2018 HONDA HR-V Electrical System Problems

The contact owns a 2018 Honda HR-V. The contact stated that the fuel gauge reading was intermittently inoperable. The contact stated that the failure mostly occurred while starting the vehicle, with the fuel gauge reading being displayed after driving for an extended period. The dealer was contacted and informed the contact that it was an instrument cluster failure, and there would be a charge for the repair. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

Mileage: 100,000

The instrument panel with the odometer and gas gauge goes out completely at random times. Before the panel goes dark, the display flickers chaotically. I always note the issue to the dealership when I service my car. On the 2nd occasion, I was told the entire panel would have to be replaced at a cost of $1800. I told the service tech that I could not afford that expense. His recommendation was to bang on an area close to the display with my fist to get it to reappear. He actually demonstrated how to do it. The Honda Dealerships are aware of the problem and admit it’s a manufacturing design flaw. I have tolerated this for several years thinking Honda would offer compensation for the problem. However, yesterday when it was working, an alert appeared in the middle of the display about an issue with my fuel cap. I’m aware that the fuel cap issue is related to a recall, but if the display had not been working I wouldn’t have seen the alert because I wasn’t aware that alerts appear on that display and I realize now that I can miss an urgent alert. To me that’s a huge safety issue! I’ve seen hundreds of complaints online about this, and I know it’s caused by cracks in the solder. I would like for Honda to be accountable and let customers have this repaired at no charge.

Just bought this car in a private party sale. As with other complaints posted on this site, the car has issues with its electrical system related to its Dashboard and specifically the right display showing the mileage, fuel gauge, outside temperature, etc. Intermittently (and possibly related to cold weather), the entire dashboard will either flicker with unintelligible information and/or go completely black where no info will show. This will happen upon start or after driving a short bit and last several minutes. Very concerning as you will not be able to view mileage and fuel levels. My guess is this has been happening for some time. There should be a recall to fix this as from looking at your complaints and internet research, this is affecting many, many vehicles.

On March 11, 2025 I took my car to Gardena Honda for a fuel pump recall for my 2018 Honda HR-v ex. On September 17, 2025 I had a system malfunction where the doors were locking and unlocking the dashboard went black and a car symbol with doors opened appear on the dash, the car shut off and I tried to brake but they did not work, I hit a car in front of me and when the airbags did not deploy I hit my mouth on the steering wheel and knock out 3 of 4 teeth that I had work done on. A scan tool was put on my vehicle when I got it home and there was two codes showing B00D5 occupant classification sensor fault and U0416 invalid data received from vehicle dynamic control module. I came to this website because i wanted to know was there any other recalls and found out there was 3 on the make model and year of my vehicle. # 135 Vehicle Brake System, low pressure fuel pump, and the fuel pump inside the fuel tank

The odometer displays keeps lagging and the display goes out. This is a common problem with this vehicle. It should be addressed because the vehicle isn’t running at is fullest potential.

I am writing to report a serious safety concern involving my vehicle. The car has exhibited repeated instances of unintended activation while parked and left untouched. Specifically, the entire electrical system—including the dashboard, infotainment, and other electronic components—powers on and off spontaneously without any user interaction. This behavior raises significant safety and reliability concerns, especially when the vehicle is unattended. I am requested for a thorough investigation into this issue to determine the root cause and to ensure that appropriate corrective measures are taken to prevent potential hazards. Honda service center identified the issue is caused by 'Body Control Module'. They even indicated that the fault is in the software and the unit and user has nothing to do with it and asked me to check with Honda company. When i asked the company they said no recalls for this VIN and asked me to file a complaint here. My car has driven only 36K miles and its like a brand new car still. This is not even my fault and its a big safety issue. I ended up paying $1400 for the whole thing since i am in need of a car right now for all the doctor appointments and i didn't even got a rental car while the repair is going on which is like 4 days. This costed me so much money and headache. Also i have seen the same issue reported online by many folks using Honda at that year. Please take the ticket forward as this is a major safety issue. Please help in recall and reimburse my money

While driving the car to work the instrument cluster LCD display began to glitch showing garbled information on the fuel as well as effecting the speedometer reading. Having inaccurate speedometer reading due to a faulty instrument cluster can put others at risk due to not knowing your exact speed. There were no indications of a problem prior to this incident. Upon discussion with several HRV owners and forums this issue is likely caused by cracked solder joints on the board for the instrument cluster. The leadfree solder used appears to fail causing connection issues for the pins on the board and erratic read outs and displays. I plan to have the dealer look at the vehicle shortly. This problem is known and reported prolifically on discussion boards. Honda has released several service notices internally related to this issue for CRVs and Civics, but no recalls and not for HRVs.

The contact owns a 2018 Honda HR-V. The contact stated that while his daughter attempted to start the vehicle, the vehicle was able to start after several attempts. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked overnight, the headlights and an alarm would independently engage, causing the battery to fail. The contact stated that the electrical systems had engaged independently. Additionally, the contact stated that vehicle had stalled while idling. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed, but the cause of the failure could not be determined. The vehicle remained at the dealer, where it was later diagnosed that the Body Control Module(BCM) had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not yet been repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and a case was filed. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 38,000.

Mileage: 38,000

On the driver's dashboard, the right side gauge of the dash blinks out and shows unreadable letters/characters. This makes it impossible to rear this gauge and see how much fuel is remaining in the car.

The instrument cluster, specifically the odometer, fuel gauge, etc. (Right side) Rarely lights up to show how much fuel is in the tank, oil life, or mileage, potentially leaving you stranded or running out of gas while driving. Dealership has confirmed and said it would be $1,500+ to replace the entire cluster.

Odometer has been glitching due to freezing temps. Mileage seems to still be tallying but yesterday in temp of 10 degrees F, meter was glitching badly. Seems to be fine when warmed up but even button on dash to see trips becomes difficult to push. Sometimes turning car on the odometer is blank and will turn off the car and back on again to have it pull back up. Gas gauge and light still function even with glitching. Have read that other makes are having this issue as well.

The MPG gauge on the instrument cluster does not light up. This part of the instrument cluster also displays mileage, fuel levels and temperature. This is a safety risk due to not being able to determine fuel levels and mpg ranges at the minimum. This issue for me started 4 months ago on my 2018 Honda HRV with 80k miles on it. This issue has been reported to Honda for vehicles ranging from 2018-2023 models HRV, crv, pilots and fit. The issue has been determined to be that Honda manufacturers the instrument cluster by using lead free solder which over time, the solder cracks from exterior temperature rising and dropping. The damage is these cracks cause the instrument clusters sensors to not function properly and completely fail. Honda suggests buying a new instrument cluster however, the replacement instrument cluster is manufactured with the same lead free solder and this will only be an issue again down the road. Honda dealerships have not yet acknowledged that the lead free solder on the backside of instrument cluster is the problem. The instrument cluster is quoted at $1,300.00. I believe Honda should be investigating this and correcting it as this is a safety risk for a wide range of their vehicles.

I’m having an issue where the odometer/trip/fuel display is dark when I start the car and then it will flicker on and off with gibberish. Eventually it will display accurately.

Odometer flickers on and off and at times does not even turn on when car is started and moving. When the odometer flicks on it does not register mileage or fuel levels. This is a major safety issue don’t being able to see this vital information.

The contact owns a 2018 Honda HR-V. The contact stated that the instrument cluster speedometer and gauges were inoperable during cold temperatures. On several occasions, the instrument cluster screen was flickering. The contact had to bang on the dashboard for it to turn the instrument panel on. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 33,000.

Mileage: 33,000

The digital dash doesn’t come on sometimes and sometimes it flickers in Japanese and is all over the place. I have to smack the dash board out push the reset button to get it to come on.

The contact owns a 2018 Honda HR-V. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the instrument panel failed to operate properly. The contact stated that the fuel gauge display was unavailable. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer; however, the dealer was contacted, and the contact was informed that the instrument panel needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 59,000.

Mileage: 59,000

The component on the right of the dash regularly does not display anything which includes fuel level, odometer/mile range, temperature, and time among other information. This has been occurring for over a year. My two biggest issues are that I can't see how much gas I have left and that the odometer isn't always viewable. The gas tank is a constant issue because I worry about getting stranded somewhere because I didn't know. You have to be incredibly careful to catch the display on the occasion it does turn on and guess as to when you need to refuel because most of the time you can't see it on the dash. The odometer is the other issue. When getting my car serviced, I've had workers unable to read the odometer and this could be a huge issue with the DMV if they can't read my mileage. I won't be able to register my car if they need to inspect my car including for an emission test. My car will fail because the dashboard doesn't display correctly.

The dial on the dashboard that gives gas tank I do, speed and time do not light up or appear all jumbled if it is below 60 degrees outside. This is not cool.

Car alarm keeps going off when left untouched, even when isolated in garage. After observance, the car will attempt to start itself when no one is in the car and when the car is off.

Cluster gauge shuts off in cold weather. This gauge has the odometer and gas gauge.

Instrument gauge cluster circuit holders are failing. As a result, the odometer screen, screen for oil and gas do not light up. This is dangerous as you are unable to know when you need to fill up or if your car has enough oil. It can result in running out of gas in an unsafe location or ceasing the engine.

Instrument panel periodically fails to display fuel information. Panel will either turn off entirely or flash in random patterns. At worst, this results in not knowing how much fuel is left in the vehicle (and not even being able to see a low gas warning), which could lead to running out of gas in unsafe situations. The odometer and warning display text indicators are also affected, which are potential safety hazards. Other non-essential functions (outside temperature, trip meter, clock, and instant fuel economy) are also affected. The problem was confirmed by a dealership, but has not been inspected by police or an insurance representative. There were no messages or symptoms prior to the failure, which began occurring around 3 years after purchase of the vehicle. The first time I documented the failure was March of 2022.

The HR-V is four years old, and in the past month, the LCD display, which shows the driver the current fuel level, current miles per gallon, and, most importantly, the odometer, has intermittently stopped working and gone completely blank while driving (see photo attached). The display sometimes stays off for ten or more minutes before showing gibberish numbers that do not correspond to the proper odometer, temperature, and miler per gallon readings. I reported the incident to the local Honda dealership during my normal tune up, but they were not able to reproduce the issue. There are an abundance of online Honda forums where this same issue is reported. This is an obvious defect with 2018 Honda HR-Vs. This is a safety concern as this problem can lead to the odometer not properly recording the accurate miles driven and may not accurately be showing the driver how much fuel is left. There are no other warning lamps or other symptoms of the problem other than it happens most often when the temperature is below 40 degrees Fahrenheit.

Fuel gauge screen goes out completely and randomly shows up glitches. Serious safety concern because you're unable to determine the fuel you have left in your tank. Also, unable to determine your vehicle mileage and trip mileage. Unable to determine the engine oil life and the maintenance minder.

Paint started peeling 2 months after I bought it from the Honda dealership. I have had 2 appointments with them about it and nothing has been done. No call or email. 6 months into buying the vehicle I was getting onto the highway and my vehicle wasn't excellerating then it picked up. The vehicle does that every month atleast 4 times. Also since I bought this car when I unlocked my doors they lock themselves when I open the door. Takes me 10 tries to get into the car. And if I leave the keys in the car the car will lock it self with the keys in it!

The odometer/gas gauge was shorting out, coming on sometimes and showing partial characters others. It would not come on and stay on as intended. Without the gas gauge it was near impossible to know when the gas had been depleted and I was unable to get the car inpescted without the odometer showing due to the mechanic needing to photograph the mileage for the inspection.

Fuel gauge instrument will sometimes show jumbled letters/numbers or be completely blank. Upon driving for a while it will go back to normal. Not able to recreate on command so the dealership will not help me other than charge me to look at it without guarantee they will fix it since they won’t be able to recreate it. I looked online many people are also complaining about this issue and had to have the instrument cluster replaced. I do not want to pay for someone to just look at it and not fix the issue. The car doesn’t even have 2000 miles on it yet, this has to be a factory issue or something. I am concerned that it will just stop working and that is not safe since I won’t be able to determine the fuel level.

Display console does not come on. After driving for about an hour, it comes on. It’s been going on for over a year.

On 8/10/2023, around 9:25 AM, at the parking lot of Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA, I was pulling into a parking spot, moving very slowly. I was about to stop when the car suddenly took off in full speed, went over the concrete barrier toward hilly area covered with shrubs. That impact stopped the car, but half of my car was in the shrubs. It happened so fast that I didn't have a chance to break or anything. The car went into the shrub where nobody or no other car was around. Please see the attached photos. The bumper on the drive side is damaged and the car suffered some scratches and small broken parts. Prior to this incident, we experienced some minor incidents such as : - Car would not start at the first try and we had to try multiple times. We took the car to the dealer we purchased the vehicle and they replaced battery. Even after the replacement of the battery, it occurred couple more times. - Speaker announced to release the parking break when it was released and I was driving the car already. We took the car to the dealer and they ran diagnostics but didn't find anything. - The window on the front driver side gets sticky sometimes if left overnight. We took the car to the dealer and they ran diagnostics but didn't find anything. We took the car to the dealer again this morning (8/11/2023) and talked to the service representative. She looked at our record and we found out some of or complaints were not recorded. The contact stated that the dealer found that the electronic brake switch was turned on with no indication that it was on. The disc brake pads were also replaced since they were worn out.

The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the instrument cluster was randomly flickering off and on and sometimes became inoperable. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. During the failure, the fuel gauge and engine temperature gauge could not be viewed by the driver. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 18,000.

Mileage: 18,000

Fuel monitoring systems on dashboard going on and off while driving

Multiple times per week recently, the car will not turn over when starting the car, while all dash lights light up like a Christmas tree. There is no pattern when it just decides to act up…recently 2-3 times a week, in the past 2-3 times a month, it seems random. Sometimes, after it will not start and I leave it alone for some time I.e.: 30-60 minutes, and try to start it again, the car starts right up with no issue. This has left this female driver of this 2018 HR-V stranded numerous times. Several times it happened while driving, the car shuts off at low speed, and won’t start again. It has become a major concern that it can become a death trap. This car has just over 10k miles on it… it’s barely broken in….And with brand new battery just replaced !!!!!!

THE STERE WILL TURN ON AND OFF AND MAKES LOUD SHARP NOISES THEN SHUTS OFF. OTHER THINGS IN THE VEHICLE SOMETIMES DON'T WORK- CONTROL STEREO WITH STEERING WHEEL BOTTONS

Mileage: 19,000

ABOUT A MONTH AND A HALF AFTER PURCHASING THIS VEHICLE I TOOK MY FAMILY (WIFE AND KIDS) ON A WEEKEND TRIP. IT WAS ABOUT AN 8-HOUR DRIVE THERE AND 8 HOURS BACK. ABOUT 3 HOURS INTO THE TRIP MY LEFT LEG STARTED ACHING WHERE IT MEETS THE SEAT CUSHION. I MADE MENTION OF IT TO MY WIFE AND DECIDED TO PUSH ON WITH OUR JOURNEY. ABOUT 20 MINUTES LATER THE PAIN HAD RADIATED INTO MY LEFT HIP, AND LOWER BACK. LUCKILY I HAD A PILLOW IN THE CAR THAT WAS BROUGHT FOR THE KIDS TO LEAN ON AS THEY USUALLY NAP ON THESE LONG TRIPS. I HAVE SPOKEN WITH THE DEALER AND HONDA CORPORATE. CORPORATE WANTS A REPAIR ESTIMATE TO MOVE FORWARD, AND THE DEALER WILL NOT PROVIDE ME WITH ONE BECAUSE AFTER A LENGTHY TEST WITH ANOTHER HR-V IT WAS CONCLUDED THAT THE ISSUE EXISTS IN ALL HR-V MODELS AND THEREFORE IS A MANUFACTURER DEFECT/ISSUE. THIS PUTS ME BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE. I WISH I COULD DO WHAT OTHERS HAVE AND JUST TRADE THIS THING IN LEAVING HONDA AND LOOKING AT IT AS THE WORST DECISION I EVER MADE AND MOVE ON WITH MY LIFE, BUT I DO NOT HAVE THAT OPTION AT THE MOMENT.

Mileage: 1,000

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 HONDA HR-V. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WERE SEVERAL FAILURES WITH THE VEHICLE. THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR WINDOW KEPT GOING UP AND DOWN, THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING (EPS) FAILED, THE EPS WARNING INDICATOR FLASHED, AND THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED WHILE REVERSING THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OFF, RESTARTED, AND TAKEN TO GRAPPONE IMPORTS INC (519 ROUTE 3A, BOW, NH 03304, 800-528-8993), BUT THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE AND DIAGNOSE THE FAILURES. THERE WAS NO DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE PRESENT AT THE TIME. THE CONTACT WAS PROVIDED WITH A LOANER VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND REMAINED AT THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 5. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

Mileage: 5

I HAD THE CAR FOR 9 MONTHS NOW, ONLY HAD 20000 MILES ON IT, WHENEVER I MAKE SHORT TRIPS LIKE 3 MILES, THEN TURN OFF THE ENGINE, REST FOR LIKE 6 MINS OR LESS, THEN TRY TO START THE CAR AGAIN; IT WILL NOT GO THROUGH.. I WENT TO AUTOZONE TO TEST THE BATTERY, AND THEY SAID THAT ITS WORKING FINE. THE BATTERY HAS POWER, BUT FOR SOME REASON IT CANT MAKE THE CAR START. ALL OF THE LIGHTS ON THE DASHBOARD IS WORKING, EVEN HEADLIGHTS, AND ALL CONTROLS. BUT IT CANT MAKE THE CAR START, I KNOW THERE'S NO PROBLEM WITH THE ALTERNATOR AND BATTERY. IM HOPING THAT THERE'S NO PROBLEM WITH THE STARTER..

Mileage: 20,000

GOT THE CAR ON OCTOBER 2017, DROVE IT OFF THE LOT BRAND NEW IS A 2018 CAR DRIVING TO MY HOUSE THE LIGHTS ON MY DASHBOARD LIGHTS UP BREAKS, MOTOR, OIL, AIR ON TIRES, ALL OF THEM LIGHT UP LIKE A CHRISTMAS TREE, I TOOK TO THE HONDA DEALER AND THE ASSISTANT MANAGER RESET THE CAR BECAUSE THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT WAS CLOSED. A WEEK LATER THE LIGHTS CAME UP AGAIN. I CALL THEM AND THEY TOLD ME TO BRING IN THE CAR THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON SINCE THIS IS A NEW CAR WITH NO RECALLS. I GUESS THE RESET THE CAR AGAIN AND GAVE IT BACK TO ME. DECEMBER 2017 AGAIN THE LIGHTS CAME ON I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP NOW I'M WORRIED BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO DRIVE A CAR WHERE I DON'T KNOW IF MY BREAKS ARE WORKING OR ANY OTHER PART OF THE CAR SINCE I'M DRIVING THIS CAR EVERY DAY TO WORK. THEY TOLD ME IT WAS THE OIL PUMP THEY ORDER ONE AND CHANGED IT. HERE WE ARE ON MARCH 26, 2018, AND THE LIGHTS ARE ALL BACKLIGHTING MY DASHBOARD THERE MUST BE SOMETHING WRONG WITH THIS CAR. I AM SCARED TO DRIVE THIS CAR.