Honda CR-V Safety Problems

dizoot

Hi! First time user. Looking for info. Just got a 2006 Honda CRV SE but realtives are freaking out that me and my family will all die in flaming crash (family friend flipped a 2003 Explorer in an series of event too complex to elaborate here). I know all the NHSTA stats but need some real world info on this car and rollover. Thanks!

tidester

Hi, Diz!

I changed the title of this topic to make it of more general interest.

tidester, host

blueiedgod

real world info on this car and rollover.

In real world, all the roll overs were driver initiated, not the vehicle initiated. Even with the tires blowing out a competent driver will maintain control of the vehicle.

If you practice driving with cell phone in one hand, and coffee mug in the other, then bus is probaby the safest solution for the rest of us on the road.

Like any vehicle with High center of gravity, don't swerve because the coffee spilled on your lap, or the person on the phone said something you were not expecting. It is much more difficult to recover from sudden swerve in an SUV than car.

If you have all these concerns, may I suggest a Bondurant, or other performance drivng school to learn how to drive and how to react to emergency situations other than "stomp and steer"

Also, to hone a better driving practice, get a manually shifted CR-V, it will lessen your temptations to talk on the phone and drink your morning coffee as you drive.

phisher

SE is only auto. But I know you only drive Manuals.

stevedebi

"I know all the NHSTA stats but need some real world info on this car and rollover. Thanks!"

Just for those who haven't seent the stats, the CR-V got 4 stars on the rollover rating, which is very good for an SUV.

http://www.safercar.gov/

RE: Real world. You probably won't find any data, because I've never heard of a CR-V rolling over. It has a somewhat stiffer suspension than most compact SUVs, and doesn't lean in a turn to any major degree.

The Ford Explorer was too tall for it's width. No one wanted to admit that it is a basic design flaw, but it was. Hence they rolled when other large SUVs did not.

azs1

The daughter of a friend of mine and her boyfriend flipped her CR-V last summer (I'm not sure what year the CR-V was, but it was a couple of years old). The accident was caused by driver error/distraction/inexperience.

Anyway, the bottom line is that the kids came out of it all just fine (despite the substantial distress they caused their parents!) and my friend ended up replacing the wrecked vehicle with a new CR-V (she was impressed with how well-protected the kids were in the vehicle despite it rolling over a time or two).

blueiedgod

SE is only auto. But I know you only drive Manuals.

I know, there are no major differences between the EX and SE. Pleather seats, heated mirrors, painted bumpers and the hard shell spare tire cover. All are cosmetic differences.

Going back to the roll-over question. Car and Driver tested Explorers with remote explodable tires. None of the drivers were able to flip them when the staff suddenly blew the tire. The drivers were able to recover, and they did not have to use any fancy techniques, just steer with both hands.

Murphy's law states: "No matter how fool proof a design is, there is a fool ingenius enough to fool it"

No matter what a manufacturer does, I am sure there is a driver out there, whose skills are so bad, he/she can flip a Civic or even a Prelude. Just incase some are not aware, Prelude is very wide and very low to the ground.

pcren

Has anyone had any problems with a CRV making a popping noise or with the axle breaking? My 2005, with only 32k miles, bolt fell out of the tie rod end. It was very frightening and could have caused a very serious accident. The front-end just "dropped"!

stever

"17 four-door SUV’s earned a five star crash test rating for all seating positions: Acura MDX; Acura RDX; Audi Q7; Dodge Nitro; Ford Freestyle; GMC Acadia; Honda CR-V; Honda Element; Hyundai Santa Fe; Infiniti FX35/45; Jeep Grand Cherokee; Kia Sorento; Kia Sportage; Mazda CX-7; Saturn Outlook; Subaru Outback; and the Toyota Highlander."

NHTSA Releases Model Year 2007 New Crash and Rollover Safety Ratings

brianjandreau

Wouldn't this be something the service department should have picked up on... if not during a routine maintenance then at least during an inspection???

blueiedgod

Wouldn't this be something the service department should have picked up on... if not during a routine maintenance then at least during an inspection???

Only if the owner brought it into the service department. At 32,000 miles the car should have received at least 6 oil changes, following the Owner's Manual suggestion of 5,000 mile intervals for severe driving conditions. Sureley a competent mechanic would have picked up on a loose ball join. Besides, I think those have cotter pins holding them in place.

brianjandreau

Right. And at 32,000 miles, I would imagine they'd have had at least one inspection if not two. I guess I'd have some questions for whomever did the most recent inspection, and I'd probably want to talk to the person who did my oil changes, etc.

esteeze

The safety and the potential longevity of my CR-V is very appealing to me...

It sounds like the rollover risk is about as low in the CR-V as it is in any SUV.

I'm thinking that it's reasonable (and cost effective) to keep it around for my 8-year old to drive once he reaches driving age. Projecting forward 8 years, our 03 CRV will be 12 years old and have about 150K miles on it by then... well within its life span.

bonnielassie1

Do you feel safe in the Honda CRV? Are some years better than others? Any reports of sudden uncontrolled acceleration, like in the Toyota products?

blueiedgod

Any reports of sudden uncontrolled acceleration, like in the Toyota products?

Ummm, like in almost all of the cases, the "sudden uncontrolled accelration" was caused by improperly installed floor mats, most likely by the user/operator or car wash attendant when the mats were removed for cleaning.

As to the state trooper who died at 140 mph... he had time to call 911, but could not put the car in Neutral or turn it off?

Come on!!! What are we, children? We are more and more relying on someone else to make a decision for us, be it the manufacturer, governement, neighbor..... How about we use the space between the ears effectively.

stever

he had time to call 911, but could not put the car in Neutral or turn it off?

That's the big question. Was it really the mats and not some drive-by-wire problem or something else? And the on/off switch requires one to hold the button down for 3 seconds before it will turn the car off. The trooper was in a loaner and probably didn't know that. And the Lexus had a gated shifter that may have confused him.

Btw, it was his brother in law in the back seat who was on the cell phone.

More over in Brand problems swept under the rug.

lzc

Let's hope investigators determine conclusively what caused the acceleration. Speculation, while natural I guess, settles nothing.

I can't forget the hysteria over the last big case of "unintended acceleration." Audi sales collapsed in the U.S. to about 7,000/yr, I believe. 60 minutes ran a particularly nasty and hysterical piece that had the car just taking off on its own.

In the end, after years of investigation and untold billions in lost business, Audi was cleared. The result of all this was the imposition of a shift sequence requirement that one's foot had to be on the brake before shifting out of Park.

motoguy128

The state trooper didn't know that with keyless ignitions, you have to hold the button own for 3 seconds to kill the engine. It was beleived that there might be a lockout preventing the transmission from going to neutral at high engine RPM's or speeds. However, it seems like there are other options such as shifting to D3 or 2nd to force the engine to redline without would cut power. But again, the transmisison's logic might have prevented that action even if the lever is moved.

Fortunately, I am not aware of any similar reports on the CR-V. I also thing that Honda uses a smaller accelerator pedal that has more clearance below it.

blueiedgod

The state trooper didn't know that with keyless ignitions, you have to hold the button own for 3 seconds to kill the engine. It was beleived that there might be a lockout preventing the transmission from going to neutral at high engine RPM's or speeds. However, it seems like there are other options such as shifting to D3 or 2nd to force the engine to redline without would cut power. But again, the transmisison's logic might have prevented that action even if the lever is moved.

Fortunately, I am not aware of any similar reports on the CR-V. I also thing that Honda uses a smaller accelerator pedal that has more clearance below it.

So, let's say the tropper drove the car to his destination without the incident. Would he have left it idling? Or would he have figured out how to turn it off?

I just had a rental Camry Hybrid. The button was clearly labeled "Start/Stop." Even without the labeling, my instinct to turn it off would have been to hold the "start" button, since there were no other buttons.

And, I think, we have all been using Windows, where you have to press "start" to turn off. I admit, there may be one or two hardcore UNIX/MAC people who have never seen a Windows terminal.

stever

Windows 7 defaults to "Shut Down". The nearest thing it has is "restart".

Would he have left it idling?

Or the brother in law would have called the dealer. Maybe he should have called the dealer instead of 911, come to think of it.

kyfdx

It works differently when the car is in PARK... One push, and it's off...

In DRIVE, you have to hold in the button for three seconds.. Definitely not intuitive..

I will say... I can't imagine a car that you can't put in neutral from DRIVE, though.. I can see REVERSE being locked out... but, not neutral.. (I'm sure I'll now be proven wrong, though).

motoguy128

That suprised me as well tha you could not put the vehicle into neutral. I might try that on our Altima and my CR-V. But I'm pretty sure you can. I would always prefer to go to neutral rather than just turning off the ignition. With the igniton off, you lose power to improtant things like ABS/ stability control, gauges, turn signals (except hazards) brake lights, in most cars the headlights, plus you lose all of your power brake assist which comes from engine vacuum.

So neutral is the best solution. But again, sliding the shifter into "2" might also have limited the vehciles speed to around 50-60mph... and then "1" would slow it to 30-40mph, but in both caes you might destroy the engine...but at that point, locking up the engine might be a good thing. However... as mentioned, the transmissions computer might override your request.

This comes back to a problem with newer vehciles. Computers completely control most functions other than braking and steering, which only have computer assistance. It seems ot me that there should be certain logical safety interlocks in the system. For example, applying more than even 50% throttle while the brakes are being applied hard, does not makes sense. It seems logical, that the computer should reduce the throttle position. This interlock would simply require a pressure switch or transducer on the brake system to determine when the brakes are being applied hard. Next, you should ALWAYS be able to shift into neutral while moving. Finally, once in neutral, the keyless igntions shouldonly require a single push of hte button, not be held down for 3 seconds. If I had an engine fire or it starts making a terrible noise, I want to go to neutral and shut down the engine , but keep rolling to a safe place to pull over.

I guess I like keyless gintions, but would still rather have a rotary selector switch, than a push button.

blueiedgod

All of that complexity could be avoided if people drove manuals. There is no safety interlock or any computerized gadgest in a manual. It is the DRIVER who is in control at all times!!!

lambo2

I would have to disagree with this. Putting the car in neutral while it is accelerating could cost you a $5000 engine, to say nothing of finding the gear, avoiding reverse and locking up the wheels, taking your eyes off the road, etc. etc. There are indeed vehicles with computer systems that detect braking and shut down acceleration, they are "drive by wire" or electronic throttle controls, and we all know how well that is working out on the Toyota (and other models too that have not come to light quite yet). There have been systems with mechanical spring loaded throttles that can be overridden by the computer, but that is just more mechanical linkage to stick or fail. The quickest way, under panic conditions without weighing all of your options and consequences, is to turn the key off, pull all the offending power, and just nurse it safely over to the side of the road. That works on every car, with no special thought required. I have one in my shop right now, that fought the acceleration for 2 miles, ran 2 lights, called 911, and got it stopped by turning off the key right before a major intersection. Better to react quickly and be safe, than to overthink it and hit someone.

motoguy128

Engines have rev limters that cut hte igniton and fuel at redline. You will not damage the engine.

There is no risk of going into reverse. On ALL automatic, you can shift form drive to neutral without pushing in the button on the shifter. When you sitting at idle for a period of time for example, it good for the transmission to shift into neutral. It also saves fuel.

If you turn off the engine, you lose power steering. Below about 50mph, the car will get very difficult ot manuever. below 20mph, you better be in good shape. Modern supension geometry is designed to make the car stable at speed. The result of this is very heavy steering. This combined with wide tires and quick steering ratios.

ALL of the automotive experts recommend shifting to neutral and deliberately applying the brakes WITHOUT pumping them... then only turning off the ignition when the car has comes to a stop.

But again, you only get 1 good stop, and you much stop hard and deliberately. If you stop slowly you will heat up hte brakes faster and soon find the brake sare completely faded. You probably only have about 10 seconds wort of braking before they are overheated. The hardest part is the last 20mph where the engine has the most leverage.

The key is not to panic, but I'd venture ot guess that about 2/3rds of the adult population will panic is that situation, and 1/3 would not. You won't know until it happens how you will react.

stevedebi

" The quickest way, under panic conditions without weighing all of your options and consequences, is to turn the key off, pull all the offending power, and just nurse it safely over to the side of the road. That works on every car, with no special thought required."

Except the Lexus in question, which had no keys.