Honda CR-V Years to Avoid and the Best Years

Years to avoid: 2017, 2018, and 2023 At least twice the 229 complaints of a typical CR-V year. Most described: oil dilution (2017 and 2018), steering rack problems (2023).
Best years: 2016 Under three quarters of the 229 complaints of a typical CR-V year since 2016, with no open NHTSA investigation or do-not-drive or park-outside recall. The 2020 drew few complaints too, but its first three years fell in the pandemic, when people drove less. The 2021 and 2022 also drew few complaints, but each is named in an open NHTSA investigation.

Based on owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, not adjusted for sales. The 2024 to 2026 models are too new to judge. See every year ranked

Data: US EPA and NHTSAUpdated Nov 12, 2026

Head gasket warranty extension. Honda covers the cylinder head gasket of certain 2017 to 2026 CR-Vs for 10 years from the original date of purchase or 150,000 miles, and the 2017 CR-V 1.5-liter turbo in any case until May 31, 2027, whatever its age or mileage. It is not a recall. Every CR-V in Honda's head gasket warranty extension, year by year

Every model year since 2010 in one place: EPA fuel economy, NHTSA recalls, owner complaints and crash test ratings. The best fuel economy rating, 40 mpg combined, arrived in 2023 and has held since. Includes the CR-V Hybrid and the CR-V e:FCEV hydrogen fuel-cell model.

CR-V problems by year, ranked by owner complaints

How the years are ranked

Model years ranked by owner complaints filed with NHTSA in their first three years (model year Y: filed by the end of Y+2), so every year is measured over the same time on the road. Years without three full years of data, and launch or final years with very few sold, are left out. Counts are not adjusted for how many were sold.

A typical CR-V year drew 229 complaints in its first three years: the median of its years since 2016, higher than the median of all its ranked years (149). Years to avoid drew at least twice that, and at least 50. Best years are up to three years since 2016 with the fewest complaints, each under three quarters of a typical year since 2016 (229), with no open NHTSA investigation and no do-not-drive or park-outside recall that covers all versions; the 2020 is never picked, as its first three years fell in the pandemic. How the verdict works.

Model year	First 3 years	All complaints	Recalls
2017 CR-V Avoid Most described: fuel in the oil or a rising oil level	835	1,782	7
2018 CR-V Avoid Most described: fuel in the oil or a rising oil level	697	2,169	5
2023 CR-V Avoid Most described: steering rack problems such as sticking, play or pulling	570	634	8
2015 CR-V Most described: shaking, shuddering or vibration	406	674	3
2019 CR-V Most described: steering rack problems such as sticking, play or pulling	296	1,110	8
2014 CR-V Most described: shaking, shuddering or vibration	248	588	1
2022 CR-V Most described: steering rack problems such as sticking, play or pulling	162	354	6
2016 CR-V Best Most described: shaking, shuddering or vibration	136	396	3
2013 CR-V Most described: shaking, shuddering or vibration	134	382	2
2021 CR-V Most described: steering rack problems such as sticking, play or pulling	120	448	5
2020 CR-V Most described: the check engine light coming on, then loss of power or limp mode	116	450	9
2012 CR-V Most described: power steering problems or locked steering	98	403	3
2010 CR-V Most described: rust or corrosion	56	483	15
2011 CR-V Most reported: air bags	51	555	13

Compare other models' worst years in the worst model years guide.

Check your CR-V for open recalls

Opens NHTSA's lookup in a new tab; your VIN goes to NHTSA, not to us. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard, the door jamb and your registration. Safety recall repairs are free at Honda dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

How to check a car for recalls, step by step

Get a vehicle history report from EpicVIN (opens in a new tab): a paid report with the car's title, odometer and salvage records, from an approved NMVTIS data provider. Affiliate link: we earn a commission if you buy. If you typed a full VIN above, the link sends it to EpicVIN and opens its checkout page for that VIN. Check the price before you pay: EpicVIN's $1 trial lasts 3 days, then becomes a monthly subscription until you cancel ($49.99 to $99.99 a month on its pages as of Oct 2, 2026). Disclosure

Year by year

Model year	Best rating	Recalls	Complaints	Crash test
2026 MPG · Recalls and problems	40 mpg Hybrid	2	189
2025 MPG · Recalls and problems	40 mpg Hybrid	6	300
2024 MPG · Recalls and problems	40 mpg Hybrid	5	485
2023 MPG · Recalls and problems	40 mpg Hybrid	8	634
2022 MPG · Recalls and problems	38 mpg Hybrid	6	354
2021 MPG · Recalls and problems	38 mpg Hybrid	5	448
2020 MPG · Recalls and problems	38 mpg Hybrid	9	450
2019 MPG · Recalls and problems	30 mpg Gas	8	1,110
2018 MPG · Recalls and problems	30 mpg Gas	5	2,169
2017 MPG · Recalls and problems	30 mpg Gas	7	1,782
2016 MPG · Recalls and problems	29 mpg Gas	3	396
2015 MPG · Recalls and problems	29 mpg Gas	3	674
2014 MPG · Recalls and problems	26 mpg Gas	1	588
2013 MPG · Recalls and problems	26 mpg Gas	2	382
2012 MPG · Recalls and problems	26 mpg Gas	3	403
2011 MPG · Recalls and problems	24 mpg Gas	13	555
2010 MPG · Recalls and problems	24 mpg Gas	15	483	Not rated

Best rating leaves out the 2025 and 2026 hydrogen fuel-cell version. Each year's MPG page lists every version.

Owner complaints by model year

All complaints filed so far. Counts rise with sales volume and with time on the road, so recent years look better than they may turn out. The highlighted bar is the model year with the most complaints in its first three years.

2017: 1,782 complaints

Show as a table

Owner complaints by model year, Honda CR-V
Model year	Complaints
2010	483
2011	555
2012	403
2013	382
2014	588
2015	674
2016	396
2017	1,782
2018	2,169
2019	1,110
2020	450
2021	448
2022	354
2023	634
2024	485
2025	300
2026	189

Best combined rating by model year

The best-rated version in each model year. Gas: 24 to 30 mpg (every year from 2010 to 2026); 30 since 2017. Hybrid: 38 to 40 mpg (2020 to 2026); 40 since 2023.

Best gas version
Best hybrid version

2026: gas 30 mpg · hybrid 40 mpg

Show as a table

Honda CR-V best combined mpg by model year
Model year	Best gas version	Best hybrid version
2010	24	–
2011	24	–
2012	26	–
2013	26	–
2014	26	–
2015	29	–
2016	29	–
2017	30	–
2018	30	–
2019	30	–
2020	30	38
2021	30	38
2022	30	38
2023	30	40
2024	30	40
2025	30	40
2026	30	40

Every CR-V year's ratings in one table

Comparisons

Questions

Which Honda CR-V years should you avoid?

The 2017, 2018, and 2023 CR-V are the years to avoid: each drew at least twice the 229 owner complaints of a typical CR-V year in its first three years. Owners of the 2017 most often describe oil dilution. Complaints can't tell you whether a particular car is sound, so whatever the year, check its open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy. Safety recall repairs are free at Honda dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

What are the best Honda CR-V years?

The 2016 CR-V is the best year: it drew 136 owner complaints in its first three years, under three quarters of the 229 complaints of a typical CR-V year since 2016, and it has no open NHTSA investigation or recall telling owners not to drive or to park outside. The 2020 drew few complaints too, but its first three years fell in the pandemic, when people drove less. The 2021 and 2022 also drew few complaints, but each is named in an open NHTSA investigation. Only years since 2016 are considered, since owners filed fewer complaints in the early 2010s. The 2024, 2025, and 2026 are not ranked yet: they have had fewer than three full years on the road.

Which Honda CR-V years have the most problems?

Counting owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, the 2017 (835) drew the most, then the 2018 (697). Owners of the 2017 most often describe fuel in the oil or a rising oil level.

Which Honda CR-V years have the most recalls?

The 2010 has the most safety recalls in NHTSA's file (15), then the 2011 (13). A recall can cover a problem that affects only a few cars, so open a year's page to see what each one covers. No recall for 2010 to 2026 models tells owners not to drive the car or to park it outside.

What are the most common Honda CR-V problems?

In the 11,402 owner complaints NHTSA lists for 2010 to 2026 models, owners most often describe steering rack problems such as sticking, play or pulling (787 complaints, most of them for the 2018, 2022, and 2023); shaking, shuddering or vibration (723 complaints); and fuel in the oil or a rising oil level (712 complaints, most of them for the 2017 and 2018). One complaint can describe several problems. Each year's recalls and problems page lists what owners describe for that year.

Which Honda CR-V year has the best MPG?

The best EPA fuel economy is 40 mpg combined, first reached by the 2023 hybrid version and matched by every year since.

Sources and method

US EPA fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Nov 4, 2026.
NHTSA recall file dated Nov 12, 2026 and owner complaint file dated Nov 11, 2026; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings.

Complaint counts are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.