Stealing staff members from the local Honda dealership was not an intentional plan. It just worked out in such a way that three of our team members have many years experience with the Honda brand. These collaborative minds and many years experience gives you a short list of things to watch out for with the first generation of the Honda CRV. We will release a list of issues with the second and third generation CRVs in the near future. The future as now come. Below are some links where you can find information on the other generations of the CRV.
Second Generation 2002-2006
Third Generation 2006-2011
Vehicle Review Video (Third Generation)
So the list of common faults to watch out for on the Honda CRV.
1. Trailing arm bushes. These are the big rubber bushes on the rear suspension. It is a common problem for most older Hondas. They rip through and cause the rear of the car to give the sensation of “floating”. Many aftermarket companies make replacement bushes however our experience has found that the best bush to do this job is the genuine Honda part. Aftermarket products just crumble.
2. Radiator Failure. Its ultra common for this first model of the CRV to blow radiators. There is not much of a story to go with that. Its either leaking or its not.
3. The rear engine mounts split. This will cause a thumping feel when accelerating. This will be worse in manual cars as the clutch friction point will amplify the fault.
4. A shudder when turning in tight circles, with the steering on full lock is caused by the rear diff oil wearing out. In most cases an oil change will fix this, if its too extreme the diff may need to be replaced.
5. Water pumps leaking. In most cases this wont show itself until the car starts to overheat due to the coolant loss. Unfortunately this replacement requires the timing belt to be removed so whilst there, we advise replace the timing belt too.
6. The front door strikers get noisy with age. This is not a huge mechanical problem but its very annoying.
7. The rear brake cylinders are known to leak brake fluid.
8.The clock in dash works on and off. This is a supper common fault and the part is now cheaper genuine than second hand from a wreaking yard.
9. Probably the most common fault with the first generation CRV is the major oil leaks from the sump gasket. Nearly every single one will leak. The rubber gasket has small metal locators if not taken out of the block when replacing the gasket, the new one wont seal and the leak will start again immediately.
Menu
