1. In april, 2004, I took my new 2004 honda crv to a honda dealership for its 5,000 mile scheduled service. 2. The engine caught fire about ten minutes after leaving. I pulled off the road and almost immediately an off duty fire fighter pulled over and rendered help. Thus, the only major damage was to the manifold, electrical harness, hood assembly and windshield. 3. The dealer accepted responsibility for the faulty oil change (they showed me the double o-ring that caused the incident) and paid for repair and related expenses. I would like to commend tampa hondaland for their integrity, concern and professionalism. 4. I received an official notification of the defect today from honda and am glad to see the system works.
2004 Honda CR-V engine complaints
Page 5 of 6: complaints 101 to 130 of 153, newest first, as owners wrote them.
After my first oil change of my 2004 honda cr-v I noticed the oil light come on while driving the cr-v home,because I had asked the asst. Service manager about the oil change fires and he said that was no longer a problem, I thought there was something else wrong with my cr-v. About a block away from the dealership I noticed a white smoke coming out of the dashboard vents, I quickly pulled the vehicle into the checkered flag service entrance and exited the vehicle. Calling the asst. Service manager over to show him the vehicle smoke was commons out of the engine compartment. The complete underside of the vehicle was covered in oil. I asked to watch as the service technicians put it on the lift (after they had replaced 4 quarts of oil in the engine). The service tech. Then showed me the double oil ring gaskets on the oil filter. I asked how this could happen? I had researched this vehicle and the only negative remarks I could find were about the first oil change. I had purposely not had my children in the vehicle for this reason. I don't know how many failsafes a system needs, but this vehicle needs way to many. To add further insult I received an alert from honda requesting that I give the service tech a notice to return the old oil gasket to the customer, does honda even track that this already happened to me?
Notice of 2004 honda cr-v with oil leaks catching on fire after first oil change. With letter of warning in hand from honda, I took my cr-v to my honda dealership for its first oil change. I asked to see the gasket and the service tech showed it to me. I drove the car home and when I left for work the next morning there was a large (size of a sheet of paper) spill of oil on the garage floor. The car was purchased in aug 04 and the oil change happened in jan 17, 05. There was no previous oil leakage before the oil change. I called the dealer and they said it was a typical leak after the change and to bring it in. The car is still leaking oil on jan 19. My appointment to fix the oil leak is after 5pm on jan 19.
Durning the first oil change , the original oil filter gasket stuck to the engine block. This created a double gasket . The next morning while driving to work this gasket failed , spraying oil under persure all over the hot exhaust pipe and very hot catalytic converter. The oil bursted into flames. The fire ball went into the engine compartment. I turned off the ignition, and this stopped the oil that was feeding the fire. The fire quickly burned itself out. Had I not been in a driving situation where I could quickly pull over and get out of the crv , this could have been a total disaster. There is now evidence of a fire inside my brand new engine compartment. To correct the problem I had a different brand , other then honda,oil filter put on.
The consumer would like to know what is honda doing about the vehicle fires in 2003-04 honda crv's. *bf *sc
Significant oil leak after first (10,000 mile) service at dealership. I was aware from media reports of the danger of engine fire following first oil change. So I took the car to the dealership thinking that if anyone could handle this issue safely and properly, they should. I specifically asked the service manager if they were aware of the known safety issues relating to the 2004 honda cr-v. They said they aware. Still, after the oil change, I had a significant oil leak (about a quart in 24 hours and 10 miles of driving).
On 11/24/04 I was driving on a major interstate when my engine and battery lights suddenly came on. I felt as if my breaks were not going to work. I pulled off at the nearest exit trying to get to a safe place to assess the situation. As I got off the exit, smoke began to billow into the car from the vents. A man approached me from behind and informed me my car was on fire. I didn't realize it until that moment. Apparently, it had been shooting flames out from the front wheel wells. My car had about 15,000 miles on it at the time. My oil change was four months earlier with no signs of any oil leaks prior to the fire. The fumes caused me to have an asthma attack, even after the fire was out and the car was towed to a honda body shop. Because of the holiday, the insurance company will not look at the car until 11/29 or 30. I have no idea if it will be totaled or not. I'm concerned about residual effects from the fire affecting my respiratory problems. Further, I' m concerned about getting another 2004 vehicle that may present with the same problem. Or, even a 2005, if the problem will exist in that as well.
Concern regarding safety of vehicle after oil change. Significant oil leaked, recurred problem. *bf the consumer read and article which indicated that after the first and subsequent oil changes some cr-v's have caught on fire. The consumer explained this article to the technician when the vehicle was taken for it's first oil change. After each of the vehicle's three oil changes a puddle was observed in the consumer's garage. The consumer is concerned that the vehicle may catch on fire.
This is a general complaint about the 2003-04 engine fires in the honda cr-v. There needs to be a recall on these vehicles asap. I am a brand new owner of a 04 cr-v and I feel very unsafe in this vehicle. What could be more dangerous then a fire. Please act promptly. *jb see 10099806 also.
Vehicle stalled intermittently. Consumer took vehicle to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic informed consumer that the problem could not be duplicated. Consumer advised the mechanic that oil changes could cause a fire. *ak see 10100386 also.
On july 22, I had an oil change performed on my 2004 honda cr-v at the texaco xpress lube in norway, maine. Everything was fine until sunday, september 19, when I noticed an oil leak on the garage floor. (it may have been leaking prior to this date, but I usually park outside on the gravel, and the oil spill might not have been apparent.) I checked the oil level, and it was still reading full. The next day, on september 20, I was driving to work that morning and had to make a stop halfway there. I noticed at this time that the car smelled a little strange. No indicator lights were on, so I assumed the car was safe to drive. As such, I continued my trip down to westbrook, maine, planning to drive directly to the honda dealership to have it checked out. When I exited the turnpike and slowed the car, all of a sudden smoke and steam came pouring out from under the hood and flooded the interior of the car through all the vents. I immediately stopped and called aaa, who towed the vehicle to the honda dealership (maine mall motors in south portland, maine). After inspecting the car, they told me the oil filter was not put on correctly during the last oil change and had worked loose, ultimately resulting in burning the entire wiring harness. The technician told me he was amazed the car didnt go up in flamesthats how badly it was burned. My car ended up being in the shop for three days. The damage done to my car totaled $782.71. In addition, I had to rent a car for three days, which totaled $115.50.
Oil leak in 2004 honda cr-v. I have brought vehicle to dealer 3 times. First, the dealer changed the oil filter and gasket. Second time, said nothing was leaking. Third time they found aleak in the engine block. It is still being repaired. I am afraid to drive because of reported fires caused by oil leaks in this model.
While driving oil leaked from the vehicle all over the highway. Had vehicle towed to the dealership. They replaced the gasket on the vehicle.
In morning daylight, 50 degree temperature in columbus ohio, I was astonished to see a honda crv traveling at 65 MPH beside me on the freeway with it's exhaust system glowing so brightly, I first mistook it for an orange neon lighting system. The first thing that came to mind was "this poor guy's car is going to catch on fire". Imagine my surprise when I did a search on the internet and found that honda crvs are being investigated by the federal safety agency for mysterious fires. Ttp://motortrend.com/features/news/112_news18/. The reason why honda suvs catch on fire is because of incredibly high exhaust gas temperatures that cause in the manifold collector and exhaust pipe of the vehicle to glow cherry red at highway speeds. Something in the engine management system is amiss causing either incredibly lean mixtures that raise exhaust gas temperatures, or overly retarded timing that is letting excess fuel burn in exhaust system instead of the engine. Either way, it is a disasterous problem based on what I saw. Please feel free to contact me if you would like any additional information on what I witnessed.*ak btw: I called the direct trouble reporting number for the federal safety agency, and was told I could not file any report on safety issues unless I could supply a VIN number... Pretty lame.
Complaint received via e-mail."while driving, a passing driver alerted me to the fact that my car was on fire. By the time I pulled to the side of the road, the front undercarriage of my car was in flames. I jerked my son out of the burning car and ran away from it. As I ran away, I saw flames coming out the sides and top of the hood. The entire car was eventually engulfed in flames. We barely escaped with our lives."
While driving, smoke appeared from under the hood. The consumer pulled over and had the vehicle towed. The consumer was informed that the problem was pertaining to a oil filter leak. Please provide more information.
I have a 2004 honda cr-v. After 300 mile trip oil was found leaking from engine compartment. Oil drain plug was loose (about halfway out) and ~ 2 quarts of oil had sprayed over undercarriage of vehicle during preceding highway travel. Prior oil change was performed by honda dealership in danvers ma (honda north). I thought this information may have applicability to the ongoing investigation into honda cr-v engine compartment fires. Thanks.
While driving, the vehicle caught fire. The driver was able to pull over. The fire department and police was called. No injuries. The driver called the tow company, and the vehicle was towed to the dealer for inspection. The mechanic informed the driver that the oil filter started the fire inside of the engine compartment. *jb the vehicle was first taken in for maintenance on 8/17/04 and was picked up on 8/19/04, the vehicle was driven for 20 minutes, then the fire occurred.
2004 honda crv developed an oil leak after the 1st oil change. Dealer said it was probably related to the sticky gasket issue (the federal safety agency investigation) after 2nd oil change it is still leaking and took it to another honda dealer today who said it was leaking from the vtec solenoid which was replaced. They also said they cleaned under the vehicle but it was still covered with the leak detection powder. Seems to be leaking still. There was an even larger puddle under the vehicle after I drove it home. Its back at kirkland honda now.
The vehicle leaked oil onto the engine manifold. *nm the consumer noticed a pool of oil under the vehicle. In taking the vehicle in to get serviced the mechanic found that when getting the previous oil change the technician never removed the old oil filter gasket and placed a new gasket over the old one. When the engine got hot the oil leaked between the two gaskets. *tc see odi 10092496 also.
While driving the engine started leaking oil from the area around the oil filter. The oil leaked onto the hot engine which resulted in smoke. *nm *sc
At 4500 miles, I brought my car in to get the oil changed. After I had driven home from getting my oil changed, I noticed a burning smell, and I found oil leaking from my car. At first it was leaking about 20 drops a min, and then the next day, it was only leaking 15 drops a minute. I took my car back and had it inspected the next day, but they couldn't find any reason why my car was leaking oil.
I recently bought a new 2004 honda crv on june 27, 2004. About a month after I bought it I was informed not only of this website but of the fires that everyone is complaining about after they get their oil changed. I can't believe that a large corporation like honda is allowed to get away with this. Or how a safety recall has not been issued yet. Why is it we have to wait for someone to get killed before something is done? Soon I will have to have my oil changed and that is terrifying to me. How about the next time and the next time I have to have to have my oil changed? Is this something that can happen whenever the oil is changed throughtout the life of my car? Do I just pray I get a service technician that knows what to do? As the federal safety agency you need to take a closer look at this.
2003 honda crv slips out of correct timing frequently resulting in unreliable engine performance and a loud tapping noise coming from the engine when running. This defect in the engine has been brought to the attention of the piedmont honda dealership service department on 2 separate service visits (9/13/2003, 4/30/2004). The piedmont honda dealership refused to correct the defect and stated checked vehicle and compared to a new vehicle. Sound is not abnormal and is characteristic of vehicle. Performs as designed piedmont hondas refusal has directly resulted in the engine stalling out on one occasion (8/16/2004) and refusing to start on 2 other occasions (7/28/2004, 8/1/2004). Both times that the vehicle refused to start the owner was stranded at the least opportune time.
The consumer's vehicle leaked oil onto the engine manifold. *nm the vehicle was taken to another dealer where it was determined that during a previous oil change the technician failed to remove the original rubber gasket before installing the new one. *nm see odi 10095399 also.
Purchased 2004 honda cr-v january 2004 from continental honda in anchorage alaska. We took it in for its first oil change (5,000 miles) on june 16th. After driving the 15 miles home, the engine started billowing smoke, and spuing oil (the trail of oil can still be seen on the street). The dealer had it towed to dealership, they explained it as a faulty oil gasket, and offered a free oil change. After driving for a few weeks, I noticed a clacking sound coming from the engine. I had the techintians check it out during the second oil change on august 16. After two weeks of looking for the problem, they deduced there was some "scoring" inside the pistons and that they had to replace the shortblock. They told me that this was a fluke (a first time incident) and that the engine will be sent to honda USA for further inspection. I finally got the call yesterday (september 9) that the car was ready to be picked up. In all fairness, the employees at the dealership were very professional and courteous.
While driving 50 MPH, the consumer noticed smoke coming from the rear. The consumer was able to maintain control of the vehicle and pulled over. The vehicle caught on fire and the fire department extinguished the fire. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for inspection. The insurance company informed the consumer that the double gasket caused the vehicle to catch on fire. Please provide further details.
It was just 2-3 weeks after purchasing my 2004 honda SUV when the first story came out on the washington post about the crv's bursting into flames. *ak I was told by honda that I could no longer take the car back I would have to try to re-sell it and take the loss myself. Here I am getting close to to the 5000 mile, which will be my very first oil change, and I see another follow up story on the washingtron post regarding the same thing. And still nothing being done about it. Depending on some emails and letters being sent by honda is not resolving the issue. I am completely afraid of getting my first oil change, especially when I see that other consumers are taking their crv's to the honda dealers and the problem still occurs. What guarantee do I have? How safe am I suppose to feel when the honda dealers still don't do the oil change right? I am in awe that your organization is waiting for a high death toll to finally do something about it. How many deaths will it take for you guys to wake up and tell honda to do a recall? How many lives have to be taken for you to see that this is of high importance? I am scared of even parking my car in the garage after my first oil change. It absolutely ridiculous that you and honda are trying its best to save thousands of dollars and prefer to risk thousands of lives. And yet, the consumer is stuck with the problem and footing the bill if that occurs. I'm surprised I haven't heard of any lawsuits. It's to time to take action. I am completely dissapointed with honda and regret ever purchasing my vehicle from them. They have not come forth for the consumer. I hope the next time I write to you is not because I'm having to complain and write a detailed report of the same thing happening to me.
The oil was changed in our 2004 honda crv and then as my wife was driving there was a massive oil leak causing the car to shut off in the middle of i270 with traffic wizzing by a speeds over 70 MPH. My wife was fortunate that the car did not catch fire or that she did not get hit from the rear.
As new owner of cr-v after read so many complaint regards the engine fire after oil change, I decide to file a complaint to honda for its irresponsible/ineffective actions to prevent engine fire. It is hard to believe that so many fire cases even up today, yet honda still did not want to recall or take real action to fix the problem. It is very scary to image the worse case - if you got the engine fire in one lane highway in the mountain area, there is no signal for cell phone to call 911 too. It is also dangerous to walk or even stay in that type of highway. Owner of cr-v have no peace of mind to drive it after oil change. Especially some engine fire occurred two months later after oil change based on complaint case. Honda should fix the problem. Honda should not just lay the responsibility down to technician. Why only cr-v caught fire? Not pilot? Not SUV from other makers? The engine fire cannot be simply explained by the sloppy job of technician performed as it happened/happens at different states in us. The federal safety agency, please open the investigation again as number of engine fire are increasing across us. Please give consumer safe SUV as it should be.
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