2018 Honda CR-V: backup camera failure

Filed Aug 3, 2026 · Electrical · SC

Component Affected: BACK OVER PREVENTION: REARVIEW CAMERA / INFOTAINMENT SYSTEMDescription of Safety Defect:The factory infotainment/Display Audio screen intermittently freezes, loses power, and goes completely black while driving or transitioning into reverse. When this manufacturing hardware defect occurs, the backup safety camera completely fails to activate and display any video feed. This introduces a severe, immediate backover safety hazard, leaving a massive blind spot that prevents the detection of pedestrians, small children, or objects behind the vehicle.This vehicle is a one-owner vehicle purchased brand new in May 2018. The defect matches the exact symptoms, hardware failures, and software glitches documented in Honda Service Bulletin 19-066. A certified dealer (Honda of Columbia in Lexington, SC) diagnosed the vehicle on 7/27/2026, confirming the internal radio head unit is defective and requires a complete replacement at an estimated consumer cost of $800.Because this hardware failure directly compromises a critical safety feature mandated by Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 111, it poses an unreasonable risk to public safety. American Honda has refused to cover the repair under the existing TSB campaign, claiming the issue is VIN-specific. I am filing this complaint to urge the federal safety agency to investigate this systemic failure and expand the scope of the campaign into a mandatory safety recall.

Filed Mar 30, 2026 · CA

The infotainment/navigation head unit in my 2018 Honda CR-V has completely failed. The system is stuck in a continuous boot loop, displaying a ‘Software Update’ recovery menu screen on every startup and returning to the same screen regardless of which option is selected (reboot, wipe cache, etc.). The unit is non-functional — no navigation, no backup camera, no audio controls, no phone connectivity. The failure occurred spontaneously with no prior warning, no accidents, and no physical damage to the unit. The vehicle has been inspected by a Honda dealership, which confirmed the head unit requires full replacement at a cost of $1,500. This is a known widespread defect affecting thousands of Honda vehicles across multiple model years. Honda has faced legal action over this exact issue. The infotainment system controls the backup camera display, which is a federally mandated safety feature — its failure puts drivers and pedestrians at risk. The component is available for inspection upon request

Filed Jun 6, 2023 · Electrical · 79,000 miles · CA

The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake assist, rear camera, lane change, and door alarm erroneously activated. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent but occurred while driving and after starting the vehicle. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The approximate failure mileage was 79,000.

Filed Dec 26, 2019 · 100 miles · NJ

Happens shortly after starting the car and commonly when the vehicle is in motion. If you use a USB stick to play audio through the car stereo will temporarily freeze and requires you to press the screen again to resume the music playing. This isn't much of a safety concern except if this happens when you are using the rear camera to back up. The screen will stop showing a live feed and just show what is showing when it froze. People may not notice that the picture isn't live and continue thinking that everything is clear behind them. Thanks to gov't rear cameras are being required. This issue I've been experiencing sadly lessens the safety of a car rated as a top safety pick by your organization (not blaming you for not noticing it) 7/26/19 I made an appointment with honda of princeton who wasn't able to resolve the issue nor did they instill confidence that they'd be able to fix the problem. This explains the delay in reporting to you. I spoke with honda 12/26/19 (case 10111741) and they said that this is a known issue and didn't have a fix at the time. This has been a problem ever since we got the car. We have tried different USB drives without success. I would like your help in applying pressure for a fix to be issued. Thank you for your time!

Filed Apr 10, 2019 · Electrical, Steering · 3,900 miles · NY

Tl* the contact owns a 2018 honda cr-v. While driving, the steering wheel started vibrating and pulled to the right as if the lane assist feature were engaged. The contact stated that the option to use the feature was off at the time of the failure. The dealer (d'ella honda of glens falls, 313 quaker rd, queensbury, ny 12804, (518) 793-3811) stated that they would attempt to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer stated that there were no recalls on the vehicle. Also, the contact stated that the front console malfunctioned and the back-up camera would appear when the vehicle was not in reverse. The manufacturer stated that there was a software malfunction and they were working on a repair solution. The contact was provided a loaner vehicle. The failure mileage was 3,900.