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2008 Honda CR-V Electrical Problems

Owner-reported complaints naming the electrical system, filed with NHTSA

Data refreshed

Electrical reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
218
Latest Mar 19, 2026
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
23%
of 960 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
4
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
3

What this page shows

Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2008 Honda CR-V submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 218 reports on file name it.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Owner reports naming electrical

The 25 most recent of 218, in the owner's own words

Electrical
Filed Mar 19, 2026

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2008 Honda CR-V. The contact discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of the purchase, the mileage was 137,000. It was later discovered upon registering the vehicle with the DMV that the mileage was 255,000.

NHTSA ID
11725488
Incident
Mar 19, 2026
Mileage
255,000 mi
AirbagsElectrical
Filed Mar 9, 2025
Crash reported1 injury reported

*(#1)2024 COMPLETELY TURND OFF DEAD STOPEF IN THE MIDDLE FREEWAY HIGHWAY PATROL HAD TO TOW IT AWAY LASY YEAR COST ME $900+ **** AGAIN NOW ALMOST PASSED OUT NO AIR BAG TO SAFE ME***** (#2) 3/6/2025 CAR COMPLETLY CRASHED ,INJURED ,I WAS TAKEN BY 911 TO HOSPITAL. ** BAD AIR BAG DID NOT CAME OUT OR NEVER WORKED TO PROTECTED ME***, I GOT HIT MY CHEST SO BAD , THOGHT I WAS GOING TO DIE THST MOMENT. CURRENTLY I RENTED A CAR TO PAY IT DAYLY $$$$ GO TO DOCTOR FROM MY OWN POCKET.[I CAN AFFORD] SINCE I LOST DO NOT KNOW HOW LONG WILL TAKE TO BE REPLACED MY 2008 HONA CRV ,WITH SAFER VEHICLE. I NEED TO HAVE TRANSPORTATION I SHOLDN'T CHARGED FOR RENTING A CAR AND GET HELP WITH FREE RENT TRANSPORTATION SOONER UNTILL SOMEONE RESOLVE THIS DADLY ISSUE. THANK GODI'M ALIVE

NHTSA ID
11647276
Incident
Mar 6, 2025
ElectricalInterior & seats
Filed Jul 5, 2024

The contact owns a 2008 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that the rear passenger's side door was making locking sounds unintendedly and had failed to unlock as needed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the door actuator was replaced, and the door was repaired. Additionally, the contact stated that front passenger's side door and the tailgate had failed to unlock as needed. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered under an unknown recall because the recall had expired. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000.

NHTSA ID
11599229
Incident
Feb 5, 2024
Mileage
68,000 mi
Electrical
Filed Jul 5, 2024

Door actuators ( Front passenger side and Back driver side) does not work. It bothers me by locking and unlocking.

NHTSA ID
11599038
Incident
Jul 4, 2024
Electrical
Filed Dec 4, 2023

When locking the door, there is a loud noise. I was told the lock actuator is bad and needs to be replaced (driver rear). I purchased this vehicle in October 2022 and the warranty is no longer valid. Prior to, the passenger front lock actuator had to be replaced. The vehicle is available to be inspected upon request

NHTSA ID
11558273
Incident
Oct 11, 2023
Electrical
Filed Nov 2, 2023

Vehicle door locks acting up off & on for several years. Sometimes not unlocking needing to insert key to unlock, other times passenger door not locking when using fob and doors locking & unlocking while driving. Now most recently cannot open drivers door from inside. It can be opened from the outside. This is very dangerous if you needed to get out of car quickly, not to mention the inconvenience of crawling over the center console to get out of passenger door. I am [XXX] and will never buy another Honda as I’ve read about the problems with this. Too bad because I really like my crv. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID
11553285
Incident
Nov 1, 2023
Electrical
Filed Oct 20, 2023

Door locks began opening and closing on their own while I was driving. I have replaced battery twice since this began. The auto repair place and AAA were unable to locate a cause for the electrical problem. The car will not stay locked. I was robbed of my personal property while it was parked. It is not really safe to drive since I cannot secure myself in it.

NHTSA ID
11551091
Incident
Oct 13, 2023
Electrical
Filed Oct 5, 2023

Auto door locking system attempts to lock all four doors every time the vehicle drops below 10 miles per hour and then goes above 10 mph. All four doors can be manually locked and show they are locked when the motion auto lock system thinks one or more are not locked and attempts to lock after 10 miles per hour. This continues for every trip.

NHTSA ID
11548409
Incident
Oct 5, 2023
Electrical
Filed Sep 18, 2023

Driver door actuator started jamming late July. Door would only look after pressing the lock button from the passenger side. It eventually stopped locking that way and would only lock after hitting the lock button 8+ times on the driver side. Yes it is available for inspection upon request. My own safety is put at risk due to this issue because my doors are unable to lock. As a young woman, who doesn't have access to a garage and sometimes doesn't get home till late, having doors that are completely unable to lock due to a known system issue from Honda makes me uneasy. Yes, the problem has been confirmed by an independent service center. No the vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, etc... No, the car provided no warning lamps, messages or any other symptoms of the issue. Issues first appeared in late July and have drastically gotten worse since then.

NHTSA ID
11545126
Incident
Jul 26, 2023
Electrical
Filed Aug 23, 2023

Approximately six months to one year ago, a screeching sound was audible anytime I would lock or unlock the doors in my 2008 Honda CR-V. I researched the issue and found out that this vehicle has a known problem with its actuators, and that Honda was successfully sued in 2015 resulting in an extension of the warranty on the part. I inherited this vehicle from my grandmother, and I found out from Honda that she did in fact have the part replaced in 2015, yet it has started to fail again, and Honda is refusing to fix it. The problem is that this failure causes the doors to automatically relock themselves after being unlocked. Obviously, this creates a serious safety concern should it become necessary to exit the vehicle in the event of an emergency. I don't believe it should be the owners responsibility to pay to have this part replaced AGAIN after Honda replaced their defective part with an equally defective one.

NHTSA ID
11540390
Incident
Jun 30, 2022
Electrical
Filed Apr 26, 2023

The door lock actuators are failing, causing the doors to lock or unlock almost every time I speed up from a stop. The passenger door defaults to lock almost at all times, when unlocked it will relock within 3 seconds.

NHTSA ID
11519028
Incident
Feb 1, 2023
Electrical
Filed Apr 22, 2023

My vehicle had the recall of the door locks completed but it has started the same problems again. Doors locking and unlocking at random while driving. Door unlocking once I have got out of the vehicle at a store and I have no idea for how long. Front and Back doors on the driver side is now making a grinding and loud popping noise when locking/unlocking the doors. The back gate tells me it is ajar but is not. The doors may or may not let you out of the car once you have arrived at your destination and placed the vehicle in park. The unlock button does not seem to help this problem. You must move the gear shifter back and forth and finally you can exit the vehicle. SAFETY ISSUE. Another recall needs to done for this issue.

NHTSA ID
11518410
Incident
Apr 22, 2023
Electrical
Filed Apr 5, 2023

My door lock actuator have been malfunctioning in right rear passenger,left passenger and driver sides. It makes a buzzing and gun shooting sound. Recently my door ajar alert has been coming on if I slightly touch driver door. My alarm is also starting go go off by itself due to the door lock actuators malfunctioning.

NHTSA ID
11515502
Incident
Jan 20, 2022
ElectricalPowertrain (other)Suspension
Filed Dec 18, 2022
Crash reported

Honda body shop switched and stripped components/ parts of my vehicle when State Farm Adjustor wrote the repair assessment like it was in a high speed head on collision when it was actually a left side fender bender. That’s fraud… but nonetheless, State Farm agreed to fix the car. It’s a Honda CR/V that has had the engine replaced now but it’s having drivetrain issues. It rattles and violently vibrates upon takeoff (Automatic transmission) and when going uphill. It has electrical problems due to rodent chewing soy based electrical wires. I’ve replaced myself many components such as axle CV, electrical, fans, air conditioner, starters (3 in past two years) and basically had to rebuild the entire front end because the Honda body shop was using my car for a parts car. Curry Honda in Chamblee GA. Honda has refused to acknowledge any issues. 2008 Honda CR-V has drivetrain issues probably related to the software which Honda charges $150-200 every time just to clear a code. They don’t work with 3rd party parts providers and like Apple, are monopolizing their car company making it unsafe to take your car anywhere but to a Honda dealer for things as simple as an oil change. They want you to get your battery and fluids there, refusing to share specs with anyone else. This should be illegal as Apple recently has had lawsuits for trying to monopolize their screen replacement and repairs. Trying to get customers to only go to Apple for repair, rendering your phone useless unless you pay Apple again for repairs. Honda company is not customer focused, the dealers are out to make money off every single thing the car needs and their system is designed for no DIYers to fix much at all.

NHTSA ID
11497912
Incident
Oct 10, 2022
Electrical
Filed Nov 10, 2022

Door lock actuators failing, makes a loud buzzing noise when locking and sometimes locks and unlocks on its own when I’m driving. There are no recalls coming up, however I was informed of a class action lawsuit against Honda regarding the door lock issues with 2007-2011 Honda CRV’s.

NHTSA ID
11493153
Incident
Sep 1, 2022
Electrical
Filed Sep 22, 2022

This did not happen due to an accident. When I park my car and lock the car the passenger door in the front does not stay locked. I have manually locked it and the latch is moving over I believe this is called the Aactuator. I believe there has been a recall and now I see no recalls. This is unsafe for me and it does need to be fixed as it is a issue with how they made the vehicle.

NHTSA ID
11485813
Incident
Sep 1, 2022
Electrical
Filed Sep 15, 2022

While driving my front passenger door lock will start unlocking and relocking on my 2008 Honda CRV. I have been told the door locking actuator has failed. While at a stop light my doors became unlocked and I did not know it, and someone opened my passenger door. I was able to drive off but this is a huge safety issue. Also I can lock my doors after exiting vehicle and randomly they will unlock. My car is now left vulnerable to theft. I contacted my local dealership and was told my driver door actuator was replaced under a recall, but not the others. I was told if I want the other defective ones replaced I must pay hundreds of dollars for each. I am an older woman and am afraid to drive my car without working door locks. I do not feel safe and anyone/anything in my car is not safe.

NHTSA ID
11484632
Incident
Sep 12, 2022
Electrical
Filed Mar 25, 2022

A lot smog come out from the wood the A/C stop working

NHTSA ID
11458358
Incident
Mar 25, 2022
Electrical
Filed Feb 12, 2022

When attempting to lock the doors with either the key fob or from inside the vehicle, the back door locks stay open. The front passenger door also makes a loud buzzing noise but stays locked. This is an issue when the auto lock function kicks in after every stop sign or red traffic light. I don’t want to leave the car in public spaces for fear of someone entering my vehicle unbeknownst to me. The original vehicle owner had no recollection of any correspondence, by mail or otherwise, related to the 2007-2011 Honda C-RV recalls for this issue.

NHTSA ID
11451663
Incident
Jan 30, 2022
Electrical
Filed Dec 15, 2021

THE DOOR LOCKS ARE NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY. I HAD A CHILD IN MY CARE WHEN AT ONE TIME THE DOORS WOULD NOT OPEN AT ALL. THANKFULLY ONE WINDOW WAS DOWN AND ALLOWED ME TO CLIMB THROUGH AND GET TO THE BABY. I HAD TO CLIMB THROUGH TO THE BACK AND MANUALLY GET THE BACK HATCH TO OPEN. THE DOORS WOULD NOT UNLOCK. THEY WILL UNLOCK NOW BUT THE REAR DRIVER DOOR WILL NOT LOCK AT ALL. THE LOCKS LOCK AND UNLOCK AS I AM DRIVING AND HAVE A HORRIBLE BUZZING NOISE. THESE LOCKS ARE NOT SAFE!

NHTSA ID
11443898
Incident
Aug 9, 2021
Electrical
Filed Oct 18, 2021

Front passenger door unlock while driving and makes a weird noise while driving i feel unsafe driving with the noise and the door being unlock, first it started unlocking and locking then it get worse within a few days, I feel unsafe driving with my child in the vehicle while its like this

NHTSA ID
11437128
Incident
Oct 1, 2021
ElectricalPowertrain (other)
Filed Sep 15, 2021

Hello Sir/Madam, I own 2008 HONDA CR V. Yesterday when I tried to start my car, I head loud abnormal loud noise and the MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LIGHT LIT ON the dash board. Since the noise was very abnormal and very loud, I decided not to drive the car. Next, I searched on internet to see if other Honda owners have same issue. I went to https://owners.honda.com/servicemaintenance/recalls?id= website and found the following. HONDA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2005-2010 ACCORD, 2007-2010 CR-V, AND 2005-2008 ELEMENT PASSENGER CARS MANUFACTURED FROM JULY 1, 2004, THROUGH SEPTEMBER 3, 2010. THE OUTER RACE OF THE SECONDARY SHAFT BEARING MAY BE BROKEN DURING CERTAIN DRIVING STYLES. A BROKEN OUTER RACE MAY CAUSE ABNORMAL NOISE, THE MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LIGHT TO TURN ON, AND ALLOW CONTACT BETWEEN THE TRANSMISSION IDLE GEAR AND AN ELECTRONIC SENSOR HOUSING WITHIN THE TRANSMISSION. SAFETY RISK: THIS COULD RESULT IN A SHORT CIRCUIT CAUSING THE ENGINE TO STALL. ADDITIONALLY, BROKEN PIECES OF THE OUTER RACE OR BALL BEARING FROM THE SECONDARY SHAFT MAY BECOME LODGED IN THE PARKING PAWL RESULTING IN THE VEHICLE ROLLING AFTER THE DRIVER HAS PLACED THE GEAR SELECTOR IN THE PARK POSITION. ENGINE STALL AND UNEXPECTED VEHICLE MOVEMENT INCREASES THERISK OF A CRASH OR PERSONAL INJURY TO PERSONS WITHIN THE PATH OF AROL LING VEHICLE. Then I called AutoNation Honda O'Hare dealer in Des Plaines , IL and explained my issue. I was told by the dealership that my VIN number is not covered in spite of me having exactly the same issue as described in HONDA'S RECALL CAMPAIGN NUMBER R89 and that I will have to pay for the diagnosis and repair. Next I called American Honda corporation and explained my issue. I was told that my VIN number is not covered in spite of me having exactly the same issue as described in HONDA'S RECALL CAMPAIGN NUMBER R89 and that I will have to pay for the diagnosis. This is serious SAFETY ISSUE and American Honda Corporation is putting my safety as risk.

NHTSA ID
11433121
Incident
Sep 14, 2021
Electrical
Filed Aug 30, 2021

Rear door lock is malfunctioning. Sometimes it will lock when lock button is depressed. Other times it won't. Sometimes it will lock, but then unlock itself shortly after. This is a safety issue, since we are located in a high-crime area, Berkeley, CA, where car thefts, carjackings and car break-ins are common. There were no warning signs, lamps or other symptoms prior to this problem. Just started happening in the past few months. Started as an occasional problem, but has become persistent.

NHTSA ID
11431069
Incident
Jul 5, 2021
Electrical
Filed Aug 1, 2021

All 4 Door locks failed. Yes it is available for inspection upon request. The safety of anyone who is inside the vehicle is at risk. Yes the problem has been confirmed by an independent service center. It has been inspected by an ASE certified mechanic. There was not any warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms of the problem prior to the first failure. An OBD2 scanner didn't show the vehicle as to having any issues with it as well. The day after I bought this car, the locks will lock and unlock while driving the car and when the car is turned off as well. I don't have any of the key fobs that go to the car, only the Valet key that doesn't have any buttons on it, and only locks and unlocks vehicle through the keyhole on driver's door. After class dismissal at 10pm, I went to enter the vehicle, but looked inside it just in case, and knowing the locks didn't work properly, and saw a man laying in the back of the car. I walked over to another class member close by and called campus security. The man must have heard us and got out of the car and ran. While running a gun fell to the ground but was reported stolen, he's still out there. I just purchased the vehicle 8 months ago and won't drive it anymore due to the faulty door locks. There isn't a recall on the locks and why should I have to pay Honda to replace them with another set of locks that could have the same issue. I was lucky that I was able to get a ride back and forth to school but lost my job due to lack of transportation. I'm out $5800, a car, a job, facing eviction, and now on psychological medicine due to faulty door locks. This is my 3rd and last Honda I will ever own. Thanks Honda.

NHTSA ID
11427324
Incident
Jan 18, 2021
Electrical
Filed Jun 23, 2021

Purchased vehicle in 2020. The rear door behind driver locking actuator went out. Honda repaired for $250 since recall stopped. Last month, both the front passenger and rear passenger locking actuators went out (another $250 each door). Doors lock and unlock on their own. Safety issue.

NHTSA ID
11422041
Incident
Jun 18, 2021

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.

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