Check a VIN

Honda CR-V brake failure problems

91 of the 16,122 owner complaints about the Honda CR-V describe brake failure, most of them for the 2018 model year.

owner complaints
91
worst model year
2018
typical mileage
25,000
Is there a fix? No recall or service bulletin covers this area of the car yet.

By model year

  • 2026
    2
  • 2025
    3
  • 2024
    2
  • 2023
    3
  • 2022
    1
  • 2020
    1
  • 2019
    5
  • 2018
    19
  • 2017
    14
  • 2016
    7
  • 2015
    4
  • 2014
    1
  • 2013
    2
  • 2012
    2
  • 2010
    5
  • 2009
    1
  • 2008
    2
  • 2007
    1
  • 2006
    3
  • 2005
    4
  • 2004
    1
  • 2003
    1
  • 2002
    4
  • 2001
    2
  • 1998
    1

What owners say

Filed Oct 26, 2026 · Brakes · CA

The front brake line from the master cylinder to the ABS hydraulic control valve has failed from what appears to be corrosion failure directly related to electrolyte fluid leaking from the battery. The failure caused brake fluid to drain from the master cylinder reservoir and resulted in brake failure while the vehicle was being driven. Multiple warning lamps and warning messages turned on after brake application failure was noted by the driver. The vehicle use was terminated at the time the warning messages appeared and towed into our repair facility.

Filed Oct 19, 2026 · Brakes, Electrical · VA

2022 Honda crv. The battery was old and had low voltage. There were no warnings of this and no issues starting car. While idling at light at intersection the entire car just died. It was on and there was power to it, but everything broke and it appeared like there was some kind of major electrical disfunction. No steering no brakes could not shift could not turn car on or off. Towed to Honda dealer. They replaced battery and confirmed this can happen on the road while idling if battery is getting old. Very dangerous

Filed Aug 25, 2026 · Brakes, Driver assistance · TX · crash

On XXX, I had an accident where I rear-ended a vehicle stopped at an intersection, when I simultaneously pressed my brake and accelerator pedal due to a hazardous brake pedal/accelerator pedal positioning. Only one week prior I had described/argued the exact accident scenario with the service mgr of First Texas Honda Svc Ctr ([XXX]) after taking my CR-V in for brake evaluation/servicing. He said nothing’s wrong with my brake pedal. I’ve owned my car for 10 yrs and have experienced these situations numerous (<20+X) times, as one of two scenarios: In a slow stop and an emergency stop, WHERE THE BRAKE PEDAL DOES NOT STOP AT A REASONABLE DISTANCE ABOVE THE LEVEL OF THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. The 1st scenario involves slow braking at low speeds (<25mph) where I’m simply slowing/flowing with traffic, as was the case with the accident I’m reporting. Here, I’m using a simple toe-heel pivot to move from accelerator to cover the brake. With a steady slow pressure, the brake pedal sinks to the level of the accelerator without fully stopping the vehicle. At that point, the brake pedal sinks below the accelerator pedal, resulting in my foot pressing both the brake and accelerator simultaneously, causing my CR-V to surge forward. Of course, I can’t physically see how low the brake pedal has dipped, and I’m relying solely on the car’s response (movement) when suddenly the accelerator engages. While I take full responsibility, I believe the brake pedal is more the problem than me/my foot. In the Emergency braking episodes, the scenario begins with a quick response braking requiring steady braking pressure (not fast/abrupt); then traffic stops abruptly, requiring a hard, urgent braking to stop completely—but the already depressed brake pedal sinks to the floorboard rather than delivering a hard deceleration before the pedal bottoms out. It’s a panic moment that triggers an emergency evasive maneuver into to an adjacent lane. The CR-V’s brake pedal creates dangerous incidents. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATIO

Filed Aug 11, 2026 · Fuel system · 110,000 miles · MN

The contact owns a 2017 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated and the messages "Parking Brake Failure", "Transmission Failure”, and "ABS Failure" were displayed with an audible alarm. The dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the failure might be associated with the battery. The contact replaced the battery; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the fuel injectors had failed and needed to be replaced; however, the repair was not covered under warranty. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to apply for goodwill assistance. The contact provided an application form to the dealer and was informed that the form would be completed and submitted to the manufacturer. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000.

Filed Jun 22, 2026 · Brakes, Fuel system · VA · crash

I was pulling into a parking space at church. I had my foot lightly on the brake as the idle speed was sufficient to enter the parking space. When I pressed on the brake to stop the car completely the brakes failed and the car lurched forward about 10 ft and hit the church building damaging my front left bumper, buckling the hood and components behind the bumper.

Filed Jun 16, 2026 · Brakes, Driver assistance · CA · crash

On February 26, 2026, at approximately 3:59 PM, the driver was traveling northbound on Yukon Territory Avenue in Manteca, CA at approximately 30 mph when the vehicle experienced a sudden brake failure. The driver attempted to pull over to the east curb of Yukon Territory Avenue but the vehicle inadvertently jumped the curb and collided with a city fire hydrant. Airbags deployed. The vehicle continued northbound and struck a city street light pole before stopping. No injuries were reported. The incident is consistent with the known the federal safety agency Engineering Analysis (opened February 2022, upgraded April 2024) covering 2017-2022 Honda CR-V vehicles for unexpected and unintended activation of the Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS) causing sudden rapid deceleration without warning. This complaint is being filed to add to the existing federal record of 1,294 complaints already documented under this investigation.

Filed Jan 2, 2026 · Brakes, Electrical · FL · crash

While pulling into a parking spot and coming to a stop, the brakes failed and the car abruptly accelerated forward despite attempts to continue braking. The car proceeded over the curb and raised hilly grassy median and only came to a stop when it collided with a parked vehicle on the other side of the median. I, as the driver, had no control of the vehicle and could have potentially hit a pedestrian in this parking lot. There was a person seated in the car that my car impacted and she could have been hurt as well as myself and my passenger. All of this was reported to the community service officer who came to the scene, as well as to the Coggin collision center, Coggin Honda dealership and my insurance company. My insurance company has sent an appraiser to the collision center but he did not investigate the causative factors, only the body damage so far. There were no warning lamps or messages and the airbags did not deploy despite frontal impact. The car is currently at the Honda Collision center and would be available for inspection.

Filed Dec 26, 2025 · Brakes · NY

New 2026 Honda CRV, 2 months old, 1,500 miles on it. Total brake failure, no response when pressing pedal. Had to hit curb to stop car. CMBS warnings occurred. Turned car off and back on and brakes started working again. Drove for 10 minutes with CMBS warning. Turned car off and let sit for 30 minutes. Since then, have drove car multiple times for over 10 minutes each time and brakes worked and no CMBS warnings.

Filed Oct 13, 2025 · Brakes, Driver assistance · NC

I own a new 2025 Honda CR-V purchased from Honda of Concord (Hendrick Automotive Group, Concord, NC). At around 220 miles, the vehicle’s dashboard displayed major safety warnings: “Collision Mitigation Braking System Problem” and “Adaptive Cruise Control System Problem.” Soon after, a very strong burning smell—similar to fire or overheated brakes—came from the vehicle. When I brought it to Honda of Concord, the service advisor (Ashley Petisce) initially refused to accept or log my safety complaint. She only agreed to inspect the car after I stated that I would hold Honda and the dealership responsible if an accident occurred. Later that day, she also told me the burning smell was normal and would “go away after driving more,” which was alarming given the severity of the odor. After finally inspecting the car, the dealership found that both front rotors, pads, and calipers were defective and required replacement on this brand-new vehicle. When I requested that all related safety sensors (ACC, CMBS, radar, and cameras) be checked after the brake repair, the same advisor said she would “only check what policy allows,” meaning only the brakes, and no further sensor or system testing would be done. This raises serious safety concerns. The initial refusal to inspect could have resulted in brake failure or fire. The defective brake components indicate a potential manufacturing defect, and the disabled safety systems create an immediate crash-risk condition. The dealership’s refusal to confirm sensor functionality after the repair leaves the vehicle’s safety systems unverified. I request that the federal safety agency investigate whether other 2025 Honda CR-V vehicles have similar brake or sensor defects and whether Honda’s dealer network is properly following safety-reporting procedures.

Filed Jun 30, 2025 · Brakes, Driver assistance · 36,000 miles · HI

The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the Collision Mitigation Braking System engaged, and the vehicle stopped abruptly while there was no other vehicle around. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where an unknown repair was performed. Additionally, the contact stated that while his wife was attempting to start the vehicle, the message "Brake Failure" was displayed, and the vehicle failed to start. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 36,000. The VIN was not available.

Related recalls

No recalls on record for this model year.

Questions about the Honda CR-V brake failure

Which Honda CR-V years have brake failure problems?

The model years with the most reports are 2018 (19 complaints), 2017 (14 complaints) and 2016 (7 complaints).

VIN decoder

See the problems and recalls for an exact car

Buying a used Honda CR-V?

Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.

Check its history