2012 Honda CR-V Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.com

2012 Honda CR-V Long-Term Road Test

Do the CR-V's headlights get the job done

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guillesh

I've owned a 2002 CR-V, and now the 2013. The stock headlights are slightly worse than the 2002 model, (which was already below average from my experience).

Fortunately I do have the stock foglights in the EX-L model, and it helps a little both to fill the immediate 4-8 feet in front of the vehicle. But what I found to be a significant improvement is to switch the stock bulbs for something brighter and more efficient.

Having used these for years now, I can amply recommend the OSRAM Silverstars 2.0. (Similar to 1.0 version). Do not buy the Sylvannia version, only buy the version from OSRAM. They are completely different animals. I always buy them at powerbulbs (dot) com with free shipping to US!!

guillesh

By the way, the biggest regret with this CR-V is the extremely poor audio system. The supposed 'subwoofer' does absolutely NOTHING (confirmed at popular CRV forums online from numerous users), and my wife's 2009 Honda Fit Sport has SUBSTANTIALLY better Audio system!!! I love the way her system sounds, I absolutely hate the way the CRVs audio sounds. How about you make a post about that!

agentorange

Are we talking high or low beams here? I have seen two issues with custom US spec, computer designed headlights. First is that despite the computer design the lights are always short on spread and foreground light on low beam. Why? Cibie had this aced with the Z-beam series back in the late 1970s using a normal 55/60 watt H4. The next issue is that most US cars are delivered with the headlamp aim too high IMHO. This makes the foreground issue worse on low beam and on high beam it's like your lights don't touch the road at all. Better bulbs sometimes help as the stock bulbs don't always have the filament exactly where the lamp design needs it. Tolerances stack up and a crappy beam pattern is the result. Brighter bulbs are not the real answer, proper headlamp design is. Sadly, this talent has largely left the US market.

pasuriole

I own a 2013 ex-l and have never experienced a problem with the brightness of the headlights. As to the contrary, after driving many different vehicles in my life, I would have to say that the lights are better than average. The fog lights on the ex-l are better than average.

fsunole

Not saying Erin or the e-mail are guilty of this, but I do have to wonder how many of the complainants were driving around with the daytime running lights on. I know on the Civic the gauges are lit up (but none of the audio or hvac controls are) even if the headlights are off. Maybe they see the gauges on and the light, albeit very dim, from the daytime running lights and automatically assume the headlights are already on.

I can't even begin to count how many cars I see driving at night with their headlights off because the drivers are confusing the running lights for their low beams, so I imagine that there's a pretty good chance most of the people complaining just don't have their headlights on.

agentorange

@fsunole I should have remembered that possibility. One of my neighbours does it all the time. You can also spot these folk on the road as they have no rear lights after dark. I feel that the constantly lit IPs are a major hazard as they fool many folk in

quadricycle

I've never seen someone mistake DRLs for actual low beams, although I can imagine how it would happen. Your first answer was spot on agentorange! A great shout out to Cibie also, they've always had very well developed lights.

zimtheinvader

Standard reflector headlights can be good. We had a Mazda Protege that had excellent lights. agentorange is correct they need to design them better, headlights have become design elements on cars rather than purpose built for lighting the road.
The problem with the projector lights is they have such a harsh cutoff line that, in rural areas, makes it hard to see street signs. If you are on a bumpy unlit road the line where the light ends moves around and is distracting. And the sharp cutoff line makes people think they aren't aimed high enough so they try to adjust them higher so then they blind oncoming traffic. Or put HID kits in them that 'glow' around the top to glare at oncoming traffic making those people's good headlights useless because now their night vision is gone.

agentorange

@zimtheinvader I think the cutoff thing is more about what you are used to. I was raised in Europe where the sharp cutoff has been the norm for decades. It's lights without a cutoff that baffle me.:)

bassracerx

i own a honda fit and the lights are GREAT dont see how the crv wich costs twice as much can be that bad. also drive a family member's 07 all the time and never had a problem with vision. wonder what has changed for the 12 model? lower quality chinese bulbs?

cotak

Ugh, Honda fit. I am sure the stocks are good. I just have at least 2 fits with aftermarket shove in a HID bulb mod job near where I live. And they are the worse car ever for that. The reflectors do nothing but blind people.

eurobob

I have a 2012 CR-V and the lights were by far my biggest complaint. Especially since I did a couple of long distance road trips where the deficiencies were especially evident. The low beams were passable, especially when supplemented by the fog lights, which are quite good. However, the high-beams were completely unusable - one light was aimed high and to the right so that it would light up the tops of trees, the other was very diffused and a bit low. Basically, they left a big dark patch on the road ahead, exactly where you would want the lights to be focused.
I took the car in to the dealership for an alignment check and they came back saying that the lights were set exactly to factory spec. They could adjust them more to my liking but that adjustment would not be covered by the warranty. I agreed and paid for the half hour of labor. Not thrilled about the fee but the results were amazing! Huge difference in visibility, nice cutoff, both highs and lows very usable. I then proceeded to put in a pair of OSRAM Nightbreakers and I have not had any complaints about vision ever since.
Honestly, I do not understand why Honda would specify such an alignment.

aspman26

Guillesh hit it spot on. I have a 2013 CR-V, and the first time I drove it at night (sadly after I leased it), I was shocked at how poor the headlights were. I also upgraded the bulbs to the Silverstar 2.0s, and now they're much better, but still worse than almost any of car I've been in. Poor lens design is definitely the culprit.

gauravp

I have a 2012 CR-V and the lights were by far my biggest complaint. Especially since I did lot of long distance road trips.The low beams are not good without turning on fog lights,which are quite good. However, the high-beams were completely unusable - one light was aimed high and to the right so that it would light up the tops of trees, the other was very diffused and a bit low. Basically, they left a big dark patch on the road ahead, exactly where you would want the lights to be focused.
Also when I am turning my heater in the morning it's making sound.I went to dealer and he said there is no debris in fan.It still makes noice first thing in morning not every time i turn on heater.
My battery went bad within 05 months and dealer replaced with new battery.

usacm2

I own both a 2003 CR-V EX and a 2007 CRV EX-L... The 2003 OEM headlights when properly adjusted were fairly dim, so much so that I changed them out for projector-beam headlights. Also installed a factory Honda fog light kit. On the other hand, the 2007 OEM headlights when properly adjusted are outstanding... especially the high beams. I live in a very rural area in Upstate New York with little or no street lamps, so this is a pretty big deal for me. I was considering getting the projector-beam headlights for the 2007, not for the light, but because the look pretty cool and really change the look of the front end... But I'm not touching a thing... the stocks are just so good. I do agree with the Edmunds Reviewer that Honda needs to change to projector-beam headlights... Most other manufacturers have.

ahq

I believe the headlines on the CR-V are very similar to those on my 2010 Accord LX sedan, i.e. reflector-type halogen. I have to agree with Erin, the light emitted from these headlamps is dim. You can get around the city just fine since the streets are often lit and there is plenty of ambient light from buildings, etc. But in the countryside, there just isn't enough light projected down the road in front of me, especially at 55+ MPH. Add damp/wet roads to the mix and the problem is even worse.

chapelthrill23

I have never come across worse high beams. They are fine on regular roads under normal conditions but I took the CRV up a long gravel road in the mountains late at night and found them all but unusable. The reason was that they cast very little light near the car and only illuminated far ahead. That meant you really couldn't see what was around you very much. The only way to drive safely was to stick with the low beams which then deprived me of the vision of what was far ahead. I've never come across that problem before in any car on that road or any other road. In normal driving I've never noticed that problem on the CRV but going 20 in the middle of nowhere up a dark gravel and curvy gravel road was a shockingly bad experience. Honda should be ashamed.

blackcat997

I just purchased a 2014 and did NOT drive it at night. Very upset about the headlights, they are TERRIBLE. I will be driving with my highbeams on a lot. I also live in a semi-rural area and these lights are woefully underpowered. sigh.

blackcat997

Read through the comments here and it's the severe cut off line. I drove an Escape for 12 years, and I don't remember ever having this issue.

patm55

I found this article while searching online for headlight issues. I have owned my 2012 Honda CRV for about 5 months. I have had great difficulty seeing at night, also living in a rural area. It is made even worse when it is raining at night. I feel I can not see well unless my high beams are on. Is there anything that can be done about this, like different bulbs??

alternety

I just got a 2013. The lights suck just as bad as mostly everyone has said. Unusable high beams. And you can't turn on the fog lights to help.

Low beams only get close to acceptable if you have the fog lights on. Then I would class them as too bright in the near distance with insufficient reach.

guest2011

2014 crv also dim headlights. Is there a class action suit or complaint board?

jjkid

I own a 2009 Honda CRV and I have this same issue; that is, the headlights are very, very dim. My son has driven my car a few times and said, "What's up with your headlights? They are so dim, I had to get out of the car to be sure they were on." I live in a suburb of Albany, NY and even with street-lighting, these head lamps are awful. They truly seem as though they could be a safety issue. And I'm not talking about lighting of the edges of the road, I'm talking about visualizing the road itself after dark. My sister owns the same car, same year, and has had the same complaint. I realize that this is an old post that I am commenting on, but I saw this and couldn't pass up commenting. I'm here looking for advice on how to improve my lighting issue on this car. Is there a better type of bulb out there that I could be using? Or is this electrical issue?

pwhite42

The headlights that came with our 2013 CR-Vs are the worst I've seen. I am replacing them with Osram 70/65W bulbs to see if they are better. I have complained to NHTSA.

dja379

If we could take the vehicle back we would.
The headlight lack of high beam illumination outright scares my wife! She refuses to use the high beams and drives everywhere with the lows on with fog lights. Come on Honda!
I've bought the most expensive bulbs there is, (with out going to HID's) and while the light is whiter it's still aimed to the sky.
Took it to the dealer who told me they were good.

soothsayersix

We bought a 13 crv this past summer and have a problem with the low beam lights, too low, cross-eyed, and weak light output. High beams seem ok but low are terrible. This is in the dfw metroplex with plenty of street lights too. We would be scared to take on rural roads in total darkness!
Took it to the dealer today 2/15/14 and they said it was factory set, correct, and they couldn't do anything about it. I'm not a mechanic so I don't know if I can adjust myself, but people online say no. Maddening!

saywhat

I bought 2 2014 CRV's, and the headlights, (especially the high beams) are absolutely terrible!!

I can't believe that Honda would put out such a bad product.

I bought the most expensive models, and feel I was taken for a ride, ( no pun intended)!

I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER HONDA PRODUCT AFTER THIS BAD EXPERIENCE, ....NEVER....!

BOB G