Problems · NHTSA complaints
1997 Honda CR-V problems
Owners filed 108 complaints about the 1997 Honda CR-V with NHTSA between Jul 1997 and Jun 2022. The most-cited component is electrical system (31).
Complaints
108
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
9
Reported by owners
Fires
1
Reported by owners
Injuries
5
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Electrical system31
- Air bags27
- Tires9
- Seats9
- Vehicle speed control9
- Engine and engine cooling6
- Seat belts5
- Power train5
- Steering4
- Engine3
- Suspension3
- Visibility/wiper2
- Exterior lighting2
- Service brakes, hydraulic2
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 8, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
8
8
6
6
10
17
6
8
2
0
1
1
1
1
2
0
0
3
1
4
3
2
2
13
1
2
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 8 |
| 1998 | 8 |
| 1999 | 6 |
| 2000 | 6 |
| 2001 | 10 |
| 2002 | 17 |
| 2003 | 6 |
| 2004 | 8 |
| 2005 | 2 |
| 2006 | 0 |
| 2007 | 1 |
| 2008 | 1 |
| 2009 | 1 |
| 2010 | 1 |
| 2011 | 2 |
| 2012 | 0 |
| 2013 | 0 |
| 2014 | 3 |
| 2015 | 1 |
| 2016 | 4 |
| 2017 | 3 |
| 2018 | 2 |
| 2019 | 2 |
| 2020 | 13 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 2 |
Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.
Top problems in owners’ words
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
Electrical system
31 reports1 related recall
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 HONDA CR-V. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBERS: 20V026000 (AIR BAGS) AND 02V120000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE RECALL REPAIRS WERE NOT YET AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER HAD EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIRS. THE LOCAL DEALER AUTONATION HONDA HOLLYWOOD (2400 N STATE RD 7, HOLLYWOOD, FL 33021) WAS CONTACTED AND CONFIRMED THAT PARTS WERE NOT YET AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.”
Air bags
27 reports5 crashes1 related recall
“The contact owns a 1997 Honda CR-V. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the SRS warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 168,470.”
Tires
9 reports
“I BOUGH 04 MICHELIN GREEN X- TIRES(215-70-R15) ON FEB/09/2016 A 90,000 MILES TIRES GUARANTEE IN PUERTO RICO. I JUST USED THE TIRES 1,594 MILES ,(FOUR MONTHS LATER ) I HAD A BLOWOUT ON THE OUTER SIDEWALL OF THE REAR RIGHT DRIVE SIDE OF THE TIRE.WHEN I CHECK I HAD A BIG HOLE IN THE OUTER SIDEWALL OF MY TIRE.THERE WERE NO NAILS,GLASS OR OTHER DEBRIS RESPONSIBLE FOR THESE.THE STORE REPLACED THAT TIRE WITH A ECOPIA-EP422 PLUS,BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE AVAILABLE A NEW MICHELIN-X TIRE. I'M AFRAID TO DRIVE MY HONDA CRV ON LONG TRIPS,NEITHER ON HIGHTHWAYS AT HIGH SPEED FOR FEAR OF THE TREAD INJURIES ON FROM CAUSING OF THE TIRES,BECAUSE WHEN MY TIRE BLOWOUT I WAS DRIVING AT 25MILES”
Seats
9 reports3 crashes
“WHILE COMING TO AN ABRUPT STOP THE SEAT RIPPED CLEAR OF THE FRONT LEFT MOUNTING BRACKET THAT HELD IT TO THE FLOORBOARD. APPROXIMATELY A YEAR LATER THE PROBLEM HAS REOCCURED. *YH *NLM”
Vehicle speed control
9 reports
“VEHICLE EXPERIENCED SUDDEN ACCELERATION ON TWO OCCASIONS RESULTING IN COLLISIONS.”
Engine and engine cooling
6 reports1 fire
“WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY LOST POWER AS IF THE IGNITION HAD BEEN TURNED OFF. LIGHTS WERE ON, RADIO WAS ON BUT ENGINE STALLED AND STEERING WAS LOCKED. THE VEHICLE DECREASED IN SPEED FROM ROUGHLY 65MPH TO 45MPH AT WHICH POINT I ATTEMPTED TO RESTART THE ENGINE BY TURNING THE KEY. THE VEHICLE RESTARTED IMMEDIATELY AND I WAS IMMEDIATELY TO ACCELERATE TO THE ORIGINAL SPEED. *TR”
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 8, 2026
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.