2012 Honda CR-V Electrical System Problems
Owners have filed 68 complaints with NHTSA about electrical system problems on the 2012 Honda CR-V, 17% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 30,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “service bulletin” (12% of reports).
- 68electrical system complaints
- 30,000median miles at failure
- 0mention a crash
- 0mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $1,250typical repair cost reported by owners
- 36%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Service bulletin: mentioned in 8 of 68 complaints (12%)
- Battery dead: mentioned in 5 of 68 complaints (7%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical electrical system repair on the 2012 Honda CR-V at $1,250, and half of them between $370 and $1,650.
Based on 6 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2014–2023), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do electrical system problems happen?
Based on 51 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 68 complaints, 1 a fire.
Honda CR-V electrical system complaints by model year
| Model year | Electrical System complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 CR-V | 28 | 18% | 1,600 |
| 2025 CR-V | 18 | 7% | 13,525 |
| 2024 CR-V | 35 | 9% | 6,200 |
| 2023 CR-V | 28 | 5% | 894 |
| 2022 CR-V | 14 | 5% | 4,000 |
| 2021 CR-V | 34 | 10% | 14,800 |
| 2020 CR-V | 43 | 12% | 11,500 |
| 2019 CR-V | 164 | 15% | 7,000 |
| 2018 CR-V | 284 | 13% | 14,941 |
| 2017 CR-V | 402 | 23% | 19,500 |
| 2016 CR-V | 64 | 16% | 24,000 |
| 2015 CR-V | 84 | 13% | 28,750 |
| 2014 CR-V | 77 | 13% | 8,832 |
| 2013 CR-V | 38 | 10% | 32,420 |
| 2012 CR-V | 68 | 17% | 30,000 |
| 2011 CR-V | 55 | 10% | 53,731 |
| 2010 CR-V | 43 | 9% | 79,000 |
| 2009 CR-V | 44 | 11% | 62,000 |
| 2008 CR-V | 218 | 23% | 80,000 |
| 2007 CR-V | 264 | 30% | 80,000 |
| 2006 CR-V | 75 | 19% | 75,400 |
| 2005 CR-V | 77 | 16% | 88,175 |
| 2004 CR-V | 73 | 15% | 90,000 |
| 2003 CR-V | 62 | 13% | 96,750 |
| 2002 CR-V | 95 | 18% | 110,448 |
| 2001 CR-V | 7 | 5% | 179,840 |
| 2000 CR-V | 15 | 12% | 137,000 |
| 1999 CR-V | 27 | 21% | 134,000 |
| 1998 CR-V | 38 | 30% | 124,100 |
| 1997 CR-V | 31 | 29% | 125,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists electrical system for the 2012 Honda CR-V. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
2012 Honda CR-V - I've had to replace my battery multiple times. I would go out the car and it would be dead. I even tried replacing the alternator. I am replacing batteries at an average of every 2.5 years. Honda tells me I can do a diagnostic test for $189. I see there are repeated complaints…
Windshield defrost on drivers side produces no air or heat. Windshield became frosty and had to pull car over because of lack of visibility. Also heat on driver's side does not work, which is not a safety issue but may be related. Took it to the dealer where purchased. They flushed the heatcore…
In July of this year, I took a 20 minute drive with my kids and then went to a bagel shop. I tried to turn on the car and it acted like the battery had been drained. I got a jump, had my battery tested, and it was fine. A week later, it started happening nearly any time I took a short trip, and I…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2012 Honda CR-Vs have electrical system problems?
No. NHTSA has 68 owner complaints about electrical system for the 2012 Honda CR-V (17% of the 403 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2012 Honda CR-V electrical system?
No recall currently lists electrical system for this vehicle.
At what mileage do electrical system problems start?
The median reported mileage is 30,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix electrical system problems on the 2012 Honda CR-V?
Owners report a typical cost of $1,250 (half paid between $370 and $1,650), from 6 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about electrical system problems on the 2012 Honda CR-V?
The most frequent phrase is “service bulletin”, in 8 of 68 complaints, followed by “battery dead” (5).
Other 2012 Honda CR-V problems
- Engine problems (89)
See all 2012 Honda CR-V problems or electrical system problems across all CR-V years.