1998 HONDA CR-V — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 123 complaints · 3 recalls
Most-reported system: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (36 complaints · 29.3%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 15
  • Fires 1
  • Injuries 12
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 1997 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution ELECTRICAL SYSTEM appears in 36 of 123 owner complaints (29.3%) in this vehicle snapshot. ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 36 complaints, 29.3% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 36 · 29.3% · 1 fire reports AIR BAGS: 19 complaints, 15.5% of reports AIR BAGS 19 · 15.5% · 7 crash reports ENGINE: 13 complaints, 10.6% of reports ENGINE 13 · 10.6% · 1 crash reports POWER TRAIN: 8 complaints, 6.5% of reports POWER TRAIN 8 · 6.5% SERVICE BRAKES: 6 complaints, 4.9% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 6 · 4.9% · 1 crash reports STEERING: 6 complaints, 4.9% of reports STEERING 6 · 4.9% · 2 crash reports STRUCTURE: 5 complaints, 4.1% of reports STRUCTURE 5 · 4.1% SUSPENSION: 5 complaints, 4.1% of reports SUSPENSION 5 · 4.1% EXTERIOR LIGHTING: 3 complaints, 2.4% of reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING 3 · 2.4% · 1 crash reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 73 complaints, 59.4% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 73 · 59.4% · 10 crash reports 1 fire reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 36 29.3% 0 crashes · 1 fires
AIR BAGS 19 15.5% 7 crashes · 0 fires
ENGINE 13 10.6% 1 crashes · 0 fires
POWER TRAIN 8 6.5% 0 crashes · 0 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 6 4.9% 1 crashes · 0 fires
STEERING 6 4.9% 2 crashes · 0 fires
STRUCTURE 5 4.1% 0 crashes · 0 fires
SUSPENSION 5 4.1% 0 crashes · 0 fires
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 3 2.4% 1 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 73 59.4% 10 crashes · 1 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jul 1998; the first recall shown was reported in Oct 1999. 1998-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 1998-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 1999-Q1: 7 owner reports 7 1999-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 1999-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 1999-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2000-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2000-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2000-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2001-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2001-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2002-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2002-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2002-Q3: 10 owner reports 10 2002-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2003-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2003-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2003-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2003-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2004-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2004-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2004-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2004-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2005-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2005-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2006-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2006-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2006-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2006-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2009-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2009-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2010-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2010-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2014-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2014-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2015-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2017-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2018-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q3: 7 owner reports 7 2020-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2021-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Jul 1998 Jan 2021 Recall campaign 99V282000 ◆ Recall campaign 99V282000 Recall campaign 02V120000 ◆ Recall campaign 02V120000 Recall campaign 20V026000 ◆ Recall campaign 20V026000
  • Campaign 99V282000 was reported 260 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 02V120000 was reported 1,200 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 20V026000 was reported 7,556 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
1998-Q3 Owner reports 2
1998-Q4 Owner reports 1
1999-Q1 Owner reports 7
1999-Q2 Owner reports 5
1999-Q3 Owner reports 2
1999-Q4 Owner reports 6
2000-Q1 Owner reports 5
2000-Q2 Owner reports 2
2000-Q4 Owner reports 1
2001-Q1 Owner reports 1
2001-Q3 Owner reports 2
2002-Q1 Owner reports 2
2002-Q2 Owner reports 1
2002-Q3 Owner reports 10
2002-Q4 Owner reports 6
2003-Q1 Owner reports 2
2003-Q2 Owner reports 1
2003-Q3 Owner reports 5
2003-Q4 Owner reports 2
2004-Q1 Owner reports 1
2004-Q2 Owner reports 1
2004-Q3 Owner reports 4
2004-Q4 Owner reports 2
2005-Q2 Owner reports 1
2005-Q3 Owner reports 1
2006-Q1 Owner reports 1
2006-Q2 Owner reports 1
2006-Q3 Owner reports 2
2006-Q4 Owner reports 1
2008-Q1 Owner reports 1
2008-Q2 Owner reports 1
2008-Q4 Owner reports 1
2009-Q1 Owner reports 2
2009-Q4 Owner reports 2
2010-Q1 Owner reports 4
2010-Q2 Owner reports 1
2010-Q3 Owner reports 1
2010-Q4 Owner reports 1
2011-Q4 Owner reports 1
2012-Q1 Owner reports 1
2014-Q1 Owner reports 1
2014-Q2 Owner reports 2
2014-Q3 Owner reports 2
2014-Q4 Owner reports 1
2015-Q4 Owner reports 1
2016-Q2 Owner reports 1
2016-Q3 Owner reports 1
2016-Q4 Owner reports 1
2017-Q2 Owner reports 3
2018-Q1 Owner reports 1
2018-Q2 Owner reports 1
2019-Q2 Owner reports 1
2020-Q1 Owner reports 1
2020-Q2 Owner reports 1
2020-Q3 Owner reports 7
2020-Q4 Owner reports 3
2021-Q1 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 99V282000
Recall campaign 1 02V120000
Recall campaign 1 20V026000
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (3)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 02V120000

    Report date
    Component:
    ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
    Consequence:
    WORN CONTACTS COULD CAUSE THE ENGINE TO STALL WITHOUT WARNING, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE IGNITION SWITCH. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JUNE 14, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT HONDA AT 1-800-999-1009 OR ACURA AT 1-800-382-2238.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 20V026000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    In the event of a crash necessitating air bag deployment, an inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants. An underinflated air bag cushion may not properly protect the occupant. These scenarios increase the risk of serious injury or death.
    Remedy:
    Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the driver frontal air bag inflator, and replace it if necessary, with an inflator of a different design, free of charge. The recall began October 1, 2020. Owners may contact American Honda's Customer Support & Campaign Center at 1-888-234-2138 or Isuzu customer service at 1-800-255-6727.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 99V282000

    Report date
    Component:
    ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
    Consequence:
    A SUDDEN, UNEXPECTED LOSS OF LIGHTING OR A FAILURE OF THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS IN BAD WEATHER, COULD BE HAZARDOUS INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSTALL A 70MM PROTECTIVE, CORRUGATED PLASTIC TUBE OVER THE WIRE HARNESS, IN THE AREA OF THE BRAKE STOP SWITCH. IF ANY WIRE OR WIRES ARE DAMAGED, THEY WILL BE REPAIRED.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-22
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 123 complaints · page 1 of 5

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-22.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources