Are you thinking about buying a new Honda CR-V?
If so, don’t do anything else until you spend a few minutes on a little research. Honda makes great vehicles; however, just like any other brand sometimes problems arise, including the Honda CR-V engine problems.
What are the most common Honda CR-V engine problems?
- Gas leaking into the oil
- Phantom check engine light and other phantom lights
- Unintended acceleration
- Engine oil leaks
- Engine revs up and down, stalls, then shuts off Engine misfires due to faulty fuel injectors
Now let’s cover a bit of Honda CR-V history then we will go over in detail the most common Honda CR-V engine problems we mentioned above.
A Bit of Honda CR-V History
The Honda CR-V is considered a compact crossover SUV. The CR-V has been manufactured since 1995 by the Japanese automaker Honda and is still being manufactured today.
However, it wasn’t introduced in America until 1997. The CR-V is also manufactured in Wuhan for the Chinese market.
The Six Most Common Honda CR-V Engine Problems
Gas Leaking into the Oil
This issue has many Honda CR-V owners up in arms. The problem is caused by gas leaking into the oil particularly in the 2017 and 2018 CR-Vs with the 1.5-liter turbo engine and 2016-2018 Civics with the 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. This most frequently occurs in cold-weather states.
However, there are some reports of it happening in warm and hot weather states as well.
When gas leaks into the oil it causes the vehicle to stall. Then when the vehicle is restarted, it will usually only accelerate to about 20 mph or so.
Other indicators of a problem include issues with the oil system, oil indicator lights coming on, a loss of power, heaters that don’t work well if at all, and the smell of gas inside the vehicle.
Another way to tell if your vehicle has this problem is to frequently check for rising oil levels. If the oil level is rising, it is probably getting gas in it.
According to a spokesperson from Honda, this repair requires new software, an oil change, and the replacement of the A/C control unit.
These will help the engine warm up faster and increase combustion. Unfortunately, as of the time of this writing, Honda still has not issued a recall for this problem.
Phantom Check Engine Light and Other Phantom Lights
There are many complaints, especially on the 2017 Honda CR-V, about a phantom check engine light that comes on randomly. Some report that it comes on when the brake is pressed then goes away. The other phantom light that illuminates randomly is the emission standards light.
Both of these cases could be related to the gas leaking into the oil as mentioned above. However, when consumers take their vehicle to the mechanic about the random phantom lights, they are told the mechanic can’t find anything wrong with it even after running several diagnostic tests.
Another consumer reported that the dealer repaired the vehicle after multiple warning message lights came on. The consumer reported that this issue was previously a continuous problem that just kept getting worse until one day the warning lights just stayed on.
At this point, the vehicle lost power and would not accelerate. After turning off the vehicle and restarting it, a new message of “vehicle emission problem” was displayed.
A day after the consumer picked up the vehicle from the dealer after being repaired, all the alarms displayed and the vehicle went into limp mode.
The next day when attempting to take the vehicle back in for service, the vehicle lost power and stopped.
All the alarms were up including the emission system problem message and the car would not restart. This consumer did not report the resolve. However, others have reported that even after being “repaired” this problem continues.
There are also some reports that when an emissions issue led to getting error codes when diagnosed, the fuel injectors were replaced along with the high-pressure pipe. So, it appears the resolution is different depending on where you have your vehicle serviced. However, this cannot be proven.
Unintended Acceleration
Several consumers are reporting that although they had their foot on the brake and were stopped, the vehicle proceeded to accelerate forward. There are several reports about this issue causing the vehicle to crash into any given object.
One consumer mentioned having no choice but to run it into a building to stop and to avoid hitting another vehicle. Another consumer reported the vehicle hitting a brick pole as a result of this issue.
Engine Oil Leaks
There are a few reports, particularly with the 2017 Honda CR-V, that the engine oil leaks down on to the undercarriage and then onto the floor or other surface where the vehicle has been parked. This issue caused at least one consumer to slip and fall as a result of the oil leaking onto the garage floor.
Engine Revs Up and Down, Then Stalls and Shuts off
There was a report that the consumers 2017 Honda CR-V’s engine would rev up and down, then it would stall and shut off.
Engine Misfires Due to Faulty Fuel Injectors
There are several reports about the engine misfiring, particularly with the 2017 Honda CR-V. One consumer reported that when he was accelerating onto the interstate the engine started to misfire. The check engine light started flashing and the vehicle lost power.
After the vehicle was turned off, the blinking check engine light went off. The consumer had the vehicle towed to the dealer where it was said to have faulty fuel injectors that were then replaced.
Note: It has been speculated that some or all of these problems could be related to the issue of the fuel leaking into the oil reserve because that one issue could lead to a whole host of other issues. I guess we will have to wait to see what Honda does next.
