CarComplaints.com Notes: 2011 Honda CR-V owners are reporting problems where the engine revs when braking.

Our data is showing early signs of a defect trend, so that's why we've flagged the 2011 CR-V with our "Beware of the Clunker" rating. Time will tell whether this continues to be a problem, & if so, whether Honda will be able to identify the problem & fix it.

8.9

pretty bad
Typical Repair Cost:
$5,000
Average Mileage:
16,900 miles
Total Complaints:
23 complaints

Most Common Solutions:

  1. not sure (23 reports)
2011 Honda CR-V engine problems

engine problem

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2011 Honda CR-V Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #23

Nov 002017

CR-V LX V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 60,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Experience increased acceleration when braking nearly hitting a building.

- Judy H., Upton, US

problem #22

Sep 032016

CR-V EX 2.4L L4

  • Automatic transmission
  • 46,000 miles

Driver was driving in a shopping mall parking lot and pulling into a parking space. As driver was pressing on the brake pedal, driver noticed a burning odor and felt the car start to accelerate. The car continued to accelerate and jumped a curb, proceeded to move across a driving lane, and was headed toward the side of a building. The driver kept foot on the brake and steered the car into the path of a tree in front of the building to avoid hitting the building. The car struck the tree and came to a stop. Still waiting for insurance company to get estimate and have the car repaired. Really don't want to drive the car anymore.

- Steve C., Schaumburg, IL, US

problem #21

May 162016

CR-V EX 2.5L V4

  • Automatic transmission
  • 63,201 miles

I was fully stopped at an intersection. With my foot on the brake, the engine accelerated, the car bucked. At this point I jammed my foot harder on the brake to keep from entering the intersection.

- Chanel S., Damascus, OR, US

problem #20

Aug 232015

CR-V ES 2.4L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 60,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

When braking for a stop light, the engine accelerated. This has only happened once, however I worry about when this will happen again. Makes my husband and I nervous to say the least.

- Ellen R., Wenatchee, WA, US

problem #19

Nov 112013

CR-V EX

  • Automatic transmission
  • 20,000 miles

I was stopped at a stoplight and just as I took my foot of the brake pedal to make a left hand turn my car shot forward like a rocket uncontrollably and I was doing 20 miles an hour if not more without my foot on the gas in less than 25 feet.

Rather than crash into the house ahead of me I made a sharp left turn and thought I was going to flip my CRV. However, it just kept going and crashed through the side vinyl fence. I had my foot on the brake and the car was not stopping. I wound up on top of tall bushes in the next yard over and that finally brought me to a stop, however the two front airbags went off and I thought I broke my right hand and had to be transported to the hospital. Thank god it was just a sprain.

I just shut the car off and hopped out scared to death. This did so much damage to the front, side and undercarriage of my car I am not sure if my insurance company will fix it or total it. Scariest thing ever and yet never got one notice of my car having this known problem and it is still under warranty and has less than 20k miles on it. I am glad that my passenger in the front seat was not hurt and am getting rid of this car even though I loved it - it is just not safe.

How dare Honda not make this information available - they have no problem sending me e-mails continuously about their latest and greatest deals on new cars. God forbid I would have crashed into the house and killed someone! This has caused me great hardship and could have been avoided if Honda was honest with all the complaints about this very problem on their recall website! So disgusted with them!

- mkhny, Shoreham, NY, US

problem #18

Dec 202012

CR-V LX 2.4L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 19,653 miles

On my way from work I had an incident of unintended acceleration. I was able to stop my car after about 10 seconds (by switching transmission to Neutral). I brought car to Honda next morning and after two weeks received a letter from Honda Canada stating pedal misapplication or interference with pedal application by unanchored aftermarket floor mat, or both.

I completely disagree with the alleged findings of your investigation.

I don't think the unintended acceleration resulted from pedal misapplication. I am an experienced driver with a perfect driving record. I wasn't impaired or distracted. I clearly remember applying the brake unsuccessfully, before switching the transmission to neutral and finally bringing the vehicle to a complete stop. Furthermore, there was no interference between the unanchored floor mat or any other objects and acceleration pedal.

As a professional engineer and test engineer with more than 30 years of experience (18 years in automotive industry) I can't accept this formal denial of the facts by manufacturer. I feel it's my obligation to report this incident in order to prevent some serious safety issues for other motorists.

- Boris S., London, Ontario, canada

problem #17

Dec 202012

CR-V LX 2.4L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 19,653 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

On my way from work on December 20, 2012 driving 2011 Honda CR-V LX I had an incident of unintended acceleration. I had to swerve to the right and jump a curb with my right wheel off the road in order to avoid a collision. My car was going high speed relative to the traffic. Any attempts to use brakes were unsuccessful and I was able to stop the car after about 10 seconds by switching transmission to Neutral. Fortunately, nobody was injured and no damage to other vehicles was done.

I brought my car to London Honda dealership next morning and after two weeks received a letter from Honda Canada stating the probable cause of unintended acceleration was pedal misapplication or interference with pedal application by unanchored aftermarket floor mat, or both. This is my second Honda CR-V in seven years and I know where brake pedal is located. As far as the floor mat, it was far away from the acceleration pedal. Clearly, they try to blame the driver and sweep the problem under the rug. I had to file a lawsuit in a small claim court last week since trading this car and get another driver in a potentially dangerous situation is not an option for me.

- Boris S., London, Ontario, canada

problem #16

Apr 222013

CR-V EX-L 2.4L V4

  • Automatic transmission
  • 20,225 miles

I was trying to park the vehicle in a paking spot in a parking lot of a shopping center. While I was trying to bring the vehicle to a complete stop by pressing the brake pedal, the vehicle kept moving faster and faster until the vehicle hit the brick wall of a building. The air bag deployed. The repair cost of the accedent was about $ 10, 000.00. The incident was reported to Honda through a Honda Dealer, Honda sent a representative who inspected the vehicle for two hours and finally gave the report that there is no problem with the brake system of the vehicle. He also told us in front of the representative from the Dealer that some one from the Honda HQ in CA will be in contact with us. We were never contacted by Honda as of today, June 6, 2013.

- Sheikh R., Macomb, MI, US

problem #15

Apr 122011

CR-V SE 4

  • Automatic transmission
  • 1,000 miles

This was my 4th Honda CrV. Car suddenly, but intermittently, would accelerate upon braking. Naturally, dealer could not duplicate the problem. I feared to drive this hazard and traded it immediately. I would like to buy a new CrV but simply cannot trust Honda. By the way, the CRV I test drove and thought I bought, turned out to be a different car. I checked the vin number on my purchase order and the dealer had substituted an identical new Crv indicating it didn't matter. The one I test drove and thought I purchased was made in Ohio, the one they gave me was made in Japan. I wonder if this hidden defect is associated with production sites? I didn't report this originally to anybody but the dealer. The dealer reported that they had heard about this problem, but hadn't experienced it and could not replicate it with my car. I have periodically monitored this site, and decided to add my complaint, albeit several years later. To this day every time I hit the brakes on my current carI wonder if they will work properly. As an expediency I traded the Crv for another Honda model with the same dealer and lost money in the process, but because it was fast and easy, and to its credit the dealer was accommodating. Nevertheless, I doubt I would ever trust Honda again with the wide variety of quality products out there today. I wonder what happened to the person who bought the very slightly used Crv and whether the dealer disclosed the undiagnosed braking/acceleration problem. Thanks. Ralph

- ralph1968, Harrisburg, PA, US

problem #14

Sep 142011

CR-V

  • Automatic transmission
  • 500 miles

This involuntary acceleration was absolutely frightening. The first of five times, I thought I was imagining it, the second time, I thought my sandal was causing the problem, the third time my husband was with me and I could not stop the car, when I stepped on the brakes the car accelerated through the stop. I could not believe it! My husband insisted we take the car back to he dealer. They kept the car for a week called in a specialist from Honda, of course they could NOT replicate the problem. I think they put a new sensor in. Now the car rev's up to 3 RPM's with no gas and the gas mileage is between 5-10 miles less than before. I don't trust this car anymore. It still has an acceleration problem....Now one year old, thinking about another make and model. Looking into it. Read other complaint, very accurate description of my experience, I know there are more of us out there. Thanks for this forum.

Update from Jan 26, 2013: After another Car Complaint Honda owner called me from New York to tell me of her harrowing accident in her CRV I sold the vehicle at a significant loss back to the dealer of origin. Big bummer! I slept well that night for the first time in a year. So it was worth it! I have since run into 3 others that have had the same issue with their Honda's. I encouraged them to write a review on Car Complaints. So many people do not take the time, as they feel it is useless. As you can tell I disagree with that notion. Thank you for your follow up and I am soooo happy I wrote my experience on your site to help others and thankfully myself. I know I would have harmed someone or myself with this vehicle had I not gotten rid of it. I told Poway Honda of the history and they should dismantle this vehicle as they are liable!

If you need anymore info, I'd be happy to help. We are starting a petition to recall.

- Birgit S., Oceanside, CA, US

problem #13

Sep 062012

CR-V ES V4

  • Automatic transmission
  • 26,500 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

We bought a Certified 2011 Honda CRV. We were very happy until my wife experienced this horrible incident. She stopped at the red light behind this 18 wheeler. Then suddenly her car started to move forward. My wife frantically applied brakes without any result. Her car hit the 18 wheeler and continue to push forward. 18 wheeler did not even notice this and took off. She turned ignition off and car rolled to side road. Dealer ran all kinds of testing and test drove the vehicle. Of course, they did not find any issues. They told us that they found the water bottle rolling around driver side floor. I did not bother telling them how the water bottle could have landed on floor while the vehicle was being towed. We are very concerned with this issue. I was hoping to hear that they found something or had a possible solution.

- Mike K., Houston, TX, US

problem #12

Jul 222012

CR-V

  • Automatic transmission
  • 2,600 miles

Bought the car new in October 2011, Had the same problem three times within the first month, brought to dealer who checked it and found nothing. Began to think it was just me (had a Dodge Durango prior to the CRV, which had more widely spaced pedals), and that I might be pressing gas and brake at same time. Was extra careful, and never happened again until yesterday, when the car really took off. Luckily it was into my own garage (much damage, but car seems OK, because initial impact was into rubber garbage can). Now, I'm afraid to drive the car, and don't know what to do, since it already checked out OK with dealer in late 2011. Help!

- rosemaude, Oakland, NJ, US

problem #11

May 312012

CR-V

  • Automatic transmission
  • 31,200 miles

While at a full stop removed my foot from the brake and the car bucked and accelerated into another car I couldn't get the car to stop.

- Claudia M., Bellerose, NY, US

problem #10

Dec 092011

CR-V 4 cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 4,800 miles

On Dec.9, I entered the underground parking lot on the campus of Ohio U. in my 2011 CR-V. After taking the ticket from the machine, I felt the car suddenly accelerate , but it did respond to the brakes. As I turned cautiously to enter the parking spaces area, the engine again revved up, sounding shrill and loud like a jet engine. I wasn't able to stop and bashed into a concrete support pillar. I was wearing my seat belt; the air bag deployed.

Result: demolished car, black eye, multiple bruises, broken left arm that required surgery and four days in the hospital.

I loved that car -no problems until the malfunction before the accident. I will never feel comfortable driving one like it again.

- nick2011, Athens, OH, US

problem #9

Aug 202011

CR-V LX 2.4L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 3,300 miles

Last weekend, after coming back from from shopping as usual, I parked my CR-V in front of garage and noticed that the engine kept rev up and roaring though I had place the gear in Neutral (N)...That was the third time I noticed since we bought this CR-V brand new from the dealer... It is so annoying that we would like to get rid off that right away if possible... We have been a Honda fan for so many years, but its quality is getting worse and worse...That was one of the reasons we sold our lovely Odyssey'06 with only 50K for only 15K because the transmission started shaking and slipping... I am planning to bring the car to the dealer this weekend and let them know the problem; hopefully they can diagnose and fix the problem for us until it is too late... Any advice from you folks what we should do would be greatly appreciated!

Ciao, Dieu H.

- hdieu12, San Diego, CA, US

problem #8

Aug 202011

CR-V LX 2.4L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 3,300 miles

I bought this CR-V for weekend use purpose...In the last 2 weeks, my wife and I noticed that the engine for some reason rev up though we put our car in P gear, and we were out of the car...we then checked the gas pedal to see it get stuck or not, we did not see anything wrong with it...We then turned off the engine, then restarted it, the problem still exist...We have bought this car for few months, and it had happened twice so far already...

What should we do? bringing the car to the dealer for a check up? It could take a whole day for it...

We do not feel good since we bought this brand new...so disappointed....

- hdieu12, San Diego, CA, US

problem #7

Feb 152011

CR-V SE V4

  • Automatic transmission
  • 1,400 miles

Engine accelerated when tried to stop.It happened again. Tried to stop and car accelerated. This is the 6th time in first 1400 miles of ownership. Took it to Honda and they test drove it and it happened to them. It is verified by Honda after they insisted it was not happening and could not happen. One person in service believed me and if not for him Honda would not have looked at the car again. At one point Honda even sent me a letter saying they have done everything possible and nothinig is wrong. They say they are going to put in a new power contol module (PCM) to fix the problem.

- hensoc, San Jose, CA, mexico

problem #6

Mar 082011

CR-V SE V4

  • Automatic transmission
  • 1,868 miles

Safety issue with unwanted acceleration when braking with new 2011 Honda CRV. Pulled into a parking space. Engine maintained RPMs when braking. Shifted to neutral and RPMs went up to 4700 or more. Honda has duplicated problem so this is real thing. No mats on pedals or foot on gas and brake at same time. The engine really periodically accelerates when I try to stop the car. Has happened multiple times to me and to Honda service when they test drove car.

- hensoc, San Jose, CA, mexico

problem #5

Feb 122011

CR-V SE V4

  • Automatic transmission
  • 1,196 miles

Safet, safety, safety for driver, other cars, and pedestrians. Periodically try to stop at a light or crossing and engine either revs or maintains speed. Must press hard on brake to keep car from moving forward. Must shift to neutral, turn car off, and restart to get rid of problem. Occured multiple times and witnessed by another person in car. Honda keeps saying no codes present, cannot reproduce.

- hensoc, San Jose, CA, mexico

problem #4

Jan 292011

CR-V SE V4

  • Automatic transmission
  • 723 miles

Was going about 40 MPH and applied the brake at a red light and engine maintained its speed did not shift down to idle. I shifted to neutral, per Honda's instruction, and turned the car off. At green light started car again and was ok.

- hensoc, San Jose, CA, mexico

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