2004 Honda CR-V Problems

Typical for Model

Real NHTSA owner complaints for the 2004 Honda CR-V. Part of Generation 2 — 2002–2006.

20032005
Complaints
603
Crashes
45
Fires
42
Injuries
37
Fatalities
Recalls
11

Worst 2004 Honda CR-V Problems

Top 3 most-reported issues with average mileage at failure.

#192 complaints

Airbags

Avg mileage:112,111 mi
Crash-related:17
#256 complaints

Electrical Faults

Avg mileage:111,891 mi
Fires:2
#356 complaints

Engine & Cooling

Avg mileage:40,518 mi
Fires:9
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All Problems by Category

Every NHTSA complaint category for the 2004 Honda CR-V.

Airbags
92
complaints
Crashes
17
Fires
Avg Miles
112,111
Electrical Faults
56
complaints
Crashes
Fires
2
Avg Miles
111,891
Engine & Cooling
56
complaints
Crashes
Fires
9
Avg Miles
40,518
Engine And Engine Cooling:Cooling System
51
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
74,479
Headlight/Taillight Failures
35
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
97,297
Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine
27
complaints
Crashes
Fires
8
Avg Miles
18,034
Equipment:Appliance:Air Conditioner
22
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
78,348
Seat Belt Issues
15
complaints
Crashes
3
Fires
Avg Miles
107,789
Unintended Acceleration
13
complaints
Crashes
3
Fires
Avg Miles
108,953
Engine Problems
12
complaints
Crashes
1
Fires
1
Avg Miles
101,722
Other Equipment
12
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
65,527
Latches / Locks
9
complaints
Crashes
1
Fires
Avg Miles
107,286
Transmission / Drivetrain
9
complaints
Crashes
1
Fires
Avg Miles
116,450
Steering Defects
9
complaints
Crashes
1
Fires
Avg Miles
84,962
Suspension Failures
8
complaints
Crashes
1
Fires
Avg Miles
93,024
Electrical System:Wiring:Front Underhood
7
complaints
Crashes
Fires
7
Avg Miles
5,546
Brakes
7
complaints
Crashes
2
Fires
Avg Miles
119,961
Air Bags:Frontal
6
complaints
Crashes
3
Fires
Avg Miles
37,600
Gasoline Fuel System
6
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
63,185
Tire Defects
6
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
85,868
Visibility:Power Window Devices And Controls
6
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
77,457
Electrical System:Wiring
5
complaints
Crashes
Fires
4
Avg Miles
7,167
Exterior Lighting:Headlights
5
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
85,979
Exterior Lighting:Headlights:Switch
5
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
108,384
Fuel System, Gasoline:Storage:Tank Assembly:Filler Pipe And Cap
5
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
5,650
Body Structure
5
complaints
Crashes
Fires
1
Avg Miles
88,667
Vehicle Speed Control:Accelerator Pedal
5
complaints
Crashes
2
Fires
Avg Miles
37,162
Visibility
5
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
160,026
Wheel Issues
5
complaints
Crashes
Fires
Avg Miles
98,048

Search Owner Complaints

Read what owners actually reported to NHTSA for the 2004 Honda CR-V. Type a keyword (e.g. “transmission”, “stalling”, “brakes”) to filter.

Recalls for 2004 Honda CR-V

11 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting ~14,589,826 vehicles.

20V768000Electrical System · Visibility:power Window Devices And Controls
~268,655 affected

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.

19V501000Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module
~1,657,752 affected

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 Pilot, and 2006-2014 Ridgeline vehicles. The vehicles are equipped with passenger frontal air bag inflators assembled as a recall remedy part or replacement service part, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

19V499000Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module
~3,947 affected

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 Pilot and 2006 Ridgeline vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with driver frontal air bag inflators assembled as a recall remedy part or replacement service part, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.

19V182000Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module
~1,101,534 affected

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, 2003-2005 Civic Hybrid, 2001-2005 Civic GX NGV, 2002-2007 and 2010-2011 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2007 Fit, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot, and 2006-2014 Ridgeline vehicles. The affected vehicles received a replacement driver air bag inflator as part of a previous Takata inflator recall remedy or a replacement driver air bag module containing the same inflator type as a service part. Due to a manufacturing error, in the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver frontal air bag, these inflators may explode.

18V268000Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module
~1,335 affected

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 Ridgeline vehicles. The front passenger air bag may have been installed incorrectly during replacement.

15V370000Air Bags:frontal:passenger Side:inflator Module
~3,498,481 affected

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 vehicles manufactured February 24, 2002, to January 18, 2005, 2003-2007 Honda Accord vehicles manufactured February 21, 2002, to August 28, 2007, 2002-2004 Honda CR-V vehicles, 2002-2003 Honda Odyssey vehicles manufactured June 19, 2001, to July 12, 2003, 2003 Acura MDX vehicles manufactured September 19, 2002, to June 19, 2003, 2003 Honda Element vehicles manufactured June 25, 2002, to July 31, 2003, and 2003 Honda Pilot vehicles manufactured November 26, 2001, to August 21, 2003. The affected vehicles have a passenger side frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture upon its deployment.

15V320000Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module
~6,281,043 affected

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 3.2CL, 2003-2006 Acura MDX, and 2002-2003 Acura 3.2TL vehicles. The affected vehicles are equipped with a dual-stage driver frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion and other factors, including manufacturing variability that, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture.

14V700000Airbags
~0 affected

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 originally sold, or ever registered, in geographic locations associated with high absolute humidity. Specifically, vehicles sold, or ever registered, in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Saipan, Guam, and American Samoa are addressed by this recall. Upon deployment of the passenger side frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.

14V353000Airbags
~133,207 affected

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 vehicles originally sold, or ever registered in California, and equipped with Takata-brand air bag inflators. Upon deployment of the passenger side frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.

12V486000Electrical System · Visibility:power Window Devices And Controls
~268,655 affected

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.

+ 1 more recalls

Other Honda CR-V Years

2004 Honda CR-V — FAQ

Answers based on real NHTSA complaint and recall data for this specific model year.

Is the 2004 Honda CR-V reliable?
Verdict: Typical for Model. The 2004 Honda CR-V has 603 NHTSA complaints, 45 crash-related, and 11 recall campaigns. The most common issue is Airbags with 92 complaints. Source: NHTSA via VinItel.
What are common problems with the 2004 Honda CR-V?
Top reported problems: Airbags (92 complaints, avg 112,111 mi); Electrical Faults (56 complaints, avg 111,891 mi); Engine & Cooling (56 complaints, avg 40,518 mi). Every complaint is filed by an owner with NHTSA — this is raw reported data, not editorial opinion.
At what mileage do problems start on the 2004 Honda CR-V?
The weighted average mileage at time of complaint is about 83,819 miles. Some components fail earlier, some later — check the "All Problems by Category" table above for per-issue averages.
How safe is the 2004 Honda CR-V?
NHTSA complaints for the 2004 Honda CR-V include 45 crash-related reports, 42 fire reports, 37 injuries, and 0 fatalities. These are owner-reported incidents, not official crash-test ratings — a complaint being filed doesn't confirm a defect, but clusters around specific components are worth investigating.
Does the 2004 Honda CR-V have any recalls?
Yes — 11 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 14,589,826 vehicles. Recalls are free to fix at the dealer. Always verify by VIN whether the specific car you're looking at has had its recalls addressed.
Should I buy a 2004 Honda CR-V?
Complaint levels are in line with what's expected. Normal used-car due diligence applies — check the specific VIN for accident history, open recalls, and title brands.

Source: NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) complaint and recall databases, aggregated by VinItel.

Wider context: See the full Honda CR-V reliability report with year-by-year comparison and generation analysis.

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