Topic: Used Vehicle Review: Honda CR-V, 2007-2011

[Autos_Editor]

While Consumer Reports rates a used CR-V as a 'good bet', there are some problem areas to be aware of, says Chris Chase.

Read More...

[northsparrow]

CR-Vs are also made in Swindon, England but I am unsure as to how many found their way to the Canadian marketplace from there.

[chrischasescars]

My guess is the Swindon-built cars are for UK/Euroland consumption only. I _think_ ours come from Japan and Ohio.

[ArticSteve]

Concerning the diff, what years are we taking about precisely?  Good thing to know.

[jacko]

this vehicle is a joke.
pure junk! i bought an 07 brand new and had it for few yrs and finally got rid of it because of all the problems
i experienced. i've been telling everyone i know how bad this vehicle is and with every honda vehicle out there.
i'm not joking, i have talked to over 10 people who owns honda cars and not one of them is trouble-free.

my trouble started when the car was only 3 months old! got so sick and tired of it, got rid of it and went back to toyota.

as for the problems with the differential - it's a big problem. honda claims you dont need to change the fluid for so many kms./miles and that's what's causing the problem. the fluid breaks down and next thing you know, you got grinding, squeals, etc. coming from your rear end. there's also problems related to the tranny - the ever famous honda transmission problem.

if you're going to buy/own/drive a honda, my advice to you is to change your transmission oil, differential oil/fluid frequently - DO NOT
wait for that little idiot light on the dash to tell you it's time to change. DO NOT go by what they tell you of long life transmission fluid etc. pure BS.

[chrischasescars]

Concerning the diff, what years are we taking about precisely?  Good thing to know.

Not sure. CR says 2006 models are affected, too, but the 2007 apparently got a redesigned rear diff, and the problem persists. Honda issued a TSB that specifies a fluid drain/refill and "burnishing" the diff clutches as the fix for the symptoms (groaning/moaning when turning tight at low speeds). I would hope that 2008 and newer models avoid the problem, but I'd probably change the fluid more often than the manual states, just in case.

[overtakeyouintheleftlane]

jacko - Last time I checked, I never heard of a car that has been "trouble-free"  , they all have their own problems be it electrical, HVAC, trim, transmission, sludge, brakes, etc.

Every make has a problem. Building a "trouble-free" car (which I'm sure they could likely do) would simply put the car companies and mechanics out of business.

Sorry to hear about your own personal experience with this brand.

Regarding service intervals, I agree with you. I personally follow the "severe service schedule" as in the car goes in every 3 months/5000km (whichever comes first or is closer) and change the oil and have the mechanic give it a general inspection and replace what's needed.

My automatic transmission fluid is "filled for life" but I don't buy that and neither does my mechanic. He said you should change the fluid and filter at every 80,000km. A $200 job is much cheaper than a new transmission.

Bottom line, my best advice is to follow the severe service schedule. I don't wait for the service light or change engine oil lights to come on. I get it done much earlier.

[jacko]

when you buy a brand new car that cost over $30k, i think it would be safe to say that you expect that car to be trouble-free for at least the first 5yrs. true, there is no such thing as trouble-free... but after spending so much hard earned money and your troubles start to appear at an early 3 months of ownership - it is extremely disappointing. it is even more disappointing to be making at least 8 trips to the dealership to get the problem fixed. after 8 trips or so, with honda canada involved - you would expect the problem to be solved already.... but nope, problem is still there.

the crv i bought was brand new and my problems started as early as 3 months old! yup, 3 months old. all the people i talked to with honda cars with problems... all their cars were less than 8 yrs old.

i have owned several toyota cars in the past, including 2 of them now. none of them... and i mean none of them... showed any signs of
defect/problems until they reached the 10yr mark.
i have owned vw, dodge, toyota, honda cars - toyota comes out on top. i will put my money on a toyota any day over other brands out there, even after all the problems they got in the past year or so.

[mlin32]

My guess is the Swindon-built cars are for UK/Euroland consumption only. I _think_ ours come from Japan and Ohio.

Back in the day when my parents were seriously considering the CRV, we did notice quite a handful from the UK (VIN starts with S), all of them the lower trim (LX I think) models. Funny, back then there was a price premium and waiting list for the EX ones at the dealerships.

[Ice]

when you buy a brand new car that cost over $30k, i think it would be safe to say that you expect that car to be trouble-free for at least the first 5yrs. true, there is no such thing as trouble-free... but after spending so much hard earned money and your troubles start to appear at an early 3 months of ownership - it is extremely disappointing. it is even more disappointing to be making at least 8 trips to the dealership to get the problem fixed. after 8 trips or so, with honda canada involved - you would expect the problem to be solved already.... but nope, problem is still there.

the crv i bought was brand new and my problems started as early as 3 months old! yup, 3 months old. all the people i talked to with honda cars with problems... all their cars were less than 8 yrs old.

i have owned several toyota cars in the past, including 2 of them now. none of them... and i mean none of them... showed any signs of
defect/problems until they reached the 10yr mark.
i have owned vw, dodge, toyota, honda cars - toyota comes out on top. i will put my money on a toyota any day over other brands out there, even after all the problems they got in the past year or so.

Sounds frustrating. But you're one data point and a potential anomaly or an outlier. My parents own two Honda's which includes a CR-V which is now 6 months old. Both are trouble free. I own a nearly 3 year old Toyota and I've had a bunch of quality issues that were fixed by the dealership under warranty. I'm very happy in that respect but it just goes to show that no car or car company is perfect. I may be an outlier too... But if you factor in large numbers then you get a good idea of the distribution of the problems rather than selective results.

[bensonc]

Anyone experience trouble with their a/c system, my friend's 2007 CRV a/c system stop working last week(during the heat wave), she took her car to check and quoted $1600 to change the whole a/c system, then I found info on net about Honda a/c black death, many Honda have the same issue which start by the a/c compressor seized.  Please share your experience.