The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the instrument cluster and the Lane and Collision Warning Systems failed, and the instrument cluster went dark. The contact stated that the failure was a recurring failure and happened at various speeds. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that the rear taillights had failed, and the Forward Collision Avoidance system was also malfunctioning. The contact stated that the vehicle reset independently when the vehicle was parked and turned off and the instrument cluster and other electrical failures regained functionality. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the fuel injectors needed to be replaced and would resolve the electrical failures. The vehicle was not repaired. …
Driving at a speed of approximately 30-35 mph over a railroad track, the automatic emergency braking system was erroneously triggered. The vehicle came to an extremely abrupt stop in the middle of the railroad track. The vehicle behind us proceeded to rear-ended us. This is the second time the vehicle has stopped abruptly at a railroad track. The warning messages only appeared at the exact same moment the car stopped, not providing any warning as to what was about to happen. I'm awaiting an appointment for the car to be seen by the dealership for the AEB system, but because this caused a collision I filed a claim on my insurance and the car had to be repaired. This was a safety issue for multiple reasons, including that it caused injury for both the driver and the passenger. …
The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while making a turn, the vehicle independently stopped. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated, and the "BRAKE" message was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that the vehicle functioned as intended. The contact stated that the phantom braking failure persisted. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, while driving over a bridge, the vehicle independently stopped suddenly with warning lights illuminated, and the "BRAKE" message was displayed. The vehicle resumed normal driving operation. Most recently, while driving over a speed bump, the vehicle independently stopped suddenly and then operated as intended. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic; however, no cause for the failure was found. The contact stated that the failure persisted. …
On February 26, 2026, at approximately 3:59 PM, the driver was traveling northbound on Yukon Territory Avenue in Manteca, CA at approximately 30 mph when the vehicle experienced a sudden brake failure. The driver attempted to pull over to the east curb of Yukon Territory Avenue but the vehicle inadvertently jumped the curb and collided with a city fire hydrant. Airbags deployed. The vehicle continued northbound and struck a city street light pole before stopping. No injuries were reported. The incident is consistent with the known NHTSA Engineering Analysis (opened February 2022, upgraded April 2024) covering 2017-2022 Honda CR-V vehicles for unexpected and unintended activation of the Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS) causing sudden rapid deceleration without warning. …
The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH with the cruise control engaged, the brakes were applied inadvertently. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. Additionally, there was an audible warning buzzer alert. The contact stated that the vehicle decelerated to 30 MPH. The unknown warning lights then deactivated and the vehicle resumed the preset cruise control speed. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed; however, the dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The dealer confirmed to the contact that there were no associated recalls under the VIN. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure had occurred five times while the cruise control was engaged. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 29,000.
The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 MPH, the message "Brake" displayed on the instrument panel and the Forward Collision Avoidance system erroneously activated, causing the vehicle to abruptly stop in the middle of the roadway. During the failure, there were no other vehicles nearby to cause the Forward Collision Avoidance system to become activated. The contact stated that previously while driving at various speeds the "Brake" message was displayed but the vehicle did not stop. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, but the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact was informed of NHTSA Action Number: EA24002 (FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the investigation. The failure mileage was 82,000.
The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the Forward Collision Avoidance: Emergency Automatic Braking system engaged while there was no object or vehicle nearby. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who calibrated the brakes. While driving, the brake warning light illuminated. The driver depressed the brake pedal and the warning light turned off. The vehicle was taken back to the independent mechanic who informed her that the brake calibration was working as designed. The contact stated she turned off the automatic braking feature. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 73,000. The VIN was not available.
NHTSA investigations
Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking
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
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.
Collision Avoidance complaints in other CR-V years
Frequently asked questions
How common are collision avoidance problems on the 2018 Honda CR-V?
NHTSA has 417 complaints about the driver assistance of the 2018 Honda CR-V, 19% of the model year's 2,160 complaints. The component named most often is automatic emergency braking (313 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2018 Honda CR-V collision avoidance problems?
No. NHTSA lists no driver assistance recall for the 2018 Honda CR-V, though it has 5 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 2018 Honda CR-V collision avoidance problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 37,000 miles, and 32% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 4 crashes, 0 fires and 10 injuries to driver assistance 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.