10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
4 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
4 / 0
Average Mileage:
34,510 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 engine problems

engine problem

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2012 Honda CR-V Owner Comments (Page 3 of 5)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #45

May 062014

CR-V

  • miles

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

Vtc actuator..Honda has been having recalls on the Accord and its happening to everyone's CRV..the Honda dealers want $1000, replace with a new up-graded unit.. very loud noise on every start...

- Burlington, WA, USA

problem #44

Feb 052017

CR-V

  • 20,000 miles
2012 Honda CR-V vtc actuator recall.....whenever I start my car I hear a grinding noise which I have been told is the vtc actuator. The noise is very annoying it makes loud loud noise every time the car is started.

- Peekskill, NY, USA

problem #43

Sep 272013

CR-V

  • 6,600 miles
I have a 2012 Honda CRV exl + navi 2wd and last 3-4 years I visited Honda dealerships more than 7 times for the problem. Vehicle has currently approximately 30K miles and Honda part # 44500-T0A-A00 was replaced under warranty 3 times. There is still oil leak from passenger site intermediate drive half shaft bearing. Last time vehicle was repaired about 14 months ago at Honda dealership and the leak came back again. Honda regional mechanic looked at it and couldn't identify the root cause of the problem. (no help there...) the vehicle is still under power train warranty (and its running out...) I called last Honda dealer again and they told me that they would probably replace the same part again and again until leak stops. And for how long repeat the same repair? I strongly believe that they are not able accurately diagnose the root cause of the problem and keep repairing wrong thing. I was wondering if is there was someone at "helpful Honda" that is familiar with it's products design and can diagnose where the oil leak is coming from. There is always wet oil residue under my splash guard which could be a potential fire hazard...I have all 6-7 times dealer repair work invoices as a proof.

- Northridge, CA, USA

problem #42

Dec 012012

CR-V

  • miles

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

The cam actuator gear assembly" part #14310R44A01, act. Assy., 46T vtc this part rattles for a few seconds on startup. It has been happening (especially in cold weather) since the car was one year old (it is now 3 years and 8 months old).

- Locust Valley, NY, USA

problem #41

Jul 012016

CR-V

  • 42,000 miles
Our car started vibrating during light acceleration between 20-30 mph just over 40,000 miles (warranty). This vibration is very noticeable around town while running errands. The whole car shakes! if pushed hard on the accelerator the issue does not happen, for instance when going on the freeway. We found a service bulletin #15-086 dated August 18, 2016 thanks to our mechanic, currently Feb. 2017. However when we called the dealership where the vehicle was purchased, we were told that Honda has taken the service bulletin down because they found the recommended software update and replacement of the A/T fluid, was not found to solve the problem. So he said there was nothing to be done to fix this issue. They know there is a problem, and yet no solution. So here we are stuck with a vehicle that we bought for the Honda brand and yet if we want to sell it, test driving it will reveal its major issue and we will not get blue book value for it. Bad return on investment. So really I will have to drive this car around, vibrating all over town, even though my family has now outgrown it, and not be able to upgrade fairly to a bigger car. I wanted a Pilot, but Honda's lack of concern over this apparent issue does not instill buyers trust in them again. More like buyers remorse.

- Pico Rivera, CA, USA

problem #40

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 #39

Jan 082017

CR-V

  • 85,000 miles

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

The vehicle shakes, vibrates or wobbles when accelerating in low gears. It stops when easing up on the gas pedal. It typically occurs when the vehicle shifts (automatic transmission) between the 1st and 2nd gears. The whole car shakes. The only way to stop it is by removing foot from gas pedal or accelerating car quickly to higher speed. The issue affects the ability to safely accelerate to proper speed. Begins when accelerating from a stopped position all the way up until car reaches about 40-45 miles per hour. Occurs on all types of road conditions but is very pronounced when driving on a flat surface.

- Owens Crossroads, AL, USA

problem #38

Nov 012016

CR-V

  • 40,000 miles
Vehicle makes a loud noise when starting in cold weather

- Clinton, IN, USA

problem #37

Dec 142016

CR-V

  • 42,000 miles
Heater is blowing very cold air (28 deg) on driver side, (130 deg) on passenger side. This condition is when the vehicle is stationery, it becomes much colder when in motion. There was a tsb created November 2014, regarding this problem.

- Clinton, IN, USA

problem #36

Oct 012013

CR-V

  • 17,000 miles
Loud noise when the engine is started.

- East Elmhurst, NY, USA

problem #35

Dec 152015

CR-V

  • miles

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

Grinding noise at cold start.

- Wyandanch, NY, USA

problem #34

Nov 202015

CR-V

  • miles
Each time I start an engine when it still cold it has a rattle loudy noise. When Honda is going to recall for this issue?

- Stockton, CA, USA

problem #33

Oct 152015

CR-V

  • miles
A grinding noise occurs upon starting which lasts for a few seconds. I had asked about it on more than one occasion when bringing my car to the Honda dealership for service. A service manager captured it on video and said there was not any effect to the vehicle. My warranty is now expired and I imagine trying to sell the vehicle in the future will be a problem when someone hears that noise.

- Eden Prairie, MN, USA

problem #32

Jan 012016

CR-V

  • miles
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 #31

Mar 232016

CR-V

  • 18,000 miles
On cold startups there is a grinding noise coming from the engine compartment which lasts for a few seconds. The grinding noise is heard usually after the car is left idle overnight but happens to a lesser extent while the car is being used. I took it to the dealer. Their mechanic identified it as the vtc actuator. They said that this is common and that Honda has issued a service bulletin and will be issuing a recall soon. Honda knows of this problem (bulletin:09-010). They said that it can wait for the recall to be issued. My problem is that my warrinty may now expire and a recall could not ever be issued.

- Sound Beach, NY, USA

problem #30

Apr 222015

CR-V

  • 34,000 miles
We have a problem with noise when starting in cold weather. There is a hesitation sometimes when driving like not getting fuel.

- Dry Run, PA, USA

problem #29

Jan 122016

CR-V

  • 57,000 miles
Low heat from the drivers side vent. Had to have the heater core flushed. Its a known issue with this car and there is an official Honda service bulletin (14-063) for this problem. Had to pay $450 to have this fixed.

- Spanish Fork, UT, USA

problem #28

Nov 052015

CR-V

  • 28,669 miles
Grinding noise occurs on 1st start up when car is cold and occasionally during the day. We took it to Honda dealership on 11/5/2015 and they say it is the vtc actuator and no repairs will be done at this time. We took it to pasadena Honda on 1/25/16 and the service manager said they Honda would email us when they had a fix. I called Honda customer service and filed a complaint. They said Honda was working on a second solution.the noise continues to worsen. They said it wasn't a safety issue or wouldn't hurt the engine(?)

- Pasadena, CA, USA

problem #27

Dec 012015

CR-V

  • 24,000 miles
Grinding/rattling engine noise on first start-up only. Appears to be the vtc actuator problem. Happens only in cold weather. Almost bought a Toyota rav4 instead. Maybe I should have bought the Toyota?

- Massillon, OH, USA

problem #26

Jan 012015

CR-V

  • 40,000 miles
This is in reference to sb-09-010 that hundreds if not thousands of CR-V owners are experiencing spanning from 2012-2014 model years (other Honda's such as the Accord are also experiencing this issue all the back to 2008). Starting around 40,000 miles (after our 3 year/36K warranty expired of course) our vehicle makes a loud grinding noise on cold startups (after vehicle has been sitting for 2 or more hours). The longer the vehicle sits the louder the grinding noise is for the first startup. Honda has known about this problem for many years now (research it and you'll see for yourself) and has been complacent in coming up with a fix. How am I supposed to sell a vehicle that sounds like this" no one in their right mind would buy a vehicle that sounds like the engine is knocking or rattling. Where are the fixes for this Honda" Honda, you're rapidly losing faith in your brand and your customer base is diminishing. You've already lost me as a customer (my wife is still being loyal since this CR-V is hers) and I've jumped ship to another brand of car that starts with an "S" and ends in a "ubaru".. at 50,000 miles my 7 months pregnant wife got stranded 200 miles from home because the alternator decided to crap out on her which resulted in the battery dying. Luckily a good samaritan gave her car a jump start and she reached her destination. Getting the alternator fixed which was diagnosed as something internal in the alternator, cost us over $600 to fix on a 3 year old car. An alternator should not be dying on a 50,000 mile or 3 year old car. We will be filing formal complaints with Honda customer service in regards to the alternator and the loud engine rattle. Honda's quality in workmanship has drastically declined. I am through with buying any more Honda's. goodbye Honda!

- Glen Allen, VA, USA

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