Faulty emergency brakes, seats that malfunction, and electrical system issues are among the main causes of complaints received by the NHTSA from vehicle owners
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A popular SUV first introduced as a 1997 model, the 2023 Honda CR-V is the first of the 6th generation, and it offers a myriad of new features. The manufacturer says the “all-new” model is “perfect for daily life or weekend escapes.” But owners who have experienced faulty emergency brakes, malfunctioning seats, a less than perfect electrical system, or unintended acceleration, don’t agree.
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Complaints about the 2023 Honda CR-V to the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA) range from faulty back-over prevention and electrical systems to malfunctioning seat and automatic emergency brakes. Other components or systems that are named in complaints include forward collision avoidance, lane departure, and vehicle speed control.
There are also varied complaints on Edmunds, including several that relate to seats.
Additionally, there is a recall that affects 98 2023 CR-V vehicles with passenger seats that aren’t correctly welded. When seats aren’t properly welded, the “seat back position” may fail in the event of a crash.
The recall, NHTSA Campaign Number 23V092000, issued on February 16, 2023, states that when a seat back position fails, it may not restrain the occupant adequately during a crash. This, of course, increases the risk of injury.
There is, indeed, a complaint that reports that an occupant was injured when the seat malfunctioned when involved in a crash. But, ironically, it was the driver and not a passenger that was affected. Other complaints also relate to drivers’ seats rather than passenger seats.
| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Steering | |
| Lane Departure: Assist | |
| Electrical System | |
| Unknown Or Other | |
| Visibility/wiper | |
| Service Brakes | |
| Lane Departure: Warning | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking | |
| Structure:body | |
| Engine |
Like the 2022 Honda CR-V, complaints include problems with the automatic emergency braking system not working as well as it stopping the SUV for no reason.
For example, in a complaint identified as a forward collision avoidance and lane departure problem, the owner of a 2023 Honda CR-V tells how the SUV was hit by another vehicle on the rear right side. The “other car was sliding on the road, crossing the lanes, and hitting the CR-V.” The side airbags did deploy immediately, but the CR-V didn’t stop. According to the complaint, lane keeping assistance, the frontal collision system, and automatic emergency braking failed to work properly. “It hit the median and all front airbags were deployed.”
The plea from this owner is for Honda to improve the safety features of the SUV. Apart from anything else, says the complaint, the CR-V shouldn’t twist and turn, creating a secondary collision.
In another complaint that identifies a forward collision avoidance issue, the owner states that the automatic emergency braking system suddenly stopped the SUV abruptly, for no reason. The vehicle was traveling at 50 mph “without any obstructions in front of me, almost causing a rear end collision from the car behind me.” Despite escaping a crash, the driver suffered minor whiplash.
In a complaint that pinpoints a vehicle speed control problem, an owner reports that while pulling into a parking spot, the SUV suddenly accelerated. “I was not applying pressure to the gas pedal and was easing into the parking spot. When I applied pressure to the brakes, they were extremely hard to push like they were locked up. The car jumped the concrete barrier, took out a pole fence, and jumped a sidewalk.” It stopped just “short of hitting the building.”
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As mentioned above, even though there is a recall because of a seat problem, it applies to passenger seats that have been “improperly welded.” Unfortunately, Honda hasn’t identified problems with driver seats.
A complaint from a 2023 CR-V owner from Virginia tells how there are two back bolts in his driver’s seat that weren’t installed at the factory. This means that “the back of the seat is not attached to the car.” The dealership didn’t notice this during the pre-delivery inspection, and the new owner drove the SUV for a month before realizing they were missing.
The driver of another 2023 CR-V was involved in a rear impact accident when the seat collapsed backwards onto the back seat. Luckily, the driver was able to slide out under the fastened seat belt. The complaint states that he or she “landed in (the) center of the back seat with both feet tangled in the seat belt” and was injured.
This may or may not have been an issue relating to bad welding. But, even if it was, the fact that it was the driver’s seat and not a passenger seat that failed means it would not have been included in the recall.
There are also several seat-related complaints on Edmunds.
An owner from New York was shocked when a 2023 Honda CR-V owned for less than a month, with fewer than 1,000 miles on the clock, developed serious problems and wasn’t fit to be driven.
The owner became aware of the problems when he got “a critical warning light that told me to stop driving as soon as possible because my 12 volt battery wasn’t charging and my vehicle was not safe to drive.”
The vehicle had to be towed to the dealership, where he learned that the power control unit needed to be replaced. “I had no clue that I was going to get this warning, so it came as a total shock to me that my car was no longer drivable. Luckily I was in a location where I was able to stop driving very quickly and was not on the highway. I was told this part is like the alternator on a non-hybrid car, so like its brain. Had I been in a place where it wasn’t safe to pull over, my car could have stopped abruptly causing a major accident.”
While the dealership ordered the required part immediately, the owner was told it was available at the time. “This means my car will be at the dealership for more than 30 days. I thought this would qualify my car as a lemon under the lemon law. But the dealer is telling me this is not the case because they have ordered the part and it is back ordered.”
Do you think your Honda CR-V may be a lemon? If you do, even if your dealer insists your case doesn’t qualify under lemon law, you’re entitled to get the advice of a lemon lawyer.
Every year, automakers end up paying out lemon vehicle owners or trading in their faulty cars. For many years, Lemberg Law has been helping vehicle owners by negotiating settlements on their behalf. If you’d like us to assess your case, free of charge, contact us by calling our Helpline or filling out a contact form. Ultimately, the law says that Honda must pay the legal fees for lemon law cases, so it’s not going to cost you anything.
Brian Jones spent more than 30 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.
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These all are the same issues I had when I bought my 2016 HONDA PILOT. I had CRVs before it and never had issues with them. The dealership here kept saying now that it over 36,000 mile warranty I had to start paying for everytime for it to be fixed . Luckily know the GM of the dealership and they fixed it everytime so they didnt face a legal battle. However one thing that still happens is it emergency brakes and stops while on highway that is one thing that has never stayed fixed . No one should be dealing with this or any severe matter ! The company needs to get down on their quality control before any of their vehicles get shipped somewhere and also show proof they have tested each vehicle and legally sign each matter listed above wont ever happen! there has to be some legal Guarantee from any car maker. PS my HYBRID I had to replace 4 batteries over the 7 yrs and shouldnt have had to the suv just sucks the life out of the battery
My 2023 Crv Touring Hybrid is currently in the shop for a 3rd time for the same issue. In this 3rd visit they have now had my car for 3 weeks. Parts are on backorder and they don’t know when they’ll be in. Driving a dealer loner. In total its been out of service for almost 6 weeks.
I just took my 23 hybrid model for the steering issue (less than 7k miles). The advisor was told by his manager that the part won’t be available until April 24. Currently in rental or loaner vehicle.
Bought CRV 2023. From day one Blind spot monitoring system malfunctioned. Needed four trips to the dealer. Windshield wiper on the driver side when hits the post making noise. The trunk light doesn’t work.
Honda is not Honda anymore!!
After getting rid of a Hyundai Tucson, I thought I was better off in the Honda. But progressively, the steering is getting harder at only 6300 miles. It is as if it sticks for a second before releasing, and at high speeds, I have to work constantly to keep it straight. I don’t think it’s the alignment because usually with alignment issues, the car drifts to one side or another. This doesn’t do that. It’s like I’m fighting the steering in both directions constantly. It’s going in to the dealer in a few days, and I see that there are reported problems with the EPS rack, so I won’t be surprised if that’s the answer.
My 2023 crv touring tailgate has no power and is at dealership as I type. Even the service man was confused and shocked