2003 HONDA CR-V — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 457 complaints · 14 recalls
Most-reported system: AIR BAGS (111 complaints · 24.3%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 44
  • Fires 24
  • Injuries 38
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 2002 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 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 AIR BAGS appears in 111 of 457 owner complaints (24.3%) in this vehicle snapshot. AIR BAGS: 111 complaints, 24.3% of reports AIR BAGS 111 · 24.3% · 26 crash reports ENGINE: 78 complaints, 17.1% of reports ENGINE 78 · 17.1% · 10 fire reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 37 complaints, 8.1% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 37 · 8.1% · 1 crash reports 7 fire reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING: 34 complaints, 7.4% of reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING 34 · 7.4% · 1 fire reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 27 complaints, 5.9% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 27 · 5.9% · 5 crash reports POWER TRAIN: 19 complaints, 4.2% of reports POWER TRAIN 19 · 4.2% · 1 crash reports VISIBILITY: 18 complaints, 3.9% of reports VISIBILITY 18 · 3.9% · 1 fire reports SERVICE BRAKES: 14 complaints, 3.1% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 14 · 3.1% · 1 fire reports STEERING: 12 complaints, 2.6% of reports STEERING 12 · 2.6% · 3 crash reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 205 complaints, 44.9% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 205 · 44.9% · 20 crash reports 10 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)
AIR BAGS 111 24.3% 26 crashes · 0 fires
ENGINE 78 17.1% 0 crashes · 10 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 37 8.1% 1 crashes · 7 fires
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 34 7.4% 0 crashes · 1 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 27 5.9% 5 crashes · 0 fires
POWER TRAIN 19 4.2% 1 crashes · 0 fires
VISIBILITY 18 3.9% 0 crashes · 1 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 14 3.1% 0 crashes · 1 fires
STEERING 12 2.6% 3 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 205 44.9% 20 crashes · 10 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 Oct 2002; the first recall shown was reported in Jul 2003. 2002-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2003-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2003-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2003-Q3: 10 owner reports 10 2003-Q4: 17 owner reports 17 2004-Q1: 11 owner reports 11 2004-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2004-Q3: 32 owner reports 32 2004-Q4: 12 owner reports 12 2005-Q1: 13 owner reports 13 2005-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2005-Q3: 11 owner reports 11 2005-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2006-Q1: 7 owner reports 7 2006-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2006-Q3: 9 owner reports 9 2006-Q4: 9 owner reports 9 2007-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2007-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2007-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2007-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2008-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2008-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q3: 14 owner reports 14 2008-Q4: 8 owner reports 8 2009-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2009-Q2: 10 owner reports 10 2009-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2010-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2010-Q2: 9 owner reports 9 2010-Q3: 7 owner reports 7 2010-Q4: 8 owner reports 8 2011-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2011-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2011-Q3: 12 owner reports 12 2011-Q4: 9 owner reports 9 2012-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2012-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2012-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2012-Q4: 7 owner reports 7 2013-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2013-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2013-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2013-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2014-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q2: 7 owner reports 7 2014-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2014-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2015-Q1: 20 owner reports 20 2015-Q2: 32 owner reports 32 2015-Q3: 16 owner reports 16 2015-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2016-Q1: 8 owner reports 8 2016-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2016-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2016-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2017-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2017-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2017-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2017-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2018-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2018-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2018-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2019-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2019-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2020-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2021-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2021-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2021-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2021-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2022-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2022-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2022-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2023-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2024-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2024-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 Owner reports Oct 2002 Jul 2025 Recall campaign 03V274000 ◆ Recall campaign 03V274000 Recall campaign 04V255000 ◆ Recall campaign 04V255000 Recall campaign 07E104000 ◆ Recall campaign 07E104000 Recall campaign 12V136000 ◆ Recall campaign 12V136000 Recall campaign 12V486000 ◆ Recall campaign 12V486000 Recall campaign 14V353000 ◆ Recall campaign 14V353000 Recall campaign 14V700000 ◆ Recall campaign 14V700000 Recall campaign 15V320000 ◆ Recall campaign 15V320000 Recall campaign 15V370000 ◆ Recall campaign 15V370000 Recall campaign 18V268000 ◆ Recall campaign 18V268000 Recall campaign 19V182000 ◆ Recall campaign 19V182000 Recall campaign 19V499000 ◆ Recall campaign 19V499000 Recall campaign 19V501000 ◆ Recall campaign 19V501000 Recall campaign 20V768000 ◆ Recall campaign 20V768000 Investigation PE04018 ● Investigation PE04018 Investigation EA04027 ● Investigation EA04027 Investigation EA11004 ● Investigation EA11004 Investigation PE11017 ● Investigation PE11017 Investigation EA11012 ● Investigation EA11012 Investigation PE14016 ● Investigation PE14016 Investigation EA15001 ● Investigation EA15001 Investigation EA21002 ● Investigation EA21002
  • Campaign 03V274000 was reported 134 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 04V255000 was reported 327 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 07E104000 was reported 1,526 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 12V136000 was reported 2,804 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 15V320000 was reported 4,334 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 15V370000 was reported 4,352 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 18V268000 was reported 5,398 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 19V182000 was reported 5,712 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 19V499000 was reported 5,825 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 19V501000 was reported 5,825 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2002-Q4 Owner reports 2
2003-Q1 Owner reports 3
2003-Q2 Owner reports 2
2003-Q3 Owner reports 10
2003-Q4 Owner reports 17
2004-Q1 Owner reports 11
2004-Q2 Owner reports 4
2004-Q3 Owner reports 32
2004-Q4 Owner reports 12
2005-Q1 Owner reports 13
2005-Q2 Owner reports 2
2005-Q3 Owner reports 11
2005-Q4 Owner reports 1
2006-Q1 Owner reports 7
2006-Q2 Owner reports 4
2006-Q3 Owner reports 9
2006-Q4 Owner reports 9
2007-Q1 Owner reports 1
2007-Q2 Owner reports 4
2007-Q3 Owner reports 4
2007-Q4 Owner reports 4
2008-Q1 Owner reports 2
2008-Q2 Owner reports 1
2008-Q3 Owner reports 14
2008-Q4 Owner reports 8
2009-Q1 Owner reports 5
2009-Q2 Owner reports 10
2009-Q3 Owner reports 3
2010-Q1 Owner reports 5
2010-Q2 Owner reports 9
2010-Q3 Owner reports 7
2010-Q4 Owner reports 8
2011-Q1 Owner reports 4
2011-Q2 Owner reports 4
2011-Q3 Owner reports 12
2011-Q4 Owner reports 9
2012-Q1 Owner reports 5
2012-Q2 Owner reports 6
2012-Q3 Owner reports 5
2012-Q4 Owner reports 7
2013-Q1 Owner reports 5
2013-Q2 Owner reports 5
2013-Q3 Owner reports 5
2013-Q4 Owner reports 3
2014-Q1 Owner reports 1
2014-Q2 Owner reports 7
2014-Q3 Owner reports 2
2014-Q4 Owner reports 6
2015-Q1 Owner reports 20
2015-Q2 Owner reports 32
2015-Q3 Owner reports 16
2015-Q4 Owner reports 2
2016-Q1 Owner reports 8
2016-Q2 Owner reports 3
2016-Q3 Owner reports 4
2016-Q4 Owner reports 1
2017-Q1 Owner reports 3
2017-Q2 Owner reports 1
2017-Q3 Owner reports 3
2017-Q4 Owner reports 4
2018-Q1 Owner reports 4
2018-Q2 Owner reports 5
2018-Q4 Owner reports 4
2019-Q1 Owner reports 1
2019-Q2 Owner reports 3
2019-Q3 Owner reports 1
2019-Q4 Owner reports 1
2020-Q1 Owner reports 3
2020-Q4 Owner reports 1
2021-Q1 Owner reports 2
2021-Q2 Owner reports 2
2021-Q3 Owner reports 4
2021-Q4 Owner reports 1
2022-Q2 Owner reports 1
2022-Q3 Owner reports 1
2022-Q4 Owner reports 1
2023-Q3 Owner reports 1
2024-Q1 Owner reports 1
2024-Q3 Owner reports 1
2025-Q3 Owner reports 2
Recall campaign 1 03V274000
Recall campaign 1 04V255000
Recall campaign 1 07E104000
Recall campaign 1 12V136000
Recall campaign 1 12V486000
Recall campaign 1 14V353000
Recall campaign 1 14V700000
Recall campaign 1 15V320000
Recall campaign 1 15V370000
Recall campaign 1 18V268000
Recall campaign 1 19V182000
Recall campaign 1 19V499000
Recall campaign 1 19V501000
Recall campaign 1 20V768000
Defect investigation 1 PE04018
Defect investigation 1 EA04027
Defect investigation 1 EA11004
Defect investigation 1 PE11017
Defect investigation 1 EA11012
Defect investigation 1 PE14016
Defect investigation 1 EA15001
Defect investigation 1 EA21002
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (14)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 03V274000

    Report date
    Component:
    POWER TRAIN
    Consequence:
    IF THE VEHICLE OPERATOR FAILS TO ENGAGE THE PARKING BRAKE, THE VEHICLE COULD ROLL AND A CRASH COULD OCCUR. DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE SHIFT CABLE LINKAGE FOR CORROSION. IF CORROSION CAUSES BINDING, THEY WILL REPLACE THE SHIFT CABLE.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL ALSO INSTALL A NEW CORROSION-RESISTANT CONTROL PIN. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON AUGUST 19, 2003. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT HONDA AT 1-800-999-1009.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 04V255000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THE AIR BAG INFLATION RATE WOULD BE INCORRECT, WHICH COULD INCREASE THE RISK OF INJURY TO THE DRIVER.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPAIR THE WIRING. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON JUNE 16, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT HONDA AT 1-800-999-1009.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 07E104000

    Report date
    Component:
    VISIBILITY
    Consequence:
    IN THE EVENT OF A VEHICLE CRASH, THE OCCUPANT(S) MAY BE SERIOUSLY INJURED BY SHATTERED GLASS.
    Remedy:
    SAFELITE WILL NOTIFY ITS RETAIL CUSTOMERS AND REPLACE THE GLASS FREE OF CHARGE. RETAIL CUSTOMERS CAN CONTACT SAFELITE TOLL FREE AT 1-888-843-2906. SAFELITE WILL NOTIFY ITS WHOLESALE CUSTOMERS AND REIMBURSE WHOLESALE CUSTOMERS FOR CURRENT INVENTORY AND AT A SPECIFIED RATE FOR REPLACING THEIR CUSTOMER'S GLASS. WHOLESALE CUSTOMERS CAN CONTACT SAFELITE'S WHOLESALE DIVISION, SERVICE AUTOGLASS TOLL FREE AT 1-888-246-6298. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JANUARY 15, 2008.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 12V136000

    Report date
    Component:
    EXTERIOR LIGHTING
    Consequence:
    IF THE TERMINAL ENDS MELT WITHIN THE WIRING HARNESS CONNECTOR, THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS MAY BECOME INOPERATIVE, REDUCING DRIVER VISIBILITY AND INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
    Remedy:
    HONDA WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL REPAIR THE LOW BEAM TERMINAL HARNESS OR REPLACE THE LIGHTING SWITCH AS NECESSARY, FREE OF CHARGE. THE ORIGINAL RECALL BEGAN IN APRIL 2012. OWNERS OF VEHICLES INVOLVED IN THE SEPTEMBER 2012 EXPANSION WILL BE NOTIFIED IN SEPTEMBER 2012. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HONDA CUSTOMER SERVICE AT 1-800-999-1009.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  5. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 12V486000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    If the switch fails, it could overheat, smoke, and cause a fire. A switch failure, and a fire, could occur even if the vehicle is not in use. As a precaution, owners are advised to park outside until the recall repair has been performed.
    Remedy:
    Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and repair the switches, as necessary, free of charge. The safety recall began on November 2, 2012. Owners may contact Honda at 1-800-999-1009.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  6. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 14V353000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger’s frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
    Remedy:
    Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the inflators in all affected vehicles, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin during August 2014. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-800-999-1009.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  7. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 14V700000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger’s frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
    Remedy:
    Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger side air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began January 26, 2015. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-800-999-1009.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  8. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 15V320000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
    Remedy:
    Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on July 1, 2015. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Owners may contact Acura customer service at 1-800-382-2238, select option 4. Note: Vehicles that have had their driver frontal air bag replaced previously as part of a recall remedy prior to September 12, 2014 need to have their air bag replaced under this recall as well. Vehicles that, on or after September 12, 2014, received a remedy for a prior driver frontal air bag inflator recall already received an inflator of a different design, and therefore are not included in this recall and do not require additional servicing. Note: This recall fully supersedes recalls 08V-593, 09V-259, 10V-041, 11V-260, 14V-351 and 15V-153. Honda's numbers for this recall are JQ9, JR0, JR1, JR2, JR3, JR4, JR5, JR6, JR7, and JR8.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  9. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 15V370000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the passenger seat occupant or other occupants possibly causing serious injury or death.
    Remedy:
    Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on July 1, 2015. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are JU4, JU5, JU6, and JU7. Note: Vehicles that have already received a replacement passenger air bag inflator as part of the recall remedy for an earlier campaign such as 14V353 or 14V700 (Honda recall numbers S95, JH6, JH7, JH8, JH9, JJ0, JJ1, JJ2, JJ6, JM5 and JM6) are not included in this recall. However, this recall does supersede 13V132 and 14V349. Note: On December 18, 2015 Honda informed NHTSA of an expansion of this recall to include certain model year 2004 Honda CR-V vehicles in addition to additional model year 2003 CR-V vehicles.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  10. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 18V268000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    An incorrectly installed air bag may deploy improperly in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
    Remedy:
    Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the passenger frontal air bag module assembly, free of charge. The recall began June 22, 2018. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are K1P, and M1O.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  11. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 19V182000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    An explosion of an inflator within the driver frontal air bag module may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver, front seat passenger or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
    Remedy:
    Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began April 10, 2019. Honda owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is O41. Acura owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Acura's number for this recall is U40.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  12. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 19V499000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
    Remedy:
    Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began August 12, 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are Q5A and Y58.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  13. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 19V501000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
    Remedy:
    Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal airbag inflator, free of charge. The recall began August 12, 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are E5D and X5C.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  14. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 20V768000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    If the switch fails, it could overheat and smoke, increasing the risk of a fire.
    Remedy:
    Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the power window master switch and inspect the wiring harness for damage, replacing it if necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 29, 2021. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is P9D.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 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 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
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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 2026-08-21 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: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources