7.8
pretty bad- Typical Repair Cost:
- $50
- Average Mileage:
- 119,300 miles
- Total Complaints:
- 12 complaints
Most common solutions:
- not sure (5 reports)
- replace bulb (5 reports)
- replace ceramic part that holds light bulb, use honda bulb (2 reports)
I have had to replace bulbs in headlights numerous times. It is very frustrating that Honda has a recall for 2002-2004 CRVs, but not 2005 when the car clearly has the same issue.
- Tracy B., Medfield, MA, US
I purchased this vehicle with 80,000 miles on it, have had to replace the headlights every 3-6 months since then, typically one at a time. After researching I have found that many other 2005 CRV owners are experiencing this issue, so I do not understand why something that could potentially be a huge hazard has not been included in a recall.
- lunersta, Washington, US
I had replaced both bulbs about eight months ago when one of the low beams went out. About two weeks ago the left low beam will not turn on. I replaced the bulb again with no success. I checked the voltage at the connector, the fuses and the relays. The fuses are fine as are the relays. The CR-V is my wife's vehicle. She will not drive it until the headlight works. If this is a known problem and it appears to be I want Honda to fix this issue. This is a safety issue. Law enforcement will ticket drivers who drive with non-functioning headlights.
- James J., Phoenix, AZ, US
Replaced each side 2 times in the last 2 years. So annoying can't find a fix Honda needs to recall this.
- kickerb6, Warren, MI, US
Burned every 4 mos, now replaced and still dim. Annoying. Both sides.
- mbombay, Durham, NC, US
Driver's Side Headlight is out for the second time in the past four months. First time I replaced it with a $20 bulb, but after reading this site, I see that this is a common problem with 2005 CR-V that Honda is not taking responsibility for. I have several other electrical issues with this vehicle that I will report separately.
- Andrew K., Warrington, PA, US
I know there is a problem with the electronics with the headlights on this car. They recalled the 2002-2004 for the same problem. My sister has the same exact CR-V but 2006, same problem. We have both replaced them at least 5 times each. They can't tell me there's no defect!!!
- lreese48mo, Florissant, MO, US
I have replaced the bulbs on my wife's car, low beam and high beam, on both sides numerous times. Latest is the low beam lasting about 1 week before it goes out. Everything else on the car seems AOK, just wanted to fuss about the bulbs that are the weak link.
- Jeff B., Roanoke, VA, US
The lowbeam passenger headlights and the lowbeam driver headlights were replaced multiple times during an 8 month period by local garages - Sears, Tires Plus, a local auto center - because they either went out completely or dimmed to the point of uselessness. Sometimes they went out and then returned to minimal brightness - and usually one at a time thankfully. I finally took my car to the Honda dealer asking if there was an electrical issue or possibly water getting into the headlight area. Meanwhile I had put styrofoam blocking the headlight area in case water from above was an issue. The Honda dealer said that often customers had issues with non-Honda brand headlights so the first thing we should try would be to replace the bulbs with Honda brand bulbs. When these bulbs were replaced, the mechanic noticed no other wiring issues. It has been a month and the lowbeam headlights are still working well. I can see while driving at night without blinding oncoming traffic with my highbeams. I will return and let you know if they fail again in the next year.
Update from Jan 25, 2014: It is now mid-January 2014 and I have had no more issues with the headlights of my 2005 Honda CRV. My interior dome light is acting a bit unreliable - sometimes off and then a few days later, working again. Maybe my next service I'll ask about that one.
Update from Mar 13, 2015: It is now March 2015. Lowbeam headlight went out in November 2014 and both headlights were replaced at the dealer with Honda bulbs. It is 4 months later and the passenger side lowbeam headlight just failed. Apparently using Honda bulbs is not the answer to this problem. It is very frustrating. I am taking it to the dealer next week and will ask them to "examine the block connector-to-dimmer switch connections for corrosion" - which is a solution I found on another website - hondacarforum.com - with regard to a 2002 CRV with same headlight issues.
- bird17064, Mount Gretna, PA, US
Honda is not what it used to be. I have owned four hondas in my lifetime, since 1972. This will be the last.
Update from Jun 5, 2013: Since posting the above complaint, I have gone ahead and replaced the ceramic sockets that hold the lightbulbs, and replaced the lightbulbs with genuine Honda lightbulbs (as opposed to those bought from auto parts stores).
So far, so good. The headlights now have a stronger beam, a visible difference! I could barely see the road at night beyond 30 - 40 feet, at night. I can now see the length of a football field.
Also noticed the original ceramic holders were burnt brown, and the reflector cone of the assembly scorched to a brittle consistency where it keeps breaking into a powder just handling it.
In all my visits to Honda and private repair shops, no one could fix it, or notice these changes.
- jacomo, Gig Harbor, WA, US
Bought a 2005 CR-V used a few years ago. Headlights burnout (low beams) within a few weeks of each other every three months or so. WHY???
- emusmummy, Lititz, PA, US
Both low beams go out regularly & within a few weeks of changing them. I googled the problem to see what we could do to keep them from going out. I found that there is a recall for this issue for 2002-2004 CRVs but they don't include 2005 which still has that problem. I also see there are multiple other owners that have the same problem and have tried to get 2005 included.
- Todd A., Wellington, US