2023 Honda CR-V

On November 29, 2023, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this Engineering Analysis (EA23003) to assess allegations of momentary increase in steering effort in model years (MY) 2022-2023 Honda Civic, 2023MY Honda CR-V, and 2023MY Acura Integra vehicles (subject vehicles). The complaints received by ODI alleged that the subject vehicles experienced a momentary increase in required steering effort (described as “sticky steering”) occurring mostly at highway speeds after driving for an extended amount of time; these complaints could not be duplicated during dealer service technicians’ quick test drives.  The complaints had been received over the previous two years with most occurring with low vehicle mileage. The steering gear of these vehicles is aided by an electrical power assist unit. This power assist unit inputs force on the steering rack via a worm gear and worm wheel assembly. During PE23005, Honda stated this condition of momentary increase in steering effort occurs due to two factors within this power assist unit. First, during manufacturing, the steering worm wheel goes through annealing and component conditioning processes. These processes cause internal stress and strain within the steering worm  wheel. This strain is slowly released over the first few months of the vehicle life. Over time, the released strain causes deformation of the teeth on the worm wheel, causing the worm gear to catch on the worm wheel. This catching results in the driver’s momentary increased steering effort. Second, the manufacturing process did not guarantee consistent grease application and, therefore, some subject vehicles received insufficient grease which contributed to the momentary increase in steering effort. During EA23003, ODI further analyzed the potential safety related consequences of the momentary increase in steering effort. NHTSA’s Vehicle Research and Test Center (VRTC) duplicated the allegations of increased steering effort. In addition, VRTC discovered the steering worm wheel and worm gear tended to push grease out of the meshing area, resulting in large amounts of grease resting on top of the worm wheel. Information Request responses collected and reviewed by ODI showed Honda had also discovered this additional root cause during NHTSA’s EA. In addition, Honda discovered the preload of the worm wheel gear spring was set too high, increasing the gear slide load and resulting in higher friction and increased torque fluctuation when steering. The number of consumer complaints made to ODI continued to increase with the expansion of scope from the PE to the EA. Additionally, during EA23003, ODI received ten complaints alleging a crash, in addition to the 13 complaints ODI had received as of the time it opened EA23003. In total, 23 crashes have been reported to ODI due to this alleged defect. On October 3, 2024, Honda filed NHTSA Recall No. 24V-744 to address this defect. The recall will provide consumers with a new steering worm wheel gear spring with a decreased load. Additionally, dealerships will add additional grease and relocate any grease sitting on top of the worm wheel back into the meshing area. The scope of this recall includes all Honda vehicles that were manufactured with this specific improperly produced steering worm wheel and spring. In view of the recall action being taken by Honda, ODI is closing EA23003. NHTSA reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by future circumstances. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.

I am submitting a formal safety complaint regarding our 2023 Honda CR-V because of repeated and increasingly serious problems involving the vehicle's computer/electronic systems, automatic steering/driver-assistance systems, and automatic braking system. My wife and I no longer feel safe driving this vehicle. The problems have occurred repeatedly during September 2026 and have now reached the point where an unexpected hard-braking event caused me neck pain and I am scheduling an appointment with my doctor for evaluation. INCIDENT TIMELINE September 5, 2026: The vehicle began experiencing computer/electronic malfunctions. This was the beginning of the recent series of problems we have experienced with the vehicle. September 9, 2026: While driving, the vehicle unexpectedly began steering on its own. The steering intervention almost caused a collision by directing the vehicle toward active traffic. We did not intentionally place the vehicle into an automatic steering mode. I had to intervene and regain control of the vehicle to prevent a possible accident. This was not the only incident. At this point, my wife and I estimate that we have had to intervene approximately eight times to prevent the vehicle's unexpected behavior from potentially causing an accident. September 10, 2026: Additional unexpected automatic steering/driver-assistance behavior occurred. Again, we had not intentionally activated automatic steering. September 12, 2026: Another incident involving unexpected steering intervention occurred while operating the vehicle. September 15, 2026: The vehicle again exhibited unexpected steering/driver-assistance behavior that required driver intervention. September 19, 2026, approximately 4:30 PM: The vehicle unexpectedly applied the brakes extremely hard. The automatic braking event was sudden and severe and nearly created another traffic incident. The force of the braking caused my body to move suddenly and I developed neck pain following the incide

NHTSA ID

11765576

Incident

Sep 19, 2026

My crv is roasting a problem related to the steering (guide/steering wheel) to what many call Hardened Steering: The steering wheel becomes rigid intermittently, making maneuvers difficult

NHTSA ID

11764476

Incident

Aug 15, 2026

While driving my 2023 Honda CR-V Hybrid at approximately 40-45 mph, the vehicle began hesitating and not accelerating smoothly. A Check Engine/Emissions System warning also appeared. The vehicle had approximately 31,873 miles. I took the vehicle to an authorized Honda dealership for diagnosis. The dealer recommended replacement of all fuel injectors and the spark plugs. The vehicle has not yet been repaired and the components remain available for inspection. I am concerned about the safety risk because the hesitation/loss of smooth power occurs while the vehicle is being driven and could affect the ability to accelerate normally in traffic. Honda has issued Service Bulletin 25-044 applicable to 2023-2024 CR-V Hybrid vehicles concerning leaking fuel injectors that can cause an excessively rich air/fuel mixture, foul spark plugs, illuminate the malfunction indicator lamp, and cause drivability problems. The repair procedure can include replacement of the fuel injectors and affected spark plugs. My vehicle has very low mileage for this type of fuel-system failure. I am reporting this incident so NHTSA can evaluate whether similar fuel injector failures and resulting drivability problems in 2023-2024 Honda CR-V Hybrid vehicles represent a broader safety defect.

NHTSA ID

11764437

Incident

Aug 17, 2026

My car is experiencing a failure of the shutter grill motor. It’s a motor that opens and closes the shutters to let air through a cooling radiator. The car is not getting hot. The shutters are fully open. I assume this is an energy efficiency mechanism. However: Since the motor is not working, and the shutters cannot adjust properly, the car is derating my power. THIS IS DANGEROUS. I cannot climb mountains on the interstate at proper speeds. I have also almost had a few wrecks trying to pull into traffic due to loss of power, thus acceleration. The computer is choosing to derate my power and acceleration, but it isn’t necessary. I would like to fix the issue, but it is expensive and I don’t have the money. Why would Honda punish me with dangerous conditions for my inability to pay for a fix on an energy efficiency issue!?!?

NHTSA ID

11762644

Incident

Sep 7, 2026

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.

NHTSA ID

11762270

Incident

Jul 22, 2026

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)

NHTSA ID

11761629

Incident

Aug 30, 2026

Vehicle was brought in for steering gearbox recall repair. After the recall was performed, the vehicle developed a loud thumping noise from the front passenger side. Upon returning to the dealer for diagnosis, the dealer found the passenger front wheel was missing 3 lug nuts and had only 1 lug nut holding the wheel on. The lug lock was also loose. The vehicle was driven at highway speeds in this condition. The dealer's own work order confirms these findings. The missing lug nuts were a direct result of the recall repair service.

NHTSA ID

11760859

Incident

Aug 24, 2026

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.

NHTSA ID

11760450

Incident

Aug 26, 2026

Mileage

193,000 mi

Service Bulletin - Under certain conditions, the cylinder head gasket effectiveness may be reduced which may cause vehicles to experience overheating, coolant loss, misfire and/or DTCs P0300 thru P0304 stored.

Dealer Message - Under certain conditions, the cylinder head gasket effectiveness may be reduced which may cause vehicles to experience overheating, coolant loss, misfire, and/or DTCs P0300 through P0304 stored.

Service Bulletin - When the Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) system is activated while driving, customers may experience unexpected cancellation during vehicle operation. When this condition occurs, DTC P2583-76 (Temporary Stop of Integrated Driver Support System) is stored, and the driver information display may issue a warning message instructing the driver to clean the millimeter-wave radar surface.

Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2023-2026 CR-Vs with a customer complaint of the power tailgate not opening or closing under it's own power. To better understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to inspect the vehicle prior to you attempting a repair of any kind.

Service Bulletin - The LKAS warning light comes on when driving in reverse due to possible false detection logic occurred in the multipurpose camera software.

"Service Bulletin - When the Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) system is activated while driving, customers may experience unexpected cancellation during vehicle operation. When this condition occurs, DTC P2583-76 (Temporary Stop of Integrated Driver Support System) is stored, and the driver information display may issue a warning message instructing the driver to clean the millimeter-wave radar surface."