2004 Honda CR-V Electrical System
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
BOTH LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS STOPPED WORKING SIMULTANEOUSLY. THE CONNECTOR TO THE HEADLIGHT SWITCH HAS MELTED PREVENTING THE SWITCH FROM WORKING. UPDATED 06/10/11 *BF *TR *TR
2004 HONDA CRV - AIR CONDITIONING COMPRESSOR STOPPED WORKING. MADE LOUD POPPING NOISE. WHEN I OPENED THE HOOD YOU COULD SMELL SMOKE. I NOTICED SPARKS AND SMOKE COMING FROM THE AC COMPRESSOR. I BOUGHT THIS CRV NEW IN 2004 AND HAD NOT HAD ANY PROBLEMS PRIOR TO THIS. THE HONDA DEALER THAT I PURCHASED THIS FROM SAYS THAT IT WILL COST $2400 TO FIX IT AS IT BASICALLY NEEDS AN ENTIRE NEW AC INSTALLED. I SEARCHED THE WEB TO SEE IF ANYONE ELSE HAD THIS PROBLEM, AND NOTICED THAT IT IS WIDESPREAD. WILL HONDA DO A RECALL FOR THIS ISSUE? I'M VERY CONCERNED, AS I ALSO HAVE A 2005 CRV THAT I PURCHASED NEW IN 2005 FOR MY WIFE AND SEE THAT IT IS VERY POSSIBLE THAT THIS COULD HAPPEN TO THAT VEHICLE. *TR
2004 HONDA CRV WITH LESS THAN 21,000 MILES. ELECTRICAL SHORT. CAR ISN'T OVER DRIVEN AND CHECKED REGULARLY AS SUGGESTED BY HONDA DEALERSHIP. *TR
WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY ABOUT TWO MONTHS AGO, I WAS SHOCKED OR BOLTED AND SOMETHING WENT THROUGH MY BODY. IT WAS LIKE AN ELECTRICAL SHOCK. ALSO, MY DOOR LOCKS KEEP OPENING AND CLOSING WHILE I AM DRIVING. ITS HAPPENED A COUPLE TIMES AND IT HAS SCARED ME. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT WOULD HAVE ANYTHING TO WITH THE SHOCK I RECEIVED IN THE VEHICLE, AND SOMETHING KEEPS GOING OFF IN MY CAR, IT SOUNDS LIKE A TIMER. I TOOK IT TO HONDA, THEY KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THE SOUND I HEAR AND SINCE ITS NOT A MANUFACTURE WARRANTY, I DID SEND IN THE WARRANTY TO THE RADIO AND I THOUGHT THE RADIO AND THE LOCKS ARE CONNECTED ON MY VEHICLE FOR SECURITY PURPOSES. BEEN HAVING MEDICAL PROBLEMS, DON'T KNOW IF THE SHOCK COULD OF CONTRIBUTED TO IT. I THINK I KEEP GETTING SHOCKED EVERY TIME I DRIVE IT. THE NUMBER OF FAILURES WOULD BE A NUMBER I WOULDN'T KNOW SINCE IT HAPPENS EVERYDAY. *NM
I HAD DRIVEN ABOUT 61/2 MILES WHEN THE DRIVE LIGHT (LIGHT SHOWING THE GEAR YOU ARE USING) WENT OUT AND THE CAR STARTED TO STALL. THE GEAR LIGHT CAME BACK ON AND THE CAR CONTINUED TO RUN. ABOUT 30 SECONDS LATER THE SAME THING HAPPENED. I CONTINUED THE 2 1/2 MILES HOME. I CALLED THE HONDA DEALERSHIP WHERE I HAD PURCHASED THE CAR IN AUG. 2003, AND EXPLAINED THE PROBLEM. I WAS TOLD THAT IT PROBABLY HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE FACT THAT I WAS VERY CLOSE TO NEEDING THE 40,000 MILE MAINTENANCE. I WAS TOLD TO DRIVE IT OVER THE WEEKEND AND SEE IF THE PROBLEM PERSISTED. MY HUSBAND AND I DROVE IT TO INDIANA LIKE WE HAD PLANNED, TO BRING BACK SOME ITEMS FROM HIS GRANDMOTHERS, GARAGE. WE HAD NO PROBLEMS ON SATURDAY, BUT ON SUNDAY JUST OUTSIDE OF FT. WAYNE THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE GEAR LIGHT WENT OUT. WE TOOK IT TO THE HONDA DEALER SHIP ABOUT 4 MILES AWAY. WE LEFT THE CAR AND RENTED A VEHICLE TO GET HOME. THE HONDA MECHANICS HAD THE CRV FOR A WEEK BUT COULD NOT FIND A PROBLEM. WE PICKED THE CAR UP THE FOLLOWING SATURDAY AND BY THE TIME WE MADE IT TO THE HIGHWAY, THE CAR WAS ACTING UP AGAIN. WE DROVE BACK TO COLUMBUS PULLING OVER EVER 7 OR 8 MINUTES TO TURN THE ENGINE OFF FOR 5 MINUTES. ABOUT HALF WAY HOME THE CAR STALLED AT A RED LIGHT. THIS HAPPENED SEVERAL MORE TIMES BEFORE WE MADE IT HOME. THIS PROBLEM HAS PERSISTED OVER THE LAST 10 WEEKS. IT HAS BEEN BACK AND FORTH TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE THOUGHT THAT THE PROBLEM HAD BEEN SOLVED WHEN SOME WIRING WAS REPLACED BUT THE FOLLOWING DAY, THE PROBLEMS CONTINUED. TODAY IS AUGUST 19TH AND IT HAS BEEN 11 WEEKS OF HEADACHES AND STRESS. *JB
WHILE DRIVING AT 65 MPH CONSUMER WAS WARNED BY ANOTHER MOTORIST THAT THE VEHICLE WAS ON FIRE. VEHICLE WAS PULLED OVER, AND THE CONSUMER STOPPED THE ENGINE. IMMEDIATELY, THE FIRE WAS EXTINGUISHED, BUT CONTINUED TO SMOKE. ONCE THE SMOKE CLEARED CONSUMER COULD SEE THAT THE WIRES IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT WERE MELTED. SEVERAL NEWS PAPERS WERE RUNNING ADDS CONCERNING FAULTY OIL CHANGES BY HONDA MECHANICS.*AK
WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH ENGINE STARTED SMOKING AND FLAMES BEGAN COMING FROM UNDER THE VEHICLE. *AK
AFTER HAVING AN OIL CHANGE, AND WHILE DRIVING BLUE SMOKE COME FROM UNDER HOOD, AND FIRE ERUPTED FROM UNDER THE CARRIAGE. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO DEALERSHIP. *AK
WHILE DRIVING AT 5 MPH VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE. *AK
WE GOT OUR FIRST OIL CHANGE AND AFTERWARDS MY CAR STARTED SMOKING REALLY BAD AND THE LOW OIL LIGHT CAME ON. WHEN I CALLED MY BOYFRIEND TO COME HELP ME 15 QUARTS OF OIL LATER AND 2 FILTERS LATER, IT WAS FINALLY NOTICED THE ORIGINAL O RING HAD MELTED TO THE BLOCK. THE OIL HAD SPRAYED ALL OVER THE UNDERSIDE OF MY VEHICLE AND STARTED TO BURN. HAD I NOT PULLD OVER WHEN I HAD MY CAR PROBABLY WOULD HAVE CAUGHT FIRE. I PULLED OVER JUST IN TIME. MY BOYFRIEND SEEMS TO THINK THAT THIS HAPPENED BACAUSE OF WHERE THE POSITION OF THE OIL FILTER IS BASICALLY IT IS TO CLOSE TO THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD AND THE RING IS GETTING TO HOT AND MELTING TO THE BLOCK.*AK
I TOOK MY 2004 HONDA CRV IN FOR ITS FIRST OIL CHANGE. AS THE TECHNICIAN DROVE MY CAR OUT OF THE SERVICE BAY, SMOKE WAS COMING OUT FROM UNDER THE HOOD. I WENT OUT TO MEET THE TECHNICIAN AND HE OPENED THE HOOD. SMOKE CAME POURING OUT AND WE NOTICED OIL SPRAYED ALL OVER THE ENGINE. HE SAID HE WAS NOT SURE WHY THIS HAPPENED, BUT HE WOULD CLEAN IT UP AND TAKE CARE OF IT. 30 MINUTES LATER, I HAD MY CAR BACK AND DID NOT HAVE ANY OTHER PROBLEMS.*AK
ON WEDNESDAY, JUNE 9, 2004 MY 2004 HONDA CRV CAUGHT ON FIRE AFTER LEAVING DEALERSHIP FROM HAVING 1ST OIL CHANGE. I WAS ORIGINALLY TOLD THE PROBLEM WAS "THE OLD O-RING/GASKET WAS NOT REMOVED AND A NEW ONE ADDED ON TOP OF OLD ONE". HOWEVER YESTERDAY WHEN I WENT BY TO GET THINGS OUT OF OTHER CAR I WAS TOLD IT WAS AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM THAT CAUSED FIRE. DEALERSHIP WANTED TO REPAIR CAR AND GIVE IT BACK TO ME, BUT I REFUSED. AFTER WATCHING MY CAR BURN I JUST COULDN'T TAKE IT BACK....AFTER SEVERAL HOURS OF DISCUSSION AND TO THE POINT OF ME WALKING OUT AND GETTING LEGAL HELP, THEY GAVE ME A NEW 2004 CRV. THE FOLLOWING WEEK I FIND OUT FROM A CO-WORKER THAT HIS PARENTS WHO OWN A 2004 HONDA CRV ALSO CAUGHT ON FIRE AND WAS TOTALLY DESTROYED BY FIRE. THIS COUPLE IN THEIR 70'S ESCAPED UNHARMED. THEY HAD JUST HAD THEIR 1ST OIL CHANGE DAY BEFORE. I HAVE TALKED TO AMERICAN HONDA CORPORATION AND THEY ASSURED ME THERE WERE NO PROBLEMS WITH THE CARS BUT YET THERE ARE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ON WEBSITES TALKING ABOUT 2004 CRV FIRES. EVEN THOUGH I WAS GIVEN A NEW CAR I AM NOW AFRAID OF IT AND WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN AGAIN. I AM VERY CONCERNED IF THERE IS A PROBLEM HONDA SHOULD ADDRESS IT BEFORE SOMEONE IS INJURED OR KILLED.*AK
HAD OIL AND OIL FILTER REPLACED ON JUNE 16. DROVE HOME, APPROXIMATELY 7 MILES. NEXT DAY DROVE APPROXIMATELY 5 MILES AND CAR WAS TOTALLY DESTROYED BY FIRE. FIRE DEPARTMENT PUT OUT FIRE.POLICE FILLED OUT REPORT.THE HONDA HAD JUST OVER 3,700 MILES AND WAS PURCHASED MARCH 25, 2004. *AK
WHILE DRIVING 10 MPH A FIRE STARTED UNDER THE HOOD. CONSUMER PULLED OVER, AND HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED. DEALERSHIP WAS NOTIFIED, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK
MY WIFE WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND THE ENGINE CAUGHT ON FIRE. SHE WAS IN TOWN DOING ABOUT 30 MPH. THE FIRST INDICATION OF FIRE WAS SMOKE COMING OUT OF THE HOOD. SHE STOPPED THE CAR AND GOT OUT. ANOTHER MOTORIST THAT STOPPED SAID FLAME WERE COMING OUT OF THE RIGHT FRONT SIDE OF THE VEHICLE WHEN MY WIFE WAS DRIVING DOWN THE STREET. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT SAID THE CAR WAS TOTALLED. I AM WAITING ON THE INSURANCE COMPANY TO LOOK AT THE VEHICLE. THE CAR WAS PURCHASED IN DECEMBER 2003 - NEW. *AK
AFTER HAVING MY FIRST OIL CHANGE AND RECALLED PART FIXED, ON MY NEW 2004 CRV, DRIVING BACK TO WORK, APPROXIMATELY 10 MILES FROM DEALERSHIP, MY VEHICLE STARTED SMOKING/FIRE. I OPENED HOOD AND A WITNESS TOLD ME TO MOVE FROM THE CAR AS FLAMES WERE SHOOTING OUT FROM UNDER IT. *AK
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Quick Summary
The 2004 Honda CR-V has 41 Electrical System complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.