Complaint volume
151 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.
Complaint records
2018 Honda HR-V Complaints
151 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2018 Honda HR-V, grouped by component category.
151 Total complaints
11 Crash reports
0 Fire reports
5 Injury reports
Complaint data reflects consumer-submitted reports. A complaint is not proof
of a defect, recall, or manufacturer fault. Enriched severity fields come
from official bulk records when the complaint can be matched by ODI number.
Buyer interpretation
How to use these complaints before buying
Complaint records are most useful when they turn into inspection points, seller questions, and comparison checks against nearby model years.
Pattern to inspect
The most common categories are electrical system, fuel system, gasoline, unknown or other. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 11 crash reports, 0 fire reports, 5 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 49 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 36,704 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to electrical system, fuel system, gasoline, unknown or other?
- Can I see recent maintenance and repair records?
- Has the vehicle ever been towed, involved in a crash, or repaired for the same issue twice?
- Can we also check the recall record for this 2018 Honda HR-V?
Used-car checklist
Use these complaints before the test drive.
Build a buyer checklist to turn these issues into questions and inspection points.
2018 Honda HR-V
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2018 Honda HR-V complaints?
11 Crash
0 Fire
5 Injury
0 Fatality
10 Towed
3 Medical attention
What are the most common 2018 Honda HR-V complaint categories?
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 32
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 26
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 17
POWER TRAIN 11
SERVICE BRAKES 10
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 9
ENGINE 8
VISIBILITY/WIPER 6
STRUCTURE 5
AIR BAGS 3
151 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2025 | POWER TRAIN | We initially chose this Honda vehicle as we are Honda owners and valued their reliability. While driving with my six year old son in the car our HRV it started shaking anytime I accelerated. No check engine lights or other lights came on but I turned back home and drove my husbands car before taking my car into the shop where they diagnosed it as a CVT transmission failure. There was a recall issued for this vehicle due to transmission issues tied to the CVT and in 2022 we did have the software update that was supposed to resolve this issue. It did not and this transmission failed, our case for good will assistance was denied and we are left with a $9,000.00 problem in addition to the nearly $7,000.00 still owed on this vehicle that we purchased in 2021 (we are second . Any Honda owners looking to purchase the 2018 HRV should consider their probability of failure due to the CVT transmission that no longer falls under their extended recall warranty. It really is a disappointment to know that Honda does not standby their product seeing as their customers invest thousands of dollars into these purchases. In summary Honda acknowledged this CVT defect, extended coverage, and even performed their product update on my vehicle. Despite that, my CVT failed prematurely from the same issue, only months outside the time window but far under the mileage limit. Honda denied assistance for reasons unrelated to the defect itself (service history and number of Hondas in their system), refused to provide a written denial, and blocked escalation to higher review. My case number is 15868599. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2025 | POWER TRAIN | 2018 Honda HRV EX AWD premature CVT transmission failure at 68,314 miles. Problem diagnosed and confirmed by an independent mechanic on July 10th and by a Honda Dealership on July15th. I had to pay the Honda dealership to replace the transmission. I do not know where the old transmission was sent or if it was inspected, could contact Honda Dealership for further information. Safety of myself, passengers and other vehicles were at risk due to sluggish excelaration, jerky movements and at times unable to get the vehicle to move at all. These actions could have caused a rear end crash, front end crash or side crashes due to other vehicles not knowing what was happening. I did not have the control or the ability to move the vehicle off the road. July 3, 2025 dash lights unexpedtedly came on with no prior warning. Dashboard lights were a yellow P(parking) with an exclamation point, Red PARK light, yellow brake system light and a yellow check engine light. All lights led me to believe there was a problem with the braking system or the emergency brake was engaged. No lights indicating a transmission problem. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I am writing to file a formal complaint regarding a defect in my 2018 Honda HR-V, specifically with the White Orchid Pearl paint (paint code NH-788P). This issue appears to be widespread, as evidenced by a previous warranty extension issued by Honda in 2019 and ongoing class action lawsuits related to paint delamination on affected models. I purchased a 2018 Honda HR-V in June 2020, unaware of any pre-existing paint defects. Recently, I have noticed significant peeling of the paint on the roof in four distinct places. The affected paint is the White Orchid Pearl color with code NH-788P, which matches the vehicles covered under Honda's 2019 warranty extension for paint delamination issues. This extension was issued following reports of the clear coat and paint layers separating, leading to peeling, flaking, and exposure of the underlying primer or metal. This defect is not due to any fault of my own, such as improper maintenance or environmental damage beyond normal use. The vehicle has been garaged and maintained according to Honda's recommendations. Despite this, the paint failure has resulted in an estimated devaluation of my vehicle by up to $5,000, based on comparable market values for similar models without this issue. I have no recourse through Honda, leaving me with significant financial loss and a vehicle that is aesthetically compromised and potentially prone to further deterioration, such as rust if the peeling exposes metal. While paint peeling may not immediately present as a safety hazard, it could lead to other issues and Honda should be accountable for their vehicles. I request that NHTSA investigate this matter, review the existing warranty extension and TSB, and consider mandating a recall or further extension to cover repairs for affected owners like myself. Please contact me at [XXX] or [XXX] for any additional information.. Thank you for your attention to this complaint. I look forward to your response. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2025 | POWER TRAIN | The contact purchased a 2018 Honda HR-V for his daughter. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle started losing motive power. The driver became aware of several unknown warning lights illuminated before the vehicle unintendedly decelerated to 15 MPH. The driver was able to pull over and stop the vehicle. The vehicle was then towed to a mechanic. The contact stated that the mechanic advised that there was a known issue with the CVT transmission and referred the contact to the dealer for assistance. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, where the vehicle was diagnosed, and it was determined that there were metal shavings found inside the transmission fluid. The contact called the manufacturer about a warranty coverage program for the CVT transmission. The contact was advised that his daughter's vehicle was not covered under warranty. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified about the failure and filed a case for the contact. The failure mileage was approximately 112,000. | Crash: No Fire: No Towed | 112,000 |
| Aug 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The odometer displays keeps lagging and the display goes out. This is a common problem with this vehicle. It should be addressed because the vehicle isn’t running at is fullest potential. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2025 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | Fuel pump is failing and not properly propelling the fuel which is causing the car not to start correctly and failing during driving | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2025 | POWER TRAIN | I am writing to report a serious safety concern involving my vehicle. The car has exhibited repeated instances of unintended activation while parked and left untouched. Specifically, the entire electrical system—including the dashboard, infotainment, and other electronic components—powers on and off spontaneously without any user interaction. This behavior raises significant safety and reliability concerns, especially when the vehicle is unattended. I am requested for a thorough investigation into this issue to determine the root cause and to ensure that appropriate corrective measures are taken to prevent potential hazards. Honda service center identified the issue is caused by 'Body Control Module'. They even indicated that the fault is in the software and the unit and user has nothing to do with it and asked me to check with Honda company. When i asked the company they said no recalls for this VIN and asked me to file a complaint here. My car has driven only 36K miles and its like a brand new car still. This is not even my fault and its a big safety issue. I ended up paying $1400 for the whole thing since i am in need of a car right now for all the doctor appointments and i didn't even got a rental car while the repair is going on which is like 4 days. This costed me so much money and headache. Also i have seen the same issue reported online by many folks using Honda at that year. Please take the ticket forward as this is a major safety issue. Please help in recall and reimburse my money | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2025 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | While driving the car to work the instrument cluster LCD display began to glitch showing garbled information on the fuel as well as effecting the speedometer reading. Having inaccurate speedometer reading due to a faulty instrument cluster can put others at risk due to not knowing your exact speed. There were no indications of a problem prior to this incident. Upon discussion with several HRV owners and forums this issue is likely caused by cracked solder joints on the board for the instrument cluster. The leadfree solder used appears to fail causing connection issues for the pins on the board and erratic read outs and displays. I plan to have the dealer look at the vehicle shortly. This problem is known and reported prolifically on discussion boards. Honda has released several service notices internally related to this issue for CRVs and Civics, but no recalls and not for HRVs. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The contact owns a 2018 Honda HR-V. The contact stated that while his daughter attempted to start the vehicle, the vehicle was able to start after several attempts. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked overnight, the headlights and an alarm would independently engage, causing the battery to fail. The contact stated that the electrical systems had engaged independently. Additionally, the contact stated that vehicle had stalled while idling. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed, but the cause of the failure could not be determined. The vehicle remained at the dealer, where it was later diagnosed that the Body Control Module(BCM) had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not yet been repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and a case was filed. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 38,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 38,000 |
| Jul 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | White pearl paint has started peeling off the roof of my car. It is not a safety issue. Honda is declining to cover the extended warranty on the paint although I brought it to the dealer before the warranty was up. The dealer took photos and informed me they would be contacting Honda Corporate. Honda Corporate states the dealer did not contact them. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | On the driver's dashboard, the right side gauge of the dash blinks out and shows unreadable letters/characters. This makes it impossible to rear this gauge and see how much fuel is remaining in the car. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2025 | STRUCTURE:BODY | I am writing to report a serious issue with the paint on my white pearl Honda HR-V. The roof paint began peeling in 2023, and I initially attempted a minor repair using a paint pen from AutoZone. However, the problem has worsened significantly over the past six months. Recently, I took the vehicle to Maaco for an estimate, and they quoted approximately $2,400 to repaint the roof and side panels. I also contacted the dealership where I purchased the vehicle, and they confirmed that I had purchased an extended warranty which expired in October 2024. After researching the issue, I discovered that paint peeling is a common and widely reported problem for white pearl Honda models. I spoke with both American Honda and the dealership on July 2025, and while the Honda representative acknowledged that they are receiving many similar complaints, they stated that the company is still investigating the root cause and does not currently offer compensation. They classified the issue as normal wear and tear. I keep my vehicle well maintained, and it is only 8 years old. I strongly believe this is a manufacturing defect, not a result of neglect or environmental wear. I would like to formally file a complaint and request that Honda take responsibility for this issue. Thank you for your time and attention. I can provide additional photographs, repair estimates, and additional documentation upon request. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2025 | FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | The contact owns a 2018 Honda HR-V. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to immediately start. The cause of the failure was not yet been determined. The failure mileage was 22,000. Parts distribution disconnect. | Crash: No Fire: No | 22,000 |
| May 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The instrument cluster, specifically the odometer, fuel gauge, etc. (Right side) Rarely lights up to show how much fuel is in the tank, oil life, or mileage, potentially leaving you stranded or running out of gas while driving. Dealership has confirmed and said it would be $1,500+ to replace the entire cluster. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Complaint to NHTSA – Honda HR-V Transmission Failure and Safety Risk I purchased a used 2018 Honda HR-V, and the day after purchase, I noticed unusual noises coming from the vehicle. I took it to a certified Honda dealer, where they updated the transmission software without my consent or prior notice. After the update, the car suddenly stalled on the highway, creating a serious safety risk. The dealership then informed me that the transmission is failing, and that this is a wider issue among HR-Vs. There is a known extended warranty (7 years/150,000 miles) on the CVT transmission, but my vehicle is only 6 months past the time limit and still under 110,000 miles. Honda Corporate has denied a goodwill claim, despite the safety issue and my history as a loyal Honda customer. I currently own four Honda vehicles, and this situation has raised major concerns about the safety and reliability of the HR-V’s transmission. I’m filing this complaint because I believe this is part of a systemic transmission defect that has not been adequately addressed, and the sudden failure after a dealer-initiated update poses a significant safety hazard. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2025 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | I just want to get my recall done. It’s almost 2 years since the recall was announced and no one is able to do my car. I called Open Road Honda a bunch of times, last year they told me parts are not available. I have been following up since then every few months since honda sent a letter that parts are available. I just get sent to voicemail and no one calls back. I tried to call Honda to report but they just tell me to call local Honda dealerships. Something needs to be done with this before my car breaks. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | The contact owns a 2018 Honda HR-V. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Every honda I have had, civic, accord, Hrv, have had issues with the driver side sun visor. It will not stay up and it makes seeing out the windshield an issue. Also the rearview mirror developed black marks going across a big one portion of the bottom part of the mirror. Making it difficult to see everything. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2025 | FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | The contact owns a 2018 Honda HR-V. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, a message was displayed to "Check fuel cap". After refueling the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to the repair under NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The VIN was included, and the vehicle had been repaired by the dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 102,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 102,000 |
| Feb 2025 | POWER TRAIN | I was driving on the highway and suddenly my 2018 Honda HRV had a power failure, with the dash flashing and loss of acceleration. Luckily, I was able to coast off the highway with hazards on. After numerous power cycles, I was able to get the car into limp mode but could not go over 30mph. I took it to the dealer and was diagnosed to be the known Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) issue. My car is in great condition, with only 97k miles. I was at the dealership only a week before for the fuel injector recall, and this transmission issue was not mentioned. According to Service Bulletin 21-0467, the extended warranty to cover the CVT defect covers 7 years and 150k miles -- unfortunately, my car was is an 7 years and 1 month old according to the "delivery date" in Honda's system. I am still trying to verify this claim. I was denied all warranty and goodwill from Honda and quoted over $10,000 for the repair. I called the corporate contact (America Honda Motor Co.) to no avail. Both the dealer and corporate offices deny any liability for a known defect, after having brought the car to their service center just days before the warranty allegedly ended. | Crash: No Fire: No | 97,639 |
| Feb 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Odometer has been glitching due to freezing temps. Mileage seems to still be tallying but yesterday in temp of 10 degrees F, meter was glitching badly. Seems to be fine when warmed up but even button on dash to see trips becomes difficult to push. Sometimes turning car on the odometer is blank and will turn off the car and back on again to have it pull back up. Gas gauge and light still function even with glitching. Have read that other makes are having this issue as well. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Car completely died at a stop light while in drive but just stopped. Restarted it and it was sluggish. 2 red lights came on in middle of display but disappeared before I could see what they were. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2025 | VISIBILITY | The contact owns a 2018 Honda HR-V. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the local dealer for Technical Service Bulletin: 19-064. While at the dealer, the front windshield cracked. The vehicle was repaired. The contact became aware that the repair was completed with an aftermarket windshield. The contact stated that there was water leaking around the windshield. There was no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was contacted again, but the vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 50,000 |
| Jan 2025 | FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | The contact owns a 2018 Honda HR-V. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2025 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | The rear camera produces distorted images during and after rain, snow, dust or other road or atmospheric conditions. The defect in the camera's design creates significant safety risks because the driver cannot see obstacles, including people, behind the car when backing up. The vehicle has not been taken to a dealer, independent service center, manufacturer, police or insurance representative. There are no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms (other than the distorted images) of the problem. Also, there does not appear to be a way to change the brightness of the video screen, which makes it difficult to see images at night. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |