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Reliability report · 2022 Honda CR-V · Updated July 2026 · ~$2,100/yr fuel · what it costs to keep →

The year to buy — the cleanest CR-V of this generation.

The 2022 is the final year of the 5th generation and the least-complained-about CR-V in our entire data set (228 federal complaints vs 2,072 for the 2018).

The platform's bugs were worked out; what remains is the familiar steering-feel complaint and, on hybrids, an emerging head-gasket signal worth knowing about. Arguably the best value year of this generation.

Evidence: 228 NHTSA complaints · 3 recall campaigns · 5 mechanic & forum sources

Canary status

Chirping

What that means: Lowest complaint volume in our data. What remains — steering feel and an emerging hybrid head-gasket signal — is checkable on a test drive, not disqualifying.

CalmChirpingSquawkingFainted

228

Federal complaints

3

Recalls

$1,000–$5,700

Out-of-warranty steering repair

Federal crash tests

5-star scale
Overall
Frontal crash
Side crash
Rollover

Tested variant: 2022 Honda CR-V SUV FWD (NHTSA VehicleId 16479)

Source: NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) →

Known issues

Ranked by the cost of ignoring them. Every claim carries its source.

Sticky / stiff steering

moderate

Still the top complaint component. It is the same symptom family Honda later recalled on 2023+ models — but the 2022 is not covered by that recall, so a steering repair out of warranty is on you, potentially $1,000+. A highway steering-feel test is the single most important check on this year. Recent owner-reported dealer quotes for the full electric-power-steering gearbox assembly run $5,500–$5,700 (2026) — treat $1,000 as the floor, not the estimate.

Out-of-warranty steering repair

$1,000–$5,700

Sources: NHTSA complaint database, 2022 CR-V · Mechanic channel and owner-comment signal (5th-gen CR-V)

Hybrid head gasket failures (CR-V Hybrid)major

  • 2.0L hybrid

Owner reports describe head gasket failure on 2.0L hybrids around 100–150k miles at roughly $3,000–$4,500. The volume is small but the cost is severe — this is an emerging community signal, not yet a strong federal pattern. Hybrid buyers should ask for coolant service records and any overheating history, budget or negotiate accordingly, and consider a compression test on high-mileage examples.

This problem spans 2017–2022 — the full 1.5L turbo engine (oil dilution) story →

Sources: Mechanic channel and owner-comment signal (5th-gen CR-V)

$3,000–$4,500

Head gasket repair, 2.0L hybrid

Brake system complaintsmoderate

Service brakes is the #3 complaint category: mostly emergency-braking false activations plus some brake-feel reports. Honda Sensing phantom braking is reduced versus earlier years but persistent — include highway driver-assist behavior in the test drive.

Sources: NHTSA complaint database, 2022 CR-V

AC condenserminor

The generation's AC weakness appears less at this car's age, but condensers from this design family have a documented failure history as miles accumulate. Test the AC hard on a warm day and treat weak cooling as a negotiating point.

Sources: Mechanic channel and owner-comment signal (5th-gen CR-V)

Theft: on the industry's top-20 most-stolen listmajor

HLDI — the insurance industry's loss-data institute — scores whole-vehicle theft against an all-vehicle average of 100. The 2020–22 CR-V AWD comes in at **409**: stolen at roughly four times the average rate, which puts it on the industry's top-20 most-stolen list, in company it does not otherwise keep — Chargers, Challengers, Range Rovers. Front-drive cars are better but not good (270); the hybrid AWD sits at 226. Worth knowing how new this is: the 2017–18 CR-V ran at **55**, barely half the average. This generation didn't get less secure — it got popular with thieves. That's not a defect and not a reason to walk away, but it is a real cost, and it's one you can only act on before you buy.

Sources: HLDI whole vehicle theft losses, 2020–22 models (report WT-22, April 2023)

The platform's bugs were worked out by 2022 — what remains is checkable on a test drive.
5 mechanic & owner sources

Open recalls

Free fixes at any Honda dealer. Run the VIN — “completed” isn’t always completed.

  1. 26V-332Seat weight sensor may crack, causing unintended airbag deployment. Owner letters expected July 6, 2026; VIN searchable since May 29, 2026.open
  2. 23V-858Fuel pump may fail and cause a stall. Free replacement.open
  3. 23V-524Certification label error — minor compliance recall.open

What it costs to keep

The purchase price is what you negotiate. These are the numbers you live with afterward — each one sourced, none of them blended into a fake total.

The ownership picture — 2022 CR-V

Four sourced numbers. No fake total.

Fuel

30 MPG combined (28 city / 34 highway) for the FWD, 1.5L turbo on the EPA federal fuel-economy test.

Source: FuelEconomy.gov (EPA) — EPA’s federal fuel-economy test, recomputed with current gas prices. EPA record 44432 (CR-V FWD).
Other builds EPA lists: AWD, 1.5L turbo 29 MPG · Hybrid AWD, 2.0L 38 MPG.

$2,100/yr

at $4.15/gal · 15,000 mi/yr · 55/45 city/hwy · pulled Jul 12, 2026

Crash losses

Insurers lose about 34% less on this vehicle than on the average car. Lower collision losses tend to show up in what you pay for coverage.

Source: HLDI — the insurance industry’s loss-data institute — HLDI collision losses, 2020–22 models, published April 2023 (report R-23). 100 = the all-vehicle average. Series read: Honda CR-V 4dr 4WD.
Other series: Honda CR-V 4dr 64 · Honda CR-V hybrid 4dr 4WD 70, where 100 = average.

66 vs 100

34% below average

Theft

Stolen roughly 4× as often as the average vehicle. Worth pricing comprehensive coverage before you buy, not after.

Source: HLDI — HLDI whole vehicle theft losses, 2020–22 models, published April 2023 (report WT-22). 100 = the all-vehicle average. Series read: Honda CR-V 4dr 4WD.
Other series: Honda CR-V 4dr 270 · Honda CR-V hybrid 4dr 4WD 226, where 100 = average.

409 vs 100

4× average — off this chart

Repair risk

What this specific year is known to need. Pulled from the issues above — the repairs owners actually report, at the costs they report them. Averages from other sites blend every year together; these are this year’s own numbers.

Source: this report — 01 Known issues.

Out-of-warranty steering repair$1,000–$5,700
Head gasket repair, 2.0L hybrid$3,000–$4,500
Why there’s no single “cost to own” number: sites that promise one are guessing at your insurance quote, your annual miles, and your luck. These are the numbers we can actually source — and each one carries its receipt.

Shopping this year?

Get the printable pre-purchase checklist and an alert if this year’s recall sheet changes.

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Have a specific one in your sights?

The VIN is on the listing. We’ll check this exact car — build, open recalls, and whether the “completed” repairs stayed fixed.

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Before you buy

Print this
  1. 01Highway steering-feel test — the single most important check on this year.
  2. 02Run the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls, including the new seat sensor recall (26V-332).
  3. 03On a hybrid: ask for coolant service records and any head-gasket or overheating history; consider a compression test on high-mileage examples.
  4. 04Verify the fuel pump recall (23V-858) was completed.
  5. 05Standard used-car inspection — this year has no systemic engine issue to hunt for.
  6. 06Get a comprehensive-insurance quote BEFORE you commit — this year is on the industry's top-20 most-stolen list (4× the average theft rate), and that shows up in your premium, not the sticker.

Own one already?

The canary watches your VIN — new recalls and the mileage where known issues start.

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vincanary.com/honda/cr-v/2022