2018 Honda CR-V · symptom sheet

Engine overheats or leaks coolant

49owner reports
92,000median miles
$6,000median quote
1involved a crash

Newest report Aug 29, 2026 · checked Sep 19, 2026

539 of the 2,132 complaints on this car are about the engine. 49 of those describe overheating.

Narrower sheets: Head gasket fails or coolant leaks into the engine (43 reports)

Tick what matches of 49 reports

the temperature gauge climbed into the red

coolant is disappearing or on the ground

white smoke from the tailpipe

the heater stopped blowing hot

the dealer found a head gasket or cracked block

What got replaced

Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the head gasket (41 reports).

Recalls and investigations

No recall on the engine covers the 2018 model year as of Sep 19, 2026.

NHTSA investigations into the engine on the CR-V

EA04-027opened Sep 9, 2004

Engine And Engine Cooling · model years 2003 to 2005

Underhood fires. Closed jan 19, 2005.

NHTSA summary

IN DOCUMENTS PROVIDED DURING EA04-027, HONDA IDENTIFIED A MECHANISM WHICH CAUSES THE RUBBER SEAL (GASKET) OF THE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT (OE) OIL FILTER TO ADHERE TO THE ENGINE BLOCK OF THE SUBJECT VEHICLES.IF AN ADHERED SEAL REMAINS WHEN THE OE FILTER IS REMOVED AND A NEW FILTER IS INSTALLED, A DOUBLE GASKET CONDITION RESULTS.A SUBSEQUENT RUPTURE OF THE EXTRANEOUS SEAL CAN RESULT IN OIL CONTACTING NEARBY EXHAUST SYSTEM SURFACES AND A FIRE MAY OCCUR.THROUGHOUT ITS DISCUSSIONS WITH ODI, HONDA HAS MAINTAINED THAT IT IS THE SERVICING TECHNICIAN?S RESPONSIBILITY TO INSPECT FOR AND REMOVE THE SEAL PRIOR TO INSTALLING A NEW FILTER.ODI?S ANALYSIS FOUND THAT SEAL ADHESION, IN CONJUNCTION WITH TECHNICIAN ERROR AND EXHAUST COMPONENT LOCATION, RESULTED IN A HIGH RATE OF SUBJECT VEHICLE OIL FILTER FIRES COMPARED TO EARLIER MODELS AND PEERS.VEHICLES THAT HAVE NOT HAD THE OE FILTER DISTURBED ARE NOT AT RISK.SERVICE REPLACEMENT FILTER SEALS, WHICH ARE MANUFACTURED BY A DIFFERENT SUPPLIER, DO NOT EXHIBIT THE SEAL ADHESION CONDITION.THEREFORE, IF THE INITIAL OIL CHANGE IS DONE PROPERLY, THE ELEVATED FIRE RISK IS ELIMINATED FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE VEHICLE?S LIFE.BASED ON AVERAGE MILEAGE ACCUMULATION AND OIL SERVICE INTERVAL, ODI ESTIMATES THAT MORE THAN TWO THIRDS OF THE SUBJECT VEHICLES HAVE RECEIVED THEIR INITIAL OIL CHANGE AND ARE NO LONGER AT AN ELEVATED RISK.HONDA CHANGED THE DESIGN OF THE FILTER SEAL TO PREVENT THE ADHESION CONDITION AND INTRODUCED THE NEW SEAL AT BOTH CR-V ASSEMBLY PLANTS I

PE04-018opened Feb 19, 2004

Engine And Engine Cooling · model years 2003

Oil filter fires. Closed jul 1, 2004.

NHTSA summary

THIS INVESTIGATION IDENTIFIED 32 INCIDENTS OF OIL FILTER LEAKAGE IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLE POPULATION, WITH 22 RESULTING IN VEHICLE FIRES.ALL OF THE INCIDENTS OCCURRED FOLLOWING OIL CHANGES.HONDA'S INVESTIGATION OF 14 OF THE FIRE INCIDENTS DETERMINED THAT FIVE OIL FILTERS HAD STACKED SEALS (DOUBLE-GASKETING), AND NINE OIL FILTERS HAD DISTORTED OR PINCHED SEALS.ACCORDING TO HONDA, BOTH CONDITIONS RESULT FROM FAILURE TO FOLLOW NECESSARY REPAIR PROCEDURES. STACKED SEALS RESULT FROM FAILURE OF THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN TO REMOVE THE OLD SEAL PRIOR TO INSTALLING THE NEW FILTER AND SEAL.DISTORTED OR PINCHED SEALS RESULT FROM FAILURE TO PROPERLY LUBRICATE THE NEW SEAL PRIOR TO INSTALLATION. OIL LEAKAGE FROM A STACKED, DISTORTED, OR PINCHED SEAL CAN BE IGNITED BY HEAT FROM THE EXHAUST SYSTEM, WHICH IS LOCATED NEAR THE OIL FILTER IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES.HONDA WILL ISSUE COMMUNICATIONS TO ITS DEALERS WARNING OF THE NECESSITY TO FOLLOW CORRECT PROCEDURES WHEN REPLACING OIL FILTERS IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES AND OF THE POTENTIAL FOR VEHICLE FIRES TO RESULT FROM IMPROPER REPAIRS.ODI WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THE ALLEGED DEFECT IN MY 2003 AND LATER CR-V VEHICLES.THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED.THE CLOSING OF THIS INVESTIGATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A FINDING BY NHTSA THAT NO SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT EXISTS.THE AGENCY WILL TAKE FURTHER ACTION IF WARRANTED BY THE CIRCUMSTANCES.

None of these investigations covers the 2018 model year.

What owners paid

18 of the 49 reports quote a price. Each dot is one quote. The middle half runs $4,000 to $7,600.

$4,000$6,000$7,600

$0k$2k$4k$6k$8k

When it happens

The middle half of failures fell between 55,000 and 115,000 miles, from the 17 reports that gave a mileage.

119

122

223

524

1325

2726

What owners wrote

“I took my car to honda north for a diagnostics test bc its not running correctly and they told me I need a head gasket my car is to new to need a head gasket and I still have a loan out on it it has 115,000 miles the head gasket should not be blown”
Filed Mar 10, 2026 · 115,000 miles

“Issues with 1.5L turbo engine and fuel injector causing safety features to be disabled and flash on dashboard repeatedly, also heard of many issues with head gasket failure in this specific engine which could lead to driving in limp mode on a highway(20miles or less). These safety concerns could potentially be LIFE THREATENING if these issues occur on a highway”
Filed Jan 26, 2026

“Head gasket problem leaking I contact American honda for over 2 years All the lights coming on and off Incident last year to now multiple times vehicles loss power”
Filed Jan 20, 2026

“the car suddenly would not go over 10 mph. all driver-assistance was lost. the dashboard was rotating warning alarms that all systems were not functional. it turned out to be the result of a faulty engine design that necessitated a head gasket replacement!”
Filed Jan 14, 2026

Should you keep driving it?

This page can't tell you that. 1 of 49 reports involved a crash and 1 people were hurt. Owners who file are the ones who had a bad experience, and nobody checks their reports. If the problem affects steering, braking, power or a fire risk, treat it as a safety fault and have it inspected before a long or high-speed drive.

File your own report with NHTSA. Complaint counts are how a problem gets an investigation.