I was driving on the thruway Saturday in the left lane (lots of traffic) and my engine revved and lost power. It put me in a dangerous situation. Honda first said it was a sensor and now states it’s the transmission with metal shavings that have to be cleaned out. 64k miles, 18 months old! They are sending someone to analyze it and see if it will be warranted. From what I’m reading the HRV has transmission problems and I hope Honda does the right thing. The reason I bought a Honda was because people swear by them and I loved the engineering of the HRV. I have always had a Ford until less than 2 years ago. Never had problems except for 1 time after 12 years I had to replace a starter. What Honda does next will determine if they lose a customer.
Transmission problems
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Sorry to hear. Good luck and keep us updated.
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I am beginning to wonder if I'm in for the same trouble. I have been experiencing a harshness transmitted through the accelerator and felt in the passenger seat foot well, ever since the service centre did a transmission fluid change. This was five months ago and the car has been returned on five occasions and on each occasion they have blamed it on buckled wheels then scalloped tyres until eventually they fitted a full set of wheels and tyres from a demo HRV and still the harshness can be felt and I am still no closer to a resolution.
Honda sent someone to analyze the transmission. It was determined the transmission was bad and they are replacing it and honoring a warranty even though I’m at 64k miles. Be wary that Honda is aware of issues. I’m concerned they are replacing with the same transmission and I will have issues again with no warranty. So disappointed in Honda. Will probably bring value of the cars down once it’s a known issue.
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118 Posts
Honda says they’ve updated the cvt for 2019 model year hr-v. They claim they updated the cvt for better drivability, but they most likely addressed some of the weak points in the transmission and that also resulted in better performance.
I would ask the dealer if you are receiving an older model or the new updated cvt.
The updated cvt May use a control module with updated programming and if that is the case the dealer probably won’t install it unless the control module is included as part of the transmission assembly.
I would ask the dealer if you are receiving an older model or the new updated cvt.
The updated cvt May use a control module with updated programming and if that is the case the dealer probably won’t install it unless the control module is included as part of the transmission assembly.
I'm glad I got rid of this **** car. I can't stop coming here to read about all the problems related to it, to confirm even more I did a good choice. The only thing I miss a little is the fuel economy but for peace of mind I'm gladly living with it. But I originally purchase this HONDA thinking I was going to have it for very long and it was going to be super reliable and providing excellent gas mileage. But this transmission problem was my number one reason I traded mine in. It was doing it since day one. And with my luck as soon as the warranty would be done the stupid thing would probably crap on me. And seeing that Honda is ignoring most of you regarding this problem when bringing the car in is outrageous.
But it wasn't only this, it was all the other crap I read like the water leaks, the suspension problems, I had a couple issues with the keyless start, mine had some kind of motor oil leak around the filter ( dealer maintained), issues with my driver window almost getting stucked while going up/down after being fixed one time already, the armrest spring snapped after normal use ( condemned it after this I emptied it and no longer used it after reading it was still happening after people had theirs fixed), my tailgate wasn't opening half the time when I had my hand on the sensor. I wasn't trusting this car anymore for long term unfortunately and that's why I got rid of it. Too many issues with a car that isn't that new on the market ( Japan).
This isn't a bash on the hrv. What I liked about it, I truly enjoyed it. Some of you will never experience a major issue with it. But I live in Ontario/Quebec and we have some of the worst conditions a car can experience over here. From 25F to - 22F in the same day is very common with tons of slush, salt, snow. Although the awd always worked flawlessly, I can tell you that the hrv is not a winter car.
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But it wasn't only this, it was all the other crap I read like the water leaks, the suspension problems, I had a couple issues with the keyless start, mine had some kind of motor oil leak around the filter ( dealer maintained), issues with my driver window almost getting stucked while going up/down after being fixed one time already, the armrest spring snapped after normal use ( condemned it after this I emptied it and no longer used it after reading it was still happening after people had theirs fixed), my tailgate wasn't opening half the time when I had my hand on the sensor. I wasn't trusting this car anymore for long term unfortunately and that's why I got rid of it. Too many issues with a car that isn't that new on the market ( Japan).
This isn't a bash on the hrv. What I liked about it, I truly enjoyed it. Some of you will never experience a major issue with it. But I live in Ontario/Quebec and we have some of the worst conditions a car can experience over here. From 25F to - 22F in the same day is very common with tons of slush, salt, snow. Although the awd always worked flawlessly, I can tell you that the hrv is not a winter car.
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I grew up with snowmobiles (which have a belt driven CVT) and did not like hearing that CVT’s on cars also used a belt to power the car, but hoped car engineers knew what they were doing. I like the principal of a CVT and tried to think of a mechanical type CV transmission for the last 30 or 40 years, but could not. Maybe there is a reason that it is not used with many (or any) V8’s. I still like my HR-V however. This is my 4th new Honda (one Civic I owned went 350,000 miles) and I have never had to do any major work on them (or any work at all). This is an international forum, and there are thousands of HR-V owners, so we should expect some problems. We do not have much of a winter here however, and I know that they can bring out some different issues. I take care of my cars, and expect to have few (or none) with this Honda too, but I watch my CVT very close and would recommend periodic fluid changes
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I described in another transmission discussion thread this week that my 2017 EX AWD required a new transmission with just 2,614 miles on it. It was only 20 months into my ownership. It had a continuing fluid leak that could not be remedied, though the car never performed poorly or had a breakdown. Eventually, it would have been troublesome in a big way.
I knew the 2019 CVT had improvements made to counter some (undisclosed/unpublished) problems Honda was aware of. When the dealer advised they had ordered a replacement transmission just last month, I specifically asked if I would be having the improved CVT installed or one similar/same as the one that leaked. The dealer was unable to say when or where the new one I got was manufactured or if it was the “better” one. The replacement is still under the power train warranty since the car is less than 2 years old and fewer than 3000 miles on it still. But I’d hate to think I’d have to replace this one ever again!
I have no way to know what is the provenance of the CVT I’m now driving around with. Is it the newer, improved one, or just one of the ones in leftover stock that have been problematic to many HRV owners? Only periodic views under it when it’s on a lift will show any leaks that could concern me. It’s possible other symptoms could develop instead of the leak. If I had more miles and time with the car, the leak would have produced a breakdown or failure eventually. It was caught very soon in my ownership and the dealer had to make Honda agree to the payout to cover the warranty service. I had respect for my dealer, but I’m very disappointed in the car because of this issue. I do hope it’s over and done with.
In all other ways I love the looks, the liveliness, the thrifty and practical aspects of my HRV. But I’d never recommend it now to any friend, I feel only limited confidence that my troubles are over and that I will drive many miles with nothing but smiles. What I thought was a fine and fun car that suited my needs and budget has turned into a car I feel worried about and can only hope I have future satisfaction. Ideally, I’d enjoy it and trust it. But that’s how I felt when I bought it and reality was different. Now I have to build confidence in Honda and my HRV again. Or get rid of it. There are options...
I knew the 2019 CVT had improvements made to counter some (undisclosed/unpublished) problems Honda was aware of. When the dealer advised they had ordered a replacement transmission just last month, I specifically asked if I would be having the improved CVT installed or one similar/same as the one that leaked. The dealer was unable to say when or where the new one I got was manufactured or if it was the “better” one. The replacement is still under the power train warranty since the car is less than 2 years old and fewer than 3000 miles on it still. But I’d hate to think I’d have to replace this one ever again!
I have no way to know what is the provenance of the CVT I’m now driving around with. Is it the newer, improved one, or just one of the ones in leftover stock that have been problematic to many HRV owners? Only periodic views under it when it’s on a lift will show any leaks that could concern me. It’s possible other symptoms could develop instead of the leak. If I had more miles and time with the car, the leak would have produced a breakdown or failure eventually. It was caught very soon in my ownership and the dealer had to make Honda agree to the payout to cover the warranty service. I had respect for my dealer, but I’m very disappointed in the car because of this issue. I do hope it’s over and done with.
In all other ways I love the looks, the liveliness, the thrifty and practical aspects of my HRV. But I’d never recommend it now to any friend, I feel only limited confidence that my troubles are over and that I will drive many miles with nothing but smiles. What I thought was a fine and fun car that suited my needs and budget has turned into a car I feel worried about and can only hope I have future satisfaction. Ideally, I’d enjoy it and trust it. But that’s how I felt when I bought it and reality was different. Now I have to build confidence in Honda and my HRV again. Or get rid of it. There are options...
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1,133 Posts
Sad for anyone having transmission issues. And very understandable losing confidence in a vehicle having a major issue with such low mileage. As a side note, my 2011 Forester had to have a new transmission at 90k due to burning oil problem. Luckily Subaru covered the entire costs.
Hopefully with HRVs selling at about 85k a year, the transmission issues are a low %. Just googling CVT issues, appears all vehicles have minor to major transmission problem.
I hope the new transmission gives many many years of problem free driving.
Hopefully with HRVs selling at about 85k a year, the transmission issues are a low %. Just googling CVT issues, appears all vehicles have minor to major transmission problem.
I hope the new transmission gives many many years of problem free driving.
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1,370 Posts
Glad I got it with a manual I guess! My wife's Buick, jetta, and Fiesta have all had some sort of major transmission issue... Biggest failure I've had in a manual is a clutch at 160k.
I think reading forums to see how reliable a car is can be a bad idea. Most people that have issues go online to vent. People rarely go on a forum to brag about how their economy car is still running fine at 60k miles.
I think reading forums to see how reliable a car is can be a bad idea. Most people that have issues go online to vent. People rarely go on a forum to brag about how their economy car is still running fine at 60k miles.
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78 Posts
Your spot on! Online forums do not represent reliability numbers, they just represent bad luck for a few owners. The CVT is not new and its extremely reliable . Honda seems outdated sometimes but what they are is refined. No need to fix what isn't broken is a mentality of most Japanese automakers. I personally love the CVT transmission. Both the HRV and CRV are top selling SUV's in their class. They both use the CVT transmission. Unreliable vehicles don't continue to be top picks year after year.
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549 Posts
I love my HR-V, but reports of the transmission failures have definitely got me "on alert". Each time I bring my vehicle in to my Honda dealer for an oil change- I ask them to look for any leaks in the transmission area and mention some of the stories I have read about early transmission failures. The first oil change I had, the service person seemed surprised about these. The last time the service person was aware of some tranny issues as well as some other problematic areas on the HR-V. By now I am sure many dealerships have been made aware of potential problems.
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http://www.goodcarbadcar.net/2019/02/small-suv-sales-in-america-january-2019/
At least for January, the HRV barely topped the Kona and beat the Renegade, C-HR, Kicks, CX-3, and Niro.
At least for January, the HRV barely topped the Kona and beat the Renegade, C-HR, Kicks, CX-3, and Niro.
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536 Posts
Wow, sorry to hear that! I'm always a little suspicious when I see the "one and done" posts - a new user who makes a post about XYZ problem, then disappears, but to see it with a prominent forum member... definitely makes you pause. While I have had no issues with the CVT (knock on wood), I am always paranoid about it. I'm at about 38k or so; it's never told me to change the fluid or anything like that.
I just changed the CVT fluid on muy 2016 HRV last night, 58k miles. The color was darker than new but did not seem bad. There was material on the magnet but I have seen worse from my Odyssey tranny fluid changes. Not hard to do, just drain, measured what came out and filled in from the top. I had to do the change on ramps so could not use the "fill" bolt to see when to stop adding fluid. Came out to 4.25 quarts. The hardest part was getting to the fill plug on top, not much room to get your hands in, used some long nose pliers to remove and replace the plug.
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My HRV hit 43,000 miles and no problems. Though the previous owner (my dad) didn’t drive it aggressively. I kinda have to floor it sometimes cuz the acceleration isn’t there. Is that something that’s gonna kill it?
I had the same thing happen last week. Metal shavings in transmission fluid. They said they never saw this issue. Drained fluid and said I could drive it. This morning 1 day after I got the car back, the transmission failed while on the highway. Barely made it to side of road and got towed. I cannot believe I invested over 20,000$ on a new car that breaks down like that in under 4 years! So disappointed in Honda!
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