2015 Honda CR-V Problems

What owners report

Complaints on this model year cluster around two themes: a vibration felt through the seats, steering wheel and dashboard at idle or at speed, and intermittent starting trouble tied to frequent battery replacement or the starter itself. A smaller group of owners describe stalling, hesitation, or sudden loss of power while driving, along with a handful of transmission failure and fuel pump reports.

1. 1
   Electrical system

   Intermittent no-start and repeated battery replacement

   Mentioned in 13 of 60 sampled complaints

   Owners report the vehicle sometimes will not start, taking several presses of the button or multiple attempts before it catches, occasionally with a clicking sound and no warning light. Many say they replaced the battery repeatedly, sometimes every year or two, and in some cases a parasitic drain was traced to a fuse circuit. Others had the starter replaced after it stopped working entirely; dealers often found nothing or pointed to the battery. Reported from a few thousand miles up to well past 100,000 miles, usually as an intermittent problem after the car sits.

   What to check: Start the car from cold several times and ask for battery and starter service records; a battery that has been replaced more than once in a few years is worth questioning.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Car periodically will not start auxiliary will come on click click sound takes several tries before the vehicle will start I bought the car a year ago from the dealership car is five years old I've had a 2002 or 2004 Honda crv I've never had this difficulty is there a starter or electrical recall.”

   NHTSA complaint #11328710, filed 2020-06, 60,000 miles

   “My battery has had issues for the past 3 years. I've put in 3 batteries in the past 3 years and I'm still experiencing issues where my car won't start after only sitting for a day. It's been getting worse as well. I took it to the dealership and they thought they found the parasitic battery drain but it's since gotten worse. My car has been dead 3 times after only sitting for a day since the dealership 'found the problem.”

   NHTSA complaint #11373921, filed 2020-11, 24,000 miles
2. 2
   Engine

   Stalling, hesitation, or loss of power while driving

   • 86 complaints (13%)
   • median 14,000 mi at 2.2 yrs old (67 state mileage)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2015–2026

   Complaints describe the engine cutting out or going flat at speed, at intersections, or when pulling away, sometimes with no warning light and sometimes with several lights on. Some owners were able to restart and continue; others had the car towed, and dealers often could not retrieve fault codes or identify a cause. A few reports describe the engine quitting shortly after a cold start while backing out. Spread from roughly 25,000 to over 170,000 miles, at both low speed and highway speed.

   Recall 17V305000Recall 15V1210002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether any stalling events were diagnosed and whether the transmission or engine software updates were applied; a test drive should include a cold start, reversing, and a stop-and-go stretch.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Car cuts out shortly after starting while backing out of driveway several times per week. Restarts after stopping, and putting in park. Has happened 75-100 times from 2019-now(4/29/20)”

   NHTSA complaint #11322618, filed 2020-04, 30,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 2015 Honda CR-V. The contact stated while stopped at a traffic signal and accelerating to approximately 20 MPH to cross the intersection, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to shift into park(P) and restart the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent; however, several times after stalling, several attempts were needed to restart the vehicle. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11543235, filed 2023-09, 125,000 miles
3. 3
   Transmission and drivetrain

   Transmission slip, failure, or odd shifting

   • 77 complaints (11%)
   • median 800 mi at 0.7 yrs old (53 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $5,000 (median of 5 quotes)
   • filed 2015–2026

   Owners report the transmission slipping out of gear, revving without engaging, refusing to move, or downshifting and holding a low gear on descents. Some complaints describe a transmission replacement being quoted or performed after the vehicle lost power; others describe a vibration or unusual noise when shifting into gear. Service bulletins refer to software updates intended to address transmission behavior. Reported from very low mileage up to around 120,000 miles, with several failures noted in the 30,000-90,000 mile range.

   7 related service bulletins

   What to check: Check whether the transmission software update was completed and test the car through several stop-and-go and hill-descent cycles, listening for slipping or harsh engagement.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “My son could have been killed or injured because of this vehicle. I bought this 2015 crv used with approximately 31,400. Miles. Checked the car fax no problems no accidents reported. The car dealer who inspected the car and serviced it. It had an oil job, battery, tires replaced. Drove it for 4 months with no problems. I am still under the power train warranty. Then december 17 the transmission failed while my 22 year old son was driving it on the roadway. Just lost powers. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11297357, filed 2020-01, 34,500 miles

   “The automatic transmission in my 2015 Honda CR-V awd touring edition automatically downshifts into a lower gear when I start driving down a hill. This causes the engine to rev high and whine loudly until I reach the bottom of the hill when it finally upshifts and works correctly. The engine is working too hard to maintain a slow speed during the descent. Can the transmission be adjusted so it doesn't downshift and hold the vehicle back? Or is this a defect with this transmission that will be covered under my extended warranty? …”

   NHTSA complaint #11398449, filed 2021-03, 59,925 miles
4. 4
   Engine

   Idle or driving vibration felt through seat and steering

   • 168 complaints (25%)
   • median 410 mi at 0.6 yrs old (138 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2015–2024

   Owners describe a shake or vibration that appears at stoplights with the vehicle in gear, or while driving at steady speed, and is felt through the seat, steering wheel and dashboard. Some say the idle drops low enough that the engine feels like it is about to quit. Dealers in several complaints said they could not duplicate the condition or offered no repair, though service bulletins describe vibration-related product updates for this model. Reported across a wide mileage range, from near-new to over 100,000 miles, most often while stopped in gear or at low speed.

   6 related service bulletins

   What to check: Drive the car long enough to sit at several stoplights in gear and note any shake through the seat or wheel; ask whether the vibration-related service bulletin work was performed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I took my car to the repair shop because my car vibrates and idles low to where it feels like it is going to cut off at a stop sign or traffic light while in gear. The shop changed out the valve gasket and did an oil change paid $260.00 the car continued to low idle and vibrate at the stop lights and and stop signs felt like it was going to stall out. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11404056, filed 2021-03, 114,000 miles

   “Loud rattling noises with associated strong unsettling vibrations come into the cabin. These vibrations and rattling noises have been very distracting. The rattling noises begin at a low volume and become quite loud. The associated vibrations make me feel very uncomfortable. These distractions certainly distract me from driving safely and are a safety hazard.”

   NHTSA complaint #11404046, filed 2021-03, 110,000 miles

Buying note. Have a pre-purchase inspection focus on the battery and starting system, transmission software status, and any stored codes for fuel or engine faults, and take a test drive that includes idling in gear and a cold start. Records showing the vibration and transmission service bulletin updates were applied are a plus.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.