2003 Honda CR-V problems and complaints
Owners have filed 494 complaints with NHTSA about the 2003 Honda CR-V. The most-reported areas: Air Bags (131), Engine And Engine Cooling (86), Electrical System (63).
Key takeaways
- 494 owner complaints on file with NHTSA.
- 49 involve a crash, 26 a fire, 47 reported injuries.
- Complaints are unverified owner reports; recalls are confirmed defects.
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | 131 | 27% |
| Engine And Engine Cooling | 86 | 17% |
| Electrical System | 63 | 13% |
| Exterior Lighting | 39 | 8% |
| Equipment | 33 | 7% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 32 | 6% |
| Unknown Or Other | 25 | 5% |
| Power Train | 25 | 5% |
| Visibility | 23 | 5% |
| Service Brakes | 22 | 4% |
| Latches/Locks/Linkages | 18 | 4% |
| Structure | 16 | 3% |
One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
| Version | Overall | Front | Side | Rollover |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 Honda CR-V w/SAB | Not rated | Not rated | Not rated | 3/5 |
| 2003 Honda CR-V | Not rated | Not rated | Not rated | 3/5 |
Latest complaints, as filed
Owner-written and unverified by NHTSA.
Air Bags - filed 2026-08-24
I got over to the edge of the road to avoid hitting a animal, and hit a small rock (with front passenger tire) and then subsequently had a spontaneous deployment and rupture of my passenger airbag, then my driver airbag deployed. A fire then came from the passenger airbag, with lots of dust in the air. I could not unde...
Suspension,structure - filed 2025-08-07
Corrosion of the rear frame led to the trailing arm separating, and I nearly hit a tree.
Electrical System,exterior Lighting,air Bags - filed 2025-07-15
SRS LIGHT CAME ON 2 MONTHS AGO. FEAR FOR MY SAFETY. RECALL PLEASE. ELECTRICAL. BACK RT WINDOW AND RT FRONT DOOR LOCK CANNOT BE OPERATED FROM FRONT DRIVER DOOR. LIGHTING. BACK INTERIOR LIGHT DOES NOT TURN OFF AUTOMATICALLY. Paint is peeling from all over the car, especially on the front of it. Looks ghastly.
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More for the 2003 Honda CR-V
Complaints are reports filed by owners with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them, and counts rise with how many cars were sold, so compare years of the same model rather than different models. Crash ratings are NHTSA's own 5-Star Safety Ratings results.