2005 Honda CR-V Reliability
The 2005 Honda CR-V has 479 owner complaints and 14 recall campaigns on file with NHTSA, most often about air bags and exterior lighting. Compared with nearby CR-V model years (2003–2007), it rates as a caution year: complaints run above the CR-V's typical year.
By CarWhere Research · Updated 2026-11-04 · Source: NHTSA
479
NHTSA owner complaints
14
Recall campaigns
40
Complaints citing a crash
18
Complaints citing a fire
2005 Honda CR-V complaints by component
Owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2005 model year, filed between 2005 and 2026. A complaint can name more than one component.
| Component | Complaints | Share of complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Air bags | 129 | 27% |
| Exterior lighting | 122 | 25% |
| Electrical system | 77 | 16% |
| Visibility / wipers | 31 | 6% |
| Suspension | 27 | 6% |
| Powertrain / transmission | 25 | 5% |
| Steering | 23 | 5% |
| Unknown or other | 22 | 5% |
2005 Honda CR-V recalls
14 recall campaigns on NHTSA record for the 2005 model year, by the date NHTSA received the manufacturer's report. Recall repairs are free at a dealer.
| NHTSA campaign | Date | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 04V526000 | Nov 8, 2004 | Air bags — side/window | On certain passenger vehicles, the occupant position detection system's side sensor is not installed in the correct position and may fail to shut off the passenger's side impact airbag if the occupant is out-of-position. |
| 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… |
| 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… |
| 16V344000 | May 24, 2016 | Air bags — frontal / passenger side / inflator module | Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2003-2006 Acura MDX, 2005-2011 Acura RL, 2005-2006 Honda CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2007-2008 Fit, 2003-2008 Pilot, 2002-2004 Odyssey, and 2006-2011 Ridgeline vehicles originally sold, or that… |
| 17V029000 | Jan 10, 2017 | Air bags — frontal / passenger side / inflator module | Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2005-2006 Acura MDX and Honda CR-V vehicles, 2005-2011 Honda Element vehicles, 2005-2012 Acura RL vehicles, 2006-2012 Honda Ridgeline vehicles, 2007-2008 Honda Fit vehicles and 2005-2008 Honda Pilot… |
| 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… |
| 19E068000 | Oct 10, 2019 | Speed control / throttle — accelerator pedal | Dorman Products, Inc. (Dorman) is recalling certain Accelerator Pedal Assemblies part numbers 699-114 and 825-5029-1, sold as replacement parts for 2003-2006 Acura MDX, 2004-2008 Acura TL and TSX, 2003-2007 Honda Accord, 2005-2006 Honda CR-V, 2007-2011 Honda… |
| 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 2005 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 494 | 14 | Air bags | Caution |
| 2004 | 501 | 13 | Engine & cooling | Avoid |
| 2005 (this page) | 479 | 14 | Air bags | Caution |
| 2006 | 398 | 13 | Exterior lighting | Caution |
| 2007 | 887 | 12 | 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 2005 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.
- Lights: check headlights (low and high), brake lights and turn signals; condensation inside the housings is worth noting.
- Electrical: test every light, window, lock, the infotainment screen and the charging system; scan for stored fault codes.
- Visibility: test the wipers at every speed, washers, defrosters and the climate system (fogging is a common complaint).
- 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 2005 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.
2005 Honda CR-V reliability FAQ
Is the 2005 Honda CR-V reliable?
The 2005 Honda CR-V has 479 owner complaints and 14 recall campaigns on file with NHTSA, most often about air bags and exterior lighting. Compared with nearby CR-V model years (2003–2007), it rates as a caution year: complaints run above the CR-V's typical year.
What are the most common 2005 Honda CR-V problems?
The most-reported problem areas in NHTSA owner complaints for the 2005 Honda CR-V are air bags (129), exterior lighting (122), electrical system (77), visibility / wipers (31). One complaint can name more than one component.
Does the 2005 Honda CR-V have recalls?
NHTSA lists 14 recall campaigns for the 2005 Honda CR-V, including 04V526000 (air bags — side/window) and 07E104000 (visibility / wipers — glass, side/rear). Recall repairs are free at a dealer, and whether one was done is tracked by VIN.
How does the 2005 Honda CR-V compare with the 2004 and 2006 models?
By NHTSA records, the 2004 has 501 complaints and 13 recalls (avoid); the 2006 has 398 complaints and 13 recalls (caution). The 2005 has 479 complaints and 14 recalls.
How do I check a specific used 2005 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 2005 CR-V, de-duplicated by complaint number) and NHTSA recall campaigns, retrieved 2026-11-04.