993 of the
21,377 complaints filed about the Honda Cr-V
are about the braking system —
100% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2018.
While backing into the home driveway, with foot on the brake, the vehicle suddenly accelerated backward for a distance of about eight feet toward a closed gate, coming to rest just short of the gate. The vehicle could have damaged the gate as well as itself. A vehicle inspection is scheduled at the dealer from which it was purchased new. There were no warning or caution indications displayed on the instrument panel.
NHTSA complaint #11764190 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
This emergency brake happened multiple times during crossing train tracks. I’m not sure if the sensor was capturing anything there but the car stopped immediately. Two incidents occurred in the same street and was after the traffic light turned green. Two times I had vehicles behind me but thankfully nothing happened. I monitored the incident then it happened again crossing another train tracks. One time just happened while driving, I didn’t have no cars around me but the car just started breaking on me.
NHTSA complaint #11763750 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2020 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving 25 MPH, the brakes failed to operate as needed. The brake pedal was depressed, and the brake pedal almost went down to the floorboard, and the braking distance became extended. The vehicle was driven to supermarket parking lot and gradually slowed down before slowly being driven back to the residence. The brakes, VSA and road departure warning lights were illuminated with several other unknown warning lights. The dealer was contacted and diagnosed the vehicle with brake failure. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted by phone and was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 23,000.
NHTSA complaint #11762155 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While driving with my 3yr old in the car multiple dashboard warning lights suddenly illuminated simultaneously (including the Check Engine light, Emissions system warning, and various safety sensor alerts). The vehicle experienced a sudden loss of engine power, rough idling, and hesitation upon acceleration, which created an immediate traffic hazard. I took the vehicle to an authorized Honda dealership service center. The diagnostic scan revealed a failure of the fuel injectors (with diagnostic trouble codes indicating a system too rich and cylinder misfires). The dealership service advisor informed me that this premature fuel injector failure is a highly common and widespread systemic defect with Honda’s 1.5L Turbo direct-injection engines, stating that their shop actively stocks these parts because they perform at least one of these replacements every week. This premature component failure at mileage (105,136 miles) is a severe safety risk that causes unexpected engine stalling or power loss while driving.
NHTSA complaint #11761684 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Car automatically hit the brakes for no apparent reason while going at 45 mph. There was no vehicle or any kind of obstacle ahead of behind. Also resulted in tightening of driver seat belt. No injuries. Vehicle was being operated by an authorized and licensed driver.
NHTSA complaint #11761346 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while reversing out of the garage, the ABS, traction control, braking system, and check engine warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a certified mechanic and was diagnosed with fuel injector failure. The vehicle was scheduled to be repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the issue by the mechanic. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000.
NHTSA complaint #11761008 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2025 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brakes independently activated, and the vehicle stopped. The driver's and steering wheel air bags unexpectedly deployed. In addition, the contact stated that there was no impact to the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 18,000.
NHTSA complaint #11761106 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While driving my 2019 Honda CR-V across railroad tracks, the vehicle displayed a BRAKE warning and automatically applied the brakes even though there was no vehicle, person, train, or other obstruction in front of me. The braking occurred while I was crossing the railroad tracks and caused the vehicle to slow unexpectedly. I did not intentionally apply the brakes. I am concerned that the Collision Mitigation Braking System/automatic emergency braking activated falsely and could create a safety hazard, especially at a railroad crossing.
NHTSA complaint #11760594 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
On XXX, I had an accident where I rear-ended a vehicle stopped at an intersection, when I simultaneously pressed my brake and accelerator pedal due to a hazardous brake pedal/accelerator pedal positioning. Only one week prior I had described/argued the exact accident scenario with the service mgr of First Texas Honda Svc Ctr ([XXX]) after taking my CR-V in for brake evaluation/servicing. He said nothing’s wrong with my brake pedal. I’ve owned my car for 10 yrs and have experienced these situations numerous (<20+X) times, as one of two scenarios: In a slow stop and an emergency stop, WHERE THE BRAKE PEDAL DOES NOT STOP AT A REASONABLE DISTANCE ABOVE THE LEVEL OF THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. The 1st scenario involves slow braking at low speeds (<25mph) where I’m simply slowing/flowing with traffic, as was the case with the accident I’m reporting. Here, I’m using a simple toe-heel pivot to move from accelerator to cover the brake. With a steady slow pressure, the brake pedal sinks to the level of the accelerator without fully stopping the vehicle. At that point, the brake pedal sinks below the accelerator pedal, resulting in my foot pressing both the brake and accelerator simultaneously, causing my CR-V to surge forward. Of course, I can’t physically see how low the brake pedal has dipped, and I’m relying solely on the car’s response (movement) when suddenly the accelerator engages. While I take full responsibility, I believe the brake pedal is more the problem than me/my foot. In the Emergency braking episodes, the scenario begins with a quick response braking requiring steady braking pressure (not fast/abrupt); then traffic stops abruptly, requiring a hard, urgent braking to stop completely—but the already depressed brake pedal sinks to the floorboard rather than delivering a hard deceleration before the pedal bottoms out. It’s a panic moment that triggers an emergency evasive maneuver into to an adjacent lane. The CR-V’s brake pedal creates dangerous incidents. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATIO
NHTSA complaint #11759504 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving 35 MPH, the vehicle lost automotive power and jolted to a complete stop. The vehicle independently restarted. There was no warning light illuminated; however, the message “BRAKE” was displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer to be diagnosed; however, the contact was informed that no cause for the failure was found. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 78,000.
NHTSA complaint #11759523 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
On August 20, 2026 at approximately 3:45 pm the vehicle slammed on it's brakes unexpectedly with the ACC active. The ACC was set to 45mph as per the speed limit and was traveling at that speed until the brakes suddenly engaged and abruptly reduced the speed to 20mph. It was sunny, 91 degrees there were no cars, obstructions or shadows and the vehicle had been washed and clean 2 days before.
NHTSA complaint #11759530 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I am writing to formally log a product quality and safety complaint regarding my 2026 Honda CR-V Hybrid.The Low-Speed Braking Control system frequently triggers severe, abrupt false-positive braking events in common driving environments, such as steep driveways, when recreational bike rack is attached and areas with minor vegetation. While the software allows the driver to disable this feature within the Driver Information Interface, the vehicle overrides driver autonomy by automatically resetting the system to "ON" every time the ignition is cycled.Forcing a driver to navigate multiple digital menus before every single trip to disable a system prone to false-positives is an ergonomic hazard. Unexpected, automated slam-braking while trying to merge or back into live traffic creates a distinct risk of a rear-end collision.Other major manufacturers (such as Toyota with PKSB) successfully balance safety compliance and driver utility by allowing user settings to persist after a restart, using a standard dashboard warning light instead.I request that Honda release a future software update to allow the Low-Speed Braking Control system configuration to remain in the user's last selected state (ON or OFF) between drive cycles. Please log this issue under my VIN in your corporate quality tracking database. This has reached a level of safety concern for me to consider trading in for a vehicle that allows safe functionality in a practical manner. This is not a feature for outdoor user on a vehicle marketed as a Sport model. Previous models of Honda had the option to switch this feature off and on as needed instead of the automatic reset during the start cycle.
NHTSA complaint #11758569 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, several unknown warning lights illuminated and then turned off. In addition, the contact stated that two days later, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brakes independently activated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 109,000.
NHTSA complaint #11756657 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2017 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving 45 MPH, the brake message was displayed, causing the brakes to engage independently. An independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure had occurred on several occasions. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and they informed the contact that the VIN was not under recall. The approximate failure mileage was 68,000.
NHTSA complaint #11756320 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while his wife was driving approximately 65 MPH, the wheels locked up unintendedly. The BRAKE warning light was occasionally illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed; however, the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the failure reoccurred with several unknown warning lights flickering. The contact stated that a local independent mechanic arrived on scene, and the failure codes were cleared. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 19,000.
NHTSA complaint #11755507 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving 30 MPH, the brakes independently activated. In addition, the contact stated that the brake pedal was firm while depressed and the tires squealed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the failure was not duplicated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact stated that the failure was a known failure with the vehicle. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 99,565.
NHTSA complaint #11754969 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
All the safety lights came on on the dashboard suddenly the brake assist did not work. Honda tells me the brake servo is bad. This is a known defect as other 2020 crv hybrids were recalled for the same reason. It is a dangerous safety hazard.
NHTSA complaint #11754699 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I was proceeding through a green light and the “BRAKE” warning engaged when I was going through the intersection - there was nothing in front of me. I had no control of the braking system. Thankfully, there were no other cars on the road. This has happened about 4 other times, including a couple of times on the freeway.
NHTSA complaint #11751967 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I am reporting multiple factory defects on my 2024 Honda CR-V, led by a severe, confirmed steering safety defect commonly known as 'sticky steering' where the steering wheel sticks/notches while driving and requires excessive force to correct, causing dangerous lane swerving. The authorized Honda dealership confirmed the steering gearbox has failed and requires replacement but the necessary parts are backordered indefinitely, forcing me to leave the unsafe vehicle at the dealership. Furthermore, the vehicle suffers from two additional major unresolved warranty issues recorded under the same Repair Order: a defective door weather stripping seal that has peeled off and detached from the door frame, compromising cabin weather sealing, and a strong, musty mold odor emitted from the AC system on low fan speeds that poses an air quality and health concern for occupants. Due to this unaddressed steering safety hazard, additional factory defects, and backordered parts, the vehicle remains out of service at the dealership (visited on 11 July, noticed that it's unsafe driving and returned the vehicle to service on 16 Jul) and no replacement car has been provided.
NHTSA complaint #11751626 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.