2025 Honda CR-V: What to check before buying

The wheel turns stiff, locks, or sticks just off center and then jerks, usually at highway speed or above 40 mph. Clicking and other noises are common, and some cars wander in the lane or pull hard over bumps. Lane keep assist sometimes overcorrects or fights the driver. Two reports involve crashes, with four injuries, including a car that left the road. Many complaints center on the steering gear recall, with repair parts unavailable, slow dealers, and recalls that do not show up by VIN. Some noise problems persist through repeated warranty repairs.

Driver-side mirror glass shakes at highway speed, mostly above 50 mph, and blurs the view. The same mirror can crack in cold weather, often after remote start or defrosting. The driver's wiper stops several inches short of the pillar or hits it, which leaves an unwiped strip. Washer fluid sprays from the blades and runs off rather than cleaning the glass, so dirt gets smeared. Windshields crack from small stones or defroster heat, and sunroof glass breaks at highway speed. No crashes are reported.

While parking, the car lurches forward with the driver's foot on the brake, then hits walls, parked cars, or trees. These events account for eight crashes and two injuries, and most happen with no warning lights. Some pedals go soft or sink to the floor. Other cars brake hard on their own in traffic with nothing ahead. One brake pedal simulator control unit failed under 5000 miles and took out both the brakes and the parking brake. Dealers often cannot reproduce these problems.

Power cuts out at highway speed. Warnings such as critical power failure appear, and the car coasts to a stop or goes into limp mode, sometimes with weak brakes. Several cars fail repeatedly and need towing, even after dealer repairs. Two crashes involve sudden acceleration while parking. Other reports include a car that moved forward in reverse, total electrical loss from a cracked battery cable bracket, a high-pitched whine at highway speed, an overheating wireless charger, and fuel economy dropping sharply.

Automatic emergency braking engages with nothing ahead, often at 45 to 60 mph, and cuts speed sharply. That creates a rear-end risk. Dealers usually cannot reproduce it and call the system sensitive. Adaptive cruise control drops out while passing semi trucks. In one car the collision warning never alerts at all. Several owners report the front radar sensor being stolen from a parked car, which they describe as quick to remove and costly to replace. No crashes are reported in this category.

Fuel injectors fail early, often around 3,000 to 5,100 miles. Symptoms include rough running, hesitation, sputtering, loss of power, a check engine light, and sometimes a burning smell in the cabin. Spark plugs on the affected cylinder fail as well. Repairs are generally done under warranty, though some symptoms return after injector replacement. Other complaints cover fuel smell with the moonroof open, a fuel economy display that reads about 8% optimistic, sudden mileage drops, and an exposed high voltage battery in the spare tire well.

The car accelerates on its own at parking-lot speeds, sometimes with the brake pressed and the engine revving abnormally. It then jumps curbs and hits walls, gates, or trees. Five of the six reports involve crashes, with three injuries, and one car was declared a total loss. Owners say the manufacturer is slow to investigate. One separate complaint says the forward collision warning keeps disabling cruise control, and the dealer calls it a known issue with no fix.

Airbags fail to deploy in serious collisions, including heavy frontal impacts and a stationary car rear-ended by a tractor trailer. All four reports involve crashes, with six injuries, and one car was declared a total loss. In one case the steering column airbag stayed off despite extensive front damage. In another, a low-speed impact with a wall left a burn on the driver's arm from the steering wheel logo.