"How reliable is the 1998 Honda Cr-V?"

"Based on 135 NHTSA complaints, the 1998 Honda Cr-V has a median complaint mileage of 123552 miles. The most common issue is Electrical System."

"What are common problems with the 1998 Honda Cr-V?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1998 Honda Cr-V is Electrical System, accounting for a significant portion of the 135 total complaints filed."

1998 Honda Cr-V: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 135 complaints

135

Total Complaints

123,552mi

Median Mileage

Electrical System

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

57,000 25th Percentile

123,552 Median Mileage

170,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Electrical System

Switch

Air Bags

Tires

Engine

Automatic Transmission

Gasoline

Frontal

Unknown Or Other

Steering Wheel/Handle Bar

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"STEERING WHEEL TILTED TOWARDS LEFT & UP. THIS CAUSES LOCATION OF AIR BAG TO BE POINTED TOWARDS DOOR. BEEN TO DEALER'S AT LEAST 3 DIFFERENT TIMES & WAS INFORMED STEERING WHEEL WAS MADE & ASSEMBLED THAT WAY. *AK"

"THE CRUISE CONTROL / AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SYSTEM OF THE 1998 HONDA CR-V HAVE A POTENTIALLY DANDEROUS PROBLEMS. WHEN THE SYSTEM IS ON CRUISE CONTROL @ 60-75 MPH AND ENCOUNTERS RESISTANCE, SUCH AS CLIMBING A STEADY SLOPE, THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTS, CAUSING VERY HIGH ENGINE RPMS. THE RPMS HOLD AT 5 T..."

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.

Electrical System 18 complaints

25th: 118,750 mi Median: 138,000 mi 75th: 172,750 mi

Engine 6 complaints

25th: 124,000 mi Median: 175,000 mi 75th: 185,000 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 28 FL: 14 PA: 12 NY: 12 MA: 6 OR: 4 NE: 4 MI: 4 OH: 4 TX: 3

Who Files Complaints?

30.4%

Original Owners

69.6%

Second+ Owners

Honda Cr-V — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1997	129	135,500	Air Bags	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 (3)

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.

Interior/Under Dash

Campaign 99V282000 | 19/10/1999

A SUDDEN, UNEXPECTED LOSS OF LIGHTING OR A FAILURE OF THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS IN BAD WEATHER, COULD BE HAZARDOUS INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

DEALERS WILL INSTALL A 70MM PROTECTIVE, CORRUGATED PLASTIC TUBE OVER THE WIRE HARNESS, IN THE AREA OF THE BRAKE STOP SWITCH. IF ANY WIRE OR WIRES ARE DAMAGED, THEY WILL BE REPAIRED.

Maintain Your Electrical System

Based on the most common issues reported for this vehicle.

Clean battery terminals annually with baking soda and water
Replace the battery every 3-5 years before it leaves you stranded
Don't leave accessories running with the engine off
Check for corroded ground connections if you have intermittent electrical issues
Replace dim headlights promptly — they're a safety issue and a wiring symptom

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