2016 Honda CR-V electrical problems
64 of the 393 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the 2016 Honda CR-V name the electrical system (NHTSA’s “Electrical System” heading — wiring, modules, batteries, charging, infotainment and driver displays — NHTSA's broadest heading). Filed under the same heading: 13 manufacturer bulletins. Every figure below is a document in a federal file, linked; none is a failure rate, and none is a verdict on any one car.
What owners filed about the electrical system
Source: NHTSA complaint database5 of the 64 reports a crash · 2 a fire · 1 injury. Self-reported, unverified.
Filed per year: 2016: 3 · 2017: 6 · 2018: 6 · 2019: 12 · 2020: 7 · 2021: 5 · 2022: 6 · 2023: 4 · 2024: 7 · 2025: 6 · 2026: 2
Half of the 29 owners who gave an odometer reading reported the electrical problem between 12,000 and 35,000 miles. A median of reports, not the life of a part.
393 complaints in all about the 2016 Honda CR-V, 2 filed in 2026. The whole picture, every system →
Counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many of these were sold; nothing here is a rate. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so “Electrical System” means the same area of the vehicle, not one fault.
Across model years: Honda CR-V electrical problems, every year on file →
In owners’ own words
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseFiled with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, about the electrical system. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed; unverified reports — what was said, not a finding that it was true.
On 02/12/2016 I was pulling out of my garage and everything was fine at that moment, them I went to turn my 2016 Cr-V it was only going about 1 1/2 miles per hour, but the Cr-V would not stop, the car only had 3,924 mile too.
Rear trunk / hatch will not open when temperatures are below freezing. Has occurred many times. Dealer duplicated the issue and replaced the switch stating that they verified communication was lost to the switch when cold.
When temperatures get cold, the button to open the rear hatch will not work. This causes the owner to not be able to access the trunk
OEM battery failures. Car would not start. Stopped on city street. Safety issue. Failed at home too. Manufacturer defect
Lock-out with key fob inside the car, car was not running, parked at work. The car basically 'locked' me out when I put my purse and keys into the car, opened the hood so I could fill the wiper fluid reservoir , closed the door to get wiper fluid out of the back and the car locked the doors.
What is on file about the electrical system
Source: NHTSA recalls, investigations and manufacturer communications13 manufacturer bulletins filed under this heading
The 0 newest are listed; every one is on the model year’s page. Quote the document number at a service desk — it is a diagnosis the maker has already written down.
Trouble codes named on this system
Codes a bulletin or an owner’s complaint about the 2016 Honda CR-V names on this model year; a code with a record of its own links it.
Other systems with a record on the 2016 Honda CR-V
Source: the same files- engine problems 103 complaints
- fuel system problems 72 complaints
Common questions
Source: NHTSA complaint database, recalls and manufacturer communicationsAre electrical problems common on the 2016 Honda CR-V?
They are documented: NHTSA holds 64 owner complaints naming the electrical system on this model year (16% of everything owners filed about it), and 13 manufacturer bulletins are filed under the same heading. Whether it is a problem on one particular car is a diagnosis, not a count, and a count says nothing about how many were sold.
Is there a recall for the electrical system on the 2016 Honda CR-V?
No recall campaign is filed under this heading for this model year (there are 3 filed under other headings). A bulletin is not a recall: it carries no federal duty to repair for free.
When do electrical problems show up on the 2016 Honda CR-V?
Owners who gave an odometer reading reported it at a median of 24,000 miles; half of them between 12,000 and 35,000. That is when reports cluster, not the life of a part.
What does NHTSA's "Electrical System" heading cover?
Wiring, modules, batteries, charging, infotainment and driver displays — NHTSA's broadest heading. Owners choose the heading when they file, so it says which area of the vehicle the complaint is about, not which part failed.