2016 Honda CR-V
Gas Compact SUV
The 2016 Honda CR-V is sold in the U.S. as a gas compact SUV with 2 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the CR-V 2WD, is EPA-rated at 29 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for this model year, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of C. Owners have filed 392 complaints, most often about engine. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.
Specs & fuel economy (EPA)
| Configuration | Powertrain | Drive | Engine / motor | City | Hwy | Comb | Annual fuel* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CR-V 2WD | Gas | FWD | 2.4L 4-cyl | 26 | 32 | 29 | $2,150 |
| CR-V 4WD | Gas | AWD | 2.4L 4-cyl | 25 | 31 | 27 | $2,300 |
*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year and EPA reference fuel/electricity prices. Source: fueleconomy.gov vehicle records.
Out of factory warranty soon?
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Recalls (3)
Fuel System, Gasoline
highProblem: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline, Odyssey, Acura ILX, MDX, MDX Hybrid, RDX, RLX, TLX, 2019-2022 Honda Insight, Passport, 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Clarity PHEV, Fit, and 2015-2020 Honda Accord Hybrid, Pilot, Acura NSX vehicles. The fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
Risk: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 6, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are KGC and KGD. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall numbers 21V-215 and 20V-314.
Engine
highProblem: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Honda CR-V vehicles that recently received a replacement engine. The replacement engine may have been built with the wrong pistons, potentially affecting the engine's performance.
Risk: The reduced performance may result in an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the engines and replace the incorrect components, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began June 20, 2017. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is KF6.
Air Bags
highProblem: American Honda Motor Company, Inc. (Honda) is recalling certain model year 2016 CR-V vehicles manufactured October 12, 2015, to October 19, 2015. The metal housing surrounding the driver's air bag inflator in these vehicles may have been manufactured incorrectly.
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver side frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began in November 2015. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda'a number for this recall is JV9.
NHTSA investigations
Air Bags: Air Bag/Restraint Control Module — Electrical overstress (closed)
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this investigation to determine if the failure of airbags to deploy during severe crashes, in certain vehicles, was the result of a safety related defect. During the investigation a complex failure was studied that can result in non-deployment of subject vehicle air bags and other restraint system devices in severe crash events. The subject vehicles may be equipped with an airbag control unit (ACU) for the supplemental restraint system (SRS) Electronic Control Unit (ECU) manufactured by ZF-TRW.  The ECU receives signals from crash sensors mounted in the vehicle and deploys the vehicle air bags and seat belt pretensioners in accordance with
Opened Apr 19, 2019 · closed Sep 19, 2024 · action EA19001
Owner complaints
392 complaints filed
40 involved a crash, 4 a fire, 36 injuries, 0 deaths reported by owners.
Filed by year — 2016: 33 · 2017: 66 · 2018: 37 · 2019: 63 · 2020: 41 · 2021: 34 · 2022: 30 · 2023: 21 · 2024: 28 · 2025: 29 · 2026: 10
Most-cited components
- Engine — 101
- Unknown Or Other — 85
- Fuel/Propulsion System — 65
- Electrical System — 64
- Power Train — 45
Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.
Crash ratings
| Configuration | Overall | Frontal | Side | Rollover | Rollover risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUV AWD | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | 17% |
| SUV FWD | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | 17% |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program.
Compare the 2016 CR-V with
Other CR-V model years
2026 CR-V
1 recalls · 130 complaints
F2025 CR-V
4 recalls · 272 complaints
D2024 CR-V
4 recalls · 472 complaints
F2023 CR-V
7 recalls · 628 complaints
F2022 CR-V
6 recalls · 329 complaints
F2021 CR-V
5 recalls · 429 complaints
F2020 CR-V
9 recalls · 428 complaints
F2019 CR-V
8 recalls · 1,090 complaints
D2018 CR-V
5 recalls · 2,132 complaints
F2017 CR-V
7 recalls · 1,761 complaints
Sources & method
Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.
EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records (ids 36992, 37024). Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.