VehicleVerdict

2019 Honda CR-V problems

Verdict · NHTSA data

One of the years to avoid

The 2019 Honda CR-V carries two red flags at once: 1,502 consumer complaints filed with NHTSA — 2.8× the CR-V norm — and an open NHTSA defect investigation (subject: Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking). It is one of the CR-V years to avoid. Reports tied to this model year include one death and 50 injuries, per the complaint records themselves.

No single system dominates the record — complaints spread across driver assistance (374), fuel system (243), and steering (179), which usually points to general build quality rather than one defect. In government crash testing it earned 5 of 5 NCAP stars overall.

1,502

NHTSA complaints

8

Recalls

3

Investigations · 1 open

53

Crash-involved

2

Fires reported

50

Injuries

1

Deaths

5

NCAP overall · of 5 stars

How does 2019 compare to other CR-V years?

CR-V NHTSA complaints by model year, 2019 highlighted2,923 complaints1997: 129 complaints1998: 136 complaints1999: 158 complaints2000: 156 complaints2001: 159 complaints2002: 661 complaints2003: 580 complaints2004: 603 complaints2005: 601 complaints2006: 522 complaints2007: 1,158 complaints2008: 1,221 complaints2009: 447 complaints2010: 588 complaints2011: 646 complaints2012: 508 complaints2013: 498 complaints2014: 795 complaints2015: 975 complaints2016: 544 complaints2017: 2,596 complaints2018: 2,923 complaints2019: 1,502 complaints2020: 438 complaints2021: 438 complaints2022: 291 complaints2023: 644 complaints2024: 514 complaints2025: 339 complaints2026: 140 complaints
CR-V NHTSA complaints by model year, 2019 highlighted. Red bars are years to avoid.

See all CR-V years to avoid →

What are the most common 2019 Honda CR-V problems?

ComponentComplaintsShare
Driver Assistance37425%
Fuel System24316%
Steering17912%
Electrical System16811%
Other1409%
Engine1047%
Brakes946%
Airbags785%
Visibility & Wipers262%
Body & Structure242%
Transmission181%
Speed Control151%
Seat Belts101%
Tires & Wheels101%
Lighting91%
Seats50%
Suspension40%
Climate Control (A/C & Heat)10%

Does the 2019 Honda CR-V have recalls?

8 NHTSA recall campaigns on file. Recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.

26V332000AirbagsMay 21, 2026 · 98,892 units

Defect

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2021, 2023 Acura TLX, 2019-2024 RDX, 2017-2020, 2022-2026 MDX, 2017-2021, 2023, 2025 Honda Ridgeline, 2017-2022 Pilot, 2019-2021 Passport, 2018-2026 Odyssey, 2019-2022 Insight, 2019-2021 HR-V, 2018-2020 Fit, 2020-2022 CR-V Hybrid, 2017-2022 CR-V, 2017-2018, 2021 Civic Type R, 2017-2021 Civic hatchback, 2016-2020 Civic coupe, 2016-2022 Civic, 2017-2022 Accord Hybrid, and 2016-2022 Accord vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, which can cause the air bags to deploy unintentionally during a crash.

Consequence

Air bags that deploy unintentionally during a crash increase the risk of injury.

Remedy

Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed July 6, 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are BOL, WO9, OOA, WOM, XOH, NOC, POD, BOE, UOF, POB, EOG, AOI, QO8, TOJ, DO7, and SOK. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 24V064. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning May 29, 2026.

23V858000Fuel SystemDecember 18, 2023 · 2,490,460 units

Defect

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.

Consequence

Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

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.

23V158000Seat BeltsMarch 9, 2023 · 448,613 units

Defect

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2017-2020 CR-V, 2018-2019 Accord and Accord Hybrid, 2018-2020 Odyssey, 2019 Insight, and 2019-2020 Acura RDX vehicles. A manufacturing issue with the front seat belts may cause the seat belt buckle channel to interfere with the release button, preventing the seat belt buckle from latching.

Consequence

An unlatched seat belt cannot properly restrain the seat occupant during a crash, increasing their risk of injury.

Remedy

Dealers will replace the driver and front passenger seat belt buckle release buttons or the buckle assemblies as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 18, 2023. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are NDA, QDB, BDC, MDD, LD9. TDF, FDG, ODH, YDI, ZDE.

21V215000Fuel SystemMarch 25, 2021 · 624,552 units

Defect

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Acura MDX, MDX Sport Hybrid, RDX, TLX, Honda Accord, Civic Hatchback, Insight, 2019 Acura ILX, Honda Accord Hybrid, Civic Coupe, Civic Coupe Si, Civic Sedan, Civic Sedan Si, Civic Type R, Fit, HR-V, Odyssey, Passport, Pilot and Ridgeline, and 2018-2019 CR-V vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.

Consequence

Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump assembly, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed May 18, 2021. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Note: This recall is an expansion of recall 20V-314.

19V865000Body & StructureDecember 5, 2019 · 358 units

Defect

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2019-2020 CR-V vehicles. The rear subframe bolts were improperly manufactured and may loosen, allowing the rear subframe to separate.

Consequence

A separated rear subframe reduces vehicle handling and can suddenly disable the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the rear subframe bolts and retorque them or replace them, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 27, 2020. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is R6M.

19V694000OtherSeptember 26, 2019 · 336,468 units

Defect

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2019 CR-V vehicles. The owner's guide incorrectly describes when the "Passenger Airbag Off" indicator should illuminate. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

Consequence

If the front passenger does not correctly understand how the airbag functions, they may be at an increased risk of personal injury in the event of a crash.

Remedy

Honda will notify owners and provide a sticker with the correct information to be added to the owner's guide, free of charge. The recall began November 14, 2019. Owner's may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is X6G.

19V569000Fuel SystemAugust 1, 2019 · 134 units

Defect

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2019 CR-V vehicles. The joint weld between the fuel tank and the vapor return line may have been insufficiently welded, causing the weld to fail.

Consequence

The failed weld may allow fuel to leak, increasing the risk of a fire in the presence of an ignition source.

Remedy

Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel tank, free of charge. The recall began September 16, 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is A5I.

19V383000AirbagsMay 21, 2019 · 161,252 units

Defect

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2019 CR-V vehicles. The metal core of the steering wheel may have burrs which can damage the harnesses routed within, potentially disabling the driver's air bag or causing it to deploy without warning.

Consequence

In the event of a crash, a disabled air bag would increase the risk of injury. An uncommanded deployment of the driver's air bag also increases the risk of injury and a crash.

Remedy

Honda will notify owners, and dealers will install a protective cover on the steering wheel core and replace clockspring and the harnesses within, free of charge. The recall began July 8, 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is R4S.

Open NHTSA investigations

EA24002

Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking

On February 21, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation (PE22003) to assess reports of inadvertent activation of the Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS), an automatic emergency braking (AEB) system, in model year 2017-2019 Honda CR-V and 2018-2019 Honda Accord vehicles.  The reports allege that activation of the AEB system occurs while driving with no apparent obstruction in the vehicle's forward path, resulting in sudden vehicle deceleration. Honda indicated that they were aware of a total of X,XXX reports that may relate to the alleged defect. Honda provided analysis of the alleged defect and alleges that some customers possibly had an inadequate understanding of the CMBS and its limitations.  However, many consumer complaints allege that Honda dealerships were unable to reproduce the condition or state that they were informed that this is considered normal CMBS operation. To date, ODI has received a total of 1,294 consumer complaints of inadvertent activation of CMBS in 2017-2022 Honda CR-V and 2018-2022 Honda Accord vehicles. A total of 31 complaints alleged a crash and 50 alleged an injury.  The Total column in the Failure Report Summary removes duplicate reports and shows the total number of reports with unique VINs from all Manufacturer, ODI, and EWR data sources.  In some cases, there were multiple reports associated with a particular vehicle in which recurring failures were alleged.  In total, there were X,XXX reports, 93 injury incidents and 47 crashes involving vehicles with unique VINs that may relate to the alleged defect. PE22-003 has been upgraded to an Engineering Analysis to further assess the scope, frequency, and potential safety related consequences of the inadvertent AEB activations. The scope has been expanded to include assessment of model year 2020-2022 Honda CR-V and Accord vehicles. To review the ODI reports cited in the Opening Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.

Consumer complaints filed with NHTSA

Representative excerpts, cleaned of personal information. These are consumer statements, not verified defects.

“Car stops suddenly on highway, going into, "limp mode." All dash warning lights came on. Rich emissions. VTM-4 issue. This is an ongoing issue with CR-Vs, yet manufacturer has issues no solution, clearly opting to work each situation independently. Therefore, manufacturer saves the time and money…”

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Driver Assistance · March 13, 2024 · crash

“Car stops suddenly on highway, going into, "limp mode." All dash warning lights came on. Rich emissions. VTM-4 issue. This is an ongoing issue with CR-Vs, yet manufacturer has issues no solution, clearly opting to work each situation independently. Therefore, manufacturer saves the time and money…”

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Fuel System · March 13, 2024 · crash

“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 HONDA CR-V. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V383000 (STEERING, AIR BAGS, COMMUNICATIONS). THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. DICK HANA HONDA (3321 NE AUTO MALL DR, VANCOUVER,…”

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Steering · July 11, 2019 · crash

“Vehicles harness leading to auto dimming rear view mirror was defective and a wire split rendering all my braking capability. The ABS system felt like it was reversing the brakes EVERYTIME I stepped on the pedal. I hit my garage door because of this: Honda wanted me to pay to fix the wire because…”

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Electrical System · September 1, 2021 · crash

“I WAS STOPPED IN CAMBRIDGE IN FRONT OF THE MOS PENDING A RED LIGHT CHANGE AND DESPITE HAVING THE BRAKE FULLY COMPRESSED THE CAR MOVED FORWARD SLOWLY APPROX 3-6 FEET INTO THE CAR IN FRONT OF IT. THERE WERE NO LIGHTS OR WARNING. I HAD NO CONTROL OVER THE CAR. THE CAR HAD LESS THEN 100 MILES ON IT AND…”

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Other · April 18, 2019 · crash

2019 Honda CR-V — common questions

Is the 2019 Honda CR-V reliable?

NHTSA data argues against it: 1,502 complaints put the 2019 model at #3 of 30 CR-V years, and a defect investigation remains open. It is one of the CR-V years to avoid.

What are the most common 2019 CR-V problems?

According to NHTSA complaint data, the leading problem areas are driver assistance (374 complaints), fuel system (243 complaints), steering (179 complaints).

Does the 2019 Honda CR-V have recalls?

Yes — NHTSA lists 8 recall campaigns affecting the 2019 Honda CR-V. Recall repairs are free at franchised dealers; check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to confirm the work was done.

Is the 2019 Honda CR-V under NHTSA investigation?

Yes — an investigation remains open (Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking). An open ODI action means NHTSA is actively assessing a possible defect.

Which Honda CR-V years should you avoid?

Based on complaint rates and open investigations, the CR-V years to avoid are 2018, 2017, 2019, 2008, 2007, 2015, 2014, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2003, 2006, 2012, 2013, 2021, 2020, 2022. The cleanest record among CR-V years belongs to 1997.

How safe is the 2019 Honda CR-V?

In NHTSA's NCAP crash testing, the 2019 Honda CR-V earned an overall rating of 5 out of 5 stars.

Related

Based on NHTSA ODI data through June 2026. Complaints are consumer-reported and unverified. Updated July 5, 2026.

Compiled by Sharon Ben-Moshe, Founder.