7.9

pretty bad
Typical Repair Cost:
$250
Average Mileage:
40,600 miles
Total Complaints:
87 complaints

Most common solutions:

  1. not sure (38 reports)
  2. replace battery (13 reports)
  3. if honda does not solve such problem, give loyalty elsware (11 reports)
  4. new battery (11 reports)
  5. alternator replacement (5 reports)
  6. software upgrade (3 reports)
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This problem may be covered under warranty. Ask your Honda dealer.

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #67

Sep 022016

CR-V EX-L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 70,180 miles

I purchased my Honda new in 2012. From the minute I bought the car, I started having battery problems. Honda initially tried to blame it on me (saying I must have been running the accessories too long, etc). Luckily, AAA of SoCal ran a diagnostics and proved that the brand new battery in my car was bad. Eventually, in 2013, Honda accepted the AAA report and replaced the battery.

All was good for a time, and in 2014 I started having problems again. I was notified about a recall or some kind of fix for battery draining when I went to the local dealership for an oil changed. I was informed that the life on that battery may have been shorted by the issue but that Honda would NOT give me another battery. Jerks.

Within a few months, the battery died. I replaced it with a battery from AAA of SoCal. This battery was supposed to have a 5 year life. It's been less than 2 years, and I'm having problems again.

To summarize..... my Honda CRV EX-L is only 4-1/2 years old and I'll be on my 4th battery. This is extremely frustrating!!! Honda needs to figure out why this car is killing batteries and causing them to fail well before they should. I can't believe 3 batteries with expected lives of 3-5 years should all fail within such a short period of time.

- Lisa M., Chatsworth, CA, US

problem #66

Jul 012016

CR-V LX 3.2L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 58,000 miles

This was the letter I sent both Crest and the Corporate. Service Manager called once to leave a message and has yet to return my calls. Since I purchased my CRV Honda in 2012, I have faithfully brought it to the dealer, Crest Honda for all oil changes and preventive maintenance. I have never had any issues. The service has always been great, until now. COMPLAINT! I brought my car in last Thursday. I explained to them that on 5 or 6 occasions I have had to have my battery boosted. I have had my battery checked with 2 different sources and was told the battery is fine. So, the service department checked it out and said the battery was fine and they didn’t know what the problem was. But did say I needed 2 new tires. I agreed to that.

As I was paying, I asked the guy what would cause that to happen with my battery. He went on to say in the CRVs and one other car he mentioned, there is an issue that the car needs to be reprogrammed. I said well why didn't anyone say that today? He said maybe they didn't know. He said not all of them know that. I thought, wow I trust this place to know my car. It's the dealership where I bought it, I should feel confident with them, that’s why I have always brought it there. I said well can they fix it. He said not today, there's no one here that can do that type work anyway. So I scheduled an appointment for today (Monday) and had to hire someone to come sit with my elderly mother again. I know that's not your problem. But it is a problem when the dealership led me to believe there was nothing wrong. If I wouldn’t have asked the one closing out my sale, I still would have thought everything is okay. So having to make another trip almost 20 miles away was a problem for me. Upon starting my car to leave after paying, I discovered that the oil change light had been reset to 100%. I didn't even get an oil change. When I went back and told the service guy, he said well you can just keep up with it and come back at 50% (which is what it was at when I arrived) or we can change it now while you wait. I had already wasted half the day so I decided to stay and have it done. He didn't charge for it and I was grateful for that.

I came back today for the repair that I was told would be close to $100 to reprogram the system. After 2 hours they came and said. You have an issue with the Gauge control module, that’s draining the battery. We don't have a part, so you will have to come back. The cost is $770 some odd change. I declined the service. I feel my car issue should have been addressed the first time and at least the 2nd time upon my return visit.

I suppose I have some decisions to make about my vehicle. I feel now that I can’t trust the Crest Honda service department with my car. I hope you understand my concerns. I am not comfortable investing in this "fix". I have always shared positively about my experiences with Honda with others and often encouraged my friends and family to purchase a Honda. But I am one unsatisfied Honda customer at this time. I would appreciate a response in this matter and a way to reconcile our customer/dealer relationship.

- Rita R., Nashville, TN, US

problem #65

Feb 152015

CR-V ES 4 cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 42,000 miles

Battery loses cranking amps to start car and have to jump off (slightly) and immediately cranks. Battery and alternator check out fine by dealership. Dealership did replace so-called" chip" but has recurred 4 times since. High Point, NC dealership wants to charge $ now with no guarantee-trying another dealership in Winston-Salem, NC today-8/18/16. Seems to occur every 4,000 miles. Alt. light or battery light never comes on---very annoying especially for me (hubby with Chev.Z71 ). Honda needs to find and correct/recall problem--chip or no chip.

- Randy S., Winston-Salem, NC, US

problem #64

Jun 122012

CR-V LX 1.9L V4

  • Automatic transmission
  • 8,000 miles

I drove off the lot 4 miles down the road at a store would not crank or go into gear, called nalley in brunswick ga to send a service truck to have it jumped off. I had the battery and alternator changed out. The dealership said there was no recalls about this problem. It is now 6/21/2012, and I can't remember how many times the battery has died on me. I started keeping a quick start battery charger wit me at all times

- dickiebr, kingsland, GA, US

problem #63

Feb 222016

CR-V LX

  • Automatic transmission
  • 38,000 miles

2012 CRV battery running down. Battery and alternator checked out good, SW upgrade is done last week again battery down today, it's very inconvenient.

- Manoj B., Redmond, WA, US

problem #62

May 092016

CR-V EX-L 2.4L 4 cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 45,051 miles

Bought my 2012 Honda CR-V EX-L w/Navigation new on 3/28/2012. I demanded the highest priced model they had, plus I added over $1500 in dealer extras - body side moldings, rear spoiler, bug shield, roof rails, chrome exhaust tip, all weather floormats and cargo mat. The car looks amazing. It gets great gas mileage on the highway. I once topped 33mpg! I've driven it cross country twice and it's very comfortable. I love the interior layout. Oh, and did I mention it can survive a wicked deer strike? Only 5000 miles and 5 months old and BAM(bi), $15,000 in damages. But I digress... Granted it has a little twitch and jerk in the transmission between 20-25mph, the bluetooth sucks and is totally unusable and then, you just never know if it's gonna start. The battery issue started in January of 2014 with 17,000 miles. Had to have it jumped a few times but just assumed it was the cold weather. Getting tired of being late for work and afraid of losing my job, I figured I better get it checked by the dealer the next time it happened. Big sarcastic surprise, the dealer (Joe Morgan Honda) could find nothing wrong. A couple more jumps, in 7/2014 at more than 2 years old and only 22k miles (I bought a used BMW to drive to work since I no longer trust the CR-V), I had it back to the dealer, who again found nothing wrong with the battery or charging system. Now it's August and once again at the dealer and they tell me there is a software update that should fix the problem for good. They had previously been blaming me for A) leaving the door ajar or the lights on overnight B) the radio C) not driving the car every-single-day. Yes, they claimed the car must be driven daily - without even a day in between - or the battery will discharge. Funny. My 2014 Mustang sits for 5 months over winter with the battery still hooked up and it fires right up each spring. Hmmm...

Well, come October I'm back at the dealer with a dead battery and sure enough - the test paper comes back it's all good. Go away.

In December of 2014, I get the recall letter for the battery software update. Been there, done that.

In April of 2015, at 29k miles, guess where I am? Yes, sucking down all the free Keurig coffee I can get in my dealer waiting room while they rerun the software update.

And, I'm good until August when I'm now 2500 cross country miles from my beloved dealer with a dead battery and I'm paying $4.75 for a cup 'o joe at Starbucks. A 10 second jump and it's all good until today...

It's May 9, 2016, I'm at 45k miles (that month long California trip set me back 8k miles) and my dealer service advisor secretly tells me he hopes the battery test comes back crap. I say that's real nice but WHAT THE HELL FIXES MY CAR??????? He just shakes his head and tells me all about the new coffee creamers in the waiting room. I ask him about doing a parasitic battery test, that I've read about all these other poor suckers like me on the internet and Honda needs to get their ass to work and find the problem before we all start revolting. He says since the car is no longer under warranty, I can make a special appointment, pay $60 for the above mentioned parasitic diagnostic test and my money will generously be applied to the repair. WHAT REPAIR????? HONDA DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO FIX IT!!!!!!

So, I gulp down my coffee, walk out to my now dripping wet, clean piece of crap and of course, the engine fires right up. I drove home, parked it, started researching my trade-in value and now writing this complaint. What else is a gal to do?

- zea14, Middletown, OH, US

problem #61

May 182016

CR-V

  • Automatic transmission
  • 68,000 miles

Detected a problem with the car starting again, took to the dealer they did a quick check and said everything was fine. The next morning the car would not start??? Jumped it and took to the dealer, after they charged us $224.00 to do a diagnostic said it was the alternator. At this point we took to an independent shop and had the repairs done.

- Larry K., Loveland, OH, US

problem #60

Apr 242016

CR-V LX

  • Automatic transmission
  • 106,160 miles

On 4/24/2016 left resturant & had to call a truck for jump start. Dashboard lights up but car won't start. So next day had appointment for oil change had battery checked dealers says battery good but need to have chip updated for $79.00. Never heard of chip in battery, so I declined service. On 4/30/2016 after arriving home from family wedding pulled in garage turned off car and tried to restart same thing again. Is this for real or what ready to leave Honda & go over to Lexus. This is my 3rd owned Honda

Update from May 3, 2016: had to have car jumped again one week later when back at the dealer now I have them do the software update and now they say the battery is not any good. But before you do the software update the battery was fine. Like really I will NEVER purchase another Honda again.

- thil, Frankfort, IL, US

problem #59

Mar 062016

CR-V EX L 2.4L 4 cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 36,200 miles

This is about the sixth or seventh time that this has happened and it is pretty embarrassing when you have to shove your vehicle out of the way and jump it off. I have started carrying a jumper box with me but I think Honda should supply the box not me. If this was a clunker I would understand but it has been happening every since brand new. After a year old they did replace the battery but one of the techs told me that they had many new batteries that were bad. They do check my battery when I have it serviced and tell me it is O.K. but I do not believe that. I hear that this is a problem with the 2012 model and if so why is Honda not taking care of it ?

- rev5299, Cresson, TX, US

problem #58

Dec 012014

CR-V EX-L 2WD 2.5L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 27,000 miles

So we have this 2012 CRV for my wife, after a year or so, one day she couldn't start the engine, called AAA and they jump started the car and advised us to replace the battery as it was completely drained. Took it to Honda Dealer (Scott Robinson) on Hawthorne Boulevard in Torrance CA and they said everything is OK!

We didn't want to argue with the dealer, and we were thinking may be we forgot the interior light ON (not the headlights as the car has auto light sensor) and for sure after a few month this happened again.... and again and again.... I took it back to the dealership and they said, oooh it's the battery and A/C coil that's causing the battery to leak... and the total is $256... I said I don't mind paying to replace the battery cause it's been three years, but, the we've been always complaining about this issue to you guys.... I asked the service man to check the history, he said noooope you guys never complained about this before! I told him, no way, it has to be there, I remembered last year I took it to the other Scott Robinson service shop close to my work on Crenshaw Boulevard and luckily they documented there that we couldn't start the car and OF COURSE they said everything is OK.

I believe Honda needs to stand behind their products and it's obvious it's not only us who've been having issues with their batteries and couldn't start the car.

We never had a good experience with this dealer, and it's really unfortunate specially when Honda's headquarters are based in Torrance CA!

Regards,

A very frustrated loyal Honda customer!

- arak, Torrance, CA, US

problem #57

Feb 162016

CR-V EXL 2.4L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 47,000 miles

Need a solution to the problem with the battery running down. Battery and alternator checked out good. Need a solution from Honda.

- rabitn, Antioch, TN, US

problem #56

Oct 082013

CR-V LX

  • Automatic transmission
  • 15,000 miles

The battery in this car has been replaced 4 times!!! The dealership would only pay twice. The dealership also claims there is NO PROBLEM with the car!! Are you kidding me--Honda step up the plate and fiure out what is sucking the life out of the batteries.

- M P., Atlanta, GA, US

problem #55

Nov 112013

CR-V LX 4

  • Automatic transmission
  • 8,400 miles

Car would not start - was in my underground garage. Roadside came and started - told me I needed a new battery (tried to get me to buy it on the spot). I did not. Drove it immediately to the Honda dealership. Was extremely upset since this was the third occurrence. They finally admitted to a known issue and did some re-calibration to fix it!! No credit towards a new battery or anything either. Although I did not need a new battery at that point in time.

- sammilwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, US

problem #54

Sep 162013

CR-V LX 4

  • Automatic transmission
  • 7,200 miles

Sat all day at work. I started without a problem. Went three miles to Sam's Club. Shopped for 20 minutes. Returned to my car and it was completely dead. Roadside service ran a test and said something was draining the battery - maybe the dome light. I turned it off - not automatic and went to Honda dealership. They checked and said all was good. (but it wasn't)

- sammilwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, US

problem #53

Jun 122013

CR-V LX 4

  • Automatic transmission
  • 6,000 miles

Battery was completely dead. There was no known cause - I thought maybe I had left the dome light on. Called roadside assistance to help.

- sammilwaukee, Milwaukee, WI, US

problem #52

Jan 292013

CR-V LX

  • Automatic transmission
  • 10,000 miles

Every 10 months or so....my crv battery dies I purchased the vehicle in March of 2012. Replaced the battery in January of 2013 Replaced the battery again in February of 2014 December of 2015 - its dead again. I buy new vehicles to avoid car problems. This vehicle cost me over $40,000 and still ----might as well have an old junker---- I never know if I will be able to get my vehicle going.. This should be resolved.... it should be fixed permanently. I always buy Honda CRV touring or top of the line.... Please do something!!

- DeA L., Edmonton, AB, Canada

problem #51

Mar 012013

CR-V EX

  • Automatic transmission
  • 24,000 miles

In May of 2012, I purchased a new 2012 Honda CR-V hoping to have a reliable vehicle with good gas mileage. After about 23,000 miles, the battery began to intermittently die. I took it to the dealer and after testing the battery, they indicated that it was fine. The car died again, I took it back, and Honda replaced the battery. All was good until another 20,000 miles. The battery, again, intermittently would die. After a couple of early morning calls to AAA to jump my car, I took it back to Honda. They said sorry, your battery is fine (and that's putting it nicely - I was made to feel like I was crazy). If we can't get it to mimic the problem, there is nothing we can do. The battery was still under warranty, but they would not replace it. Over the next few months, the vehicle seemed to be working properly, and I began to think that maybe they were right. I was wrong. The battery died twice over the 2015 Holidays. We jumped the car and I drove it directly to the service center. I advised I was leaving it until they figured out what was wrong as I did not feel safe operating the vehicle anymore. Thankfully, my car died in the service bay. They ran "numerous" tests and determined that the starter and alternator were fine (I have an extended warranty). The battery was reading that it needed a charge, but not that it had a "bad cell." I left it overnight where they were able to obtain a bad reading, therefore prompting a warranty replacement.

Honda was unable to find the cause of the battery drain. Three batteries over three years - there has to be a defect. Very disappointing.

- msparsons, Norfolk, VA, US

problem #50

Apr 082015

CR-V EX V4

  • Automatic transmission
  • 34,000 miles

The battery should not have died that quickly, and of course not covered by any warranty

- topazifnj, Morris plains, NJ, US

problem #49

Aug 152015

CR-V E XL 2.4L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 28,350 miles

The battery starts the auto. However I know the battery is weak. I had it checked at two automotive centers. It is about 75% cold cranking amp power. In the last three years it caused. I know the generating power is not good.

- flow12, Quincy, WA, US

problem #48

Oct 112015

CR-V SW 2.4L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 41,254 miles

My car is no longer under warranty but I feel that the car should not be having a problem like this so soon. The company should pay for the repair. I have an appointment to have it fixed tomorrow.

- Kay W., Empire, MI, US

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