Honda says it’s working on a solution to widespread engine problems reported by CR-V drivers

Many owners of Honda CR-Vs have noticed an issue with their vehicles for quite some time now, and the automaker says it’s finally ready to offer a solution.

Owners of even brand-new CR-Vs with turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder engines have reported that the car will unexpectedly stall or lose power while driving, and complaints about the issue have been rolling in since early 2017. Last week, the automaker said in a statement that it is working on a fix.

“Honda has been investigating the situation and developing a remedy, which we hope to make available through authorized Honda dealers by mid-November 2018,” company spokesman Chris Martin said.

Martin also noted that the repair will be covered by the warranty, and the 2019 model-year CR-Vs will receive the repair before going on sale.

As Martin explained to Car and Driver, the issue has mostly occurred in 2017 and 2018 CR-V models when driven on short trips in colder regions.

Dozens of CR-V owners have reported similar experiences when they’ve taken their vehicles in for a perceived issue with the engine: The dealer makes multiple attempts to fix the problem — including a simple oil change — only to find customers back in their service departments several more times for the same problem.

But while Honda said it would fix the vehicles, it didn’t offer any details as to how it would go about doing so, nor how many CR-Vs in total have been affected in the United States. In February, Honda recalled 380,000 CR-Vs and Civics in China as a result of reports of similar issues.

The automaker claimed that this engine problem is not a safety issue, though Consumer Reports auto safety experts said they have concerns about that assertion. “There are many ways stalling can be a safety issue, so if these cars are stalling, they need to be recalled,” said David Friedman, vice president for advocacy at Consumer Reports and former acting director of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

For owners of affected vehicles, Honda suggested taking the cars to the dealers and asking them to address “an inappropriate fuel-injection setting.”

Here’s hoping CR-V owners get the answers — and the fix — they need soon.