Overview & Reviews

In the wake of last year's redesign, the Honda CR-V carries over unchanged for 2013.

• High fuel economy
• Ample tech and family-friendly features
• Top crash test scores.
• User-friendly controls
• Lots of room for passengers and cargo

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 10 of 89.00

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  VTC Actuator defect - 3 yr/36000 warranty useless - 2013 Honda CR-V
  By ckholmvik@gmail.com - November 1 - 9:40 am

  I bought my Honda CRV in mid-2013. By the time the car was 1 year old, with 10,000 miles, there was a grinding noise when I would start the car. The grinding noise lasts about 2 seconds. It has been into a Honda dealership several times. I was told Honda is working on a "fix" and that the problem would be addressed when the engineering department had the issue figured out. One year later (but still under warranty), the grinding noise is louder and longer than before, and happens almost every time I start the car. Upon doing some research, I learned that Honda has been installing the defective VTC actuator since 2008, in Accords. The defective actuator was also installed in 2012-2014 CRVs. It appears that Honda continued to use the defective actuator since 2008, yet customers are being told that a "fix" is in the works, 7 years later. American Honda has advised Honda service departments to not replace the actuator as it is likely that the replacement actuator will present the same grinding noise. A regional case manager also assured me that a "fix" was in the works but did not comment when I pointed out that Honda continued to use a defective part from 2008-2014. Honda repeatedly emphasizes that this is not a safety or performance issue, to which I have replied that is likely the reason it has been 7 years with no fix -- it is a low priority and Honda chooses to direct its engineering resources elsewhere. Dealerships will not do anything as American Honda will not allow replacements to be made. This is my last Honda. Their way of doing business is horrendous. What I have now is a vehicle that definitely attracts attention (but not in a good way) when it is started as everyone in the vicinity gets to enjoy the grinding sound of metal-on-metal.

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  Honda is the Best! Get a CRV! - 2013 Honda CR-V
  By Kayla Holler - October 27 - 11:03 am

  It is beautiful, fun to drive, had good traction in rain and highway speeds+ and always looked beautiful. The seats and interior were easy to clean and always looked great on my 2013 CRV. The back seat is super spacious and so is the rear cargo area. I looked at all other small suvs and they never had as much room inside, especially in the back seat and cargo area. The only complaint I have is the road noise was louder than in a car. I was told that smaller SUVs are like that. Im not sure I believe that, but in spite of the noise which is worse if the road is rough and at highway speeds and if your car needs an alignment, I could still enjoy my music from the fabulous USB plugins. I just loaded up a flash drive and plugged it in. Sounded great. I looked at newer models though, and we bought a new Civic and the newer models have a touch screen for music controls which I hate. The knob you could turn to quickly scroll through songs and albums worked much easier. The touch screen is a pain for finding anything and not getting sidetracked by accidentally touching the wrong spot. My CRV was a gorgeous blue called Mountain Air. I dont know why Honda doesnt make more cars in this color and make the Acura SUVs in that color. The newer CRV has a redesigned front which I do not like as well as the 2013 model and possibly the 2014. It is more of a snub-nosed look I find ugly. The interior is uglier, too, with more of a very dark charcoal kind of color with beige. I know that color is harder to keep clean because we have it on our new Civic. All dust shows all the time. The touch screen is more of a pain on the Civic to clean, too. Our 2013 CRV was easy to clean and always looked great. We got a super trade-in value for it because it still looked like new. Ive never missed a car so much or regretted trading one more. Id buy it back in a second. I have always owned American-made brands and always had problems with them, windows quit working, air conditioners quit, handles fall off, the vent louvres break, quit working, they just are not that dependable. Then, we bought an older, 1998 Honda Odyssey with high miles and to my surprise, everything worked! I could immediately see the difference in quality materials and design. Everything was quality built, no thin, cheap plastic like on my GM or Ford cars. I loved it. It drove and rode like a smooth-riding car, unlike a previous Pontiac van we owned which was more like a truck and soon had no working AC or windows. Fun in our 100+ summers. After owning the Odyssey, I decided the next vehicles would be Hondas. They are so ridiculously dependable. All reviews agree. Never go back to American made crap. Our friends work for a dealership that has GM and Ford and Chrysler. They get new vehicles every couple of years and we watch as they always have to have their new vehicles in the shop for ridiculous little things that dont work or quit working within weeks of getting their brand new vehicle. That doesnt happen with Honda. I value the five-star crash test rating (youd be horrified if you knew what the other makers ratings are....try one star front crash rating on Nissan Rogue for instance...and I value the dependability of Honda most of all. I hate breakdowns. With all the other old cars I have owned, I am practically an expert on what car noises, symptoms usually mean, but dont have to worry with a Honda. My other car, a 2003 Buick LeSabre Custome Celebration model with alll the bells and whistles for that year, has had problems with AC quitting, then mysteriously working again and lights not working, lots of fuse replacements, etc. Not fun. Get a Honda.

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  Great car. - 2013 Honda CR-V
  By TREY - October 6 - 3:24 pm

  2013 honda crv lx has 40,000 miles Ive had no issues with the car. One dislike was road noise from the factory continental tires so I found some ex l 17 inch wheels and bought a new set of michelin latitude tires. Its amazing what a difference that made. Another dislike is that there is no arm rest for passenger driver. Other than that it gets great gas mileage and has plenty of room for size.

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  Grinding Noise/VTC Actuator Problem - 2013 Honda CR-V
  By J. Hamby - September 4 - 11:49 am

  Beware! I have a 2013 CR-V that has been making a terrible grinding noise since about 6 months after purchase. Honda Service has diagnosed it as the VTC Actuator. Noise has become much worse over time and this noise occurs almost every time I start my vehicle. Very annoying!! Ive been told Honda Motors Tech Division has been working on coming up with a fix but there is NO FIX at this time. I was basically told by the Honda Service Dept to drive it till it breaks. Not what I wanted to hear. This problem has been occurring in various Honda vehicles since model year 2008 and they still dont have a fix. Why? Why keep producing something with the same problems?? Honda wont even attempt to replace the part to see if it will remedy the problem, because they say the new part wont fix it. If you cant fix it, then you need to replace the car!

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  Wanted an Escape got a CR-V - 2013 Honda CR-V
  By Cincinnati or Toledo is where I am. - July 21 - 9:19 am

  For the longest time I had wanted a Ford Escape. When my mom finally talked my dad into getting me a new, fuel efficient car he suggested a Honda CR-V. I was skeptical at first, so we test drove an Escape which we then decided had too much road noise, funky wipers and my dad (whos a diesel mechanic) said it wasnt a quality build. Later we went and test drove the 2013 CR-V, and I was more comfortable the second I sat down. The sales guy was very helpful and showed me how to work the driver seat, steering wheel, wipers, turn signals, radio and more all for a test drive. Obviously I chose the Honda CR-V. I make a round trip of 400 miles from Toledo to Cincinnati a few times a month. Ohio is pretty flat and I average about 30-31 mpg going between 70-75 mph (sometimes with the cargo space and back seat loaded down with boxes for a college student). In the city I get about 20-25 mph depending on where Im going. I havent had any issues with the mechanics of the car. There was a simple recall when I first got the car and it was corrected right away for free. Oil changes and tire rotations arent too costly and the service staff at either Honda I go to are very friendly and helpful. Toledo has pretty snowy winters and the CR-V handles very well in the feet of snow that can come down in one day. The traction control has saved my butt a few times in the Toledo winter. I have had a slight issue with the USB port but its easily resolved by restarting the car. The Bluetooth comes in handy except when the microphone doesnt transmit to the person on the other line. Overall the electronics have been pretty solid. I love my CR-V, Ive had it for almost three years this thanksgiving and its been a damn good car.

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  Faulty A/C and Electronics - 2013 Honda CR-V
  By jlmedina - April 22 - 12:43 am

  Bought a new 2013 from Whittier Community Honda. 14 months later a/c goes out & battery dies. After doing some research, both are known defects. Honda even lost a class-action lawsuit in 2013 for the a/c but never corrected the problem for newer models. Honda refused to repair a/c saying its my problem. Honda shouldve at least warned me about the design flaw & problems so I could make an informed decision whether to buy or not. I had 2 previous Hondas. One had a recall that they never told me about & the other had a class action lawsuit regarding brakes that Honda again lost but they forgot to tell me. I dont trust Honda anymore especially Whittier Community Honda.

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  Warranty Information - 2013 Honda CR-V
  By Allen Hawkins - February 19 - 1:36 pm

  This is my second CRV. First was a 2010 and current is a 2013. This past month or so I have notice a squeal when I apply final pressure to the brakes. Made an appt. with the dealer feeling good that it was still under warranty(mileage 28215/less than two years old) but apprehensive going in that they would not hear the squeal. Went thru the process of talking to the service manager and after about 30 mins. was told they indeed had heard the squeal but it was not covered under warranty. They could give me no reason why it was squealing but they were more than willing to do a brake service costing $230. So, another life lesson learned. They never fail to disapoint.

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  the things no one tells you - 2013 Honda CR-V
  By bsturman - January 17 - 9:51 pm

  When your stopped with your foot on the brake the car vibrates. Honda cant find anything wrong. Also if your car ever gets bumped on the front passenger side, theres a chance that your windshield washers wont work because the pump is right behind the bumper. Even though I see just a small scratch there, they said it was hit and that is what broke the pump. After 1 year and $250 I have a new pump. Hopefully no one else hits my bumper there or this could get expensive.

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  Head lights are awful - 2013 Honda CR-V
  By kvalenti - January 8 - 1:12 pm

  I have had this car for over a year and hate it at night I cant see the road even with the high beams on. The road noise is very loud. When I go down hill the gears dont down shift and the sound is awful. And the other day I had the ABS light the Power Steering light and the Traction control light come on so now I have to take it in for service I am trading it in as soon as I can and not for another Honda. Very disappointed.

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  awful seats, marginal a/c - 2013 Honda CR-V
  By rwalters1 - December 20 - 5:21 pm

  Owned this car for 15,000 miles. The seats are hard and crowned in the middle. Tried to fix them with the help of an upholstery shop. unless you are very large or very young you will not like these seats. They get very painful the more you drive this car. I believe the car critics are a bunch of biased reviewers. How could anyone miss the fact that these seats are this terrible. A friend at work wife has a CR-V and he says the same thing. Bought an Escape and it makes the Honda look and feel like it was a ten year old car. On a hot day we had to put the fan on high and turn temp to 65 and it barely worked.