Problems with 2004 Honda CR-V ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Driving down the highway, there was a loud pop that you could feel throughout the vehicle. it sound like a gun had been fired at close range. the engine died immediately and the car was difficult to keep under control because of the loss of power steering and brakes. the car would not restart until the defroster was turned off. if the heater, a/c, or defroster was turned back on the vehicle would immediately stall again. the dealership found the a/c compressor suffered catastrophic failure and littered the entire air conditioning system with metal debris. we were quoted a repair cost of $3500. our extended warranty covered the compressor (although aftermarket) but were stuck with the bill for the high pressure lines and other small parts that still totaled nearly $1000. a search of the problem proves this is extremely common for this generation of cr-v, with thousands of complaints in online forums, chats, message boards, enthusiast clubs, and even dot nhtsa complaints. there are no similar complaints on other honda a/c compressors that are this widespread. the fact that this particular compressors part number is not used on other honda vehicle indicates that there is: a) problem with the design, b) a problem with the manufacturing process, c) a problem with the initial install or maintenance of the compressor, or d) some combination of the previous stated possibilities. these systems are failing at high rates for such low mileages, they last much longer on other vehicles (even other hondas). in addition to the problem there is also the fact that many owners get varying responses from the dealerships and from honda corporate as to how the situation is handled. some owners are covered 100% by a "good faith" warranty as the representative acknowledges the problem is common. some owners, such as me, are on our own or have to rely on a limited extended warranty that covers the failure but not the parts that the failure took out with it. please help us! *tr

2004 honda crv air conditioner unit crystallized into pieces. thank god i had extended warranty! if i would not have it would have cost me over $5000.00i am not a happy camper about this because a call back should have been done because the mechanic at the honda place at baker honda in houma ,la. told my husband alot of these vehicles have come back with this same problem. *tr

Air compressor "exploded" on 2004 honda cr-v. car bought new. 68,500 miles. taken to dealership last year a/c problems. problem not uncommon with cr-v. honda response inconsistent. some customers reimbursed 100%,some 0%. my car to be repaired thursday(if parts in). cost to me $1400 +.recall needed. *tr

A buzzing noise suddenly started in the engine compartment while driving and the air conditioner stopped cooling. took the car to honda and problem was diagnosed as a failed a/c compressor which contaminated the entire system. estimated cost of repair was $3600+. car had been driven 71,000+ miles. honda rep agreed to pay 50% of the repair costs as part of their "goodwill warranty" . since this is occurring on so many 2001 - 2004 cr-v's, there should be 100% coverage on repairs if not a recall. this edmunds link indicates the extent of the problem: http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f0d3fb5/808!keywords=allin%3amsgtext%20honda%20crv#808 not being a safety issue, they will probably not recall. being so wide-spread, there should be more consistency in honda's response (all owners that encounter this issue should get 100% coverage of repair costs). this is a common complaint. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2004 honda cr-v. while driving approximately 30 mph, the contact heard a loud revving noise that did not stop until the engine was turned off. the following day, the contact activated the air conditioner and heard a loud rattling noise coming from the front end of the vehicle. the air conditioning system eventually failed. prior to the failure, the contact did not notice any warning lights illuminated on the instrument control panel. he took the vehicle to the dealer and they stated that the clutch on the air compressor failed. the repair would cost $1,500. the contact is in the process of having the vehicle repaired. he called the manufacturer and is waiting for a response. the failure and current mileages were 41,000.

While driving in my honda crv 2004 with the a/c running, i notice that the air was not getting cool. about 2 minutes later, i heard a buzzing and thumping sound. i shut the air conditioner down and took my car in for service the next day. i was told the compressor and clutch were going bad and it would be $1500 to get it fixed. after some research online i found that this is not an uncommon problem. i hope honda is looking into this issue. i know it's not life threatening but it's certainly expensive to have fixed. *tr

A/c condenser on 2004 honda crv imploded while driving on interstate. service station told me that i was very lucky b/c there was nothing holding on a certain belt other than tension. if the belt had come off, i would have lost power steering and alternator would have died. found this is a widespread problem on this model vehicle and honda should be held accountable and issue recall. besides it being a very expensive repair, there are obvious safety issues here. *tr

Air compressor failure. could have caused an accident. still in the shop for repairs. *tr

Driving on local highway with my wife, two year old and three year old in the back when loud rattling noise was heard, followed by air conditioner compressor blowing out, causing heavy metallic pieces to go rolling down the highway at high speeds. thankfully, no other cars were in the immediate area. whole a/c unit needed to be replaced due to exploding parts and, after much complaining , was only given partial credit to cover costs. honda knows about problem and knows all a/c compressors made with during certain years will fail but is handling on a case by case basis and is not upfront in telling consumer about problem. please check site listed below to note how common this problem is. http://www.topix.com/forum/autos/honda-cr-v/tu0okfjgv9v3f3fgl. *tr

2004 honda crv. began driving in 98 degree weather, heard loud clatter in engine, a/c began running warm air, car stalled. took it to honda dealership and was told that the a/c compressor "blew up" and it sent shards of metal throughout my entire a/c system. i was told that the entire system needed to be replaced. the repair cost would be $3500. *tr

Driving on highway and a/c quit working....compressor had to be replaced quoted $1400 to replace...honda what is going on with all these??? *tr

A/c compressor went bad. ac was working great all of a sudden on one hot day, it just stops working when it was working perfectly fine. thought i needed to get the ac charge, took it, and they today me the ac compressor went and i would need to contact honda since they are the only one who deals with this. call honda and they told me that it would 1200.00 to start. this is outrageous with a know problem. there should be some type of recall on this, if he has happened to so many other people. *tr

I'm the first owner of a 2004 honda crv with a 5 speed manual transmission. from june 2008 to the present (september 2008) the vehicle has experienced a stall problem during every single use. current vehicle mileage is 115,000. all the stalls occur during the same period relative engine startup, between about five and ten minutes after starting the engine, and when the vehicle comes to a stop. this stall period basically occurs at stop signs for a multi-minute period after the choke comes down. unfortunately this stall period coincides with typical stop and go driving after departure: near home, workplace, schools, and retail outlets. i consider this a safety concern. the stall occurs suddenly and without warning. power steering and braking systems become difficult to use. i have narrowly avoided a number of accidents while trying to recover from a stall. the vehicle often does not start back up immediately after stalling. i'm concerned the starter will degrade and further inhibit timely restarting. repair efforts have been unsuccessful. an independent shop and a honda dealer have been tried. the honda dealer in exeter, new hampshire, blatantly avoided the problem and charged about $600 for unrelated work that was also not ordered. apparently the diagnostic computer reported a voltage drop. the independent shop has attempted to determine the problem at three separate occasions. spark plugs and wires have been changed and other regular maintenance has been completed. an immediate fix is desired for this 2004 honda crv stalling problem. my young family is put at an elevated risk every time we drive somewhere, we cannot easily sell a vehicle in this condition, and we cannot afford to buy an extra vehicle. *tr

A/c compressor shelled/failed & sent metal shavings through-out system. system contaminated, 3k to replace whole system. in my opinion, honda admits liability w/ "goodwill warranty" & agreed to pay 75% to fix a/c. a/c compressor defective car only has 50k mi. i want full compensation. *tr

The honda cr-v truck has an air conditioning compressor that is a safety hazard and they refuse to do a recall on it, even though mechanics repeatedly say that the metal fragments it throws after it breaks can cause an engine to seize. there are hundreds of complaints about this at this link. http://www.topix.com/forum/autos/honda-cr-v/tu0okfjgv9v3f3fgl/p16#lastpost. there are many posts before this page; i sent the link to the last post. there was no accident in my case, but they're going to wait until someone gets killed, then they'll do the recall out of fear. honda will not do a recall on this, but they are refunding money only if customers tell them they know about this problem. otherwise, they charge $800-$2500 for this faulty part of theirs. it is criminal! thanks, if you can help. *tr

Please visit this link as it shows hundreds of complaints about the same issue: http://www.topix.com/forum/autos/honda-cr-v/tu0okfjgv9v3f3fgl/p16#lastpost. honda is selling a faulty air compressor and they are charging thousands of dollars to fix it. a loud bang occurs, which throws metal fragments that mechanics say could seize the engine, then the air conditioner blows hot air. some of these compressors have gone three and four times per vehicle. american honda does not offer to recall the part; instead, they only pay some of the charges to repair the problem if the customer tells them they know about this faulty part. everyone is being charged different prices for the same problem, and most of these break downs are happening on practically-new vehicles! please visit that link and look at some of the complaints. someone has to help about this. thanks much. *tr

Check engine light came on. brought the car to the dealer. was told the oxygen sensor needed to be replaced (sensor #1) at a cost of $498. *tr

A/c compressor failed. clutch broke off from compressor. *tr

Air conditioning compressor failed, no noise,no indication of any problem. replaced the compressor and inspected the system for debris. the system would only cool to about 75% of what it was before the failure.replaced the second compressor under parts warranty , with this compressor it blows cold (42 deg.) about 80 % of the time,the other 20% it will only get to 50deg. no further repair attempts were made. *tr

2004 cr-v experienced grinding noise with ac unit the clutch assembly froze all occurred within two days. repair was completed that required the entire ac system, compressor, evaporater and condenser were replaced. all occurred at 72,000 miles. total cost of repair at non-dealer location using all new parts $1,059 dollars. first honda i've ever owned that needed a costly repair. then again this on is assembled in england not usa of japan. *tr

Loud rattling noise from engine upon starting the vehicle; had cr-v towed to lia honda in enfield, ct; lia said either engine fire or misfired spark plug - couldn't tell for sure, but that it shouldn't have happened and that i did nothing to cause it; machine shop is investigating to determine if cylinder head, which was melted, can be repaired, or if replacement is needed; checking for additional engine damage; investigation by lia is underway - so unsure how this will end. *tr

A/c unit started to make loud noises and would not cool. *ln

Air conditioner compressor imploded and seized. large metal particles circulated throughout system. repair required replacement of compressor, condenser and receiver dryer assembly. this resulted in $1207.43 in damages on a 3 year old car. *tr

The air conditioner compressor implode and seized. large metal particles circulated throughout the system. the repair required replacement of the compressor, condenser and receival dryer assembly. the lines needed to flushed out which resulted in very costly repair of over $1200.00. *tr

My family and i were coming back from vacation from florida, when all of a sudden there was a loud noise and sounded like something fell out of my car. as we were driving we noticed that the air wasn't cooling like it should be. so for the next 2 hours we had to drive without any air in 100 degree heat. i took it in the next day to get it looked at and they said the whole air compressor completely fell apart and fell out of the car and ruined the air conditioner so that the whole thing would have to be replaced. about $2500 to replace, so i called american honda corp and had to haggle with them for over a week so that i would have to only pay $600. *tr

Air conditioner failure. compressor seized and entire ac system has been contaminated. needs replacement of ac compressor, all lines, evaporator, expansion valve and condenser. approximate cost $2800.00. mileage on auto 48,264. *tr

Air conditioner began to rattle, then ruptured and fell off while driving down highway, sending debris out on the road in the path of oncoming traffic. *tr

Heard a "pop" sound while driving. a/c stopped working, warm air, heater only. after being checked by midas, a replacement cost of the compressor/condenser (same part) was quoted for over $2,000. i have been without ac since (happened in 2007). honda quote is over $2,000 as well. *tr

About 2 weeks ago my honda cr-v 2004 stalled in a car wash and wouldn't start. after about 20 minutes i was able to get it started. since then my cr-v has had trouble starting. i've also noticed my heater not working as effectively and just recently the car started to over heat. i took it to the mechanic immediately. after a day they said i had gotten water in my gas tank and a water bubble in my coolant system. they flushed everything out, dried it and replaced my coolant. so far my car seems to be running smoothly again. *nm

This is not so much a safety issue as a financial one. it seems that bits or metal go through the compressor. ac was repaired by (bailey) dealership under/at 24,000 mil. now at 76 k, ac went out again. dealer (momentum) wanted $4,010. to repair but honda offered to pay 1/2 leaving my share to be $2,005. too much. i had compressor, etc replaced elsewhere for much less and was told there was no oil in the compressor. i would like this info. sent to the honda manufacture. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

9/20/06 42,620 miles; 7/16/08 67,743 miles; 8/07/09 81561 miles r & r compressor and condenser blew up. *tr

Dt: the caller said while driving vehicle stalls. it happens at any speed and without warning. after struggling to get it off the road it will start back up. this has happened twice. dealer said they couldn't duplicate the problem ,there was nothing they could do. manufacturer said they will have someone look into it and be a go between the caller and the dealer.*ak

I'm a 2004 honda crv ex owner and purchased the vehicle on 10/18/2004. i noticed a burning smell from the exhaust after driving the vehicle. i receiveda pamphlet when at purchase stating a smell will be evident for the first few hundred miles. however, it was the first thousand miles. current mileage apr. 8009 miles. i still smell it occasionally. not knowing about all the previous damage from other owners, from the doubling the gasket. i think it might be that. maybe oil leakage or something. haven't brought it in for a check on that however. but i will asap. i have already got my first oil change(04apr05) at the dealership where i purchased vehile, and have not had any problems from anything catching fire. also didn't bring up the smell, but i should have. still do smell a burning scent from the exhaust after driving the car. also, my 5th door(trunk) i noticed a thuping sound when opened all the way and brought it up during oil change and dealership fixed problem with no questions asked. they over charge me though($103.92). don't go to "poway honda " in california. actually writing to consumer reports as well. also have to say this is a great website and will reccommend to others. thank you. *ak

While the vehicle was positioned at the stop sign consumer noticed black smoke coming from under the hood, and smelled something burning. passing by driver came to get the consumer out of the vehicle. consumer turned the vehicle off and stepped out of the vehicle. within a 2-3 minutes the fire went out on its own. vehicle was towed to the dealer, who informed consumer that the fire was due to oil leaking from the oil filter seal onto the manifold. *ak *bf *nm

Notice of 2004 honda cr-v with oil leaks catching on fire after first oil change. with letter of warning in hand from honda, i took my cr-v to my honda dealership for its first oil change. i asked to see the gasket and the service tech showed it to me. i drove the car home and when i left for work the next morning there was a large (size of a sheet of paper) spill of oil on the garage floor. the car was purchased in aug 04 and the oil change happened in jan 17, 05. there was no previous oil leakage before the oil change. i called the dealer and they said it was a typical leak after the change and to bring it in. the car is still leaking oil on jan 19. my appointment to fix the oil leak is after 5pm on jan 19. *nm

I am reporting poor gas milage during cold months. i purchased this car in august 2004 and with my driving found that i got 25 miles on the highway and 20 miles per gallon with mixed highway and local streets (50-50 mix). when cold weather arrived with temperatures in the 30s and 40s, i noticed that my milage was very poor. the highway remained the same. the mixed driving was barely 14 miles per gallon. i took the car back twice to the dealer and was told that there is nothing wrong. at the second visit i spoke with the service manager of honda and was told my driving style and/or using the heating had this effect on the milage. my driving style is not in question - it has not changed. that leaves the heater. i find this very hard to believe. i use the ac in the summer and my mixed driving milage was at 20.

The consumer would like to know what is honda doing about the vehicle fires in 2003-04 honda crv's. *bf *sc *jb

Significant oil leak after first (10,000 mile) service at dealership. i was aware from media reports of the danger of engine fire following first oil change. so i took the car to the dealership thinking that if anyone could handle this issue safely and properly, they should. i specifically asked the service manager if they were aware of the known safety issues relating to the 2004 honda cr-v. they said they aware. still, after the oil change, i had a significant oil leak (about a quart in 24 hours and 10 miles of driving). *ak

On 11/24/04 i was driving on a major interstate when my engine and battery lights suddenly came on. i felt as if my breaks were not going to work. i pulled off at the nearest exit trying to get to a safe place to assess the situation. as i got off the exit, smoke began to billow into the car from the vents. a man approached me from behind and informed me my car was on fire. i didn't realize it until that moment. apparently, it had been shooting flames out from the front wheel wells. my car had about 15,000 miles on it at the time. my oil change was four months earlier with no signs of any oil leaks prior to the fire. the fumes caused me to have an asthma attack, even after the fire was out and the car was towed to a honda body shop. because of the holiday, the insurance company will not look at the car until 11/29 or 30. i have no idea if it will be totaled or not. i'm concerned about residual effects from the fire affecting my respiratory problems. further, i' m concerned about getting another 2004 vehicle that may present with the same problem. or, even a 2005, if the problem will exist in that as well.*ak

Vehicle stalled intermittently. consumer took vehicle to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic informed consumer that the problem could not be duplicated. consumer advised the mechanic that oil changes could cause a fire. *ak see 10100386 also. *dsy

After my first oil change of my 2004 honda cr-v i noticed the oil light come on while driving the cr-v home,because i had asked the asst. service manager about the oil change fires and he said that was no longer a problem, i thought there was something else wrong with my cr-v. about a block away from the dealership i noticed a white smoke coming out of the dashboard vents, i quickly pulled the vehicle into the checkered flag service entrance and exited the vehicle. calling the asst. service manager over to show him the vehicle smoke was commons out of the engine compartment. the complete underside of the vehicle was covered in oil. i asked to watch as the service technicians put it on the lift (after they had replaced 4 quarts of oil in the engine). the service tech. then showed me the double oil ring gaskets on the oil filter. i asked how this could happen? i had researched this vehicle and the only negative remarks i could find were about the first oil change. i had purposely not had my children in the vehicle for this reason. i don't know how many failsafes a system needs, but this vehicle needs way to many. to add further insult i received an alert from honda requesting that i give the service tech a notice to return the old oil gasket to the customer, does honda even track that this already happened to me? *nm

While driving oil leaked from the vehicle all over the highway. had vehicle towed to the dealership. they replaced the gasket on the vehicle. *ak

In morning daylight, 50 degree temperature in columbus ohio, i was astonished to see a honda crv traveling at 65 mph beside me on the freeway with it's exhaust system glowing so brightly, i first mistook it for an orange neon lighting system. the first thing that came to mind was "this poor guy's car is going to catch on fire". imagine my surprise when i did a search on the internet and found that honda crvs are being investigated by the nhtsa for mysterious fires. ttp://motortrend.com/features/news/112_news18/. the reason why honda suvs catch on fire is because of incredibly high exhaust gas temperatures that cause in the manifold collector and exhaust pipe of the vehicle to glow cherry red at highway speeds. something in the engine management system is amiss causing either incredibly lean mixtures that raise exhaust gas temperatures, or overly retarded timing that is letting excess fuel burn in exhaust system instead of the engine. either way, it is a disasterous problem based on what i saw. please feel free to contact me if you would like any additional information on what i witnessed.*ak btw: i called the direct trouble reporting number for nhtsa, and was told i could not file any report on safety issues unless i could supply a vin number... pretty lame.*ak

Oil leak in 2004 honda cr-v. i have brought vehicle to dealer 3 times. first, the dealer changed the oil filter and gasket. second time, said nothing was leaking. third time they found aleak in the engine block. it is still being repaired. i am afraid to drive because of reported fires caused by oil leaks in this model.*ak

I have a 2004 honda cr-v. after 300 mile trip oil was found leaking from engine compartment. oil drain plug was loose (about halfway out) and ~ 2 quarts of oil had sprayed over undercarriage of vehicle during preceding highway travel. prior oil change was performed by honda dealership in danvers ma (honda north). i thought this information may have applicability to the ongoing investigation into honda cr-v engine compartment fires. thanks. *nm

Complaint received via e-mail."while driving, a passing driver alerted me to the fact that my car was on fire. by the time i pulled to the side of the road, the front undercarriage of my car was in flames. i jerked my son out of the burning car and ran away from it. as i ran away, i saw flames coming out the sides and top of the hood. the entire car was eventually engulfed in flames. we barely escaped with our lives." *jb

2004 honda crv developed an oil leak after the 1st oil change. dealer said it was probably related to the sticky gasket issue (nhtsa investigation) after 2nd oil change it is still leaking and took it to another honda dealer today who said it was leaking from the vtec solenoid which was replaced. they also said they cleaned under the vehicle but it was still covered with the leak detection powder. seems to be leaking still. there was an even larger puddle under the vehicle after i drove it home. its back at kirkland honda now. *ak

This is a general complaint about the 2003-04 engine fires in the honda cr-v. there needs to be a recall on these vehicles asap. i am a brand new owner of a 04 cr-v and i feel very unsafe in this vehicle. what could be more dangerous then a fire. please act promptly. *jb see 10099806 also. *dsy

On july 22, i had an oil change performed on my 2004 honda cr-v at the texaco xpress lube in norway, maine. everything was fine until sunday, september 19, when i noticed an oil leak on the garage floor. (it may have been leaking prior to this date, but i usually park outside on the gravel, and the oil spill might not have been apparent.) i checked the oil level, and it was still reading full. the next day, on september 20, i was driving to work that morning and had to make a stop halfway there. i noticed at this time that the car smelled a little strange. no indicator lights were on, so i assumed the car was safe to drive. as such, i continued my trip down to westbrook, maine, planning to drive directly to the honda dealership to have it checked out. when i exited the turnpike and slowed the car, all of a sudden smoke and steam came pouring out from under the hood and flooded the interior of the car through all the vents. i immediately stopped and called aaa, who towed the vehicle to the honda dealership (maine mall motors in south portland, maine). after inspecting the car, they told me the oil filter was not put on correctly during the last oil change and had worked loose, ultimately resulting in burning the entire wiring harness. the technician told me he was amazed the car didn_x0019_t go up in flames_x0014_that_x0019_s how badly it was burned. my car ended up being in the shop for three days. the damage done to my car totaled $782.71. in addition, i had to rent a car for three days, which totaled $115.50. *jb

At 4500 miles, i brought my car in to get the oil changed. after i had driven home from getting my oil changed, i noticed a burning smell, and i found oil leaking from my car. at first it was leaking about 20 drops a min, and then the next day, it was only leaking 15 drops a minute. i took my car back and had it inspected the next day, but they couldn't find any reason why my car was leaking oil.*ak