2018 Honda CR-V · symptom sheet
Engine overheats or leaks coolant
- 51owner reports
- 100,000median miles
- $6,000median quote
- 1involved a crash
Newest report Sep 12, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
542 of the 2,145 complaints on this car are about the engine. 51 of those describe overheating.
Narrower sheets: Head gasket fails or coolant leaks into the engine (44 reports)
Tick what matches of 51 reports
Overheating on other CR-V years
Report counts are for each model year on its own, so a newer car has had less time to collect them. Model years with too few reports of it for a sheet: 2014, 2015, 2016, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026.
What this problem usually is
Most owners in this group notice the coolant before they notice the heat: a reservoir that keeps dropping, a sweet smell, or a bright puddle under the front of the car. Across the vehicles on this site, about four in five of these complaints mention coolant, a leak or a puddle, and roughly two in five mention the temperature gauge or overheating.
What got replaced
Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the head gasket (42 reports).
Recalls and investigations
No recall on the engine covers the 2018 model year as of Oct 2, 2026.
NHTSA investigations into the engine on the CR-V
Underhood fires. Closed jan 19, 2005.
Oil filter fires. Closed jul 1, 2004.
None of these investigations covers the 2018 model year.
What owners paid
19 of the 51 reports quote a price. Each dot is one quote. The middle half runs $4,000 to $7,600.
When it happens
The middle half of failures fell between 55,000 and 115,000 miles, from the 18 reports that gave a mileage.
Is this a known problem?
The manufacturer has sent NHTSA 1 service bulletin or notice for the 2018 Honda CR-V that deal with this problem. Newest first.
Federal rules make a manufacturer send NHTSA a copy of any notice about a defect that goes to more than one dealer or owner. Most of these are service bulletins, the repair instructions manufacturers send to dealers. NHTSA generally leaves safety recall bulletins out of this file, and recalls are listed separately.
Under certain conditions, the cylinder head gasket effectiveness may be reduced which may cause vehicles to experience overheating, coolant loss, misfire and/or DTCs P0300 thru P0304 stored.
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
“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 51 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. How reports land on this sheet.
Guide Which lights mean pull over now? Warning lights by color and urgency
Other problems on this car
- Brakes on its own (automatic emergency braking) 244 reports
- Engine stalls or loses power while driving 219 reports
- Steering sticks, feels notchy or jerks 212 reports
- Brakes grind, pulse or wear early 196 reports
- Burns oil or oil level rises 130 reports
- Check engine light or misfire 128 reports
- Engine rattles or ticks 126 reports
- Multiple warning lights come on at once 109 reports
- Forward collision warning goes off or the camera drops out 96 reports
- Infotainment, screen or backup camera fails 94 reports
- Fuel pump failure 89 reports
- Adaptive cruise or lane keeping misbehaves 84 reports
- Power steering cuts out or goes heavy 80 reports
- Fuel smells, leaks, or the gauge reads wrong 77 reports
- Turbo failure or loss of boost 73 reports
- Battery dies or the car will not start 70 reports
- A/C blows warm or the compressor fails 58 reports
- Engine failure, knocking or rod bearing 46 reports
- Steering wheel clicks, clunks or grinds when I turn 44 reports
- Seat belt or seat problems 32 reports
- Traction control or StabiliTrak light comes on 30 reports
- Windshield cracks or distorts 29 reports