2018 Honda CR-V Driver assistance Problems

Around 68432miles my 2018 Honda CRV EXL AWD has started getting the problem of "Shutter Grill problem, power reduced" warning light. It often happens on highway speeds after about 75-100 miles of driving on long trips. Its very dangerous once I encounter it in the middle of the highway with reduced power to operate the vehicle safely. Have not encountered this issue in city driving at all. Once I receive this issue, only solution is to safely pull over on the shoulder of the highway, turn the vehicle off. wait 5-10 minutes and then restart the vehicle hoping it will not come again. But on long trips and at highway speeds of 65-75mph It usually comes on again after 30-50 miles again after the restart of the engine. Verified that engine temperature gauge is at normal position when this happens (Please see attached picture for dashboard controls). So that tells me engine is not running hot even though system throws this warning and suddenly reduces the engine power for the driver. American Honda is hiding behind this issue with my car to avoid fixing the Oil dilution problem that I am experiencing as well and I have reported that as part of NHTSA complaint number 11756292. To me these two are separate issues those American Honda has to address separately. After American Honda failed to address these issues separately I am bringing both of these issues to NHTSA 's attention with hope that American Honda should do the right thing and stand behind their defective product.

NHTSA ID

11756304

Incident

Aug 25, 2024

The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70-75 MPH on the highway, after entering the highway uphill, the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed. The vehicle lost motive power with the check engine warning light flashing. The driver pulled over, and the vehicle was restarted. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000.

NHTSA ID

11753025

Incident

Jul 26, 2026

Mileage

115,000 mi

Second time in the last two months, while traveling on a 55mph roadway, vehicle started auto braking with no vehicles ahead of me or any obstacles. Scared the daylights out of me, I cant imagine what the outcome would have been if this happened on a highway.

NHTSA ID

11752847

Incident

Jul 25, 2026

There is an ongoing problem with the electric power steering on my 2018 Honda CR-V that has begun malfunctioning. The steering sticks near the center position and requires additional force before it releases. When it releases, the steering changes from tight to loose, making it easy to overcorrect. It sometimes feels as though gears are catching inside the steering system. There is also a clicking or cracking sound when the steering wheel is turned, along with occasional creaking during slow turns, such as when leaving a driveway. The condition makes it difficult to make small steering corrections and could cause the vehicle to leave its lane or become difficult to control. The symptoms have become more noticeable and create a safety concern during normal driving. An independent mechanic scanned the vehicle with a diagnostic scanner and reported a fault involving the electric power-steering system. The exact diagnostic code is unavailable. The vehicle has not yet been inspected by Honda, and the failed component has not yet been replaced. The vehicle and steering components remain available for inspection upon request. No power-steering warning lamp was observed before the symptoms began. Honda previously issued NHTSA Campaign 18V-663 and Service Bulletin 18-103 involving steering-gearbox failure in certain 2017–2018 CR-V vehicles. My vehicle is not included in that recall despite exhibiting similar steering symptoms. Other 2018 CR-V owners outside the recall population have reported sticking, clicking, and confirmed steering-rack or steering-gearbox failures. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate whether the recall population should be expanded.

NHTSA ID

11752162

Incident

Jan 2, 2026

I was proceeding through a green light and the “BRAKE” warning engaged when I was going through the intersection - there was nothing in front of me. I had no control of the braking system. Thankfully, there were no other cars on the road. This has happened about 4 other times, including a couple of times on the freeway.

NHTSA ID

11751967

Incident

Jul 21, 2026

The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. While the contact's daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the roadway. The contact's daughter attempted to start the vehicle, and the vehicle started. The contact stated that the vehicle was running abnormally rough. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with an inoperable head gasket. The contact was informed that the head gasket needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was advised to take the vehicle to the dealer for assistance. The dealer was not made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000.

NHTSA ID

11750289

Incident

Jun 23, 2026

Mileage

115,000 mi

Automatic Emergency Braking and Forward Collision Warning malfunctioned. I started to drive after sitting at a red light and was driving at approximately 35 MPH. The Automatic Emergency Braking and Forward Collision Warning engaged, and the car suddenly braked. Luckily there wasn’t anyone directly behind me, or else I would have been rear-ended. This malfunction has happened on three separate occasions in the past 4 years. There were no warnings prior to the malfunction. The car has not been inspected yet for this malfunction.

NHTSA ID

11747489

Incident

Jun 30, 2026

power and began running rough. The check engine light illuminated, and the vehicle did not perform normally. I previously had the vehicle diagnosed and repaired at a Honda dealership for this same issue. The repair was completed less than two months ago. After only a few thousand miles since the repair, the exact same symptoms returned, including the check engine light, rough engine operation, and loss of power while driving. The recurrence of this issue raises concerns about the reliability and safety of the vehicle, particularly when operating in traffic or at highway speeds, as sudden loss of power could increase the risk of a crash. The problem appears to be the same issue that was previously repaired, but it reoccurred shortly after the repair was completed.

NHTSA ID

11745486

Incident

Jun 20, 2026

1. Sometimes when my wife get in the passenger seat the airbag sensor light stays on indicating the the airbag is off. 2. Often when driving with adaptive cruise control on, the car suddenly brakes hard without cause . Sometime when a car in front of me turns right and sometimes if I pass a car parked on the street it will also brake hard for no reason.

NHTSA ID

11745216

Incident

Jun 18, 2026

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. This complaint is being filed to add to the existing federal record of 1,294 complaints already documented under this investigation.

NHTSA ID

11744613

Incident

Feb 26, 2026

2018 Honda CR-V had another phantom braking event this morning. While traveling on a local 4-lane road with 45-mph speed limit, the collision mitigation braking system activated with an actual hazard present and brought the vehicle to a complete stop, nearly resulting in a series read-end collision from the traffic behind the car. This created an immediate safety hazard and could have easily resulted in injuries or fatalities. The vehicle has experienced recurring phantom braking events and false activations of the emergency braking system. Because this has happened multiple times, we no longer have confidence that the system will behave predictably in normal driving conditions.

NHTSA ID

11744111

Incident

Jun 15, 2026

On several occasions, while driving down the road at 55 mph, the car will flash the "BRAKE" indicator on the dash for a brief second and immediately slam on the brakes either to a stop or for a shorter amount of time. This is the third event that happened today just before reporting this problem. Our safety was at risk because there could've been someone behind us that may not have reacted fast enough and could've hit us. After the issue, there were no warning lights of any kind. There was no hazard in the road and no other obscure conditions. Middle of the day, clear skies. It is not possible to reproduce the problem in a timely manner because this has happened randomly three times over the course of two years.

NHTSA ID

11742738

Incident

Jun 8, 2026

Steering "sticky". Intermittently steering feels stuck, resistant to during turns requiring extra force on steering wheel to break free both in low speed maneuvering and at highway speeds. Sticky steering associated by a soft clicking noise. Jim Coleman Honda of Clarksville MD checked the vehicle and confirmed the sticky steering and associated clicking noise. Their remedy to the sticky steering diagnosis was replacement of the EPS steering rack and gearbox at a cost of $6,000.00 They noted that this issue was the subject of a limited 2017-2018 recall 18V663 and more recently under 2022-2025 24V744. As result of stickiness the LKA system no longer works properly.

NHTSA ID

11741770

Incident

Jun 1, 2026

Multiple times when driving on the freeway, there will be no obstruction whatsoever on a clear road, with a clean car — it will emergency break, or attempt to. I have had it diagnosed and nothing related to break system etc was ever found. This happens often and has almost caused a couple crashes.

NHTSA ID

11741147

Incident

May 22, 2026

While driving at speed of 50mph automatic braking system activated causing car to stop suddenly there was no car or object in front of my vehicle

NHTSA ID

11741098

Incident

May 30, 2026

I am having a terrible problem with the steering wheel, keeping it in the lane along with hearing a loud noise when turning the steering wheel left to right. I only have 63,000 miles on this car. Took it to a dealership and they said it is the Electric Power Assist System. I am finding out there is a recall with this very thing but that my car was not on the list. It should be. I am having this very problem. It is to dangerous to drive. Honda has a reputation for being a great safety car. This one is not. They said the charge would be $4500. This is not right. I am a [XXX] and [XXX]. I don't believe the manufacturer has been honest about this safety issue...they claim only 54 cars were affected. Please check into it for me please. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11741062

Incident

May 4, 2026

While driving home during rush hour traffic on the highway with my children in the vehicle, without warning it stopped accelerating when I passed the gas pedal and started slowing down. When I let go of the gas pedal it would speed back up. I couldn't safely merge over to the right with heavy traffic and ended up on the left shoulder. I turned the vehicle off and tried to restart it, it struggled to start, but when I let go of the key it would turn over. The brake system lights and check engine light were illuminated after the incident, but not during. The code was for p0087 and honda service confirmed it's a failed high pressure fuel pump, but it's not under the recall so the repair isn't covered. I'm extremely lucky to have gotten to the side of the road without causing an accident. I was not driving my normal route that day, but if i had been this would have happened on a stretch of the highway that's under construction where there was no shoulder to pull onto. So if I'd have gone a different way home that day, we'd have most certainly been involved in a collision. They've anyway Texans the low pressure fuel pump but these high pressure ones are just as dangerous when they fail, even more so!

NHTSA ID

11738956

Incident

May 18, 2026

After the low-pressure fuel pump recall repair was performed on my 2018 Honda CR-V at Doggett Honda Med Center on March 6, 2026, the vehicle began experiencing a serious and repeated loss-of-power condition. The vehicle suddenly loses power without warning. This happens with no clear pattern, at highway speeds and also at low speeds. The engine does not shut off, but the vehicle loses the ability to accelerate normally. In some situations, it does not have enough power to safely reach the shoulder, leaving me exposed in traffic. This has now happened multiple times and has become more frequent. I have already narrowly avoided at least three serious rear-end collisions while trying to move the vehicle out of traffic. Yesterday, the vehicle lost power again and a police unit had to escort me so I could safely move the vehicle to the side. When I turn the vehicle off and restart it, it temporarily returns to normal, but the problem keeps coming back. This makes the vehicle unsafe and unreliable for normal use. The vehicle is my work vehicle, and I depend on it for transportation. I am now unable to work normally or travel safely because I do not know when the vehicle will suddenly lose power again. This condition places my life and the lives of my passengers at risk. I contacted both the dealership and American Honda Corporate. However, my safety concern has been minimized, and I was told that I would have to pay for diagnosis, even though this problem began after Honda performed recall work on the fuel system. I am reporting this because this is a serious safety issue. A vehicle that suddenly loses power in traffic, without warning, creates a real risk of collision, injury, or death. Honda should properly investigate whether the recall repair, fuel pump system, connectors, wiring, or related fuel delivery components caused or contributed to this dangerous condition.

NHTSA ID

11737439

Incident

Mar 10, 2026

I was driving down the road with no cars around me at all going 40 mph when my car started braking saying "Brake" and automatically braked to almost a full stop int he middle of the busy road. If there was a car behind me we most definitely would have been rear ended at a very fast pace. We could've been seriously injured and I have little children in the car and a baby. There wasn't rain or fog or anything out of the ordinary. We are taking it to the dealer later this week. No warning light on before the incident.

NHTSA ID

11736113

Incident

May 6, 2026

A known common issues that Honda are not addressing: car going limp randomly, oil dilution, head gasket failure causing fuel injector issues, dashboard lighting up which causes the safety features to also cease from operating. I have multiple times now with my 4 year old in the car been in traffic and my car has just stopped going unprovoked. This limp mode issue a huge safety issue and has almost caused me to wreck multiple times. This started around 70k miles.

NHTSA ID

11735679

Incident

Apr 24, 2026

Mileage

124,358 mi

I was driving into the city and crossing an intersection with train tracks. There was no obstacle and the car warned me by flashing the sign to brake, beeped, and then it automatically slammed on the brake and stopped my car in the middle of the intersection on the tracks. I was goin probably 40 mph. It was terrifying. Thankfully no one else was around me. All of my items in the car flew off the seat and hit the ground. Will be calling Honda about taking it in to repair shop.

NHTSA ID

11734476

Incident

Apr 29, 2026

The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the message "Forward Collision Avoidance”, “Brakes", and several other unknown safety features were displayed. The failure caused the cruise control to become inoperable. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

NHTSA ID

11734335

Incident

Apr 1, 2025

Mileage

70,000 mi

This has been an ongoing issue since I bought the car in 2020. I have reported to the dealer, Honda, and this agency. My car Fantom breaks by its self. About a week ago my car lit up again with the break on the dash and only slightly hit the breaks this time compared to the time before where it slammed on the breaks. Yes there is no car in front of me when this happens. Motorworld honda closed out my cases and this is still an ongoing issue. Honda has been no help and the car is still breaking by itself. Please investigate this issue. Motorworld Honda blamed me for the issue and Bernie Honda says that this issue happens and the person I was talking to said this happened to her. This is not normal.

NHTSA ID

11729949

Incident

Apr 2, 2026

I began experiencing "sticky" steering at highway speeds, requiring that I use force to keep the vehicle from drifting out of its lane. The problem worsened until, roughly one month later, the cruise control system went out without warning and refused to come back on. I took the car to the Honda dealership in Port Charlotte, FL on 3/30/26 where they were able to duplicate the problem immediately and recommended I no longer drive the vehicle until the steering rack/gear box is replaced. Honda steering is sensitive. Overcorrecting is a very real danger in addition to the possibility that it may lock up at high speeds in traffic. No warning lights ever indicated a problem. I am aware that other 2018 CRV's were recalled for this issue to have the racks replaced. My VIN was not included in that recall, but clearly, my vehicle is having the same issue. I spoke with corporate Honda on 3/30/26

NHTSA ID

11728348

Incident

Feb 25, 2026

Multiple warning lights were turning on then turning off in their own, typically 2-3 days later. However while on, all ADAS showed errors and did not work. Most recent time, had an elevation changed (over 6000 ft), lights came cascading on parked safely. Next morning, car would not accelerate/was extremely jerky. Turned off waited turned back on, while lights were on car felt to be running fine. Slightly off sounding idle. DTC showed multiple misfires and error codes with a recommendation to replace fuel injectors. Dealer was surprised given relatively low milage (109000 miles) for this issue to occur.

NHTSA ID

11727725

Incident

Mar 22, 2026