2023 Honda CR-V Hybrid Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2023 Honda CR-V Hybrid, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Steering7250.0%
- Driver assistance1711.8%
- Fuel system1611.1%
- Electrical106.9%
- Engine85.6%
- Brakes64.2%
- Powertrain (other)53.5%
- Visibility32.1%
- Other / unspecified32.1%
- Airbags21.4%
- Tires & wheels10.7%
- Exterior lighting10.7%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Steering
Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage.
From owner reports, verbatim
2023 Honda CR-V, purchased new in Mar 2023 from Friendly Honda, Poughkeepsie, NY. All regular service completed at Lia Honda, Brewster, NY. On [XXX], car was driven without incident and parked inside a garage. On [XXX] upon ignition, car immediately displayed a “christmas tree” of warnings for every major system, including but not limited to: Electric Power Steering, AWD, Adaptive Cruise Control, Collision Mitigation, Hill Descent, Automatic Emergency Braking, Lane Keeping Assistance. Behavior has continued every time the car is started. Car remains drivable, but all safety and driver assistance systems are disabled. In addition, on [XXX] and [XXX], after stopping at a stop sign, car had very limited power and could only accelerate to 30 mph on a flat road and 20 mph on an incline. Problem was resolved only by coming to a complete stop then accelerating again. This is a significant safety concern, as if this were to happen in stop-and-go traffic on a highway, the car would be unable to accelerate to highway speeds. On 6/20/26, I took the car to Lia Honda in Brewster, NY for diagnosis. They reported a failed Electric Power Steering Control Unit/Steering Rack (trouble code U0420-68). They explained that this single electrical component failure also caused all other components to report failures because they are connected in a ring. Estimated repair cost $4,595.98. I have filed a complaint with Honda to request out-of-warranty coverage. Car is ≈3 years old, 3 months out of warranty, and only lightly used at 17,484 miles. Note that this car falls under NHTSA recall 24V-744, which pertains to a manufacturing defect in the worm gear of the Electric Power Steering. We had the recall service completed on 12/26/24, but it seems possible that continued friction in the worm gear may result in overloading of the EPS control unit. Other Honda CR-V owners have reported similar issues online, so this does not appear to be an isolated incident. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.
When turning on a curve the steering locks up/sticks for about 2 or 3 seconds and then it unlocks. When it locks up I could unlock it by using a bit of force to unlock/unstick it before it does by itself. I took to dealer and they say I need the whole steering rack. I have done research on this issue and I saw lots of 2023 crv owners are reporting the same issues. There is a recall to replace steering spring and to lubricate. But this recall issue is affecting cr-v whole rack and it should be in the recall. Honda did not make the steering properly and its causing many steering issues. There should be a recall on all steering issues. I currently have to drive my car with this issue because I don't have $4k for a new rack which is what they told me at dealer it cost. My crv is less than 2 years old and I should not be experiencing a issue like this and operating this vehicle which is not safe because Honda did not manufacture steering components correctly.
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
2023 Honda CR-V, purchased new in Mar 2023 from Friendly Honda, Poughkeepsie, NY. All regular service completed at Lia Honda, Brewster, NY. On [XXX], car was driven without incident and parked inside a garage. On [XXX] upon ignition, car immediately displayed a “christmas tree” of warnings for every major system, including but not limited to: Electric Power Steering, AWD, Adaptive Cruise Control, Collision Mitigation, Hill Descent, Automatic Emergency Braking, Lane Keeping Assistance. Behavior has continued every time the car is started. Car remains drivable, but all safety and driver assistance systems are disabled. In addition, on [XXX] and [XXX], after stopping at a stop sign, car had very limited power and could only accelerate to 30 mph on a flat road and 20 mph on an incline. Problem was resolved only by coming to a complete stop then accelerating again. This is a significant safety concern, as if this were to happen in stop-and-go traffic on a highway, the car would be unable to accelerate to highway speeds. On 6/20/26, I took the car to Lia Honda in Brewster, NY for diagnosis. They reported a failed Electric Power Steering Control Unit/Steering Rack (trouble code U0420-68). They explained that this single electrical component failure also caused all other components to report failures because they are connected in a ring. Estimated repair cost $4,595.98. I have filed a complaint with Honda to request out-of-warranty coverage. Car is ≈3 years old, 3 months out of warranty, and only lightly used at 17,484 miles. Note that this car falls under NHTSA recall 24V-744, which pertains to a manufacturing defect in the worm gear of the Electric Power Steering. We had the recall service completed on 12/26/24, but it seems possible that continued friction in the worm gear may result in overloading of the EPS control unit. Other Honda CR-V owners have reported similar issues online, so this does not appear to be an isolated incident. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.
Loss of power and control of vehicle after getting several malfunction errors on instrument panel. Vehicle estates that several safety controls are switched off until problem is resolved. Eventually vehicle resets itself and works fine for weeks.
Fuel system
Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.
From owner reports, verbatim
Car completely shut down with every warning light going off. Before 95,000 the head gasket blew with zero warning signs! All the warning lamps came on only the day the car totally stopped working. No prior warning or signs before.
I was driving my 2023 Honda CRV Hybrid on the [XXX] on Sunday, XXX. 5 minutes prior to reaching the interchange where the [XXX] connects to the [XXX], all of the lights on my dashboard flash on, but the car was still running. I got onto the [XXX] and prior to reaching the [XXX] exit, my car suddenly stops accelerating at full power. As I push on the accelerator, I can barely move my car. I pull over to the side of the highway and put my car in park. Quietly panicking (not to stress out my [XXX] old who was sleeping in the backseat), I put my car back in drive and see that I can slowly move forward. I get back onto the freeway and exit via the [XXX] exit. There is a park right there so I slowly circled around until I found a spot to park my car. I called AAA and they came and tested my battery and said there weren't any issues. They advised me not to drive my car anymore and called a tow, and brought my car to the Honda Dealership back near me home 45 minutes away. The dealership was closed, but they called me on Monday and said they would need to diagnose my car. I preferred that my mechanic take care of my car, so I had my car towed there instead. The issue he diagnosed is provided in the screenshots: "P2101 Electric Throttle Control System (ECTS) Malfunction". Both my mechanic and I looked online and there seems to be an open investigation into this (NHTSA ID 11556108) and when you look online, there are MANY other owners complaining about the same thing happening, some with much less miles on their car than mine. There is clearly an issue and something needs to be done. Having your car all of a sudden slow down drastically while driving on an extremely busy [XXX] highway with a [XXX] in your backseat was terrifying. Please investigate this further, I know I'm not the only one who has experienced this with the same model of car. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
Car completely shut down with every warning light going off. Before 95,000 the head gasket blew with zero warning signs! All the warning lamps came on only the day the car totally stopped working. No prior warning or signs before.
My breaks stopped working! Car was in drive and my foot was on the break and the break did not function and drove forward. I was able to stop this before hitting anything and turned the car on, but this could have been catastrophic as I was driving to work at the hospital.
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
Car completely shut down with every warning light going off. Before 95,000 the head gasket blew with zero warning signs! All the warning lamps came on only the day the car totally stopped working. No prior warning or signs before.
The contact owns a 2023 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the message "Engine Overheating Do Not Drive" displayed, and a red Check Engine warning light illuminated. The contact smelled smoke and observed smoke coming from the interior vents. On each occasion, the contact pulled over safely, turned off the vehicle for nearly an hour, and then restarted the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed that the head gasket had failed with potential engine damage, and the head gasket and engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact associated the failure with an unknown recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 193,000.
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
My breaks stopped working! Car was in drive and my foot was on the break and the break did not function and drove forward. I was able to stop this before hitting anything and turned the car on, but this could have been catastrophic as I was driving to work at the hospital.
All the warning comes on the dashboard randomly. I took it to the service, they said they reset the system. However, today, my daughter was driving to her school. Again, all the warning lights came on and the car braked itself. This is a very dangerous as my daughter is a new driver. I made another appointment with the service department. Please do something,
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Powertrain (other)
Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials.
From owner reports, verbatim
i was driving my 2023 crv hybrid which is well maintained and has only 73200 miles i was only driving it for 10 min when the cylinder gas kit has blown out and vehicle went into limp mode and power has dropped luckily no one was behind and i pulled over.
At least two times I can recall after starting vehicle and shifting into reverse the car moved forward instead of reverse. I applied the brake and tried again, but the same thing happened. At that point I shifted into park, turned the vehicle off, and restarted it. After doing this and shifting into reverse the vehicle backed up normally. Fortunately I did not hit anything. Additionally another incident occurred where I was changing lanes to make a left turn at approximately 40 MPH the steering became very heavy and I was briefly unable to steer to change direction. While in the turning lane and unable to turn, I placed the vehicle in park, shut off the vehicle and restarted it. This cured the problem and I was able to proceed.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Visibility
Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors.
From owner reports, verbatim
Sunroof exploded while driving with glass being thrown on my wife's head
Steering appears to go blank when slightly turning it. Mostly noticeable at higher speeds. Feels like the steering gets stuck then releases. Dealer says they cannot replicate the issue. Whippers are slow on their highest setting.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Other / unspecified
Reports whose component NHTSA recorded as unknown, or that do not map to one of the categories above.
From owner reports, verbatim
Noisy rough ride that was attributed to uneven tire wear on all 4 tires, called "cupping". Safety: Online research of major tire brands and NHTSA state that continuing to drive on cupped tires can be hazardous due to lost of traction, especially in emergency situation. The dealer, a private mechanic and a tire outlet all confirmed that the tires have uneven wear called "cupping". The dealer's service manager and mechanic foreman and a private mechanic all inspected the tires and confirmed the uneven wear. The first symptom was a wump-wump noise and vibration when driving slow, slowing down or making a turn. Problem first appeared around 11,000 miles. Now the problem appears worse. In that the initial noise and vibration is worse and now there is a chattering sound and vibration in highway drive. Plus an occasional "shimmy sensation" when a bump or rough patch in the road is gone over. New development. Since the onset of this problem. Honda has come out with a recall notice regarding an issue with their steering gearbox worm wheel for the car model involved. A Technical service bulletin was issued on the steering problem, with a note that this problem can lead to uneven tire wear. Despite this warning, the service manager for the dealer is insisting that it is safe to drive on cupped tires. I have since taken my car into the dealer to have the recall issue addressed. But again the service manager is insisting that driving on cupped tires is safe. I think this is a potentially danger situation where customers are being told by the Honda dealer that it is safe to continue to drive on cupped tires. I think that the NHTSA needs to require Honda corporation to order all Honda dealers to cover any uneven tire wear from the faulty steering gearbox defect. I just ordered a set of new tires for my safety at a cost of about $1000. Please help.
While driving the vehicle there’s a wobbling sound on the front. Morgan Hill Dealer said I have to replace 4 tires. The vehicle has less than 20k miles driven. Also it feels like the steering wheels gets sticky at times. The noise is getting worst. Please help?
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Airbags
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2023 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving at various speed, the horn independently activated without the steering wheel center touch pad depressed. The air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where an air bag error code was cleared. The contact was unsure if the air bag was replaced. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The contact was advised that there was no fault found with the vehicle. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000.
The contact owned a 2023 Honda CRV. The contact stated that while her husband was stopped at a red light, he was rear-ended by another vehicle driving at approximately 65 MPH causing the contact's husband to veer into the intersection. As a result, the vehicle was also crashed by 4 motorcycles. The contact's husband sustained 14 broken bones (2 in his back,2 in his nose,5 broken ribs, a break in his right arm, and four places on his rotary cuff), a skull fracture with a brain bleed that caused a stroke on the scene. No air bags deployed. The contact stated the other unknown parties involved also sustained injuries and had to be taken to the trauma center as well. The police report confirmed no air bags deployed. The dealer was not made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was totaled. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Tires & wheels
Reports naming tires, wheels, hubs, or the tire-pressure monitoring system.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2023 Honda CR-V Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed on the highway, the contact became aware that the front passenger's side tire was flat. The contact pulled over to the side of the road. The contact called Honda Roadside Assistance to replace the tire with the spare tire and became aware that the vehicle was not equipped with a spare tire. The vehicle was towed to a tire shop, where the tire was replaced. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the Honda Hybrid vehicles were not required to be equipped with a spare tire. The contact stated that she was concerned for her safety. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 6,870.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Exterior lighting
Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting.
From owner reports, verbatim
Tail lights cracked on their own during summer possibly due to high heat index. Adaptive cruise control system has given me an error/failure to start up several times when starting my vehicle.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .