"How reliable is the 1997 Honda Cr-V?"

"Based on 129 NHTSA complaints, the 1997 Honda Cr-V has a median complaint mileage of 135500 miles. The most common issue is Air Bags."

"What are common problems with the 1997 Honda Cr-V?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1997 Honda Cr-V is Air Bags, accounting for a significant portion of the 129 total complaints filed."

1997 Honda Cr-V: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 129 complaints

129

Total Complaints

135,500mi

Median Mileage

Air Bags

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

78,236 25th Percentile

135,500 Median Mileage

199,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Air Bags

Electrical System

Switch

Vehicle Speed Control

Ignition

Tires

Recliner

Frontal

Automatic Transmission

Engine

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"WHEN APPLYING THE ABS BRAKES IN A SUDDEN STOP, THE VEHICLE BRAKES LOCKED UP, CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. *AK"

"VEHILCES REAR SHOULDER BELT SOME HOW RAPPED AROUND CHILDS NECK AND IT WAS NOT EVEN IN THE LATCH, THE BELT LOCKED UP AND HAD TO BE CUT IN ORDER TO GET THE STRAP FROM AROUND THE CHILDS NECK. *AK *JB"

"WHEN USING THE CRUISE CONTROL THE VEHICLE DOES NOT MAINTAIN SPEED GOING UP OR DOWN HILL. THE PROBLEM WAS CORRECTED ON 9/2/97. *AK"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Air Bags 22 complaints

25th: 45,000 mi Median: 107,500 mi 75th: 170,000 mi

Electrical System 13 complaints

25th: 125,000 mi Median: 155,000 mi 75th: 217,600 mi

Switch 11 complaints

Median: 62,816 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 31 FL: 14 NC: 10 NY: 9 PA: 7 WA: 6 VA: 5 TN: 5 TX: 5 NJ: 4

Who Files Complaints?

37.2%

Original Owners

62.8%

Second+ Owners

Honda Cr-V — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1998	135	123,552	Electrical System	15
1999	158	102,500	Air Bags	21
2000	155	96,000	Air Bags	15
2001	154	100,000	Air Bags	11
2002	660	96,000	Air Bags	64
2003	580	74,231	Air Bags	56
2004	601	72,119	Air Bags	45
2005	599	73,000	Air Bags	51
2006	522	75,000	Exterior Lighting	39
2007	1158	80,000	Air Bags	47
2008	1218	75,000	Air Bags	66
2009	446	64,300	Air Bags	36
2010	581	57,000	Air Bags	56
2011	640	49,000	Air Bags	41
2012	502	35,000	Engine	47
2013	493	25,000	Engine	36
2014	788	17,412	Engine	59
2015	962	3,000	Engine	58
2016	541	20,000	Engine	62
2017	2540	18,000	Engine	73
2018	2794	10,500	Engine	66
2019	1441	9,500	Automatic Emergency Braking	52
2020	392	10,500	Automatic Emergency Braking	34
2021	370	18,000	Steering	16
2022	233	17,735	Steering	9
2023	616	7,900	Steering	33
2024	500	6,280	Steering	42
2025	281	2,425	Unknown Or Other	36
2026	78	28,000	Unknown Or Other	6

Active Recalls (2)

Federal safety recalls issued for this vehicle.

Inflator Module

Campaign 20V026000 | 17/01/2020

In the event of a crash necessitating air bag deployment, an inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants. An underinflated air bag cushion may not properly protect the occupant. These scenarios increase the risk of serious injury or death.

Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the driver frontal air bag inflator, and replace it if necessary, with an inflator of a different design, free of charge. The recall began October 1, 2020. Owners may contact American Honda's Customer Support & Campaign Center at 1-888-234-2138 or

Switch

Campaign 02V120000 | 16/05/2002

WORN CONTACTS COULD CAUSE THE ENGINE TO STALL WITHOUT WARNING, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE IGNITION SWITCH. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JUNE 14, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT HONDA AT 1-800-999-1009 OR ACURA AT 1-800-382-2238.

Airbag Safety

Based on the most common issues reported for this vehicle.

Check for open airbag recalls at NHTSA.gov using your VIN
Never ignore the airbag warning light — get it diagnosed immediately
Don't install aftermarket steering wheel covers that block the airbag
Keep the area around airbag deployment zones clear of accessories

Compare Honda Cr-V

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Vehicle Rankings

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Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28