2003 Honda CR-V Reliability
The 2003 Honda CR-V has 494 owner complaints and 14 recall campaigns on file with NHTSA, most often about air bags and engine & cooling. Compared with nearby CR-V model years (2001–2005), it rates as a caution year: complaints run above the CR-V's typical year, while the 2001 has a cleaner record.
By CarWhere Research · Updated 2026-11-04 · Source: NHTSA
494
NHTSA owner complaints
14
Recall campaigns
49
Complaints citing a crash
26
Complaints citing a fire
2003 Honda CR-V complaints by component
Owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2003 model year, filed between 2002 and 2026. A complaint can name more than one component.
| Component | Complaints | Share of complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Air bags | 131 | 27% |
| Engine & cooling | 86 | 17% |
| Electrical system | 63 | 13% |
| Exterior lighting | 39 | 8% |
| Equipment | 33 | 7% |
| Speed control / throttle | 32 | 6% |
| Visibility / wipers | 29 | 6% |
| Unknown or other | 25 | 5% |
2003 Honda CR-V recalls
14 recall campaigns on NHTSA record for the 2003 model year, by the date NHTSA received the manufacturer's report. Recall repairs are free at a dealer.
| NHTSA campaign | Date | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 03V274000 | Jul 29, 2003 | Powertrain / transmission — automatic transmission | On certain sport utility vehicles equipped with automatic transmissions, excessive corrosion of the shift cable linkage could prevent the driver from shifting the automatic transmission into park. |
| 04V255000 | Jun 7, 2004 | Air bags — frontal | On certain sport utility vehicles, the wire harness of the driver's front air bag was incorrectly wired. |
| 07E104000 | Dec 11, 2007 | Visibility / wipers — glass, side/rear | Certain curved tempered replacement glass manufactured by hangzhou safety glass ltd and supplied to safelite by auto temp inc., identified as dot-430, and sold for use on certain domestic and foreign vehicles may not break into small pieces as expected of… |
| 12V136000 | Mar 30, 2012 | Exterior lighting — headlights / switch | Honda is recalling certain model year 2002 through 2004 CR-V; model year 2003 through 2005 pilot; and model year 2002 and 2003 civic vehicles. In March 2012, Honda filed a defect report to recall certain model year 2002 through 2004 CR-V and certain model… |
| 12V486000 | Oct 5, 2012 | Electrical system | 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. |
| 14V353000 | Jun 20, 2014 | Air bags | 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… |
| 14V700000 | Nov 4, 2014 | Air bags | 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… |
| 15V320000 | May 28, 2015 | Air bags — frontal / driver side / inflator module | 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… |
| 15V370000 | Jun 15, 2015 | Air bags — frontal / passenger side / inflator module | 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… |
| 18V268000 | Apr 26, 2018 | Air bags — frontal / passenger side / inflator module | 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… |
| 19V182000 | Mar 6, 2019 | Air bags — frontal / driver side / inflator module | 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,… |
| 19V501000 | Jun 27, 2019 | Air bags — frontal / passenger side / inflator module | 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… |
| 19V499000 | Jun 27, 2019 | Air bags — frontal / driver side / inflator module | 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… |
| 20V768000 | Dec 10, 2020 | Visibility / wipers — power window devices and controls | 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. |
How the 2003 compares with nearby CR-V years
Verdicts come from CarWhere's year-by-year CR-V analysis where it covers the year, otherwise from the years shown here.
| Model year | Complaints | Recalls | Most-reported area | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 152 | 1 | Air bags | Better year |
| 2002 | 527 | 16 | Air bags | Caution |
| 2003 (this page) | 494 | 14 | Air bags | Caution |
| 2004 | 501 | 13 | Engine & cooling | Avoid |
| 2005 | 479 | 14 | Air bags | Caution |
Complaints are unverified owner reports filed with NHTSA and are not adjusted for how many of each year were sold, so they compare years of the same model rather than different models.
What to check on a used 2003 Honda CR-V
- Air bags: make sure the air bag warning light goes out after start-up and that any air bag recall was completed on this VIN.
- Engine & cooling: look for coolant leaks or low coolant, watch the temperature gauge on a long test drive, and check for overheating history.
- Electrical: test every light, window, lock, the infotainment screen and the charging system; scan for stored fault codes.
- Lights: check headlights (low and high), brake lights and turn signals; condensation inside the housings is worth noting.
- Recalls: confirm each of the 14 campaigns above was completed on this VIN; open recalls are repaired free at a dealer.
- History: run the VIN for salvage, theft and odometer records, and have an independent mechanic inspect the car before you pay.
Check this exact car
Any 2003 Honda CR-V can be better or worse than its model year. The CarWhere Used Car Report checks one VIN for salvage records, salvage-auction records (with damage photos when the auction published them), stolen-vehicle records, the odometer trail and its listing and price history since 2015. Free preview first; the full report is $12.99, one time.
2003 Honda CR-V reliability FAQ
Is the 2003 Honda CR-V reliable?
The 2003 Honda CR-V has 494 owner complaints and 14 recall campaigns on file with NHTSA, most often about air bags and engine & cooling. Compared with nearby CR-V model years (2001–2005), it rates as a caution year: complaints run above the CR-V's typical year, while the 2001 has a cleaner record.
What are the most common 2003 Honda CR-V problems?
The most-reported problem areas in NHTSA owner complaints for the 2003 Honda CR-V are air bags (131), engine & cooling (86), electrical system (63), exterior lighting (39). One complaint can name more than one component.
Does the 2003 Honda CR-V have recalls?
NHTSA lists 14 recall campaigns for the 2003 Honda CR-V, including 03V274000 (powertrain / transmission — automatic transmission) and 04V255000 (air bags — frontal). Recall repairs are free at a dealer, and whether one was done is tracked by VIN.
How does the 2003 Honda CR-V compare with the 2002 and 2004 models?
By NHTSA records, the 2002 has 527 complaints and 16 recalls (caution); the 2004 has 501 complaints and 13 recalls (avoid). The 2003 has 494 complaints and 14 recalls.
How do I check a specific used 2003 Honda CR-V?
Run its VIN. The CarWhere Used Car Report checks one VIN for salvage records, salvage-auction records (with damage photos when the auction published them), stolen-vehicle records, the odometer trail and its listing and price history since 2015, with a free preview first and the full report at $12.99, one time. Pair it with an independent pre-purchase inspection.
More Honda CR-V research
Other Honda CR-V model years:
Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation owner complaints (all body-style listings for the 2003 CR-V, de-duplicated by complaint number) and NHTSA recall campaigns, retrieved 2026-11-04.