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Honda CR-V AC Compressor Problems

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Comments

  • dtstofdtstof Member Posts: 61
    My 2007 always has worked fine in SOCAL. I keep it on recirculate at all times to keep it cool while using the air conditioner. I use max air at first and then keep it in the normal setting. It seems like the system is undersized for the car, but mine is trouble free.(knock on wood)
  • missinkymissinky Member Posts: 1
    my ac went out in my 06 crv yesterday. today the honda dealer told me my compressor failed and spewed small metal parts throughout the system and the entire ac system needs to be replaced - to the tune of 3800.00!!!!! the car has 60k miles on it! has anyone been told that?
  • bostoncrvbostoncrv Member Posts: 1
    Had brakes and tires done this week and CRV AC stopped working today. In the Firestone shop and another owner with an 03 CRV also had brakes done and just brought his CRV in with an AC that's not working. Has anyone ever heard of such a coincidence? Is there any link between tire/brake work and AC? It sounds illogical. But I don't believe in coincidences.
  • jjoseph5jjoseph5 Member Posts: 2
    This sucks!!! On my 07 CRV with 450000 miles, a/c just stopped working on my way back to texas from michigan. The outside temp was 105F. let me tell you it was not fun. I pulled over at OK and tried to fix it thinking of a quick fix like blown fuse. After driving around for 2 hrs I found some body who is willing to take a look at it and suggested of a compressor issue.
    I had to stay at a hotel until the sun goes down and drove home at night.Today I called Honda america and they told me to have the vehicle checked by a dealer. honda dealer diagnosed a compressor issue and they said they will follow up with the Honda. The car is at the dealer. I still dont know what thw Honda would be coming up with. Is it ok that the dealer follow up with this case
  • jeffmguidajeffmguida Member Posts: 9
    It's absolutely disgusting that this is going on and Honda is doing nothing about it. My wife has a 2004 Honda CRV and our AC went out about a month ago. We just moved halfway across the country with no AC until we could get it to a dealer. Of course we get a call that says it's the compressor, shredded metal inside and they can't tell the extent of the damage but "low" estimate is $1900 with the higher being $2500. The stupid honda mechanic even suggested we try to save some money going aftermarket if we can't afford this fix. I have no desire to pay them for a defective part they know about but refuse to compensate customers for. I will be selling this car ASAP and I won't ever be heading back to Honda. If you can't supply a decent product at least stand behind the crap you sell. Disgusting.
  • ceaser2ceaser2 Member Posts: 3
    B"H
    My AC died last week :cry: . This is a 2005 CR-V LX 4AWD with 65k, my second CR-V from the same dealer. All maintenances done at the same place. So the manager know me and after I told him about maybe going :mad: for a Toyota (8p) he right there told me he will drop the dealer's charge(~$800) :surprise: from the estimate $3800. Also he will call the Honda rep for his area and descuss the issue. Few hours later he called and told me Honda would pay 50%, so my bill is now $1400 and 12 months warranty :) . I would preffer $0 but better then $3800.
  • ceaser2ceaser2 Member Posts: 3
    edited July 2011
    B"H
    Exatly the same happened to me. Changed the front brakes and 1 week later AC kaboom. :confuse:
  • ceaser2ceaser2 Member Posts: 3
    B"H
    "J" production march 2005
  • ohiokarenohiokaren Member Posts: 3
    After 2 weeks with no AC (03 CRV), and exploring all our options, we ended up having the entire AC system replaced by our Honda dealer. Compared to some of the posts I've read, we were treated very well by our dealer. (It's not the dealer's fault) The estimate was $3200 in central Ohio. (no way we would or could have paid that) Honda paid 50% and the dealer took care of the details. We did not have to call Honda of America. This was all resolved the same morning we dropped the car off for diagnosis. So what's the problem? We will never trust the AC again. (We've read to many posts from owners with repeat failures) There is a 12 month warranty on the repair so we have a year to decide if we're going to keep the car. My advice to others after this very inconvenient, expensive and infuriating experience is to educate yourself before you make a decision about what course of action is best for your situation. There is no simple fix. Shellie, thanks for the link.
  • fourwindfourwind Member Posts: 1
    My 2008 Honda CR-V AC has been working on and off for the last few months. Last week when the temperature reached record high of 118F with humidex, the AC completely died. The car's warranty expired a few months ago!

    Sweating like crazy, I took the car to the local dealer, they told me my AC compressor is defective and needs to be replaced. They quoted me an after market AC compressor for about $1,000 and said Honda compressor price is much higher. If I could stand the heat, I would return the car to dealer as is because the lease is due early next year. But the summer has just started!

    So I called Honda to complain and asked for compensation. Still in the process of negotiation with Honda and I know for sure Honda won't foot the bill.

    I saw lots of posts on the Internet about older Honda CR-V model AC problem, anyone with a newer model Honda CR-V having AC problem just like me?
  • kaidee88kaidee88 Member Posts: 4
    We've had a similar week. I had my 120,000 mile maintenance and front brakes and rotors replaced last Monday (July 18, 2011) and the A/C compressor went out on Wednesday (July 20) of the same week. I have a 2005 CRV.

    Coincidence?
  • janiceingajaniceinga Member Posts: 5
    Most of us have had a catastrophic AC failure. There was no warning and no period where it was working on and off. It just suddenly seizes and breaks apart sending metal through the system.
  • trjr24trjr24 Member Posts: 1
    I just had my 2007 Honda CRV compressor replaced. The mechanic said he has seen this problem before. Something about the way the valves were made and the location of the Compressor on these cars. I called dealership and to see if they had heard of this and of course they said no. I had a friend fix it and he ordered the compressor which was hard to find for $500.00. So far it is working great. I plan to call the Honda myself.
  • willofrancewillofrance Member Posts: 1
    My 2007 Honda CRV with 49,000 miles just had its compressor give up the ghost as well. The dealer is quoting me £1600 ($2400) to replace compressor, clutch, relay, and coil.
  • mprice5mprice5 Member Posts: 1
    I have an 04 CR-V EX with 75k miles. My ac compressor went out 2 years ago at 63k I had to pay 25% of my repair which was still $470. Now my a/c is doing the exact same thing!!! I love my car, bought it new. It is my 6th new Honda. My son is getting ready to go to college so we were going to take his old truck and give him my CR-V and buy another new Honda....now with the ac going out again I don't think I will ever buy another Honda! They really need to step up and take care of this! There is too many of us out there with this problem for them not to know they have a design issue!
  • jeffmguidajeffmguida Member Posts: 9
    Go with a Hyundai. Honda has dropped the ball too far on this and they are doing NOTHING for their customers. Ours won't knock off anything for ours. We are selling it to buy a Veracruz.
  • crvdude1crvdude1 Member Posts: 47
    Try google "acura rdx air conditioning problems".
    Failure runs in the family! :lemon: :lemon: :lemon:
  • louloveloulove Member Posts: 11
    Wow. I am a long time Honda owner. My first new car was a 1976 Honda Accord (first year made).
    I can't believe how Honda is treating their customers.

    My 2004 CRV LX (that I purchased new) only has 20,400 miles and the a/c compressor imploded
    July 24 while on a trip, in typical Georgia temps of 95 plus degrees. You HAVE to have air conditioning the better part of the year here.

    I took it to the dealer, got the now well-known bad news that the entire system was contaminated
    to the tune of $3200. Dealer called Honda and they reduced the price to $1343, which is a heck
    of a lot better than the first price but still extremely disappointing.

    I am retired and thought the car would last a long time, never dreamed I would have such a costly
    repair. I am so disappointed in Honda that I would never buy another one. This car is my 8th
    and last Honda.

    The dealer said the kit they ordered (they will install Tuesday) is an "upgraded" compressor.
    I'll never trust the car again. I might just trade it when the car market improves. :cry:
  • jeffmguidajeffmguida Member Posts: 9
    There is a potential class action lawsuit against Honda for this ac problem. A simple google will find you the lawyers involved. I personally am done letting companies do whatever they want to us.
  • sandyballssandyballs Member Posts: 1
    we have 2004 crv too!! ac compressor issue. whole thing was bad. i raised hell with honda and they covered half of 1350.00 dollar bill. only 675 out of our pocket! i have owned 10 honda's since 1990 and have never seen anything like this. i too cant believe honda hasnt recalled this issue.
  • jeffmguidajeffmguida Member Posts: 9
    I've been fighting with them since the diagnosis and the $1995 "minimum" estimate. So far no avail. Car is being sold next week and we are leaving Honda for good.
  • eenglish99eenglish99 Member Posts: 28
    Has the AC issues been addressed with newer models? I am considering a new CR-V which I plan to keep a long time and don't want these types of problems. I get the Consumer Reports owners' survey data and they show a "Worse than Average" rating for Climate Systems which includes the AC, for 2004 and "Better than Average" for 2005, but from 2006-2008 are "Much Better than Average", the highest rating.
  • louloveloulove Member Posts: 11
    Update:
    Local Honda dealer replaced the entire A/C system on 08/02, it works
    great now. They were wonderful, got it in and out in one day such a blessing as the heat index in Georgia is above 100.

    So yesterday, I call Honda customer care to plead my case further.

    Honda America customer care rep looks at his computer screen and says:

    Yes, I can see you've been driving our cars since 1976
    Yes, I can see you've been servicing your vehicles at your Honda dealer
    Yes, I can see you hardly drive your 2004 CR-V at all

    No, we will not lower the price you pay any further, it's no use to
    talk to my supervisor, as the $1343 quoted to your dealer was the FINAL "Good Will" decision of someone several notches above me in authority.

    Ma'am, I am a consumer, too and I have to pay my own car repairs, why shouldn't you? We saved you nearly $2000.

    So it's the end of the line for me with Honda. They are preserving their bottom line at their loyal customer's expense, which is making them look more than a little bit like some other car companies, something I never dreamed Honda would do.

    I can't for the life of me understand why they couldn't at least notify the owners of these CR-V's to be on the alert for potential A/C problems. My understanding is that the damage is less costly if the A/C is turned off before the whole system is contaminated.

    "Good Will" indeed! :mad:
  • argymanargyman Member Posts: 1
    What dealer did you go to? I live in Atlanta and my Odyssey A/C reciently has the same issue. I paid a dealer a lot of money to fix it on vacation in AZ and it still isn't working. I called Honda USA and they just refer me back to the dealer who won't help either. I have a brand new compressor and condenser and the expansion valve keeps plugging up. I've replaced it three times.
  • louloveloulove Member Posts: 11
    I'm in middle Georgia, the dealer is in Macon. They've been great, I feel they did
    all they could. The problem is Honda.
  • solongseoulsolongseoul Member Posts: 1
    I got so much help from this forum, so I should share my experience.
    I have 2004 CRV EX, 47K mi. (low mileage, Only driving it for weekends) No problem except grinding sound when low speed sharp turn, which went away after differential fluid flush.
    I live in Minnesota, so use AC only about 3 months/year, but use defrost quite a lot. Yes, it's very cold in MN.

    1. July 29: AC simply stopped blowing cold air in the middle of highway. No stange sound, no warning, no nothing, it just stopped working. Otherwise the car's running fine. Thought it's freon and took it to one of those quick service shops. They tried, but couldn't make it work and told me that air compressor is not kicking in. You need to take it to the dealership.
    2. July 30-31: Researched this site.
    3. Aug. 1: Dealership (where I purchased this CRV, new) confirmed what I read here. Compressor imploded, will need to replace the whole AC system. Initial estimate $2,500. I was ready for this news thanks to all of you, so no heart attack. I called Honda America right there. A case manager was assigned. The rep asked three questions: are you the original owner? how many Honda cars have you owned? Do you do maintenance at Honda dealership?
    4. Aug. 3: Case Manager called and said he will investigate the case and get back to me in a week. He said he will talk to dealership service director and get information from his "sources"
    5. Aug. 10: Dealership service director called me and said I will be responsible for labor, which is about $800, and Honda will take care of the rest. Just like all of you, I am still not happy about the whole situation, but it sure sounds better that $2,500. Dropped the car and should be ready by tomorrow.
    Hope this helps!
  • smaxxsmaxx Member Posts: 10
    Why ask how many Honda cars you have owned? What difference should that make?
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 234,725
    Loyal customers get a break.. They aren't really required to do anything...

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  • clapearceclapearce Member Posts: 1
    The A/C compressor went out on my 2008 CR-V July 29, 2011...am in the process of copying some of these blogs, especially with regard to possible 'goodwill warranty' info in them.

    Will be taking the car in this week, armed with some of the blog letters, in addition to phone and fax numbers for American Honda.
  • wasfanwasfan Member Posts: 15
    Well, now I join the CRV "Black Death"club. 2001 CRV. Never, ever heard anything about this all the time I've owned Honda's and that's since 1979. Called Honda and we'll see what they come up with but my quote on the cost is almost $4,000.00- for a 10 year old car. But now we're spooked because we have a 1999 CRV too.

    We take very good care of our cars and got 360,000 miles on a Civic, so we weren't thinking of buying anything else for quite a while. Now I'm not sure I'll be inclined to go back to Honda.

    What really gets me is that we had dropped the extended warranty on the 2001 as generally, as the car gets older, its not worth it. Had I EVER been informed by anyone at any Honda dealership or by Honda itself of the "Black Death" malady, I'd have kept that warranty. I'll have to dig up that paperwork and see if the warranty covers the AC.

    I've been told the following:

    That as of February, the compressor's have been updated and improved.

    That the 99's don't seem to have the problem? ( I've read a lot of the posts but not all, that's what American Honda said)

    That the Accord does not seem to have this problem. We have a 1998 Accord.

    I am most interested in the idea that the compressor seems to have finally been updated. Whether that is a fix for the problem remains to be seen. Has anyone else been told that the compressor has been updated?

    I am tempted to sell the 2001 but I can't do that until the AC is fixed and good luck getting enough to make it worthwhile.

    Do the Acura small SUV's have the same AC issues?

    Thanks.
  • skydivermnskydivermn Member Posts: 2
    I also have an 08 CR-V, 44k miles. My A/C is making a ton of high pitched squeal that started last week. Typically, it makes noise under acceleration or braking and lasts for 2-10 seconds. I have an appointment in a couple days, so we'll see what they say. $186 just to look at it. That makes me mad that I even have to deal with this.

    Already I had to bring the CR-V into the body shop for small rust spots that began to appear on the liftgate. This was covered by the paint warranty. I'm hoping for something similar here, but I'm not too optimistic. For all the Hondas I've owned, especially those that went 150k+, there's ZERO excuse for a major system to go after only 44k. What's happened to the Honda quality that I remember? This is like the Ford of yester-year that required a new transmission after 50k. It happened to my family, so keep the flames down.

    Anyway, we'll see what happens soon enough.
  • wasfanwasfan Member Posts: 15
    What normally happens when when the AC fails (Compressor) in other cars? Does that produce the metal shavings shower of the Honda compressor?

    In other words, whether due to age or whatever, what is a "normal" failure about, if one can use that term? If the compressor seizes, does that contaminate the rest of the system like the CRV compressor does?

    Is there any reason to trust, as I've asked above, that an updated compressor is going to be much better? And isn't the fact that they are finally coming out with one, finally indicative that they admit they have a problem? Someone just tried to tell me it's taken Honda a while to research this problem. What? Like 7 or more years?
  • wasfanwasfan Member Posts: 15
    I'm still slogging through this site and several have mentioned losing power and a couple in places that could have caused accidents.

    Mine lost power. Fortunately, it was a slow speed in light traffic in a suburban area.

    Yes, they can and do lose power and that IS a safety issue.
  • kaidee88kaidee88 Member Posts: 4
    My 2005 CRV lost power three times just after I bought it. The ignition sensor would flash and the car stopped working suddenly while I was on the road. Once I was on the highway!

    I might have had 15,000 miles at most on it the last time it happened. When I took it into the dealership, of course they couldn't replicate the problem. One mechanic did say that he'd seen that issue once before and asked if I kept my phone in the glove box or any of the storage areas in the dash. Yes, I kept my Blackberry in the glovebox sometimes.

    Once I stopped doing that, I never had that the issue again. I guess the Blackberry was interfering with the wireless key ignition. I thought it was just a key. Turns out, keys have wireless sensors in them which transmit a signal the car. Who knew?
  • wasfanwasfan Member Posts: 15
    Has anyone else been told that the basic life expectancy of and compressor is 120,000 miles? That is important information and very forthcoming of the Regional Case Manager.

    How do you find the Regional Honda Managers?
  • mizoguccimizogucci Member Posts: 1
    My Dad bought a 2004 CR-V new and at 24k miles the A/C blew up and was replaced by Honda. They said at the time that the system was "over pressureized" and that cause the compressor to desinigrate. At about 70k miles the same thing happened but this time Honda said that it was an unlucky thing to have happen and my Dad paid $3k to get it fixed with a whole new A/C system. Now at 133k miles the same thing happened again and we put a new compressor in the car and are selling it. The car has been great otherwise but the A/C is a total lemon piece of crap. Honda needs a class action suit slapped on them.
  • txterrytxterry Member Posts: 3
    I have just been told by Honda Corporation that there is nothing they can do about my 2nd A/C Compressor going out after 188,000 miles on a 2003 Honda CRV EX. We are a Honda Family having purchased 10 hondas in the past and still owning a 1988 Honda Accord with 500,000+ miles on it and still going strong.

    After stating this to the rep, she said there was nothing they could do because it was out of warranty, (36 mths/36,000 miles). I explained to her that I had contacted several Honda Dealers in the area and they were having several hondas come in with this issue.

    The dealer (Sterling-McCall Honda/Spring) is quoting us $4,840.17 for repair! Retired and hot (100+ degrees in Spring, TX for the past 15 days) not much of a solution for me other than burn!!
  • skydivermnskydivermn Member Posts: 2
    Seems that my problem is probably a faulty expansion valve. This is common on the '08 Japanese CR-Vs, but not on the Alabama ones. Either way, the mechanics were not sure about the issue as the problem didn't manifest itself. I'll bring it in at a later date when the squealing is happening. Sorry about all the other people with far more major issues.... Good luck with those!
  • shima1shima1 Member Posts: 19
    You're screwed.
  • louloveloulove Member Posts: 11
    As am I. All I can say for Honda is, Karma, baby, Karma. :(
  • darb0213darb0213 Member Posts: 4
    We just had this happen to our 2002 with 85,000 miles on it. we have had it for a year and a half and it stalled the engine, luckily my wife was in the neighborhood, with our one year old too. I called our local Honda specialist here in Omaha, NE and he knew exactly what I was talking about. He called it "Black Death". My wife took it in today and after they checked it out, said it would be about $3,500. He told us we could probably get it done cheaper somewhere else because they only use Honda parts there, but I don't know if I want those Honda parts put on it again. He also told me that he is sick of seeing this problem and it is something that should have been taken care of by Honda when it all began happening.
    I called Honda America and after explaining to them the situation they came back and told me they couldn't help. I told them that I have always owned Honda's and that after reading the hundreds of postings on multiple websites, this seems to be a problem that they should have taken care of. I don't just have $3500 sitting around to spend on an air conditioner, something I have never had problems with in any of my cars. I also told them that most forums I read that 70-80% of the bills were taken care of, some even 100%, and you can't do anything for me. They put me on hold and then asked me to take it to the dealer within 24 business hours and they will open a case for me and call me in a couple days. I will update what happens. A lot to think about over this Labor Day weekend.
  • jeffmguidajeffmguida Member Posts: 9
    My 2003 CRV got discounted all the parts but we have to pay labor. Honestly if they won't discount it just move away from them after you file your class action lawsuit against them. Such a horrible company to have this problem ongoing for 8+ years.
  • gman06gman06 Member Posts: 11
    darb0213, I'd be interested in reading what you learned after Labor Day weekend. I'm a 25 yr. + experienced mechanic and this happened to my wife's CR-V with 110,000 miles on the odometer.
    I simply flushed the system, replaced the compressor and condenser (desiccant came new in condenser) with new aftermarket parts and drove on. I was ticked that I had to do it with that mileage, though, when the vehicle has been treated very well. I also had to replace the a/c fan motor and alternator that both went out about 5,000 miles before the a/c went.
    I may not get any recompense for my troubles since I took matters into my own hands, but I can definitely send a nasty gram. By the way, we have owned several Honda's and also several Toyota's, and I believe Toyota beats Honda hands down.
  • kaidee88kaidee88 Member Posts: 4
    #gman06: After the compressor on my 2008 CRV with 125k miles went bad in July, I had it fixed. Immediately after, I started hearing a thunking noise.

    When I took it back in, they said that my a/c fan motor was bad (same as you reported) and the noise was caused by the A/C overheating and releasing the overflow valve (thus the thunking). It made sense, so I had the fan motor replaced too - although, I think they should have noticed a bad fan motor when replacing the A/C compressor.

    Thunking is gone, but now my CRV is running very loud. Any thoughts why the new fan motor would be loud? I thought maybe I just wasnt' used to hearing a fan, but this is excessive.
  • jeffmguidajeffmguida Member Posts: 9
    I originally posted with a dead AC compressor known to our lovely cars here. Honda initially told us they would do nothing. After much prodding they have decided to take their original quote of $2000.00 down to just labor, supplying us with the parts. I'm still not satisfied. The customer service has been atrocious, the call backs that are promised have never happened. No one in this company, except for the local mechanics, have been useful in any way. I still don't see a reason to keep this car once it's fixed. I hope the rest of you that have this problem get at least the same luck I got.. it was about 75% discounted, still unreasonable. Honda doesn't deserve our business and I will never be returning to them.
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 234,725
    it was about 75% discounted, still unreasonable. Honda doesn't deserve our business and I will never be returning to them.


    Better make sure to get that paid for, before letting them know...

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  • darb0213darb0213 Member Posts: 4
    Honda did call, but we weren't home and we have called back three times since then and have heard nothing. The dealer confirmed the AC being done and also called Honda but have heard nothing either. They were really nice too, but my brother-in-law made a good point, if it's going to cost $3,500, that's a nice down payment on a car that's not a Honda. Hopefully we hear something tomorrow.
  • gman06gman06 Member Posts: 11
    edited September 2011
    Sorry about the late reply, but you may want to get that car right back to that shop for them to inspect. If you wait too long and damage results, they will be sure to ask you why you waited so long to report the problem. It may be the fan rubbing the shroud or something such as that or maybe something more serious. It's hard to say without hearing it or knowing what it sounds like.

    You are absolutely correct that the mechanic should have noticed the inoperative a/c fan motor when they tested the a/c system after the repair. I'd give them the benefit of the doubt and say it could have been a fluke and may have went out after it was in their shop, however, as you said it made a "thunking" noise immediately after.

    Just curious, did you take it to a Honda repair facility or did you take it to a mom and pop shop?

    Oh, and that sound you heard was not the high pressure relief on the a/c compressor or the a/c overheating, but more likely the engine overheating-yikes. Did the temperature gauge read high indicating the engine was hot while all this was happening?
  • jeffmguidajeffmguida Member Posts: 9
    After Honda agreed to pay for all of the parts and only charge us labor.. estimate $2000.00, estimated payment for us $700.00. We decided to get the car fixed. We went to pick it up today and had a bill for $1400.00 and change. After much yelling and being horribly upset they knocked it down to $1220.00 and told us this is what we agreed to and would do nothing else. We've filed with the pending class action lawsuit against Honda for this AC problem as I hope all of you that have had to pay look into as well. This is shady business at its worst and it's a massive scam. A quick google can find you the site needed, they are legit and verified by multiple Honda owners on multiple other forums. Good luck again.
  • gman06gman06 Member Posts: 11
    edited September 2011
    Yeah, piggybacking on what your brother-in-law said, you could tell the good folks at Honda that $3500 would make a nice down payment on a Toyota. And make sure there are plenty of other customers around to hear you say it. (he he he haw haw) That should make them stumble, pause, reflect and go the extra mile to help you get some recompense.

    I know this isn't their fault, though. This is a corporate problem and they are unfortunate enough to have to be the front people taking all the heat for it. Trust me--been there, so I can both sympathize and empathize with them.

    One of the largest shames in the whole thing is that if this were an issue with a vehicle manufactured by one of the old 'big three' (GM, Ford, Chrysler) the media would be all over them like moss on a Mississippi tree stump.

    Whoops! I'm baby bottom new to this site, but I just saw blog #1889 already had the 'I will buy a Toyota idea' :surprise:
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