2003 Honda CR-V Problems, Recalls & Reliability
580 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2003 Honda CR-V, alongside 14 recall campaigns and 8 defect investigations. It scores 28/100 on the trouble index — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Airbags leads the reports, typically around 108,330 miles.
Typical
Where 2003 sits among all CR-V years
What owners report
“Airbags recall was taken care of and then the main airbag computer came on for all the airbags but honda said that is not covered after they had tampered with the airbag recall the same year.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 CR-V
“Both low beam headlights not working, both high beams still work. Replaced headlight lamps, low beams still not working. Found defect report online for same system failure. (nhtsa action number: ea11012 nhtsa recall campaign number: 12v136000) talked to honda corporate and told that this vehicle…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 CR-V
“Consumer states engine stalled on three occassions. The last time he was in the middle of an intersections making a left hand turn when the engine shut off. Ph”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 CR-V
“Door locks are all malfunctioning. Only 2 work some of the time and the other 3 none of the time. Key works sometimes in 2 of the locks and not at all in the back door.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 CR-V
“I was at a public aquatic center and while pulling into a parking space, the car accelerated up to about 15 miles per hour or more. I ended up hitting the building head on causing damage to the front end end of my car and to myself as well.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 CR-V
“The contact owns a 2003 Honda CR-V. The vehicle had previously been serviced at the dealer under NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V768000 (Visibility, Electrical System) however, the failure recurred. The contact stated that the driver's side front power window switch failed to operate as needed. The…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2003 CR-V
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 400 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 75,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 40,000 and 120,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (14)
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…
American Honda Motor Company, Inc.'s (Honda) is conducting a limited regional recall for certain model year 2003-2005 Accord, Civic, CR-V, Pilot and Acura MDX, model year 2003-2004 Odyssey and Element, and model year 2005 Acura RL, and 2006 Honda Ridgeline…
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the inflators in all affected vehicles, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin during August 2014. Owners may contact Honda customer…
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 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.
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 14V668.
Led to recall campaign 13V172000.
Led to recall campaign 12V136000.
Led to recall campaign 11V456000.
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 2003 Honda CR-V reliable?
The 2003 Honda CR-V drew 580 complaints in federal safety records — a middle-of-the-pack year for this model. Its trouble index is 28/100, scored against the model's worst year (2018).
What are the most common 2003 Honda CR-V problems?
The top reported problems for the 2003 Honda CR-V are airbags (126 complaints), electrical (109), and engine (92).
At what mileage do 2003 Honda CR-V problems show up?
Owners most often report 2003 Honda CR-V problems around 75,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 40,000 and 120,000 miles.
Does the 2003 Honda CR-V have recalls?
14 recall campaigns apply to the 2003 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.