2018 Honda CR-V Powertrain (other) 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

Cylinder head gaskets failure with coolant migrating into the cylinders, available for inspection upon request; Dahl Honda Sheboygan took videos of inspection and liquid in the cylinders. Upon starting the car, the engine sounded strange and sluggish. As I started to drive, engine sounded like it was misfiring. I was able to drive only 10-25 mph (safety issue) from residence to the Dahl dealership (2.8 mi). All electrical warning lights were flashing. I thought it was my battery or a loose connection. They appeared all at once upon starting the car that morning, no prior warning.

NHTSA ID

11756112

Incident

Aug 10, 2026

The transmission had a MAJOR failure after a routine trans fluid drain and fill done by Phillipsburg Easton Honda. They tried blaming me and dismissing it as an already compromised transmission. But breaking down on a very busy road and losing all control over a LOCKED up car was terrifying and dangerous. Im just glad nobody was injured. Honda has taken 0 accountability for it and claims they did nothing wrong. This car is only 8 years old. Honda brags about them lasting forever. The CVT transmissions are garbage and now im stuck paying 7k for a replacement. No goodwill offered- no warranty. These are known to be problematic.

NHTSA ID

11747797

Incident

Jun 29, 2026

Hello. We purchased this 2018 Honda CR-V new in 2018 from the local Honda dealer, Honda of Lake Jackson, TX. In the Spring of 2025 the A/C stopped working. We took it to a local shop and they had to replaced the following: Blower motor replaced, blower motor replaced, A/C evaporator replaced, A/C expansion/orifice valve replaced, Heater core replaced. This was around a $3,000 repair. A month or so later in May of 2025 we took the car to the Honda dealer because of steering instability issues. We were advised that the entire Steering Column would need to replaced due to known safety issues (drive shaft can fail completely at highway speeds). The following was repaired at this time: --Rack and pinion replaced, steering gear replaced, valve cover gasket replaced Vehicle was at 61,984 miles at this time. This was a $5,000+ repair. It cost so much that we actually had to take out financing to pay it, which in essence essentially renewed our car payment (car was already paid off at this time). Now for the past 8 months or so we have had a "juddering" issue where you can feel the transmission CTV system jump and jerk as you accelerate to highway speeds. This issue also puts the entire transmission at risk of failure. The Honda dealer here checked the vehicle out and suggested we do a transmission fluid swap. This cost $189 for the "diagnostic fee" and $179 for the swap. So another nearly $400. They did the swap and said that it did not fix the issue and now we need to pay $2800 to have the "Torque convertor" replaced. This is $10,000 plus dollars in repairs, nearly half to cost of the vehicle. This is a ridiculous amount of issues for a vehicle that had only 61,000 miles. We have always had regular maintenance performed also. From what I have read, Honda knows about these issues but has not issued a recall. In addition I've read that "juddering" CTV issue is a known issue in 2015-2018 Honda CR-V's. Needless to say we are not happy with Honda about any of this.

NHTSA ID

11734448

Incident

Apr 27, 2026

All lights shown on monitor. ADAS system would not be functional. Went to dealer and checked for causes. Recommended to replace fuel injector, spark plug, and battery. Since battery was replaced in two months, vehicle only did the checking. However, the condition kept on after a few days. Spark plug was replaced a day before yesterday and the condition came back yesterday. Researched online and seemed like fuel injector needs to be clean or replaced. The repair cost over $2,000 and the condition is not safe. It is often shown up when you park and then going to start.

NHTSA ID

11710871

Incident

Jan 13, 2026

The contact’s friend owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. While the friend was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended, with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to exceed 30 MPH. The contact stated that the transmission sounded clunky while shifting. The vehicle lost functionality. Additionally, while driving at 30 MPH, the vehicle was shaking erratically. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with transmission shift solenoids(#3) failure. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, and the contact was informed that the failure was an internal failure with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was being repaired. The dealer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was informed that the repair was not covered under warranty. In addition, the contact stated that the failure was a known failure with the vehicle; however, the failure was not covered under warranty. The manufacturer was aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 60,500.

NHTSA ID

11709766

Incident

Jan 5, 2026

Mileage

60,500 mi

Blown head gasket leaked coolant in to cylinder. all warning alarms started rotating across dash, while all driver assist technology was also disabled. car then lost ability to accelerate, but kept running, and we were able to drive about one mile home at about 10mph. We towed car to Honda (it was always maintained by a honda dealership). Honda dealership confirmed blown gasket and replaced gasket and then injectors for $7,600 total repair bill. We did not see or receive the replaced parts. We have since learned that Honda is well aware of this particular design fault of their 1.5 engines from 2016 thru 2023 years. Even independent mechanics know of the trouble, as well as any internet search. we were totally unaware til now!

NHTSA ID

11705578

Incident

Nov 10, 2025

On June 6, 2025 I brought my vehicle(2018 HONDA CRV EX ) to a Honda Dealership due to the vehicle rough idiling. The mechanics said the third solenoid is failing due to coolant being mixed with the engine fluid. Quoted $7496.00 “just to start”. Also stated the radiator would need to be replaced due to this issue and head gasket. Mind you I purchased This vehicle 12 months prior. I took it to a different repair shop for a second opinion but the other mechanic agreed with Honda Dealership regarding repair needs.

NHTSA ID

11698391

Incident

Jun 6, 2025

Fuel injector failure, resulted in engine misfires, running fuel rich, and reduced power. Reduced power and loss of safety features such as anti-lock brakes, stability assist, ACC, AEB, FCA, and LKA the safety of myself and other drivers are negatively affected. My Honda Dealer and 3rd party shop diagnosed the issue. All warning lights started to appear in November 2024 and disappear intermittently.

NHTSA ID

11663620

Incident

Nov 18, 2024

In April 2025 my CRV had issues with acceleration. The speed reduced all of a sudden and car couldn't go more than 5 mph, so I took it to the repiar shop. The mechanic told me that cylinder #2 misfired. He replaced the spark plugs and the ignition coil. A few days later after driving for a few miles "Stop driving when safe, engine temperature too Hot" sign came up. I stopped driving immidiately and got the car towed to the repair shop. After testing the car the mechanic told me that the head gasket leaked and the coolant is mixing with the lubricant. He told me that there is damage to the engine so the engine need to be replaced. I was driving with kids in the car and I believe it compromised the safety of my family when the speed came down all of a sudden on the road and the car stopped accelerating.

NHTSA ID

11662720

Incident

Apr 9, 2025

Vehicle threw codes P0172 and P219e. Vehicle was sluggish and idled rough. All lights on the dash flashed and showed that most safety systems were disabled. Vehicle was taken to Honda service center and confirmed by the dealer. Dealer replaced the fuel injectors. Vehicle was less than a year out of warranty for this specific issue. This seems to be a common issue with this model of vehicle as the service center had the same model with the same issue that day.

NHTSA ID

11662027

Incident

May 19, 2025

The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that the vehicle went into LIMP Mode while attempting to accelerate. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated during the failure. The contact stated that the vehicle was coasted to the side of the road, and the contact waited for a while before continuing to drive. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

NHTSA ID

11661107

Incident

May 15, 2023

Mileage

90,000 mi

My vehicle became difficult to steer, similar to driving with all the tires low on air. I made an appointment with Proctor Honda. They determined the Electronic Power Steering Rack was sticking and replaced it with a 5320-TLB-A23 : G/BOX ASSY, EPS. Honda assured me this was not a recall issue. After paying the $4365.66 repair charge, I determined there was a Service Bulletin 23-037 issued for this same problem. It applied to 2018 Honda CRVs. However, it only covered 54 vehicles and my vehicle was not included. This seems unreasonable given it appears to be the identical issue as the vehicles subject to the recall. I'm a 76 year old female and have no means to challenge this other than to ask for your help in determining if I am being treated fairly. If it truly is not the same issue, then I understand. Mileage is 87,661.

NHTSA ID

11658216

Incident

Apr 1, 2025

early indication of blown head gasket @77213 miles

NHTSA ID

11634866

Incident

Jan 7, 2025

I understand that the NHTSA has an investigation ongoing after an unspecified number of owners reported serious problems with the differential. The investigation covers as many as 1.7 million 2018-2022 Honda CR-V. My Honda 2018 with 74,400 miles was just diagnosed with this problem. A pinion seal is leaking. The mechanic said this should not happen with such low miles.

NHTSA ID

11619662

Incident

Oct 11, 2024

As of a month ago, when doing left turns the vehicle turning was increasingly stiffened. When driving, the steering wheel slightly locks requiring extra force to take turns even if slightly. Recently, there has been increased stiffness when making right turns and a clicking noise when turning the steering wheel. The vehicle was brought into the local Honda dealership and after diagnosis, it was discovered that the issue is common with the year as there is a current recall on vehicles of the same year, however, the VIN of our vehicle is not included. The issue as stated by the dealership is, "gearbox is binding internal causing lock-up in the steering wheel." It was recommended to service the vehicle as it is unsafe to drive. This issue is unable to be fixed currently as the part is on backorder due to the high volume of vehicles affected by the recall. We were told to contact Honda to inform them about the issue and to discuss what can be done as it is occurring in other vehicles affected by the recall.

NHTSA ID

11597356

Incident

May 28, 2024

I was reversing and waiting for cars to pass with my hand on the gear control when it moved without me holding the button. As I was on the road, I was curious and was able to move it without my foot on the brake and without holding the button. This was all in the same ride. Later, the gear shift moved sometimes still but not all the time as it did the first time. I have never had this happen, so something seems wrong. The car is a 2018 model, so it is not that old and this worries me so I wanted to file this.

NHTSA ID

11589671

Incident

May 20, 2024

The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle vibrated violently, and the contact heard an abnormal sound underneath the vehicle, prompting her to pull to the shoulder of the roadway. After a visual inspection underneath of the vehicle, the contact observed that the driveshaft had detached. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who determined that six bolts were missing on the front of the driveshaft and that there were loosened bolts on the rear of the driveshaft. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 84,000.

NHTSA ID

11570855

Incident

Aug 19, 2023

Mileage

84,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING, THE VEHICLE IN JUNE OF 2023 LOST POWER/ACCELERATION - THE ENGINE LIGHT & ALL OTHER LIGHTS ON THE DASHBOARD LIT UP. WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY SPEED DROPPED FROM 65 MPH TO LESS THAN 45 IN SECONDS. LUCKILY WAS ABLE TO GET THE CAR TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD IN TIME BEFORE A SEMI HIT US FROM BEHIND. THE CAR WAS STILL DRIVABLE UNDER 45 PMH. I DROVE THE VEHICLE TO A SAFE LOCATION (4 MILES) AND HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE DEALERSHIP STATED THAT IT WAS THE BATTERY AND CHARGED ME $215 FOR A BATTERY AND $160 TO RUN CODING AND CLEAR CODES. I DROVE AWAY, GOING TO GET ON THE HIGHWAY, AND HIT THE MAXIMUM SPEED OF 50MPH THE VEHICLE LOST POWER/ACCELERATION AGAIN, AND ALL DASH ENGINE LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. PULLED THE VEHICLE OVER TO GET OUT OF TRAFFIC. I WAS ABLE TO SLOWLY DRIVE THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP 3 MILES AWAY, AND MY CAR HAS BEEN AT THE DEALERSHIP SINCE JUNE OF 2023. I DID PURCHASE THE EXTENDED WARRANTY. THE DEALERSHIP STATED THEY BELIEVE IT IS THE HEAD GASKETS. THEY FIXED THE ISSUE WITH THAT, AND AGAIN, THEY TEST-DROVE IT, AND IT IS STILL HAVING THE SAME ISSUE. PURCHASED THE CAR BRAND NEW FROM THE HONDA DEALERSHIP IN MY TOWN. THE CAR HAS ALWAYS HAD TROUBLE STAYING WARM IN THE VERY COLD MONTHS IN THE WINTER. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT EXPLAINS HONDA MOTORS ARE SO EFFICIENT THEY DON'T IDLE HIGH ENOUGH FOR THE CAR TO STAY WARM. THE CAR HAS NOT BEEN AT THE HONDA DEALERSHIP AND STILL HAS NOT BEEN FIXED FOR 8 MONTHS TO DATE. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT DOESN'T GIVE UPDATES OR EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT IS GOING ON. WHITE SMOKE COMES OUT OF THE VEHICLE WHEN IT IS STARTED. OTHER THAN THAT, I CAN'T GET AN UPDATE FROM THE DEALERSHIP, AND HONDA BASICALLY PUTS IT BACK ON TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE EXTENDED WARRANTY COMPANY WON'T SEEM TO HELP ME RESOLVE THE ISSUE EITHER, PUTTING IT BACK ON THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AT THE DEALERSHIP FOR NOT SUPPLYING THE WARRANTY COMPANY WITH THE DETAILS THEY NEED TO APPROVE ANY FURTHER WORK.

NHTSA ID

11569240

Incident

Feb 1, 2024

Se me ha apagado varias veces al arrancar cuando me voy al trabajo . Y tengo que volverlo a encender . Siento el motor débil. El cuerpo electrónico del acelerador no anda bien. Cuando quiero acelerar rápido se me queda en stand by y hasta los 3 segundos responde el motor. Cuando estoy en un stop aplicando el freno se escucha el motor como que se quiere apagar y empieza a temblar la camioneta. A veces el motor está acelerado a 1000 rpm con el freno aplicado y a los 3 o 5 segundos ya baja a 0 rpm. En Braman Honda Miami me dicen que no tienen las piezas aún y me puedo accidentar si se me apaga el motor en carretera me pueden chocar por detrás y provocar un gran accidente. Necesito URGENTE que la reparen .

NHTSA ID

11566598

Incident

Jan 19, 2024

I have owned the car for 58 months and now there is "Emissions System Error" which is related to canister purge valve malfunction (P0441). This consumes more fuel and failing emissions standards.

NHTSA ID

11552804

Incident

Oct 25, 2023

After battery replacement done by dealership Monday afternoon, Tuesday morning, horn was off, lights were on, keyless remote can not be detected, many safety system errors etc. Called road side assist, after entire system reset, everything seemed to be normal, but problem showed up again on Saturday morning. Towed car to dealership, they checked everything and turned out to be body control module problem, had to replace body control module. My car only 5 years, 55k miles. It happed so randomly, faulty locks, faulty anti-theft, and can be a huge safety concern/issue.

NHTSA ID

11551938

Incident

Oct 10, 2023

This letter serves as a request for clarification regarding the rejection of my goodwill claim, as well as an appeal for reconsideration as I believe there has been an oversight in evaluating my vehicle situation. I would like to provide additional information that I believe would shed new light on my situation. I believe that a comprehensive review of my appeal will demonstrate that the decision does not accurately reflect the Honda Company’s commitment to meeting the expectations of customers, nor does it reflect my own commitment to the Honda Company as a repeat customer for over a decade. About two weeks ago, my 2018 Honda CRV came to a full stop while driving on the highway. After spending the entire night stuck in the car with trucks and other vehicles driving past and almost hitting us, we were finally towed and brought to Lia Honda Brewster. If we weren’t on the right side of the road and preparing to take the exit, we would have been killed by the trucks speeding past us. At Lia Honda Brewster we learned that the transmission had failed and would cost 7,800 dollars to repair. This came as a shock because per the recommendations stated on Honda’s website, the transmission should be serviced every 50,000-100,000 miles and attached to this email is the paperwork proving that the car along with the transmission had been serviced according to Honda’s recommendation. As I did not misuse nor operate the car incorrectly, I am led to believe that the transmission had been defective. In New York State, Product Liability Laws place strict liability on manufacturers and automakers for defects in their car. Under these laws, a car must perform or meet the standard for which they were intended, meaning that I, the customer, can reasonably expect that I will not have problems operating the vehicle and expect the vehicle to be safely drivable. I am surprised as well as upset at Honda’s negligence and lack of accountability, but also because of the lack of support i

NHTSA ID

11541356

Incident

Aug 10, 2023

While driving all dash lights warning started flashing disabling forward crash avoidance power steering stability control tire pressure everything is blinking and flashing. Had to pull to side of road and almost got run over

NHTSA ID

11507069

Incident

Feb 13, 2023

The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated while the vehicle was in park(P) and attempting to shift into reverse(R), the gear was difficult to move. The contact stated that the brake warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to start the vehicle but accidentally drove onto the sidewalk. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle with a defective rearview mirror wiring harness. The dealer replaced the wiring harness. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 50,500.

NHTSA ID

11472712

Incident

Jun 21, 2022

Mileage

50,500 mi