CarComplaints.com Notes: It's rare when a newer vehicle has defect trends. Judging from the identical 2017 model year, the 2018 Honda CR-V is likely to have 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.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
3 / 0
Average Mileage:
9,435 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.

2018 Honda CR-V engine problems

engine problem

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2018 Honda CR-V Owner Comments (Page 18 of 23)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #105

Oct 312018

CR-V

  • 8,697 miles

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

The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. the contact stated that there was an abnormal fuel odor while the vehicle was being driven. The contact was concerned that when the dipstick was check, the oil level was above the high mark, the oil had a gasoline odor, and the oil was dirty. The vehicle was taken to Honda of murfreesboro (929 john R rice blvd, murfreesboro, tn 37129, (615) 896-3480) where the contact was informed that the odor was normal for vehicles with a turbocharged engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 8,697.

- Murfreesboro, TN, USA

problem #104

Oct 082018

CR-V

  • 4,900 miles
Read article regarding gas in oil issue. Checked my oil the next morning and found it to be overfilled with the dipstick smelling like gas. Called Honda - created a case and took car to dealer for a checkup. They did a complimentary oil change, said the dispstick smelled like exhaust and told me there should be a fix in November per Honda. Just read about the proposed fix and found that they are only doing this in cold weather states. I have hgad my car for 9 months and have less than 5000 miles on it. I only use it for short trips which is why I believe I may have this issue. Called Honda again today to see what they are going to do about people with this issue in Texas and was told that it is still under investigation. Thinking they need a push to do the right thing here (perhaps an official recall)?

- Pflugerville, TX, USA

problem #103

Sep 122018

CR-V

  • miles
Engine oil is being deleted with gasoline in less than 2000 mies, which will cause engine damage over time. Had oil change, it had almost 1/2 inch extra fluid on the oil dip stick level and the oil smells like old gasoline

- Spring Lake, MI, USA

problem #102

Oct 112018

CR-V

  • 5,000 miles

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

Repeated stalling and safety systems going haywire.

- Durham, NC, USA

problem #101

Oct 292018

CR-V

  • 500 miles
Bought 2018 Honda CR-V exl only 2 weeks ago. It has 500 miles on it. I noticed a strong smell of gasoline coming from the engine. I found that the oil is over full and very diluted with gasoline. I worry this is a safety issue if the engine gets hot will the gas ignite. Is this going to cause excessive wear on the engine due to lack of lubrication? Honda needs to fix this issue. People are paying hard earned money for these vehicles.

- Show Low, AZ, USA

problem #100

Oct 302018

CR-V

  • 175 miles
We smell gasoline in the engine oil, which we discovered is a known problem with CR-V 1.5L turbo engines. The sales personnel did not own up to the known turbo problem when we asked about turbo engine reliability before we bought the vehicle. This defect ruins engine parts and could cause complete engine failure at high speeds, which may cause accidents with bodily injury.

- Macungie, PA, USA

problem #99

Oct 292018

CR-V

  • 2,900 miles

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

As others have complained about, a strong gasoline odor fills the cabin of the vehicle. I do not live in a very cold environment.

- Raleigh, NC, USA

problem #98

Oct 282018

CR-V

  • 18,000 miles
Gasoline entering oil pan. After being informed of this problem by a well know publication, I checked the oil level on my car and found it elevated. After smelling the oil on the dipstick, I smelled gasoline in the oil.

- Shelby, AL, USA

problem #97

Jun 022018

CR-V

  • 50 miles
On a city street, after slow acceleration after leaving a stop sign, with no cars in front of me, the collision avoidance system suddenly engaged and hard braked the car. Luckily no one was behind me or I fear I might have been rear-ended! also I am concerned that Honda has not acknowledged a problem with the earthdream turbo 1.5 engine causing gasoline to enter the oil. I live in Maryland, usa and Honda has done recalls in china and now Canada to address this issue as well as poor heating, but not in the usa. I am deeply concerned that this will cause engine damage in the future long after the warranty has expired and Honda will not accept liability! I am also concerned that there has been no recall to address problems with the gear shift lever. Many owners are reporting that the button you must push in to shift into or out of park will break without warning, preventing shifting gears.

- Frederick, MD, USA

problem #96

Oct 302018

CR-V

  • 7,900 miles
Strong oder of gas, gas in oil. Oil level is high. When its below 40F it takes a very long time for the engine to warm to 180F, per my scan gauge 2. this is going to cause a safety problem when its snowing and I'm in stop and go traffic. The car will not warm enough to defrost front windshield

- Wyndmoor, PA, USA

problem #95

Jan 032018

CR-V

  • 50 miles

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

I purchased my 2018 Honda CR-V ex-L in December of 2017. I noticed within a couple of weeks that the engine temperature gauge was extremely slow to climb, and oftentimes would "lose" temperature on colder days. I spent time testing the conditions when the temperature gauge would fluctuate so I would have additional information to provide the dealership. I would drive both stop-and-go, as well as on the highway for 15-30 minutes at a time to get the engine temperature normal, and then pull into a parking lot with the engine still running. After about 2-5 minutes, the engine temperature would start to drop, eventually dropping to 1-2 indicator marks on the gauge. I would also no longer have any heat at that point (the HVAC system would blow cold). I went through 2 separate dealers troubleshooting this issue. The dealership I purchased the car from had it in service the longest. After multiple days in the shop with no update, I felt they were not making any progress on the issue so I filed a complaint with Honda of America. They assigned the issue to one of their customer advocates to oversee this service issue with the car. I was told by Honda of America that the issue was referred to the regional manager of support for Honda in my area. After some additional time in service, I was told the issue was reviewed w/ Honda's technical / engineering team who deemed this as "normal". last month I came across multiple articles related to a gasoline oil dilution problem in 2017/2018 CR-V's, and a "side effect" of that problem being low engine temperature / loss of engine temperature. I checked the oil dipstick on the vehicle and noticed a very strong smell of gasoline.

- Portland, OR, USA

problem #94

Oct 122018

CR-V

  • 275 miles
My concern of reports regarding gas in oil of 2017-2018 CR-V 1.5 turbo. Reports of stalling, engine damage, give me little comfort that it only happens on short trips and cold climates when we live in Iowa. This is my second Honda and bought again because of its previous reliability. We have 381 miles on this car.(232 at time of purchase on 10-11-18. No warning was made of this possible problem before purchase. We are "counting on" Honda taking responsibility and correcting.

- Grundy Center, IA, USA

problem #93

Oct 272018

CR-V

  • 11,950 miles
Fuel is contaminating the oil causing the level to raise 1/4 to 1/2 inch above full when checking oil level with dip stick. Changing oil at 2,000 miles from last oil change. Possible engine damage which could lead to being stranded on the highway.

- Harwood, MD, USA

problem #92

Oct 172018

CR-V

  • 11,615 miles
Gasoline is entering engine oil resulting in over-fill situation and smell of gas. After reading consumer reports article, I checked my oil level and smell of oil on my 20018 Honda CRV with about 11,615 miles. Oil level was over "full" level of orange dipstick and smelled of raw gas. Took car into local dealer for oil inspection and change. They confirmed that "veh was half qt over full and smelled like fuel". they contacted Honda techline for correction and received this reply: "contacted techline was told cold start short trip is normal advise customer to take longer trips, and that Honda is looking into it". in other words, they blamed the customer's driving habits even though this is a known issue (see CRV recall in china). Oil was changed in spring and we were in rural area over the summer so cold start and short trips does not apply. Dealer said fix might be available mid November. I am very concerned about long term damage to engine by excessive gas dilution of engine oil. If there is no problem, why are they working on a fix?

- Traverse City, MI, USA

problem #91

Sep 032018

CR-V

  • 5,000 miles
Gas mixing in my oil and my heater quits in the morning as the car warms up.

- Shingletown, CA, USA

problem #90

Oct 272018

CR-V

  • 15,700 miles
The engine oil smells strongly of gasoline and the exhaust smells of burned gasoline. So far, there has been no stalling of the engine nor engine failure. However, I'm aware of the recent similar issues with this engine problem regarding the 2017 and 2018 Honda CR-V models.

- Irmo, SC, USA

problem #89

Oct 272018

CR-V

  • 15,700 miles
The engine oil has a strong smell of gasoline. So far, there has been no loss or engine power or engine failure. The exhaust also had the smell of burning gasoline.

- Irmo, SC, USA

problem #88

Oct 192018

CR-V

  • 1,051 miles
Strong gas smell in passenger cabin. Gas mixing with engine oil. Consequently engine oil levels rising very high.

- Raleigh, NC, USA

problem #87

Jun 292018

CR-V

  • 3,800 miles
Oil level in crankcase rising from fuel dilution

- Columbia City, IN, USA

problem #86

Oct 182018

CR-V

  • 7,000 miles
1.5L turbo engine- changed oil at 5200 miles tech said "very dirty". at 7200 miles/6 months- almost stalled in traffic 3 times. All three times I had to brake suddenly. Smell of gas in the cab once. I checked the oil, after 2000 miles since last changed- oil was black and smelled like gas. Dropped it off at the dealership- they have had it over a week. They seem elusive in updates. Tell me nothing is wrong one minute, it's ok the oil was that dirty, but then they "updated the electrical system" and changed the oil. Again they said- nothing is wrong, but they want to keep it one more night to test drive it and Honda has a solution to my problem coming soon.

- Arvada, CO, USA

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