2018 Honda CR-V: key fob or push-button start problems

Filed Aug 23, 2026 · Driver assistance · KY

I took my Honda in to a dealership for a trade-in value assessment. The dealership used automatic start with my key fob. Once they got in, they began to drive it in immediately it would not go past 10 mph, began jerking, and steering became an issue. It begin throwing the following check engine light codes: Tire pressure monitor problem. Electric Parking Brake problem. Road Departure Mitigation system problem. Collision mitigation system problem. Adaptive cruise control problem. Hill start assist problem. Vehicle stability, assist problem. Power steering system problem. Brake hold system problem. Brake system problem. Emissions system problem. Trade-in became impossible and it was not safe to even drive off the lot. It remains sitting in the car dealerships parking lot, leaving me without a vehicle.

Filed May 12, 2026 · Electrical · MO

My body control module (BCM) seems to have failed on my 2018 Honda CRV, my first indication was my alarm going off and me being unable to enter my vehicle with my key fob. Once I manually unlocked the car with the embedded key inside the key fob, I was unable to turn off my instrument cluster or lights by hitting the start switch of the car. I then turned on the car and was unable to turn off the car. My instrument cluster reported a key fob error. I replaced my batteries in both my key fobs, and that did not fix the problem. The only way I was able to turn off my vehicle was by disconnecting the battery and removing a relay to force it to turn off. Apparently, this is a known issue, and according to many online forums, there are many people experiencing this exact issue yet there has not been a recall to address this so the cost has been placed on the consumer. My car is currently at the dealership pending a $1000 plus repair where I believe this repair should be covered by Honda in a safety recall.

Filed Jan 25, 2025 · Electrical · NH

BCM box failed without warning. This caused the brand new battery to die without warning and caused the vehicle to stop recognizing both key fobs, locking me out of the vehicle. Panic alarm randomly went off in the middle of the night. If this happens in an area without cell phone service, I would not have been able to call for roadside assistance. If this happens in an unsafe area, drivers are put at risk. Problem has been diagnosed by two separate mechanics, one of whom works at Honda. There were no warnings. The only warning that seems like a warning in hindsight is that the original car battery failed without warning overnight. That battery was promptly replaced, only to have the above problem occur within two weeks.

Filed Feb 13, 2023 · Electrical · FL

On multiple occasions, I have turned off my car and exited my car. The car would then turn back on by itself. Initially the dash would light up and an error message would appear saying key not found. I thought it was my key fob battery, so I replaced the battery and still received the message. I was unable to do anything with my car. This happened on several occasions, but each time it would eventually work. I then noticed that the dash kept coming on. When I would get home, I would park the car in the garage and turn the car off and go inside. I came out and noticed the lights were on and the dash lit up. I turned it off again and then sometimes it would stay off and other times it would come back on and I could not get it to turn off right away. Several times I would go to my car in the morning and my car battery was dead and I had to have my son-in-law jump my car or AAA had to come out so I could go to work. This went on for weeks until I realized it was because the car keeps turning back on on its own until the battery dies. After back and forth at the dealership and replacing other parts they thought were the issue, I am now told it is a faulty Body Control Module which caused my car to turn on in accessory mode. The part is on backorder, so I have had to borrow a car for the past couple months. My daughter has been researching the issue and found this to be a common problem with the car. Battery drain, car alarms going off, not able to start the car, etc. all due to the faulty BCM. I see Honda has had issues with this part on their other cars, but has not issued a recall for the CRV yet. The part is expensive, but because I have 41,000 miles on my car it is now out of warranty. This should be investigated further, as I know I am not the only one experiencing this issue.

Filed Jul 27, 2022 · Electrical · 36,000 miles · MA

The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated while using the remote start feature to start the vehicle, he became aware of smoke coming from under the hood of the vehicle. The contact attempted to unlock the vehicle with the key fob however, the vehicle failed to unlock. The contact also attempted to unlock the door using the sensor on the door handle however, the vehicle failed to unlock. The contact was able to manually unlock the door using the spare key to be able to turn the vehicle off. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The contact was informed that the started and battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the warranty had expired and that he had to pay out-of-pocket for the repair. The failure mileage was 36,000.

Filed Dec 29, 2021 · Electrical · MS

The vehicle has a "feature" which rolls down the windows automatically upon pressing the unlock button on the keyfob twice and then holding the button. On multiple occasions the windows have rolled down without the owner's knowledge when keys are carried in pockets, purses, etc. This is considered a safety issue due to risk of windows unrolling in inclement weather and damaging the interior, or due to risk of an unauthorized person obtaining access to the car by reaching through the now opened window and simply depressing the interior unlock button. There is no way to disable this capability.

Filed Jan 25, 2021 · Electrical · 38,009 miles · CA

On three occasions I have returned to my parked car which was locked and had all the windows and power sunroof closed when I left it, to find all four windows half way down and the power sunroof three inches open. On two of these occasions it had rained before or was beginning to rain upon my return to the car and significant damage to the vehicle could have occurred if the rain storm had been worse. The third time this happened, my car was parked in a public parking lot and this malfunction created a safety and security risk for my family and property. The honda cr-v manual indicates that there is a "feature" where if a person presses the unlock button on the key fob once and then presses it again and holds it for a minimum of 10 seconds, all the windows will be lowered half way and partially opens the sunroof. My key fob however was not in a place where the unlock button could be pushed twice in this pattern and these instances were not due to operator errors. Honda currently denies knowledge of any such issue in spite of the fact that my web search found numerous complaints by other cr-v and certain acura owners about exactly the same issue. The honda dealership says unless the service department can reproduce the problem they are advised by american honda the problem does not exist and they cannot file anything with honda america regarding the issue. Since this is a low occurrence rate intermittent problem, customers will fruitlessly pay honda to troubleshoot the problem with no resolution of it unless honda is forced to acknowledge and address it by the federal safety agency. I respectfully request you do whatever is in your power to make honda resolve this issue as at a minimum, an unlocked vehicle allows for the possibility of a criminal gaining access and being present inside the car when the owner returns.

Filed Aug 25, 2020 · Electrical · 24,200 miles · CA

On 8-24-2020, the 4 windows and sunroof opened spontaneously. No on in car or near car with key fob (which has nothing to do with windows and sunroof).

Filed Jun 23, 2020 · Electrical · 16,000 miles · IL

Multiple times while the key fob was nowhere near the vehicle, the windows and sunroof would roll down by themselves. One time I had to crawl out the back of the car with honda service on the phone as proof because every time I opened the driver door the windows and sunroof would go down. The problem repeated itself at the dealership but the witness denied it. Eventually the bcm was replaced. Everything was fine for a few weeks. Today when I turned the car on, it appeared that the software reset itself. The odometer screen said it was 1 am when it was 8:52 am. It took several restarts for that screen to reset. However, the infotainment screen would not reset. It states "anti-theft system - this system has lost power. Push and hold the power button for more than two seconds to enable to system." then it kept going dark. I tried with the car power button and the radio power button. Neither resolved the issue. I restarted the car several times. The same thing happened. I finally got it to restart hours later by holding down the radio power button. I am limited to a specific date on this form, but the windows/sunroof problems began around april/may 2020 and the infotainment screen issue in june 2020. I bought this car new in may/june of 2019.

Filed Jul 27, 2018 · 1,000 miles · VA

Vehicle is locked overnight. Key fob is on storage hook. In the morning, the windows and sunroof are open without driver intervention. Happens randomly at other times as well. There is no way to disengage the "quick cooldown" feature which is somehow being activated randomly without driver intervention. Obviously a safety issue when car is parked in public areas. Honda denies problem. Hundreds of similar complaints about this issue on cargurus.com, suggesting a chronic problem. In my specific case, replacement of the key fob seems to have solved the problem, but it is a problem that should still be investigated because there should be a way to disengage this particular feature.

Filed May 6, 2018 · Electrical · 5,000 miles · PA

Left house to find all the windows down and the sun roof partially opened. The key fob was on the dresser in the house. Car was parked outside.

Filed Feb 5, 2018 · 280 miles · FL

Today my wife went to church she used a purse that is small and had the key fob in a tight outer pocket. She noticed when she came out the windows were down and the sunroof was open ! Lucky it was just starting to very lightly rain ! I know you press unlock and then press again and hold down to do this function but I guess the tight purse did that on its own. Would like to disable it if possible. There needs to be a way to disable this feature.