2018 Honda CR-V

Showing the 2018 CR-V LX. NHTSA's VIN data shows it with a 2.4 L engine, but that may not be every version of it, so the numbers below cover every version of this model year. Every version

Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.

About every 2018 CR-V

The 2018 Honda CR-V has 2,158 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. The most complaints are for engine, at 530, followed by collision warning and automatic braking, at 395. Combined fuel economy is 27 to 30 mpg, with a 5-year fuel cost of $10,830 to $12,030 at U.S. average prices. NHTSA gives it 5 stars overall. It has 5 recall campaigns covering air bags, fuel system, seat belts, and others.

Written by AI from public EPA and NHTSA data. Not a review.

Fuel economy
27–30 mpgcombined; city 25–28, highway 31–34; every version of this model year
Five years of fuel
$10,830–$12,030U.S. average; Ohio $9,680–$10,750 at local prices; every version of this model year; fuel only, not other costs of owning it; 15,000 miles a year, at EIA fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026
NHTSA overall safety rating
5 starslowest across the versions NHTSA tested
Recall campaigns
5over its history; check a VIN for open ones
Owner complaints
2,158filed with NHTSA; not adjusted for sales

Trims

NHTSA's VIN data lists these trims for the 2018 CR-V. A trim's engine and numbers are shown as its own only where EPA names versions after the trim and no other version could be it; "seen with" means a source shows that engine on the trim, not that it was the only one. Recalls and complaints cover the whole model year: whether a recall applies to a car depends on its VIN, on NHTSA's recall lookup.

Problems owners report

Owners have filed 2,158 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 CR-V. These are unverified owner reports, counted by the part of the car they name; one complaint can name several parts. Counts aren't adjusted for how many were sold, so they don't show how reliable a car is.

Complaints by part of the car
PartComplaintsCrashesFiresInjuries
Engine530413
Forward collision avoidance3954010
Fuel/propulsion system376503
Steering330503
Electrical system284503
Fuel system, gasoline232000
Unknown or other209313
Service brakes18613010
Vehicle speed control65503
Power train64301
Lane departure46000
Visibility/wiper35000
18 more parts
Electronic stability control (ESC)30100
Structure27403
Seat belts25101
Air bags2213013
Engine and engine cooling15101
Exterior lighting12000
Wheels11100
Tires9000
Visibility9000
Back over prevention8000
Seats7104
Service brakes, hydraulic7000
Suspension6000
Equipment5000
Parking brake4000
Service brakes, air3000
Equipment adaptive/mobility2000
Latches/locks/linkages2000

Complaints by model year

Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, and counts aren't adjusted for sales, so a shorter bar doesn't mean a more reliable year.

  1. 2006398
  2. 2007887
  3. 2008962
  4. 2009386
  5. 2010481
  6. 2011554
  7. 2012403
  8. 2013382
  9. 2014587
  10. 2015672
  11. 2016394
  12. 20171,775
  13. 20182,158
  14. 20191,106
  15. 2020439
  16. 2021439
  17. 2022341
  18. 2023632
  19. 2024481
  20. 2025287
  21. 2026160

Every CR-V year side by side

Recalls

NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for the 2018 CR-V over its history. Campaigns are matched by model and year, so each one may apply to a given car, and its repair may already be done: check a VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup for the open recalls on that exact car.

Air bags: sensor

NHTSA campaign 26V332000 · reported May 21, 2026 · 98,892 vehicles potentially affected

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2021, 2023 Acura TLX, 2019-2024 RDX, 2017-2020, 2022-2026 MDX, 2017-2021, 2023, 2025 Honda Ridgeline, 2017-2022 Pilot, 2019-2021 Passport, 2018-2026 Odyssey, 2019-2022 Insight, 2019-2021 HR-V, 2018-2020 Fit, 2020-2022 CR-V Hybrid, 2017-2022 CR-V, 2017-2018, 2021 Civic Type R, 2017-2021 Civic hatchback, 2016-2020 Civic coupe, 2016-2022 Civic, 2017-2022 Accord Hybrid, and 2016-2022 Accord vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, which can cause the air bags to deploy unintentionally during a crash.

Risk: Air bags that deploy unintentionally during a crash increase the risk of injury.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 7, 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are BOL, WO9, OOA, WOM, XOH, NOC, POD, BOE, UOF, POB, EOG, AOI, QO8, TOJ, DO7, and SOK. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 24V064. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning May 29, 2026.

NHTSA's record and documents

Fuel system, gasoline: delivery

NHTSA campaign 23V858000 · reported Dec 18, 2023 · 2,490,460 vehicles potentially affected

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline, Odyssey, Acura ILX, MDX, MDX Hybrid, RDX, RLX, TLX, 2019-2022 Honda Insight, Passport, 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Clarity PHEV, Fit, and 2015-2020 Honda Accord Hybrid, Pilot, Acura NSX vehicles. The fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.

Risk: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 6, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are KGC and KGD. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall numbers 21V-215 and 20V-314.

NHTSA's record and documents

Seat belts: front

NHTSA campaign 23V158000 · reported Mar 9, 2023 · 448,613 vehicles potentially affected

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2017-2020 CR-V, 2018-2019 Accord and Accord Hybrid, 2018-2020 Odyssey, 2019 Insight, and 2019-2020 Acura RDX vehicles. A manufacturing issue with the front seat belts may cause the seat belt buckle channel to interfere with the release button, preventing the seat belt buckle from latching.

Risk: An unlatched seat belt cannot properly restrain the seat occupant during a crash, increasing their risk of injury.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the driver and front passenger seat belt buckle release buttons or the buckle assemblies as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 18, 2023. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are NDA, QDB, BDC, MDD, LD9. TDF, FDG, ODH, YDI, ZDE.

NHTSA's record and documents

Fuel system, gasoline: delivery

NHTSA campaign 21V215000 · reported Mar 25, 2021 · 624,552 vehicles potentially affected

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Acura MDX, MDX Sport Hybrid, RDX, TLX, Honda Accord, Civic Hatchback, Insight, 2019 Acura ILX, Honda Accord Hybrid, Civic Coupe, Civic Coupe Si, Civic Sedan, Civic Sedan Si, Civic Type R, Fit, HR-V, Odyssey, Passport, Pilot and Ridgeline, and 2018-2019 CR-V vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.

Risk: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump assembly, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed May 18, 2021. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Note: This recall is an expansion of recall 20V-314.

NHTSA's record and documents

Steering: electric power assist system

NHTSA campaign 18V663000 · reported Sep 27, 2018 · 54 vehicles potentially affected

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Honda Civic and CR-V vehicles. The magnet that controls the torque sensor output signal for the electronic power steering system may not be properly secured, allowing the magnet to become dislodged. During a full lock turn, the dislodged magnet may cause steering assist to be applied in the opposite direction.

Risk: The unintended steering input reduces vehicle maneuverability and increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering gearbox assembly, free of charge. The recall began November 9, 2018. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are C2N, P2O.

NHTSA's record and documents

Service bulletins and investigations

Carmakers sent NHTSA 269 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2018 CR-V, the latest on Sep 25, 2026. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.

The parts they mention most: electrical system (55), service brakes (45), engine and engine cooling (43), fuel system (42), gasoline (42).

NHTSA defect investigations

Opening an investigation isn't a finding of a defect. Outcomes are as NHTSA's summary states them. A recall is shown as an investigation's outcome only where NHTSA's summary names it; other recalls NHTSA's file lists with it are marked as listed, not caused.

InvestigationPartOpenedStatus
Engineering analysis EA24002
Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking
Forward collision avoidanceApr 15, 2024Open
NHTSA's record and documents
Preliminary evaluation PE22011
Rear Differential Seizure
Power trainNov 28, 2022Closed Jul 22, 2024
NHTSA's record and documents
Preliminary evaluation PE22003
Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking
Forward collision avoidanceFeb 21, 2022Closed Apr 18, 2024
Upgraded to EA24002
NHTSA's record and documents

Maintenance

Oil

The owner's manual gives the oil and how often to change it. We show oil facts only once we've checked them against the manual, and we haven't yet for the 2018 CR-V.

Oil change near you: Jiffy Lube · Take 5

Used ones for sale

See used 2018 Honda CR-Vs for sale on: Autotrader · CarMax

These are searches on those sites; we don't copy or check their listings. Your ZIP is used for these links and never kept.

Specs

EPA class: small sport utility vehicle. EPA greenhouse gas score: 6–7 out of 10. Each version EPA tested:

VersionEngineTransmissionFuelCity / hwy / comb
CR-V
Front-Wheel Drive
1.5 L, 4 cyl, turboAutomatic (variable gear ratios)Regular Gasoline28 / 34 / 30
CR-V
All-Wheel Drive
1.5 L, 4 cyl, turboAutomatic (variable gear ratios)Regular Gasoline27 / 33 / 29
CR-V
Front-Wheel Drive
2.4 L, 4 cylAutomatic (variable gear ratios)Regular Gasoline26 / 32 / 28
CR-V
All-Wheel Drive
2.4 L, 4 cylAutomatic (variable gear ratios)Regular Gasoline25 / 31 / 27

Compare

Sources and dates

Fuel cost: EPA mpg with fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026 and electricity prices for Jul 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2026). Complaints are unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA. About the data