Faulty brakes, an electrical system that malfunctions, as well as the powertrain issues are among the top complaints received by the NHTSA from vehicle owners
Families have loved SUVs for the past few years, so it seems likely that the 2022 Honda CR-V is automatically set up for success. Plus, the automaker claims it offers a “design that raises the bar.” But customers experiencing faulty brakes and other issues aren’t so sure.
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A total of 13 components and systems feature in complaints filed with the National Highway Transport Safety Administration (NHTSA) by owners of 2022 Honda CR-Vs. There are 27 complaints as of mid-November 2022. Problems with the brakes and the automatic emergency braking system are the topic of more than half of these, with 11 complaints filed under the Forward Collision Avoidance category, 2 under Vehicle Speed Control, and 1 each under Equipment and Service Brakes.
Lane departure, powertrain, and structural issues are also high on the list of complaint topics. Even though there are only 2 complaints to the NHTSA about the electrical system, it’s worth mentioning. One incident describes how a minor crash resulted in a 2022 Honda CR-V catching alight. The fire then spread quickly to the owner’s home!
Other issues are varied. One particularly notable incident happened in Utah when a passenger window spontaneously imploded with no impact. One person was injured, emerging from the experience with cuts on his hands.
| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Steering | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking | |
| Electrical System | |
| Unknown Or Other | |
| Power Train | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings | |
| Service Brakes | |
| Engine | |
| Forward Collision Avoidance: Adaptive Cruise Control | |
| Fuel/propulsion System |
If motor vehicle brakes are faulty in any way, there’s a potential risk of a crash. In the event of a crash, there is a high risk of injury, not only to those in the vehicle but also to those traveling in nearby vehicles and even pedestrians. While the complaints about faulty brakes to the NHTSA are varied, the primary concern is that there are so many of them.
The most common complaints are that the Honda CR-V brakes unexpectedly. But then, there’s a complaint that the automatic emergency braking system didn’t kick in when needed, resulting in a crash. Another complaint states that on multiple occasions the SUV brakes unexpectedly, sometimes suddenly accelerating back up to the “set speed.”
Another complaint describes how a driver put her foot on the brake pedal while parking and “the vehicle unexpectedly revved and lurched forward.” It then “jumped the parking curb and crashed into a wall.” A similar complaint states: “Brakes are applied at a slow and fast speed for no reason.”
There are also more specific problems with the Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS), the Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS), and Adaptive Cruise Control.
An owner from New York, describing what “could have been a life-threatening disaster,” explains how the brakes deployed suddenly, without any warning. There were no cars in front or behind. “I was not injured but very shaken up.”
This complaint from a North Carolina owner is short, but not very sweet: “I have a 2022 Honda CRV EX, the emergency braking system activates at random times and could cause a wreck.”
An owner from South Carolina explains how “an idiotic warning message,” Adaptive Cruise Control Problem flashed, followed by “BRAKE SYSTEM.” Turning off Adaptive Cruise Control didn’t solve the problem. Although the dealer didn’t know what the problem was, he said it was safe to drive the SUV. Later, they guessed it was the front radar/camera that needed to be replaced. But they didn’t have one, and months later they still hadn’t sourced one. In the meantime, the owner says, “ I am now forced to drive a car that is questionably safe. I mean, when an alarm sounds and a warning light flashes that says ‘BRAKE SYSTEM’ how can it be safe to drive?”
A West Virginia owner reports getting messages stating there is a problem with the CMBS. He too was told that there is a problem with the radar/camera system and that it is safe to drive until the parts arrive. This owner states: “I am afraid that it will brake when it shouldn’t and cause an accident.”
An owner from New Jersey states: “There were no cars in front of mine when the ABS system suddenly braked very hard. The car behind me had to slam on brakes to avoid rear-ending me. This car is 3 weeks old and this is very scary.”
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Problems with the powertrain include the failure of the transmission in a very new CR-V with only 1971 miles on the clock. The failure is covered under Honda’s warranty but the owner of this vehicle is more concerned about safety. Because there was no warning or notification about transmission issues, “I can’t imagine if the power is getting dropped and stopped on the freeway without any warning. This is one of the biggest safety concerns and this would be a life-threatening incident.”
There are also 2 complaints that report problems while reversing.
An owner from New York states: “When I tried to reverse the car went forward. I put the car in park and tried to reverse again. The car went forward again.” He tried one more time and the car went forward while in reverse. “I shut the car off and gave it a few minutes. I turned it back on and tried one more time and the car finally reversed. R was indicated on the dashboard and the reverse camera was on while the car was driving forward.”
The wife of an owner from Wisconsin heard a loud noise while she was reversing. Four driveshaft bolts had detached from the vehicle. She was able to drive the vehicle home safely and the vehicle was repaired by the dealership.
Incredibly, the cause was “the front section of the driveshaft was not properly tightened. The bolts were replaced.”
All modern cars should be equipped with highly-effective electrical systems, not just for safety but also for convenience and entertainment. When there are electrical problems, these can spell danger.
One of the electrical issues owners of the 2022 Honda CR-V are complaining about is a malfunction with the front camera radar. A couple of the brake-related complaints mentioned above involve this. But an owner from Colorado, whose CR-V had only 2,000 miles on the clock, didn’t have brake issues.
Instead, “while driving (at) 40 MPH, several unknown warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The dealer stated that the front camera radar needed to be replaced.”
Like the other owners with camera radar problems, this owner also faced a delay in getting the parts required for the fix.
Another, hopefully, less common problem, was experienced by someone in New Jersey. According to the complaint, his father bought the car because it “was deemed as one of the safest cars on the market.” The story is hair-raising.
“When I was slowly backing out of my garage, I noticed that my car was not straight and that I needed to turn my wheel in order to straighten it out. When doing so, 3/4 of my car made it out of the garage, even the side mirrors. However, the area on the top left on my wheel scratched the side of my garage.” The worst he expected was chipped paint and a minor dent.
“But when I got out of the car to assess the situation I noticed that smoke started releasing out of the area of the impact. By the time I called my dad, a little fire was also present at the area of the impact. He advised me to go inside the house and use water or other resources in order to try putting out the fire myself. So I went inside and by the time I got back, the fire had greatly increased in size. This all happened in a matter of 2 minutes! I quickly called 911 and 2 police cars came as soon as possible. The officers tried to put out the flames with a fire extinguisher,” but were unable to. The flames were already up the sides of the garage and engulfing some of the sidings.
“How can a scratch of 2-inch depth, 4-inch width, and 6-inch height cause immense damage to a car and a house! Honda needs to consider this when reviewing the architectural design of its battery position. This is a serious safety flaw that could jeopardize many lives.”
Fortunately, a relatively small percentage of all vehicles turn out to be lemons, But if you think you have one of these few, you don’t have to accept your fate. Lemberg Law may be able to get your lemon out of your life. Every year, auto manufacturers buy back, replace or pay cash settlements to thousands of ‘lemon’ owners like you.
Contact our Helpline or fill in our contact form and we will assess your problem free of charge. Since the law makes Honda pay the legal fees of lemon law cases, you’ve got nothing to lose.
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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I bought New Honda CR V 2022 model. As stated here , the engine makes bit noise when accelerating from stop. I loved the Honda cars for their quite running once. Now, I hate this vehicle. Please guide me if there is any way I can get rid of it.
Bought 2022 Honda CR-V on 3/17/2022, six days later the car would not start. The car was taken to Honda dealership and no issues were found. One week later the same issue ensued along with grainy backup camera. Car was then taken back to Honda dealership, this time they found an issue with the ignition system.
I am very disappointed and disgusted with the whole buying experience.
Bought 2022 CR-V on 12/23/21, paid $38K cash for the vehicle ((13K trade-in). AIS technology worked for 2 days, took in to dealership and they essentially said weather was too cold, battery up front and engine doesn’t get warm enough for AIS to work. At no point during my conversation with sales was this mentioned. Took a road trip to Indianapolis (260 round trip) mid-January 2022. On interstate and used ECON mode to better mileage. Interestingly enough, the AIS worked at two stop lights in 20-degree temp (Indiana). Did not get better mileage, same as in-town driving, and AIS stopped working after it worked for 2 stoplights. Took into dealership 1/21/22 and service dept got it to work. Took a drive with service Mgr and AIS worked twice. Left to come home and AIS didn’t continue to work. Notified service mgr and he didn’t want to assume any responsibility for this malfunction. So, I went online and found a “Honda cr-v consumer site.” The thread was from 2020 and the AIS was a problem with cr-v’s since that time (mgr denied anyone having problems with this to his knowledge). In the thread there were several suggestions with no real solution mentioned. I forwarded the thread to the mgr, who was “fascinated and found info interesting). There was a suggestion by one person in the thread to follow a regimen that includes letting engine warm-up, pull over, stay in car with seat belt on, stop car and release hood, restart with seat belt on and make sure “hood release up” is showing before shutting car off, getting out of car and shutting hood, return to car, fasten seat belt, restart and take off = AIS will work. I did this and AIS did work from 2/22/22 until3/8/22. Once again, I followed the regimen from the 2020 thread and my AIS is working now. Emailed service Mgr this info and shared I am a 70yo female who paid cash for a 2022 Honda CR-V and I expect it to perform according to sale expectations. If it can’t be fixed, I want a new car that has working AIS tech (as advertised), down-grade to lesser model with cash reimbursement for the difference or give me my money back so I can purchase a fuel-efficient car.