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Honda CR-V

Every model year 2016–2027: recalls, owner complaints, NHTSA crash ratings and EPA efficiency side by side, each value traced to the file it came from.

12 Model years 2016–2027

64 Recalls NHTSA campaigns, all years

8,246 Complaints owner reports, all years

A Newest grade 2027 Safety Signal

2021 Best on record cleanest filed year

The 2027 CR-V →Which years to avoid Compare it

Honda CR-V — photograph via Wikimedia Commons — Honda CR-V · Photo: © M 93 · CC BY-SA 3.0 de · Wikimedia Commons

Every Honda CR-V model year

Source: NHTSA · EPA · one row per year

Year	Powertrains	Safety	Recalls	Complaints	Crash	Best efficiency
2027	Hybrid Gas	A	0	0	—	40 mpg
2026	Hybrid Gas Hydrogen fuel cell	B	2	171	★★★★★	40 mpg
2025	Hybrid Gas Hydrogen fuel cell	D	6	290	★★★★★	40 mpg
2024	Hybrid Gas	C	5	481	★★★★★	40 mpg
2023	Hybrid Gas	D	8	633	★★★★★	40 mpg
2022	Hybrid Gas	D	6	348	★★★★★	38 mpg
2021	Hybrid Gas	C	5	444	★★★★★	38 mpg
2020	Hybrid Gas	D	9	441	★★★★★	38 mpg
2019	Gas	D	8	1,107	★★★★★	30 mpg
2018	Gas	D	5	2,161	★★★★★	30 mpg
2017	Gas	F	7	1,776	★★★★★	30 mpg
2016	Gas	C	3	394	★★★★★	29 mpg

Which model year the record favours

Source: recalls and complaints per year on the road

Years to avoid, with the reasons →Best on the record 2021

On the filed record so far, the 2021 is the cleanest CR-V year we hold, and the 2017 the one to check hardest.

Both figures are divided by the number of years the car has been on sale, because otherwise the oldest year on the page loses every time simply for having been around longer. The current model year and any year under three on the road are left out: their records are not finished.

Year	Safety Signal	Recalls /yr	Complaints /yr
2021	C	1	89
2019	D	1.1	158
2020	D	1.5	74
2022	D	1.5	87
2023	D	2.7	211
2016	C	0.3	39	1 critical
2018	D	0.6	270	1 critical
2017	F	0.8	197	2 critical

Which Honda CR-V years reported which system early

Source: NHTSA complaints, odometer at report

Earliest on the record: 2018 engine complaints at 0.12× the mileage of same-age vehicles (median 6,200 miles). Latest: 2021 forward collision avoidance at 4.0× (40,000 miles).

Year	Engine	Fuel/Propulsion System	Electrical System	Service Brakes	Forward Collision Avoidance	Steering
2024	—	—	—	—	—	1.03×
2023	—	—	—	—	—	0.66×
2021	1.12×	—	—	—	4.0×	1.6×
2020	1.01×	2.06×	1.31×	3.03×	2.63×	—
2019	0.19×	1.71×	0.51×	0.66×	1.1×	1.74×
2018	0.12×	0.27×	0.71×	0.55×	1.35×	3.66×
2017	0.26×	0.43×	0.57×	0.56×	1.16×	—
2016	0.37×	0.3×	0.53×	0.47×	—	—

Each cell is that model year’s median odometer when owners reported the system, divided by the median for the same system across every make’s complaints on the same model year. under 0.67× reported early; 1.5× or more late; a dash means too few readings. When problems get reported, not how often — complaint counts are in the table above. Across the whole fleet: which systems go first.

What owners filed about the Honda CR-V, by system

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer communicationsEvery system, every year →

The systems the federal record is deep on for this nameplate: the complaints per model year, the mileage owners reported them at, and every recall, investigation and manufacturer bulletin filed under the heading — each one linked, none a failure rate.

automatic emergency braking problems 1,723 complaints, every model year fuel system problems 1,588 complaints, every model year engine problems 1,554 complaints, every model year steering problems 1,535 complaints, every model year electrical problems 1,196 complaints, every model year brake problems 684 complaints, every model year airbag problems 181 complaints, every model year visibility and wiper problems 159 complaints, every model year

What changed year to year

Source: computed from the filed record

2027: dropped hydrogen fuel cell; 6 → 5 EPA configurations
2026: 5 → 6 EPA configurations
2025: added hydrogen fuel cell; 4 → 5 EPA configurations
2023: best combined mpg 38 → 40; 3 → 4 EPA configurations
2020: added hybrid; best combined mpg 30 → 38; 4 → 3 EPA configurations
2017: best combined mpg 29 → 30; 2 → 4 EPA configurations

Compare

All CR-V head-to-heads →Which is better for you? →

Head-to-head	Verdict
2027 CR-V vs Kia Sportage · Compact SUV	Sportage +11.2
2027 CR-V vs Tesla Model Y · Compact SUV	Model Y +26.1
2027 CR-V vs Jeep Wrangler · Compact SUV	CR-V +15.9
2027 CR-V vs Chevrolet Equinox · Compact SUV	Equinox +11.5
2027 CR-V vs Kia Sorento · Compact SUV	CR-V +2.7
2027 CR-V vs Subaru Outback · Compact SUV	CR-V +10.3
2026 CR-V vs Toyota RAV4 · Compact SUV	RAV4 +4.9
2026 CR-V vs Mercedes-Benz EQE · Midsize SUV	EQE +40.4
2024 CR-V vs Toyota RAV4 Prime · Compact SUV	CR-V +15.5

In the studies

Source: computed from the same record, method on each page

Odometer at first complaint · rank 20 of 79 0.61× the mileage of same-age vehicles Honda CR-V owners reported problems to NHTSA at a median 14,800 miles across 2018–2022 (fleet 23,512), earlier than vehicles of the same model year. 1,367 readings.

Common questions about the Honda CR-V

Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kits

Which Honda CR-V year is the best used buy?

On the recall record, the 2021 CR-V comes out top of the years before the current one: Safety Signal grade C (70/100), 5 recalls and 444 owner complaints on file. That ranks paperwork, not condition — a specific car's history and service record still decide it.

What Honda CR-V years should I avoid?

2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023, 2025 have the weakest recall records in this range. The year pages list every campaign, its severity and whether a repair exists yet. Every CR-V model year ranked, with the reasons.

How many recalls does the Honda CR-V have?

Across model years 2016–2027, NHTSA has posted 64 recall campaigns for the Honda CR-V. They are counted per model year in the table above, because a campaign almost never covers the whole run — it covers a build range.