2002 Honda CR-V Problems, Recalls & Reliability
661 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2002 Honda CR-V, alongside 16 recall campaigns and 8 defect investigations. It scores 31/100 on the trouble index — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Electrical leads the reports, typically around 125,000 miles.
Typical
Where 2002 sits among all CR-V years
What owners report
“Both low beam head lights went off intermittently . And returned on within a short time later .this continued over a dozen times on each of two occasions.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2002 CR-V
“I had the honda airbag recall done on 8/3/2015. While driving the car on 8/6/2015, the srs system off indicator light came on and then went off. This light was not a problem before the recall was done but now has us wondering what is the status of our restraint system.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2002 CR-V
“Engine light keeps coming on & then car will drive rough. I have taken it in 3 times already for same problem, they told me to make sure gas cap is on tight and not to over/under fill with gas i have been doing as told and the problem is still present for the 4th time. Car was purchased on august…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2002 CR-V
“Normal intown driving, air conditioner compressor "blew up"-metal from front side of compressor blown out”— owner report to NHTSA, 2002 CR-V
“When backing up and pressing the brakes slightly there is a loud clunk noise. The noise can be heard from outside the vehicle and it appears to come from the front brakes. We took it into the dealer and they adjusted the brake clips, the noise was gone for about a day and then it returned.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2002 CR-V
“Cruz control cuts out while driving a lot of forums on internet cruz control fails.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2002 CR-V
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 422 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 96,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 53,472 and 150,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (16)
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2002-2006 CR-V vehicles. Moisture may enter the driver side power window master switch, causing the switch to fail or melt.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the power window master switch and inspect the wiring harness for damage, replacing it if necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 29,…
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2003-2006 Acura MDX, 2005-2012 RL, 2003-2007 Honda Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2003-2005 Civic Hybrid, 2001-2005 Civic GX NGV, 2002-2006 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2007-2008 Fit, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008…
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal airbag inflator, free of charge. The recall began August 12, 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at…
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2002-2003 3.2TL, 2003-2006 MDX, 2001-2007 Honda Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2003-2005 Civic Hybrid, 2001-2005 Civic GX NGV, 2002-2006 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008…
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began August 12, 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at…
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling specific 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2013-2016 ILX, 2013-2014 ILX Hybrid, 2003-2006 MDX, 2007-2016 RDX, 2002-2003 3.2TL, 2004-2006, and 2009-2014 TL, 2010-2013 ZDX and 2001-2007 and 2009 Honda Accord, 2001-2005 Civic,…
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began April 10, 2019. Honda owners may contact customer…
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2003-2012 Honda Accord and Pilot, 2010 Accord Crosstour, 2001-2011 Civic, 2002-2011 CR-V, 2003-2004, 2006-2008 and 2011 Element, 2007 and 2009-2013 Fit, 2010-2012 Insight, 2002-2004 Odyssey, and 2012…
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the passenger frontal air bag module assembly, free of charge. The recall began June 22, 2018. Owners may contact Honda…
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2001-2005 Honda Civic vehicles manufactured March 21, 2000, to January 20, 2005, 2001-2004 Honda Civic GX vehicles manufactured June 14, 2000, to August 19, 2004, 2003-2005 Honda Civic Hybrid…
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on July 1, 2015. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138.…
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2001-2007 Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2001-2004 Honda Civic GX, 2003-2005 Honda Civic Hybrid, 2002-2006 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot, 2006 Ridgeline, 2003 Acura…
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on July 1, 2015. Owners may contact Honda customer service at…
American Honda Motor Co. (Honda) is recalling certain model year 2001-2005 Honda Civic, 2003-2004 Civic CNG and Element, 2002-2005 CR-V, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2005 Accord, Pilot, Civic Hybrid, and Acura MDX, 2005 Acura RL and 2006 Honda Ridgeline vehicles…
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger side air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began January 26, 2015. Owners may contact Honda customer service at…
Honda is recalling certain model year 2002-2006 CR-V passenger vehicles, manufactured from February 19, 2002, through July 28, 2006. The driver-side power window switch may fail or melt.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and repair the switches, as necessary, free of charge. The safety recall began on November 2, 2012. Owners may contact Honda at 1-800-999-1009.
HONDA IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2002 THROUGH 2004 CR-V; MODEL YEAR 2003 THROUGH 2005 PILOT; AND MODEL YEAR 2002 AND 2003 CIVIC VEHICLES. IN MARCH 2012, HONDA FILED A DEFECT REPORT TO RECALL CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2002 THROUGH 2004 CR-V AND CERTAIN MODEL…
Fix: HONDA WILL NOTIFY OWNERS, AND DEALERS WILL REPAIR THE LOW BEAM TERMINAL HARNESS OR REPLACE THE LIGHTING SWITCH AS NECESSARY, FREE OF CHARGE. THE ORIGINAL RECALL BEGAN IN APRIL 2012. OWNERS OF…
CERTAIN CURVED TEMPERED REPLACEMENT GLASS MANUFACTURED BY HANGZHOU SAFETY GLASS LTD AND SUPPLIED TO SAFELITE BY AUTO TEMP INC., IDENTIFIED AS DOT-430, AND SOLD FOR USE ON CERTAIN DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN VEHICLES MAY NOT BREAK INTO SMALL PIECES AS EXPECTED OF…
Fix: SAFELITE WILL NOTIFY ITS RETAIL CUSTOMERS AND REPLACE THE GLASS FREE OF CHARGE. RETAIL CUSTOMERS CAN CONTACT SAFELITE TOLL FREE AT 1-888-843-2906. SAFELITE WILL NOTIFY ITS WHOLESALE CUSTOMERS AND…
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, THE WIRE HARNESS OF THE DRIVER'S FRONT AIR BAG WAS INCORRECTLY WIRED.
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPAIR THE WIRING. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON JUNE 16, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT HONDA AT 1-800-999-1009.
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, METAL PARTICLES IN THE KEY CYLINDER BODY COULD INTERFERE WITH THE INTERLOCK LEVER OPERATION, MAKING IT POSSIBLE TO REMOVE THE IGNITION KEY WITHOUT SHIFTING THE TRANSMISSION TO "PARK."
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND TEST IGNITION SWITCHES FOR CONTAMINATION INTERFERENCE. ANY SWITCHES THAT FAIL THE TEST WILL BE REPAIRED. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON NOVENBER 3, 2003. OWNERS SHOULD…
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS, EXCESSIVE CORROSION OF THE SHIFT CABLE LINKAGE COULD PREVENT THE DRIVER FROM SHIFTING THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION INTO PARK.
Fix: DEALERS WILL ALSO INSTALL A NEW CORROSION-RESISTANT CONTROL PIN. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON AUGUST 19, 2003. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT HONDA AT 1-800-999-1009.
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, THE FRONT SEAT ANCHORAGE NUT STRENGTH IS INSUFFICIENT BECAUSE THE NUTS WERE INSTALLED IMPROPERLY.
Fix: TELEPHONE CALLS WERE MADE TO EACH OWNER AND THE VEHICLES HAVE BEEN REPLACED.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH AUTOMATIC SEAT BELT PRETENSIONS. THE CR-V IS EQUIPPED WITH TWO SEAT BELT PRETENSIONERS - RETRACTOR AND BUCKLE - IN BOTH THE DRIVER AND FRONT PASSENGER SEATING POSITIONS. SOME BUCKLE PRETENSIONERS…
Fix: DEALERS WILL REPAIR BOTH FRONT SEAT BELT BUCKLE PRETENSIONERS. CUSTOMERS WILL BE PROVIDED WITH A RENTAL CAR. OWNERS WERE ORIGINALLY CONTACTED ON NOVEMBER 14, 2001. A FOLLOWUP OWNER NOTIFICATION…
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 14V668.
Led to recall campaign 13V172000.
Led to recall campaign 12V136000.
Led to recall campaign 11V456000.
Led to recall campaign 03V422000.
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2002 Honda CR-V reliable?
The 2002 Honda CR-V drew 661 complaints in federal safety records — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Its trouble index is 31/100, scored against the model's worst year (2018).
What are the most common 2002 Honda CR-V problems?
The top reported problems for the 2002 Honda CR-V are electrical (167 complaints), airbags (144), and engine (66).
At what mileage do 2002 Honda CR-V problems show up?
Owners most often report 2002 Honda CR-V problems around 96,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 53,472 and 150,000 miles.
Does the 2002 Honda CR-V have recalls?
16 recall campaigns apply to the 2002 Honda CR-V. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.