2017 Honda HR-V Engine Problems

Dear American Honda Motor Co., Inc. ,I am writing to formally document my experience with a premature failure of the Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) in my Honda HR-V. The vehicle was covered under the extended warranty program Honda implemented specifically for the known CVT issues affecting 2016–2020 model years.In On 3/10/26 the CVT failed at approximately 96,000 miles. The vehicle was towed to an authorized Honda dealership, where technicians confirmed premature belt deterioration and breakage. Prior to the failure, I had the vehicle serviced at the dealership for the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) software update outlined in Honda Service Bulletin 21-047. During that visit, I reported a noticeable burning smell, which I now believe originated from the failing transmission belt. The dealership assured me there were no issues and stated that the software update had adjusted the gear ratio to reduce strain on the transmission. The vehicle was returned to me with no further action recommended. Subsequent communication with American Honda revealed that the company had been aware of widespread CVT belt issues in these model years. Rather than issue a full recall, Honda extended the powertrain warranty to 7 years or 150,000 miles (whichever occurs first). My repeated attempts to escalate the matter with Honda Customer Service, including multiple requests for contact information for a regional manager, were unsuccessful. After several weeks of delays—during which my vehicle remained at the dealership for over 20 +days—Honda Corporate initially offered to cover a remanufactured CVT replacement at a cost of $4,500 to me. The dealership ultimately assisted by reducing my out-of-pocket expense to $2,900.I find it unacceptable that a vehicle with only 96,000 miles required a major transmission replacement costing nearly $3,000, especially after Honda had already acknowledged the defect through a technical service bulletin and an extended warranty. The dealership’s

NHTSA ID

11730064

Incident

Mar 10, 2026

My car’s warning lights came on and it had a hard time staying in gear. The engine was making a screeching sound and it stuttered when I drove it. I took it to my local mechanic and they found metal shavings and chunks in the transmission. They said they had seen this problem before. I called Honda and they requested I take it to Honda service station to do an additional assessment. Service center said the same thing- it was a faulty design in this make and model and the transmission belt was being ground down causing the metal chunks to cause damage. Honda is refusing to stand by their product and cover the cost of the repair.

NHTSA ID

11677328

Incident

Jun 16, 2025

My 2017 Honda HRV 1.8 the transmission went bad it started to lose speed and a the was making a lot of noise so I stopped the can an have not move the car it has around 120k + miles

NHTSA ID

11650600

Incident

Mar 3, 2025

The contact owns a 2017 Honda HR-V. The contact stated that while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle stalled. There was an abnormal clunking sound coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to shift into gear. The vehicle was pushed to the side of the roadway. The vehicle was under load between 1200-1500 RPMs. The contact stated that while the RPM was at 1,200, there was an abnormal growling sound. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to Technical Service Bulletin: 21-047. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, but the failure had not been determined. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed there was no warranty coverage on the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000.

NHTSA ID

11634274

Incident

Dec 1, 2024

Mileage

95,000 mi

The contact owns a 2017 Honda HR-V. The contact stated while her husband was driving 60 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently accelerated and the accelerator pedal became stuck, with the vehicle reaching a speed of 105 MPH. The contact's husband depressed the accelerator all the way to the floorboard, and the pedal returned to normal functionality. The contact stated that the electronics intermittently failed, displaying several warning lights on the instrument panel or no vehicle information: including fuel, temperature, and speed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the O2 sensor heater circuit and pressure in the EVAP system. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure with the transmission reoccurred. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the ECU. The vehicle was repaired a second time, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was towed back to the dealer and was awaiting diagnostic test. The contact stated that prior to the failure, the transmission had been replaced at 48,000 miles. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 129,000.

NHTSA ID

11526061

Incident

Feb 4, 2022

Mileage

129,000 mi

The contact owns a 2017 Honda HR-V. The contact stated that on several occasions while driving at various speeds, the Start/Stop ignition switch light intermittently illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 71,000.

NHTSA ID

11488344

Incident

Sep 7, 2022

Mileage

71,000 mi

On Friday, Dec 31, 2021 the car (2017 Honda HR-V), without any warning, suddenly stalled in the middle of our residential street. Prior to this incident, I did not experience any indications that there was a problem with the car. The car was towed to a local Honda service center and upon inspection by one of their technicians it was determined that the car had a "broken flywheel" (the car is an automatic so this is not the correct term). Once repairs began I was contacted and informed that the broken flywheel had caused additional damage and the car now requires an entirely new engine. I purchased the car brand new in July 2017. In July 2020 I received a recall notification from Honda indicating that there were problems with the transmission and an entirely new transmission was installed with all costs covered by the manufacturer. Now six months later and only three years after purchasing the car, I am being told I need an entirely new engine. The car is currently at the service center and should be available for inspection. I have not authorized any work related to the engine because I am collecting information on my rights as a consumer and my options in regards to repair of the car. I strongly believe that the flywheel and engine repairs are manufacturer defects and need to be addressed and costs covered by Honda.

NHTSA ID

11446829

Incident

Dec 31, 2021

LAST NIGHT AT 12:58AM, I WAS TRAVELING IN MY 2017 HONDA HR-V ON THE EXPRESSWAY TOLL (LIMIT OF 75 MPH), GOING APPROXIMATELY 80-85 MPH ON CRUISE. SUDDENLY, MY VEHICLE QUIT ACCELERATING, ALL THE LIGHTS ON MY DASH LIT UP, AND PRESSING THE GAS DID NOTHING (NO JERKING OR SOUND). IT WAS EXTREMELY FRIGHTENING BECAUSE THERE WAS NO SHOULDER, A SINGLE LANE VERY HIGH UP, WITH NO OTHER VEHICLES IN SIGHT BEHIND ME TO ANTICIPATE MY STOP. LUCKILY, I CAME UPON A HILL TO COAST DOWN AND I PULLED OVER AS THE SHOULDER OPENED UP. I HAD ALL POWER, RADIO, LIGHTS, CAR RUNNING LIKE NORMAL. . . I PUT THE CAR IN PARK AND THEN BACK INTO DRIVE AND IT DID NOT MOVE. AFTER PUTTING IT BACK IN PARK, I SHUT OFF THE CAR AND ALMOST IMMEDIATELY TURNED IT BACK ON. ALL THE LIGHTS TURNED BACK ON IN THE DASH (ENGINE, CAR SLIDING, P WITH A CIRCLE AROUND IT WITH !, PARKING BREAK "PARK", ETC). . . PUTTING THE CAR IN DRIVE IT ACCELERATED AND DROVE PRETTY MUCH NORMAL. THIS MORNING WHEN I GOT BACK INTO CAR ONLY THE ENGINE AND P WITH CIRCLE AROUND IT LIGHTS WERE ON. IT DROVE NORMAL BUT I DO FEEL THERE IS A LACK OF ACCELERATION AS I AM PRESSING THE GAS, IT DOESN'T SEEM TO BE THE SAME (HAVING TO APPLY MORE PRESSURE TO GAS). THE MECHANIC SHOP RAN A DIAGNOSTIC TEST AND ADVISED ME TO IT TO THE DEALERSHIP BECAUSE A SPEED SENSOR CODE IN THE TRANSMISSION CAME BACK. I WAS ADVISED THERE ARE MANY VEHICLE MAKE AND MODELS WITH RECALLS ON THE CVT TRANSMISSIONS. UPON CALLING THE DEALERSHIP, THEY INFORMED ME THERE IS NO RECALL ON MY CAR AND MANUFACTURE WARRANTY IS UP TO 36K MILES, AND WELL I HAVE 85K. I HAVE GOTTEN THE REGULAR REQUIRED OIL CHANGES, FILTERS, ETC AND NEVER ONCE HAVE I RAN INTO ANY ISSUES WITH MY CAR UP UNTIL NOW. THE WHOLE TRANSMISSION.

NHTSA ID

11395339

Incident

Feb 8, 2021

Mileage

85,000 mi

CAR WILL NOT SHIFT GEAR TO DRIVE OR REVERSE WHILE CAR I ON. CAR STAYS STILL CAR DOSE NOT MOVE.

NHTSA ID

11218724

Incident

May 20, 2019

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 HONDA HR-V. AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS SERVICED, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HEATING AND COOLING UNIT AND ELECTRICAL SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED. AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC ALSO STATED THAT FUEL WAS MIXING WITH THE ENGINE OIL. THE MESSAGE "FRONT COLLISION" APPEARED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO VALLEY HONDA (4173 OGDEN AVE, AURORA, IL 60504, (630) 851-5700) AND RECEIVED A SOFTWARE UPDATE, BUT WAS NOT FULLY REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND DID NOT ASSIST. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 27,815.

NHTSA ID

11162949

Incident

Dec 11, 2017

Mileage

27,815 mi

MY AIR CONDITIONING STOPPED WORKING ONE DAY TO ANOTHER. THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY, I GOT INTO IT ONE MORNING AND THE AC WAS NOT WORKING AND BLOWING HOT AIR, WHEN THE DAY BEFORE IT WAS COLD. I TOOK IT TO HONDA SERVICES. THEY SAID IT WOULD BE COVERED BY THE WARRANTY, SINCE IT IS A 2017 LEASE, AND HAS LESS THAN 36 MONTHS AND LESS THAN 36,000 MILES. THREE HOURS LATER, THEY CALLED TO TELL ME THAT I HAD TO PAY $400. THEY SAID THAT ROAD DEBRIS HIT THE FRONT OF THE CAR AND THAT IS WHAT CAUSE THE CONDENSER TO GET A CRACK IN IT. THE CAR HASN'T EVEN LEFT THE SMALL CITY I LIVE IN FOR MONTHS, SO HASN'T EVEN BEEN GOING OVER 45MPH. THIS ISN'T FAIR THAT IT'S NOT COVERED BY THE WARRANTY, IT IS A DESIGN DEFECT. THE INTERNET SHOWS DOZENS AND DOZENS OF THE SAME COMPLAINTS, AND A CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENT HAS EVEN BEEN REACHED FOR OTHER MODELS OF HONDA, BUT NOT MINE, THE HRV. HERE IS THE SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT: HTTPS://TOPCLASSACTIONS.COM/LAWSUIT-SETTLEMENTS/LAWSUIT-NEWS/1894-HONDA-AIR-CONDITIONINGCOMPRESSOR-CLASS-ACTION-SETTLEMENT/COMMENT-PAGE-17/#COMMENTS. WITH A FLASHLIGHT THEY SHOWED ME THE FRONT OF THE CAR WHERE SUPPOSEDLY A DEBRIS HIT AND CAUSED THE CONDENSER TO CRACK. BELOW IS A PICTURE OF WHAT THEY SHOWED ME. THERE WERE OTHER LITTLE DENTS OF THE SAME SIZE ALL AROUND, BUT THEY SAID ONLY THE ONE WAS WHAT SUPPOSEDLY DAMAGED THE CONDENSER. HOW IS IT THAT I AM RESPONSIBLE FOR A PEBBLE DAMAGING THE ENGINE WHEN THE CAR IS UNDER WARRANTY? THIS IS A DESIGN DEFECT.

NHTSA ID

11149579

Incident

Nov 1, 2018

Mileage

14,120 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 HONDA HR-V. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE PARKED THE VEHICLE, DEPRESSED THE LOCK BUTTON, AND WALKED AWAY WITH THE KEY FOB. HOWEVER, THE ENGINE STAYED ON FOR HOURS UNTIL A SECURITY GUARD NOTICED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS ON AND TURNED OFF THE ENGINE. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO PAUL MOAK HONDA (802 HARDING ST, JACKSON, MS 39202, 601-355-8100) WHERE THE DEALER CHECKED THE VEHICLE AND FOUND NO FAILURES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND DID NOT ASSIST. THE FAILURE DID NOT RECUR. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 10,000.

NHTSA ID

11089729

Incident

Apr 20, 2018

Mileage

10,000 mi