CarComplaints.com Notes: It's rare when a newer vehicle has defect trends, & the 2017 Honda CR-V has at least two — overfilled oil levels with a gas smell, & heat not working.

Both problems affecting the Honda CR-V's 1.5L "Earth Dreams" engine appear to be related to cold-climate regions.

CR-V owners report overfilled oil levels due to fuel in the oil, & sometimes a gas smell in the cabin. That problem appears to be related to fuel injection which Honda hopes to fix via a software update. Honda so far has only conducted a recall in China & a "product update" in Canada.

CR-V owners also report no heat even after warming up their CR-Vs for 30 minutes — not even enough to defrost the windshield. So far, there has been no fix from Honda for this issue.

8.6

pretty bad
Typical Repair Cost:
$1,280
Average Mileage:
11,800 miles
Total Complaints:
48 complaints

Most Common Solutions:

  1. not sure (45 reports)
  2. 1245a2 product update campaign: software update for 2017-18 (2 reports)
  3. replace heater door flap (1 reports)
2017 Honda CR-V AC / heater problems

AC / heater problem

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2017 Honda CR-V Owner Comments (Page 1 of 3)

problem #48

Dec 152022

CR-V LX 1.5L Turbo

  • Automatic transmission
  • 77,671 miles

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

Coolant is being lost from the radiator system. Dealer can't find leak. Seems to be time related rather than hours of operation. Not resolved.

- John F., Bolton, ON, Canada

problem #47

Nov 012019

CR-V Touring

  • Automatic transmission
  • 20,300 miles

It's crazy to buy a brand new car in this day and age and have no heat! Like the others, the car has to be running in order to have heat! No such thing as warming up before you get in. And God forbid you have to stop at a long red light, the cold air blows in!!! On short trips, just plan on being cold.

- Donna L., Cookeville, US

problem #46

Nov 292019

CR-V EX 1.5t

  • Automatic transmission
  • 18,641 miles

Windshield remains fogged up until the car runs for a km, at least. Worst CR-V ever built.

- Rahul D., Toronto, ON, Canada

problem #45

Oct 192022

CR-V

  • Automatic transmission
  • 22,000 miles

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

My warranty ran out in July, so I have to pay $2,000 out of my pocket if I want heat for the winter. The car only has 22,000 miles on it. The problem has to be a manufacturer's defect in the heater.

- Diana B., Dayton, US

problem #44

Dec 032018

CR-V LX 1.5lV4

  • Automatic transmission
  • 8,000 miles

The heater is not working properly. It seems fans are not doing as it should. The car door seal is not good. I was told the engine is too small but my old car Toyota had the size of engine and heat the car very well. it is a shame.

- Zisheng X., Postage la Prsirie, Canada

problem #43

Dec 312018

CR-V EX 1.5L

  • CVT transmission
  • 15,000 miles

Just want to say that this my first Honda (my family has had dozens of Hondas and Acuras since the 80s) and it's been a nightmare experience since new. First, my hood paint blistered and rusted when the car was only 9 months old and I have to drive around with a devalued vehicle with an aftermarket painted hood that was replaced under warranty. Anyone who buys this car from me (I can't wait to get rid of it) will think I was in a wreck because the crappy paint job makes it obvious the hood was repainted.

Next, I had the recall done that was supposed to fix engine oil dilution. In my case, they did not replace the ECU but did "update it." Luckily, I drive nearly all highway miles so I've never had oil dilution. HOWEVER, the same day that I drove my car home from the dealership I noticed two issues. One, my already crappy cabin heat became way crappier. I stopped at a gas station and while idling my engine needle temp dropped from midpoint to zero within just a few minutes and I lost cabin heat completely. I immediately called my dealership but due to my busy job I was unable to bring it back last winter and I just dealt with it. My 10 minute ride from my house to the highway on cold morning is freezing. I get a bit of cabin heat when I go uphill but then coasting causes immediate loss of engine temp and cabin heat. Once I hop on the on highway, the heat works fine. If I pull up to someone's house to wait in the car for them, I once again lose heat within minutes. I finally took the car back to the dealership a few weeks again and they cant find anything wrong with it.

Also, since the recall was performed, I've dealt with a rattle coming from inside the dash that's loud enough to drive anyone insane. I've recorded it in several videos and shown them to my local dealer, but they can't find the source of the noise or even hear the noise. Tonight, my driver's seat heat inexplicably stopped working. Passenger side works but my side doesn't. So, now I have to freeze on cold days with no cabin heat and NO working driver's seat heater (and my car is out of warranty due to high mileage).

Honda used to stand for quality but now they have gone downhill and shame on your company. Consumer reports and JD Power now ranks Honda reliability less than almost any brand, including crappy American brands, and way lower than any Japanese brand. What happened to Honda reliability? My car is only 2 years old and it's already falling apart! Why is there oil dilution in a brand new engine? Why doesn't my cabin heat work? Why did my seat heaters fail? Why did my hood paint blister up and rust? I followed every single maintenance requirement (some at dealer and some at my mechanic) and I wash the car every single week at a touchless car wash. My car is babied by me. Yet, it's a piece of junk. The recall on the ECU didn't fix oil dilution and, as reported by numerous owners, actually made the cabin heat problem worse!

I bought this car for nearly 30k and I live in upstate NY. I never would have dreamed that I would have to freeze because my brand new car engine won't stay hot to provide me with cabin heat, a very basic essential need for a car driven in colder climates. Honda has yet to come up with a fix for these cars and has yet to make good on the poor design and build quality. I have also contacted my attorney to explore any legal options I may have against Honda motors. This car is a lemon. Honda knows they designed and built a lemon. Honda has refused to take responsibility for selling lemons. Honda has engaged in a coverup in not helping customers who are driving cars with oil dilution and lack of cabin heat. This is Takata airbag all over again, minus the safety issues associated with that.

I'll never buy another Honda product. Honda has completely gone down the tubes regarding quality and customer satisfaction. Shame on this pathetic company for producing this pathetic stain on Honda's reputation for quality.

- Isaac R., Monsey, US

problem #42

Nov 252020

CR-V

  • Automatic transmission
  • 54,617 miles

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

The heat stops working when the car is idle. I paid $552 for a new thermostat and the problem is still present. Heat is blowing and heating fine when the car is moving but stops blowing warm air when the car is idle.

- Allison W., Hyde Park, US

problem #41

Feb 012018

CR-V EX 1.5L

  • CVT transmission
  • 12 miles

HEAT not working is a safety issue as if you get stranded in -20 to -50 weather you will freeze to death in this car. It should at least come with candles to keep you warm you would think. I am actively looking for a solution I will update and post the fix if there even is one besides burning candles for heat which is a fire hazard. So if anyone else has a solution please msg me and let me know by leaving a comment under my post. I'm from Calgary, AB Canada

Dealers are full of BS they are taught to tell us or else they just make up their own BS story which I've heard after my GF gets tired of the run around and sends me in to figure out what is what. Gotta love the GREEDY F***S.

TO BE UPDATED BY END OF WEEK !!!!

- Jason W., Calgary, AB, Canada

problem #40

Nov 012017

CR-V ES

  • Automatic transmission
  • 6,214 miles

2017 Honda CR-V.....no heat ever !! You can command start it at least 3 Times then drive for 20 minutes ...still no heat....have complained to dealer and Honda Customer Service all to no Avail. This vehicle should have never been sold In cold climates !! If there is a Class Action law suit, I would definitely join. So disappointed as this is my 4th Honda and will definitely be my last. Still waiting to hear back from Customer Service since March 2020.

- dhickey, North Tetagouche, NB, Canada

problem #39

Dec 012018

CR-V LX 1.5lV4

  • Automatic transmission
  • 5,000 miles

2017 Honda CRV IS SO POOR.

First, the car generates more noise than any other car (in my judegement), possibly from poor seal.

Second, last winter, I opened the back door and see a significant amount of ice forming around the bolt of door. I do not understand how a car can be so poorly designed. I drove may different car but have never seen this.

Third, the heater system was not working properly. Three remote start warm cycles never heated the car. The recall does not fix the problem. I brought the car to the dealer and was told the car has a small engine (1.5L) and could not generate enough heat. To compare my 20 year old Toyota (1.5L as well), the CRV 2017 never generated enough heat, is this intentional? A few times, I drove on the highway for 20-25 minutes, the car did not heat inside. One time, I drove to airport in the early morning, after I drove 45 km with 2 remote-start cycle before driving, the car was still cold... In addition, I found the inside air circulation may help but for some air direction format, the car automatically shifted to outside air circulation format which makes the heating effect much worse

I do not understand what type of people are designing the cars in this company? The designer must be from the tropics. If that is the case, the car should not be sold in the north America.

- Zisheng X., Postage la Prsirie, Canada

problem #38

Nov 052018

CR-V EX-L

  • CVT transmission
  • 6,500 miles

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

Worst car I have ever owned, and I have literally owned at least 20-30 autos. After a long period car will warm somewhat, but as soon as the blower motor comes on the heater gauge drops to zero and blows cold air. When using remote start I never heat up. Blasts cold air. Honda quality control is unacceptable!!

- Robert A., Franklin, US

problem #37

Jan 212019

CR-V EX-L 1.5L

  • CVT transmission
  • 27,000 miles

The heat does not work properly when it is cold out. Auto start does nothing to warm up the car. The cars temperature gauge only moves towards the center when the car is moving. Once is it half way, a normal car would then produce heat. Not this car! You turn the heat on and the gauge drops all the way down, to nothing! With the heat not working I’m left with windows that are foggy/icy which limits my visibility creating dangerous driving conditions. Even with driving on the highway for 30 minutes, the inside of the car is freezing, door windows are foggy and will start to have ice form on them and the front and rear windshields fog up and do not fully unfog.

- Stephanie B., feasterville, PA, US

problem #36

Sep 012018

CR-V EX 1.5L Turbo

  • Automatic transmission
  • 18,000 miles

This is our 5th Honda, second CRV. We live in Northern New Hampshire and it gets cold here. The heat has never work correctly. At times no heat even coming out vents. It seems everyone with this vehicle, is having the same problem. It Honda doesn't.correct this problem, I'll never purchase another one. $27,000 and can't even get heat.

- Gary S., Monroe, US

problem #35

Feb 212019

CR-V EX 1.5L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 23,000 miles

The heat doesn't work properly. When driving in temps 20 degrees or less (a daily occurrence in WI) the only way the vehicle temp gauge seems to rise is freeway speed driving for 10+ minutes. Upon stopping at a light the temp gauge routinely drops before my eyes. The air temp coming from the vents never seems to get "hot". Using the remote start to "warm up the vehicle" the car never comes off the "C" on the temp gauge. Once the vehicle comes to temp after freeway driving it doesn't hold temp. Once off the freeway the temp gauge starts dropping.

Honda says that the engines are so efficient that they don't produce enough engine heat and this is how the car was engineered. (they engineered the heat to not work) Spoke to the service writers and manager at the dealership I am being told this is a common complaint with 2017 and 2018 CRV vehicles. Honda USA calls this "normal". Was told by the Honda rep that if I have a complaint that I have options with government agencies and that I should pursue those. I have never had a company essentially say go away we have nothing more for you and by the way if you have a problem with it go complain to the government.

- Troy C., Greenfield, WI, US

problem #34

Dec 052018

CR-V EX 1.5L

  • CVT transmission
  • 18,020 miles

I have a 2017 Honda CRV EX and had the recall fix for the oil dilution issue. The climate control module was replaced as part of the recall. However, the car still will not warm up at a normal rate and the temp drops like a stone in idle. The recall fix did not solve the engine heat problem!!! I assume the oil dilution issue may continue as well as it is related to engine temps not being hot enough on short trips.

What do I do now?

Update from Dec 24, 2018: 2017 Honda CRV still not heating up in a normal way despite updates to software and climate control unit. Particularly slow when heater temp is set around 25 to 30. Oil dilution is caused by engine temp not reaching burn off levels.
Oil dilution will inevitably cause premature engine wear and give this Honda model a very poor reputation for resale. Is there a class action law suit underway in Canada???

Update from Dec 26, 2018: This oil dilution issue will become known and will adversely affect the resale and trade in value of Honda CR-Vs. A class action lawsuit will be required to bring fairness to this problem. Does anyone have the name of a Canadian law firm that may be undertaking a class action lawsuit against Honda?

- Mj H., Calgary, AB, Canada

problem #33

Dec 012017

CR-V

  • CVT transmission
  • 5,000 miles

Little to no heat in car in winter. Wrote to Honda, who provided me with non-sense suggestions to resolve this such as plug-in heater and drive low gear, etc.... I don't understand that Honda is not addressing this. I just became aware that the main consumer organization in Quebec, Protegez-vous, is no longer recommending this vehicle to consumers because of this issue.... Sad, I have owned Honda vehicles for over 40 years.

- Daniel L., Ottawa, ON, Canada

problem #32

Dec 012018

CR-V EX-L 1.5L Turbo

  • CVT transmission
  • 34,000 miles

Car does not warm up properly in cold weather - does not warm up at idle and can take a long time to warm up when driving. Honda does not acknowledge that there is a problem.

- John W., Loveland, US

problem #31

Jan 062018

CR-V EX 1.5L L4

  • CVT transmission
  • 700 miles

The technician and advisors said nothing is wrong with the heat, even though it's blowing cold air, which I made them feel with their own hand. Then they ran the engine for 1 hour inside the shop said nothing is wrong. Some jackass advisor told me all cars have low heat when it's cold outside. So I left with nothing being solved.

- Michael G., Chicago, IL, US

problem #30

Jan 032018

CR-V LX 1.5L Turbo

  • CVT transmission
  • 12,427 miles

It is very hard for the 1.5L Turbo engine to reach it's normal temperature. During the winter, if you don't drive the temperature never raise and the cabin temperature stay cold. If there is ice on the windshield you have to remove it with a scraper. Even after 20 minutes at idle there is not heat. If the temperature of the engine raise a little pray not to stop on a red light for a long period because the temperature of the engine start to drop. When you have to drive on heavy traffic this become a nightmare.

Honda says the engine works as expected and they ask to plug the car and to keep it in a garage. This is totally unacceptable. When you pay $36 000 for a new car you expect it would produce heat. Cold weather during winter is not something new.

The attitude of Honda is shameful. Sad to say but this is the last time I buy a Honda product!

- Mario F., St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC, Canada

problem #29

Dec 122017

CR-V LX 2.4L

  • CVT transmission
  • 100 miles

Vehicle has auto start and the temperature gauge does not go off start until you start driving.....lower radiator hose cold even after vehicle has idled for 15 - 30 minutes....Very dangerous to drive when windows will not defrost until you are driving down the road. I have contacted the dealer and they are aware of the problem but have no solutions to the problem.

- mh4222, Houghton, US

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