2016 Honda CR-V reliability

Is it reliable?

NHTSA's file on the 2016 Honda CR-V holds 392 complaints after 11 years, a rate of 45 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most CR-V years here — under the median of the other years, which is 91. NHTSA has 3 recalls on file, including Fuel pump, Engine, and Inflator.

2015 Honda CR-V EX-L — Photo by Elise240SX, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0

Complaints

392

Per year

Recalls

Years on the road

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (101 of 392), then Fuel and propulsion system (65) and Electrical system (64). Complaints that include an odometer have a median of 19,000 miles, and the middle half falls between 5,500 and 38,000 miles. Those filings include 40 that report a crash, 4 that report a fire, and 28 that report an injury.

Next to 2015 and 2017

The 2015 CR-V has 670 complaints, 135 per year, and the 2017 has 1,766 complaints, 278 per year. The 2016 has fewer complaints per year than the 2015. The 2016 has fewer complaints per year than the 2017.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2016 Honda CR-V. How we count. Data as of 2026-10-16.

Recalls (3)

Recall Fuel pump 2023-12-18 · NHTSA campaign 23V858000

Summary Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline, Odyssey, Acura ILX, MDX, MDX Hybrid, RDX, RLX, TLX, 2019-2022 Honda Insight, Passport, 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Clarity PHEV, Fit, and 2015-2020 Honda Accord Hybrid, Pilot, Acura NSX vehicles. The fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.

Remedy Dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 6, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are KGC and KGD. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall numbers 21V-215 and 20V-314.

Vehicles affected 2,490,460

Recall Engine 2017-05-04 · NHTSA campaign 17V305000

Summary Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Honda CR-V vehicles that recently received a replacement engine. The replacement engine may have been built with the wrong pistons, potentially affecting the engine's performance.

Remedy Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the engines and replace the incorrect components, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began June 20, 2017. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is KF6.

Vehicles affected 16

Recall air bags, frontal, driver side, inflator 2015-10-29 · NHTSA campaign 15V714000

Summary American Honda Motor Company, Inc. (Honda) is recalling certain model year 2016 CR-V vehicles manufactured October 12, 2015, to October 19, 2015. The metal housing surrounding the driver's air bag inflator in these vehicles may have been manufactured incorrectly.

Remedy Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver side frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began in November 2015. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda'a number for this recall is JV9.

Vehicles affected 515

NHTSA's count is every vehicle in that campaign. A campaign can cover other model years and other models.

Complaints by component (392 total)

Engine

101

Fuel and propulsion system

Electrical system

Powertrain

Air bags

Speed control

Service brakes

Steering

Structure

Wheels

Visibility and wipers

Seats

Fuel system, gasoline

Seat belts

Suspension

Tires

Forward collision avoidance

Electronic stability control (ESC)

Engine and engine cooling

Exterior lighting

Visibility

Back-over prevention

Hydraulic brakes

Interior lighting

Lane departure

Show 17 more Show less

Crash-flagged

Fire-flagged

Injury reports

Death reports

Of the 235 complaints that include an odometer reading, the median is 19,000 miles. The middle half fall between 5,500 and 38,000 miles.

Complaints filed per year

Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings

"On August 8, 2026, while operating a 2016 Honda CR-V (62,459 original miles) at highway speeds, the engine’s factory water pump experienced a sudden, catastrophic internal failure and froze completely. The seized water…"
Unknown or other, Engine · filed 2026-09-08
"My 2016 Honda CR‑V has only had one driver since purchase and currently has approximately 86,000 miles. It has been properly maintained, yet it is experiencing the same symptoms described in Honda’s recent warranty…"
Engine · filed 2026-09-02
"While I was driving on I-75 in Cincinnati OH my vehicle suddenly lost all power with no advanced warning. My car was working fine on the way to work and even when I began my commute home but then suddenly every light on…"
Electrical system · filed 2026-08-28
"Last night I was stopped at a light with my foot on the brake waiting for the light to turn green. The car suddenly wanted to move forward and was fighting the brake. I'm not a two-footed driver, so only my right foot…"
Speed control · filed 2026-07-31
"Spontaneously shattered sunroof. I was driving on the freeway going 50mph and I heard an extremely loud 'bang' and then glass was falling down on me and my passenger. The sunroof had completely shattered with no…"
Unknown or other · filed 2026-06-24

NHTSA crash ratings

Version	Overall	Front	Side	Rollover
2016 Honda CR-V SUV AWD	5 stars	5 stars	5 stars	4 stars
2016 Honda CR-V SUV FWD	5 stars	5 stars	5 stars	4 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim	Engine	Transmission	Drive	City	Hwy	Combined	Annual fuel cost
CR-V two-wheel drive	2.4L, 4-cyl	Automatic (variable gear ratios)	Front-wheel drive	26	32	29 MPG	$2250
CR-V four-wheel drive	2.4L, 4-cyl	Automatic (variable gear ratios)	All-wheel drive	25	31	27 MPG	$2400

Specs and fitment

4th generation, 2012–2016

Body styles SUV

Oil 5W-20 or 0W-20 , 4.4 qt capacity

Tire size 215/70R16 (LX) to 225/60R18 (Touring)

Known issues for this generation

Certain 2013-2016 CR-Vs were included in a 2023 nationwide safety recall (NHTSA campaign 23V-858) after some units received a replacement fuel pump module with a defective impeller. The impeller can swell and seize, stopping the fuel pump and causing a stall or loss of motive power while driving. Dealers replace the affected fuel pump module set at no cost; the recall does not apply to the 2012 model year, the first year of this generation.

Compare

Previous year 2015 Honda CR-V Next year 2017 Honda CR-V See every Honda CR-V model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2016 Honda CR-V reliable?

What are common problems with a 2016 Honda CR-V?

Is the 2016 Honda CR-V more reliable than the years next to it?

Has the 2016 Honda CR-V been recalled?

The 2016 Honda CR-V has 3 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2016 Honda CR-V?

Owners have filed 392 complaints about the 2016 Honda CR-V with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2016 Honda CR-V get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2016 Honda CR-V is 28 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What generation is the 2020 Honda CR-V?

5th generation (2017-2022).

Does the Honda CR-V have oil dilution problems?

The 1.5L turbo engine in 2017-2018 CR-Vs is affected by a documented fuel-dilution issue on short, cold trips; Honda issued a software and oil-change fix but did not issue a recall.