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.

9.3

really awful
Typical Repair Cost:
No data
Average Mileage:
80,900 miles
Total Complaints:
3 complaints

Most Common Solutions:

  1. not sure (2 reports)
  2. change engine (1 reports)
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2018 Honda CR-V engine problems

engine problem

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2018 Honda CR-V Owner Comments

problem #3

Feb 262024

CR-V LX 1.5L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 113,000 miles

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

Had car serviced multiple times, without resolution.

Took it to NuCar ( Boch )

I was told I need a new engine that would cost up wards of $16k .

Coolant leaking into my oil and cylinders .

- mpmackey, Methuen, MA, US

problem #2

Jun 282023

CR-V EX 1.5L Turbo

  • Automatic transmission
  • 105,000 miles

We have had electrical issues with our 2018 CR-V since purchase, mostly with the center panel shorting out, flickering, acting weird. We have had this car serviced at every single recommended point in time at the Honda dealer and each time we asked them to check out the electrical problems, they found nothing. I thought I'd just have to live with it. A few weeks ago, I was driving down the road and got the BRAKE warning beep. Before I knew it, the car performed a brief but hard brake. This was extremely startling and had never happened before. A few weeks later, I was driving and all warning lights came on the car. We scheduled the car for service.

We chose to have the dealership service team pick the car up instead of risking the drive. I made them aware of all lights on in the dashboard but they said it was fine for them to drive back to the dealership. Six minutes later, I get a call saying the car had decelerated on the highway and the driver had parked in a parking lot. It had to be towed to the dealership. This is terrifying--this is the car I use to transport my children.

I get a call from the dealership saying two things: one, that they believe the problem is with the VTEC Solenoid actuator. I have no idea what this is or how it explains what happened with my car. In addition, my oil is black and sludgy. Like others, I have had a gas smell in the car cabin. Not being a super knowledgeable driver, I thought perhaps I had just gotten gas on my hands when fueling.

No matter what, I won't be driving this car again--a car that brakes or decelerates of its own accord is not fit to be on the road. I am very disappointed, as we have been loyal Honda owners for well over a decade. But I will not put my children in this car.

- Hadley B., Excelsior, US

problem #1

Aug 112021

CR-V LX 1.5t Awd Ex-L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 24,600 miles

Speed control set to 70mph, interstate highway. Passing semi, car slows down 3 separate times. Traffic was behind me. Eventually I managed to pull to the side of the road. Shut car off, restarted it was able to drive home. Unacceptable. Honda, fix the problem! The car will cause a serious accident/death if it is not fixed.

Update from Feb 25, 2022: I was told by Honda service in Fishers, that they were sure I put the car in neutral. That is not true, I did not!

- Joan T., Indianapolis, IN, US

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