Honda Admits CR-V Engine Stalling Issue, Says It’s Working On A Fix

Following dozens of complaints of CR-V owners to NHTSA, Honda has reportedly admitted an engine issue with their US best-seller, claiming that it’s working on a fix.

Customers complained about the engine stalling, and some dealers finding out that gas was improperly leaking into the oil system, according to Consumer Reports.

The engine issue affects the 2017 and 2018 CR-Vs powered by Honda’s turbocharged 1.5-liter petrol engine. More than 500,000 CR-Vs with that engine have been sold in the U.S. in these two model years.

“Honda has been investigating the situation and developing a remedy, which we hope to make available through authorized Honda dealers by mid-November 2018,” said company spokesperson Chris Martin.

The repair will be covered by the vehicle’s warranty and will also be applied to 2019 models before they go on sale. Honda didn’t specify how it will repair the affected cars, how many of them in the U.S. are affected or if it would include all CR-Vs of those model years with this engine.

A spokesperson added that “the irregular high oil level condition is not as widespread as some internet chatter may imply.”

According to Honda, the issue isn’t considered a safety threat, but CR thinks otherwise.”There are many ways stalling can be a safety issue, so if these cars are stalling, they need to be recalled,” said David Friedman, vice president for Advocacy at Consumer Reports and former acting director of the NHTSA. “Even if it turns out there’s no specific safety defect, Honda still should take care of their customers and notify them to go to a dealership for a free repair.”

The issue of fuel mixing with oil can be attributed to one of two causes, according to John German, a veteran automotive engineer: wrongly designed fuel injectors that spray fuel directly onto the cylinder walls or the engine not heating up enough to vaporize any gasoline left over in a cylinder.