2012 Honda CR-V — Problems, Recalls & VIN Check
Owners filed 403 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Honda CR-V, and 89 of them name engine. Here is what that record shows, what to inspect because of it, and how to check the one car you are actually looking at.
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Quick Answer
- Does the 2012 Honda CR-V have any recalls?
- NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for the 2012 Honda CR-V — the earliest on file covers equipment:other:labels. Whether they were performed on a particular CR-V is a per-VIN question, not a per-model one.
- What do owners complain about most on the 2012 Honda CR-V?
- Engine — 89 of the 403 complaints filed with NHTSA, about 22% of the file, ahead of electrical system at 68. A complaint is an owner’s report, not a confirmed defect.
- How do I check a specific 2012 CR-V before buying it?
- Run its 17-character VIN. This page describes the model year in aggregate; a VIN check reads NMVTISfor that one car’s title brand, salvage and total-loss records and reported odometer readings. Free on this page, $14.99 for the full report.
What to Check on a Used 2012 CR-V
Written against this model year's own complaint pattern rather than a generic used-car checklist.
Start it cold and listen before the fan cuts in. Engine leads this year's complaints, and cold-start behaviour is the cheapest diagnostic available to a buyer.
Work every switch, window, lock and screen. Electrical is the second category, and electrical faults are the ones most easily hidden by a car that has been running for twenty minutes before you arrive.
One recall covers the automatic transmission and another covers a door latch. The latch campaign in particular is easy to leave unperformed on a car that has changed hands several times.
What the Record Actually Says
Ten years on, the same model's file has reshaped itself around the engine and the electrical system rather than steering.
Set this page beside the 2022 CR-V and the divergence is the point: same nameplate, different decade, different failure profile. A model's reputation is not portable across model years, which is the whole reason these pages are built per year.
What NHTSA Has on File for the 2012 Honda CR-V
Two federal record sets cover this vehicle, and they answer different questions. Recall campaigns are actions a manufacturer was required to take. Complaints are what owners reported on their own. Both were pulled on 2026-09-09.
Across those complaints owners recorded 24 injuries and 0 deaths. Those figures come from the complaint forms themselves; NHTSA publishes them without adjudicating whether the vehicle caused the outcome.
Recall Campaigns on the 2012 Honda CR-V
Every campaign NHTSA lists for this model year. A campaign applies to a range of vehicles — whether it was performed on the one you are looking at is answered by that car's VIN, not by this table.
| Component | Campaign | Remedy |
|---|---|---|
| Equipment:Other:Labels | 12V501000 | Honda will notify owners, and dealers will apply the corrective label free of charge. The safety recall began on November 14, 2012. Owners may contact Honda at 1-800-999-1009. |
| Power Train:Automatic Transmission | 13V143000 | Honda will notify owners and instruct them to take their vehicle to a Honda or Acura dealer. The dealer will install an updated brake shift interlock blocking mechanism free of… |
| Latches/Locks/Linkages:Doors:Latch | 12V338000 | Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front door latch assemblies in the affected vehicles, free of charge. Additionally, the interior front door handles in… |
What This Page Cannot Tell You
Everything above describes roughly 403 reports about the 2012 Honda CR-V as a model year. None of it describes the car in the advert.
Whether this particular car carries a branded title — salvage, flood, junk, lemon-law buyback or rebuilt. Two identical trucks can differ entirely on this, and it is the finding that most often ends a sale.
Whether an insurer ever declared it a total loss, or whether it passed through a salvage auction.
Whether the odometer reading climbs consistently across its title transfers and inspections, or stalls and drops.
How many owners it has had and which states it lived in — a long chain of quick out-of-state transfers is its own warning.
Those come from NMVTIS, the federal title database, and they are keyed to the VIN rather than to the model. Running the number is free on this page.
Check the CR-VYou’re Looking At
Title brand, salvage and total-loss records, reported odometer readings, open recalls — for that one VIN, not for the model year.
Where These Records Come From
Both federal, both public domain, both pulled on 2026-09-09. Figures change as new reports are filed — check the source before relying on one.
Other Model Years We Have Records For
Each one is built from its own NHTSA file, so the patterns differ.
Always check the VIN before you buy
The free preview shows title brands, theft status and open recalls in seconds, and flags whether accident and odometer records exist. The full history is $14.99 — one-time, no subscription.
Check Any VIN Free
This page covers the 2012 model year. Enter a VIN to check the individual CR-V — title, brand, odometer and open recalls — then pay $14.99 only if you want the full history.
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