I had been driving for approximately 30 minutes. As I drove along I-575 - a 4-lane highway - I noticed a kind of power surge from my engine. My speedometer registered 80 MPH! I applied the brakes but was unable to slow the car more than 20-30 MPH, and then it started to creep back up. I exited at that point, knowing I needed help. I was still going much too fast. I looked for a service station and not only was there none, within seconds I was faced with a red light with 4 lanes of cross traffic (george busby parkway) - I couldn't stop the car! So I took it off the road in a controlled crash, going over the curb, 6 or so feet of grass, a huge hedge, and crashed into a very tall, mature crape myrtle. Thank god the car finally stopped. I was fortunate the crape myrtle consisted of multiple trunks rather than being an oak or similar. The crape myrtle managed to dissipate the impact of my car and I only sustained a broken wrist. The air bag did not deploy. My insurance company is charging me with driving out of control!!!!
2002 Honda CR-V acceleration problems
25 complaints (5% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 84,000. 4 crashes reported.
- owner complaints
- 25
- of this car's complaints
- 5%
- typical mileage
- 84,000
- crashes
- 4
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Cables3
- Cruise control1
- Accelerator pedal1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Honda CR-V acceleration problems in other years
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
What 2002 Honda CR-V owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
While passing another vehicle driving under the speed limit (25 MPH in a 45 MPH zone). I accelerated to pass, my car began to speed faster and faster without me being able to control or stop the vehicle. Both feet were slammed on the brake pedal but we reached 70mph, but I couldn't stop the car. I pulled the emergency brake and yet the car continued. We rode on both the brake pedal and emergency brake for at least a mile. It only slowed down a little, but I was able to drive on the shoulder and luckily didn't come to any stop signs or traffic lights. I was finally able to stop my vehicle n front of a restaurant by turning the ignition off, while still moving. With the car finally stopped, I put the car in park and immediately checked to make sure there was nothing obstructing the pedal causing it to accelerate. There was nothing. Nothing appeared obviously wrong under the hood, except a strong burning smell from the brakes. I turned the ignition on while in park and the speedometer went to 140 MPH, the rpms red lined (without pushing the break or gas pedal). I turned the car off immediately. We then put the car in neutral and rolled it into the restaurants parking lot. I called aaa to have a tow truck bring the vehicle to a local mechanic. Luckily, I was able to stop the vehicle before any person was injured, killed or damaged property. The mechanic contacted me and recommended that he not touch it and to have honda pick it up and take it back to the dealership for their mechanics look at it in case it was a manufacturer's defect. I went to the honda dealer in person and spoke to the service manager, he was visibly alarmed by the events that happened on sunday. He said that he would check the vehicle for any issues. Dealer picked up the vehicle from mechanic. The honda dealer said they looked at the cr-v and couldn't find anything.
Tl* the contact owned a 2002 honda cr-v. While driving approximately 20 MPH, the driver depressed the brake pedal to stop the vehicle. However, the contact's vehicle suddenly accelerated and crashed into the rear of a second vehicle. With the motor still running and the brake pedal depressed, the contact's vehicle accelerated and crashed into the vehicle a second time. While attempting to move the vehicle, a service worker experienced the same failure. The vehicle was destroyed and towed. The cause of the failure was not determined. The driver sustained an injured left arm and eye irritation, which required medical attention. A police report was filed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 150,000. ...updated 05/17/17 *bf the consumer stated due to no codes showing up after the failure; the failure is never investigated. Updated 10/18/2017
Tl* the contact owned a 2002 honda cr-v. While driving 10 MPH, the vehicle accelerated independently. The contact depressed the brake pedal; however, the brakes failed to slow the vehicle. The contact crashed into a guardrail. The air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to the contact's residence. The contact sustained scratches and bruises to the upper arm and body that did not require medical attention. The vehicle was included in the federal safety agency campaign numbers: 15v370000 (air bags) and 15v320000 (air bags). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 69,000.
Cruz control cuts out while driving a lot of forums on internet cruz control fails.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 honda cr-v. While driving at approximately 40 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to stop without warning. The contact pulled the vehicle into a parking lot and turned off the ignition. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the throttle failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000. The VIN was unavailable.
Three bolts hold on the clutch master cylinder cover.one bolt head head was sheared/blown off upon depressing the clutch pedal when starting the car. Brake fluid leaked out. Clutch was inoperable and power braking diminished. The clutch master cylinder was replaced and 11 months later the same incident occurred. The bolt head position that was blown/sheared off was the same in both incidents.
While pulling into traffic from a state highway onto an interstate the accelerator stuck wide open. Before I could assess the problem my speed had reached 80 MPH. Using the brakes did nothing. I was only able to gain control and slow the vehicle down by tapping on the accelerator pedal several times. In researching cr-v's I found that the probable cause is a broken cruise control cable. Note: this has occurred 3 additional times. Note: the cruise control was not activated while this problem occurred.
I responded to a recall notice for the airbag inflator. I had noticed, immediately thereafter, that my horn and cruise control is inoperable. I contacted service advisor who asked to bring the car back in. She agreed that the mechanism for these inoperable parts is in "close proximity to the air bag inspection areas", for the recall. However, they claim they "... Are not liable for the cable reel" and will charge to have it fixed. And just yesterday, in the process of getting my window fixed, the same dealership left out the moisture shield and disabled my door locks which are superficial issues that they somewhat resolved. However, I still do not have a working horn or cruise control because these were consequentially damaged after innocently responding to an airbag recall inspection.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 honda cr-v. While stopped at a traffic light, the contact attempted to accelerate and the vehicle suddenly stalled. The failure caused a crash involving two other vehicles. There was a police report filed. There were no injuries. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer where the idle air control module motor, the lower control arm knuckle and the bearing were replaced. The failure occurred again; the vehicle was taken to a local repair shop where the contact was informed that the cruise control switch was the cause of failure. The vehicle was repaired. The contact called the manufacturer and filed a complaint. The failure mileage was approximately 74,000 and the current mileage was 75,273. The brake light switch was replaced. Updated 04/01/11
Questions about the 2002 Honda CR-V acceleration
Does the 2002 Honda CR-V have acceleration problems?
Owners have filed 25 complaints about the acceleration of the 2002 Honda CR-V, 5% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2002 Honda CR-V acceleration problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 84,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2002 Honda CR-V acceleration?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Honda CR-V have the most acceleration problems?
The Honda CR-V model years with the most acceleration complaints are 2018 (65 complaints), 2017 (52 complaints) and 2014 (36 complaints).
Other 2002 Honda CR-V problems
Airbags 143Electrical 95Engine 65Lights 61Brakes 25Seat belts 25Seats 24Transmission 24Visibility 17Suspension 16Fuel system 14Tires 13Locks 12Steering 10Body 8Wheels 3Driver assistance 2
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2002 Honda CR-V?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history