3.8

definitely annoying
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
32,209 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2012 Honda CR-V accessories - exterior problems

accessories - exterior problem

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2012 Honda CR-V:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2012 Honda CR-V Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #23

Nov 292023

CR-V

  • miles

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

2012 to 2014 honda crv's have a "blockage problem" on the driver's side of the heater core and the driver's side of the heater does not put out any heat. this is a safety issue as condensation builds up on driver's side of the windshield and snow/ice can build up on driver's side of the windshield due to no heat. honda has known of this problem (defect in heater driver side heater core) since at least 2014, see their service bulletin 14-063 dated november 20, 2014. our local honda dealer service department doesn't feel the heater flush produces worthwhile results on an ongoing basis and recommends heater core replacement at $1500-$2000. the service department at our local honda dealer was rather evasive about the cause of the driver's side heater core blockage/failure. my internet research leads me to believe the heater core has a defective design that throws off particles that accumulate in heater core and and gradually block driver's side of heater core and then no heat for driver's side including windshield. i'm using incident date of 11/29/23 because honda service department diagnosed heater core problem that date but driver's side had been gradually losing heat output for some month's. i attempted to resolve heater core issue with honda customer service but got nowhere.

- The Dalles, OR, USA

problem #22

Dec 122019

CR-V

  • 180,000 miles
I went through two windshields made by Honda for this car. I get a chip or crack in the windshield almost monthly. I've also owned a Honda element and Honda civic. Every single windshield made by Honda is exactly the same. The chips are a danger to visibility and to the structural integrity of the windshield during an accident. For the latest windshield, I went to henderson glass and they installed an aftermarket windshield not made by Honda. I've had the new windshield for 6 months now and not one single chip for crack. I'm finding blogs all over the internet with hundreds of Honda owners all in the same boat. Somebody please do something about Honda windshields. There was a class action lawsuit against Honda when I owned the Honda element. I had sent in receipts for 3 windshields and multiple chip repairs on all of them and was awarded over $1000 from that. But, Honda never fixed the problem with the windshields. I bought a new one after that the chips persisted every single month. The chips happen on the expressway, on regular roads, dirt roads and and anywhere and any time the car is in motion. I'm begging someone to do something, please!!!!!!

- Ann Arbor, MI, USA

problem #21

Feb 062019

CR-V

  • 62,400 miles
Rear window shattered following use of electric rear window defogger. Outside air temperature was about 30 degrees F, active freezing drizzle. Started the engine and without delay began driving and then turned on rear window electric heat switch to improve rear visibility, which worked. I left the switch on until we reached our destination about 8 to 10 minutes later, parked the car inside a garage, shut off the engine, exited, all vehicle windows seemed intact when we departed the car. We did not come in contact with any object or experience any impact. We went inside the house, then by remote control closed the garage door. Next morning I went into the garage and discovered a large hole in the rear window, broken glass throughout the interior rear of the CRV, on the floor of the garage around the rear of the car, and when I opened the overhead garage door, discovered broken glass all over the ground as much as six feet outside the garage door, as though the forceful window breakage had occurred in the few minutes after we left the car and before the garage door had closed. Honda service representative stated they do not work on window glass. The commercial window glass technician who replaced the window stated that this window had been replaced before.

- Hancock, NH, USA

problem #20

Dec 282018

CR-V

  • 114,000 miles

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

The driver side defroster will not blow hot air. This makes it difficult to defrost the windshield in order to have proper visibility during winter driving conditions. This is especially true when the weather suddenly changes while driving and the windshield starts to frost over. The local authorized Honda dealer performed tsb 14-063 which flushed the heater core with clr and fresh water. This did not solve the problem. Again, the passenger side is blowing extremely hot air, but the driver side is cool. This tsb was issued in November of 2014 for a 2012 vehicle. Obviously a heater core should not be clogged with contaminants after 2 years while running approved Honda antifreeze in the cooling/heating system. The tsb also explains to the technician how to check for proper movement of the mixture door for fresh air. Honda says that the only recourse is to pay for a heater core replacement with a cost of over $1200. If this has been a long-term well-known issue by Honda they should pay to fix the issue since it is a manufacturering issue and is a safety issue which greatly affects visibility in winter, which can also make the vehicle unusable if the windshield cannot be defrosted. Even when the vehicle has been running for hours, the driver side still blows cooler air unlike the passenger side.

- Carbondale, IL, USA

problem #19

Nov 012015

CR-V

  • 42,000 miles
The defroster on the driver's side emits air that is much cooler (sometimes cold) than the air on the passenger side. The ability to keep the windshield clear is greatly hampered during changing weather conditions. Honda tsb 14-063 attempts to address the problem, but it is not effective and places an unnecessary cost on the consumer.

- Itasca, IL, USA

problem #18

Dec 012017

CR-V

  • miles
No heat on driver side vents. Will not defrost driver side windshield. Very difficult and dangerous driving conditions for my wife. Honda dealership where vehicle was purchased quoted $1,450 for repair of heater core on a 5 year old vehicle with 80,000 miles. This is not acceptable. Dealership offered no help in the matter and referred me to corporate. If no help from corporate, this will be the last Honda my family will buy. We are, or were a complete Honda family as every member of our family, (6) all drive Honda's. has their quality of vehicles declined this much. Any help much appreciated!

- Forest City, NC, USA

problem #17

Sep 012016

CR-V

  • 40,000 miles

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

The car is a 2012 Honda CR-V LX AWD. The driver's side heat is significantly lower than the passenger side heat. This is a know issue, Honda tsb 14-063, low driver's side heat. The low driver's side heat makes driving in the snow dangerous as there is not enough heat to adequately defrost the windshield. The driver's side windshield wiper will also start to ice up the passenger side is fine. I measured a 40 - 50 degree F temperature differential between the far passenger and driver side vents using a thermocouple display device. This occurs while the vehicle is in motion or stationary and on city streets and highways.

- Aurora, CO, USA

problem #16

Feb 012017

CR-V

  • 73,000 miles
Problem with cooling system. The 2012-2016 CR-V models have issues with the heater core becoming clogged, and not generating enough heat for proper defrosting, defogging and cabin heating. Honda is aware of this problem and it is wide-spread enough for them to issue technical service bulletin #14-063 (see attached) for flushing of cooling system, at a cost to the car owner of approximately $470. This problem seems to be caused by factory-installed coolant (this is not scheduled to be replaced until 105K miles). Since our CR-V still had the factory coolant and all related components, and could be safety-related due to ineffective defrosting and defogging, should these be subject to a recall at Honda's expense, and those owners who paid for this to be corrected be reimbursed?

- Lancaster, OH, USA

problem #15

Dec 202016

CR-V

  • 61,000 miles
Tsb 14-063 failure or plugging of the heater core. Not allowing the driver side vents to defrost my windshield. It is 5 degrees outside and there is little/no heat coming from the drivers side vents, but the passenger side is warm. Continually happening.

- Coeur D'alene, ID, USA

problem #14

Aug 052016

CR-V

  • 55,000 miles
The windshield wiper speed are very inadequate. When set to the fastest speed the wipers don't work well. The wipers tend to move faster the faster you are driving. Sitting still wipers don't move. When it is raining hard and fast the wipers do such a poor job it's impossible to see.

- Huntsville, AL, USA

problem #13

Jan 012016

CR-V

  • miles

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

Heater/defroster on driver's side not putting out warm air. Windows not being defrosted - safety issue. Honda has long recognized this problem and issued a service bulletin 14-063 but refused to correct with charging several hundred dollars. This should be fixed no-charge as it is a safety issue.

- Henderson, NV, USA

problem #12

Apr 092016

CR-V

  • 46,000 miles
It is well documented by Honda that there is an issue with heater cores on these cars. Heater will eventually become plugged and not work. Heat is significantly cooler on drivers side vents than passenger side. My complaint is without heat to defrost windshield in winter conditions it will become a visibility issue due to not having the ability to defrost the windshield. And potentially cause a crash. Honda is very much aware of this issue, yet is charging customers that are out of warranty to rectify the issue. I have 46K miles on my car and am having heater core issues? I noticed the issue early on and it has gotten progressively worse. Had I of known what it was I would have had it fixed under warranty. Honda tsb number is 14-063. Temperature differential from passenger side to driver side in my car is 40+ degrees.

- Herriman, UT, USA

problem #11

Feb 102014

CR-V

  • 12,000 miles
This has now happened twice, in early 2014 and early 2015. Driving on the highway in a snowstorm, the windshield wipers work fine for a while, and then rather suddenly the windshield ices up to a point that visibility is extremely poor. The wipers themselves fail, and no amount of defrosting/heat directed at the windshield will help. The only thing that helps is pulling off the highway and manually de-icing them. The problem with that, of course, is that one is not always in the position to be able to do this, and certainly not immediately once the problem starts. The first time this occurred was in awful traffic in a snowstorm with my two daughters in the car. There were accidents all along our route, so even with visibility the driving was hairy. There was nowhere to pull over for a long period in order to fix the problem. It was without a doubt the worst and most frightening driving experience I've ever had. After that experience, I purchased and installed brand new wipers. They work great in the rain, and I was hopeful about their performance in snow. But then I encountered the problem again the following winter. Happily, on the second occasion I was able to pull off the highway relatively soon after the problem started. My guess is that it has something to do with the shape of the windshield, or with the depth of the well at the base of the windshield.

- North Haven, CT, USA

problem #10

Feb 262015

CR-V

  • 13,205 miles
I. headlights are terrible. I only drive occasionally at night. The high beam points too high and the low beam too low. I asked rep in service dept. At don jacobs, lexington, ky and he advised the headlights are set at factory. They could not do anything to adjust them. I don't think he even made out a report. But the more I think about it, Honda should have a "fix" for this problem. 2. battery. Local temps have been -/+ zero outside. My Honda is parked in garage and temps in this cold weather in my garage is 34 degrees, average.. my Honda "groans" when starting, but so far has managed to get started. I have not mentioned this to don jacobs as I didn't think they would do anything about it. They would probably say "it was set at factory".

- Danville,, KY, USA

problem #9

May 142012

CR-V

  • miles
I am writing to see the issue I am facing with my car is a safety concern or not. I contacted Honda and they indicated all of their Honda CRV 2012 models are designed the same way to protect the interior electric mechanism of the car. I have a visibility problem when it is raining or there is moisture on the side windows (all four sides including driver side) of my Honda CRV. So when it rains or there is moisture on the side window while the car was sitting their overnight, I am having difficulty to wipe off any water droplets or moisture by sliding my side window down. I have tested many other cars. All of them squeezes off the water on the window by just sliding the window. My Honda CRV doesn't allow me to do that. I brought this to attention back in 2012 to Honda. I was advised to always to properly wipe off my windows with a clean cloth before driving. I understand that it my responsibility to ensure I have clear visibility before starting to drive. I have been doing this since 2011. My question was what if it raining heavy and I am driving. There is an urgent need to see cars behind me using my side-view mirror. I slide my window to have a clear visibility and close my window back again. Again their a need to do so" should I keep doing these over and over"

- Scranton, PA, USA

problem #8

Jan 212014

CR-V 4-cyl

  • 9,500 miles
The windshield sprayer on the Honda CR-V 2012 freezes under 30 degrees and does not work to clean the windshield. I can not drive my cr -V in the snow because visibility could be zero and I would not be able to clear the snow from my car. I just can not see out my windshield.you would think Honda would have a better design for there new CR-V. in the snow storm, I had to open my driver's side window and drive home looking out that window to get home safely. I can not believe that in 2014 we can not have a car whose windshield sprayer worked properly in the snow!!!that is a safety issue.

- Jamaica, NY, USA

problem #7

Dec 172013

CR-V

  • 20,000 miles
Windshield sprayer freezes at any temp under 30 degrees. Either there is a flaw in the design of the spray or the slope of the hood which allows the sprayers to freeze temps under 30 degrees. This make driving in snow weather very dangerous. I have seen many complaints about this online.

- Independence, MO, USA

problem #6

Jul 112012

CR-V

  • 1,200 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Honda CR-V. the contact stated that while traveling 65 mph, the driver's side windshield wiper blade pulled rain into the contact's field of vision, decreasing her visibility of the roadway. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was advised that the entire driver's side windshield wiper needed to be replaced. The windshield wiper was replaced but did not rectify the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximately failure mileage was 1,200 and the current mileage was 18,000.

- Ann Arbor, MI, USA

problem #5

Jun 012012

CR-V 4-cyl

  • 1,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Honda CR-V. the contact stated that the passenger side windshield wiper blade failed which caused water to accumulate and obstructed the drivers view. The failure was recurred several times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who advised the contact how the windshield was designed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 1,000 and the current mileage was 3,000. Updated 10/16/12 the consumer stated the passenger side blade throws water to the driver's side impairing the driver's vision. This occurs when the wipers are on medium or high speed. When on low the wipers leave streaks on the driver's side. Updated 11/09/2012

- Madeira Beach , FL, USA

problem #4

Aug 262012

CR-V

  • 400 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Honda CR-V. the contact stated that the sun visor only covered two-thirds of the side window, leaving a large portion of the window unblocked and making it difficult for him to see as the sun glared through the window while driving. The dealer and the manufacturer were both notified of the failure but neither offered any assistance. The failure and current mileages were 400.

- Hemut, CA, USA

Read the next 3 complaints »

Not what you are looking for?