— Honda Canada says 2017-2018 CR-Vs and 2016-2018 Civics will start receiving repairs that will allegedly solve the problems of high oil levels and oil dilution. Some Canadian customers report their vehicles already had "product update" repairs performed after Honda Canada was contacted by the Canadian Motor Vehicle Arbitration Plan (CAMVAP).
A statement from one Canadian CR-V owner indicated that Honda would have been forced to buy back her SUV if it wasn't repaired by October 31, 2018. The woman says her CR-V received the oil dilution remedy by the deadline, but Honda Canada says the majority of customers won't be contacted until November.
According to Canadian CR-V owners who have already had the oil dilution work performed, Honda technicians noted the following repairs:
- Performed N60 Campaign (Oil Dilution)
- Replaced Climate Control Unit
- Replaced Drain Plug Washer
- Replaced Oil
- Updated PGM-FI and TCM Software
Honda Canada says 2017-2018 CR-Vs and 2016-2018 Civics will receive updates that will upload new software into vehicles. Dealers will also change the engine oil and in some cases the air conditioning control units will be replaced. Honda says the updates will allegedly allow the engines to warm up faster and improve fuel combustion to prevent fuel from diluting the engine oil.
In addition to the repairs, Canadian CR-V and Civic owners will receive warranty extensions on "certain engine components for up to six years from the original date of purchase, with no mileage limit." However, the automaker didn't specify which components were included.
As actions are taken in Canada, Honda will begin contacting certain CR-V owners in five states concerning the work dealers will perform on 1.5-liter turbocharged models.
American Honda spokesman Chris Martin says the problem was tackled in Canada first because of the weather situation.
"Please note that this is an extreme cold weather issue related to drivers who rarely drive longer than very short trips, often before the engine can properly warm up. Thus, it’s not very common in the US when compared to overall CR-V sales volume (nearly 380k sold last year in the US)."
Honda will start in December 2018 with 2017-2018 Honda CR-Vs in Maine, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin by installing software updates for the transmission and engine control units, changing the engine oil and in some cases the air conditioning control units will be replaced.
CR-V customers in these 16 states will be contacted after Honda has enough replacement parts, likely a few months from now: Alaska, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont.
According to Honda, 2019 CR-Vs will be repaired before they are sold to the public, but details are slim about possible repairs for CR-V owners outside the 21 named states. In addition, Honda hasn't announced plans to repair Civics in the U.S.
Additionally, Honda hasn't said if U.S. customers will be offered warranty extensions similar to what Canadian customers are receiving.
The automaker believes the updates will allow the engines to warm up faster and improve fuel combustion, thereby reducing the oil dilution problems.
Honda claims the oil dilution problems in CR-Vs and Civics have occurred mainly in areas of cold weather such as seen in certain areas of China.
Chinese regulators started to pay attention after CR-V and Civic owners complained about high oil levels that sent the smell of fuel into the vehicles. Additionally, owners complained of illuminated engine/oil warning lights and damaged engines caused by fuel mixing with the oil, a problem Honda blamed on extreme cold weather and drivers taking short trips.
Honda told Chinese regulators of plans to recall 350,000 CR-Vs and Civics equipped with Earth Dreams 1.5-liter direct injection engines. However the recall plans were nixed by Chinese regulators until Honda came up with a different solution that finally pleased regulators.
The automaker says actions taken for Chinese CR-V customers are similar to U.S. repairs, but not identical.
Honda CR-V customers in the U.S. who have questions should call their local Honda dealer or 888-234-2138.
Read complaints about the Honda CR-V and Honda Civic.
