2005 Honda CR-V Exterior Lighting
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
MY HEADLIGHTS ON LOW BEAM WENT OUT COMPLETELY. I WAS STOPPED BY A POLICEMAN AND INFORMED TO PLEASE GET THIS TAKEN CARE OF. I INFORMED THE OFFICER THIS JUST HAPPENED TODAY WHICH IS FRIDAY DEC 16 2011 @ APPROX 11:45 PM. *TR
INTERMITTENT HEADLIGHT FAILURE 9-15-06- N/C WARRANTY WORK. LOW BEAM LIGHTS CUT IN AND OUT - 11/06/06 N/C WARRANTY WORK. LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT OUT - 9-18-08 - COST = 22.50 + COST OF BULB 10.00=$32.50. HEADLIGHT BULB OUT - 12-6-2008 - COST = $26.29. LEFT HEADLIGHT INOPERABLE -6-11-2011 COST = $32.85. LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS INOPERABLE -10-03-11 COST = $56.30. I HAVE ALSO BEEN PULLED OVER TWICE FOR DRIVING WITHOUT A LIGHT BECAUSE I DID NOT KNOW THE LIGHTS WERE OUT. I HAVE STARTED THE CAR AT NIGHT TO FIND OUT I HAD NO LIGHTS. I HAVE DRIVEN DOWN A DANGEROUS TWO LANE HIGHWAY NOT KNOWING MY LIGHTS WERE OUT OR KNOWING AND HAVING TO DRIVE WITH EMERGENCY BLINKERS ON. MY HONDA DEALERS HAVE ALWAYS REFUSED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THIS IS ANYTHING BUT "RANDOM"/"LUCK OF THE DRAW." THIS PROBLEM IS NOT JUST WITH 2002-2004. IT IS ALSO WITH 2005 AT LEAST, PROBABLY MORE BASED ON COMPLAINTS ON THE WEB. SEE HTTP://WWW.TOPIX.COM/FORUM/AUTOS/HONDA-CR-V/TLND3JKAUI93FS68. *KB
HAVE TO REPLACE HEADLIGHTS APPROX EVERY 3 MONTHS. HAVE REPLACED DRIVER'S SIDE 6 TIMES, PASSENGER SIDE 4 TIME. BOTH WENT OUT AT SAME TIME WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT ON 10/14/11. *TR
BOTH LOW BEAM FRONT HEADLIGHTS HAD BEEN WORKING THE PREVIOUS NIGHT AND DURING THE DAY OF THE 17TH (PA HAS A LOT OF WORK ZONES AND REQUIRES HEADLIGHTS TO BE ON). DRIVING EAST ON I-76 FROM PITTSBURGH TO BREEZEWOOD, BEGINNING A LITTLE AFTER 6:00 P.M. AND NOT YET DARK, FRONT HEADLIGHTS WERE ON AND WORKING. UNCLEAR WHEN THE LIGHTS WENT OUT, SINCE THERE WERE LIT PARTS OF THE ROAD, AND A LOT OF TRAFFIC, BUT BY 7:45 IT WAS CLEAR THE LIGHTS (BOTH LOW BEAM LIGHTS) WERE OUT. THE HIGH BEAMS WORKED, WHICH I USED INTERMITTENTLY, UNTIL I COULD GET OFF THE TURNPIKE AT MIDWAY SERVICE AREA. CALLED FOR ASSISTANCE AROUND 8:40. VEHICLE WAS TOWED; MECHANIC 'FIXED' BY REPLACING THE BOTH FRONT LOW BEAM LIGHT BULBS. BOTH LIGHT BULBS HAD BEEN REPLACED THE PREVIOUS YEAR, SEPARATELY, ABOUT A MONTH APART. *KB
THE LOW-BEAM HEADLAMPS KEEP BURNING OUT PREMATURELY. OEM HALOGEN HEADLAMPS LASTED ABOUT 4-5 YEARS BEFORE HAVING TO REPLACE. NOW I AM LUCKY TO GO 6 MONTHS WITHOUT HAVING TO REPLACE A HEADLAMP, PARTICULARLY ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. AM USING SYLVANIA SILVERSTAR H1ST REPLACEMENTS. NO OTHER ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS AND SEE THIS SAME ISSUE WITH OTHER CR-V OWNERS ONLINE WITH VARIOUS BULB BRANDS. PLEASE INVESTIGATE. *TR
I BROUGHT MY HONDA CRV IN SEPT. 2005. IT WORKED FINE. BUT SINCE 2008 SUMMER, I OFTEN BE PULLED OFF BY POLICE BECAUSE THE LEFT FRONT LIGHT IS OFF. I FIRST THOUGHT IT WAS SIMPLE, JUST GO TO LOCAL GAS STATION TO CHANGE A LIGHT BULB. AFTER I CHANGED THE LEFT FRONT LIGHT 3 TIMES, IN FEB 2011 I WAS PULLED OFF BY POLICE AGAIN, I REALIZED THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG. I WENT TO HONDA, THEY SAID IT WAS SOMETHING COMPUTER RELATED WRONG. JUST FOR FIX THIS I PAID MORE THAN $200. AND 1 WEEK AFTER, MY FRIEND TOLD ME MY RIGHT SIDE FRONT LIGHT WAS OFF. I HAD TO CHANGE IT AGAIN. WONDERING DOES EVERY CRV OWNER HAS CHANGE HIS OR HER FRONT LIGHT BULBS AS OFTEN AS ME. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS! AS A DRIVER SOMETIMES YOU CAN NOT KNOW YOUR FRONT LIGHT BULB IS OFF RIGHT AWAY. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 HONDA CR-V. THE CONTACT STATED THE HEADLIGHTS SHUT ON AND OFF. THE CONTACT STATED THAT ONE OR THE OTHER OF THE HEADLIGHTS WOULD FAIL AT FIRST AND NOW BOTH OF THEM HAVE FAILED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DEALER SAID THAT THE HEADLIGHTS FAILED WHEN WATER WAS ENTERING THE HEADLIGHTS OR THE LIGHTS WERE DAMAGED WHEN THEY WERE REPLACED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS ALSO AN ISSUE EVEN THOUGH THE LIGHTS HAVE CONTINUED TO SHUT ON AND OFF. THE LIGHTS BULBS WERE CHANGED SEVERAL TIMES AND CONTINUE TO FAIL. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 33,837 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 130,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 HONDA CR-V. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DRIVER SIDE HEADLIGHT AND BOTH SIDE BEAM LIGHTS FAILED TO ILLUMINATE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 88,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 150,000. UPDATED 11/29/11 *CN THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE WAS FIXED BY THE DEALER AT A COST OF $98. UPDATED 12/07/11
2005 CRV HAS HEADLIGHT LOW BEAM BURN OUT PROBLEM AS I'VE SEEN ON THE INTERNET. THE HEADLIGHTS BURNS OUT EVERY COUPLE OF MONTHS. BOTH SOMETIMES BOTH BURN OUT AT THE SAME TIME. THIS SEEMS VERY DANGEROUS. SO FAR THERE HAS NOT BEEN AN ACCIDENT THAT I KNOW OF. SINCE 2006 HAVE REPLACE 6 BULBS. *TR
2005 HONDA CRV-SE: I REPLACED DRIVER SIDE LOW BEAM HEADLAMP IN 2008. IN 40 YEARS OF DRIVING, I'VE NEVER HAD TO REPLACE A HEADLAMP IN ANY CAR I'VE OWNED. (I BUY A NEW CAR EVERY 10 YEARS, AND I'VE OWNED CADILLAC, VOLKSWAGEN, MAZDA, AND PONTIAC PRIOR TO HONDA.) MY HONDA ALSO HAS A BURNED OUT DASH LIGHT AND I'VE REPLACED THE DOME LIGHT. *TR
2005 CR-V: THE LOW BEAMS BURN OUT CONSTANTLY AT AN ACCELERATED RATE. THE TWO BULBS BURN OUT VIRTUALLY BACK-TO-BACK WITHIN 10 DAYS OF EACH OTHER. I HAVE BEEN FORCED TO DRIVE WITH ONLY MY BRIGHTS. I HAVE HAD SEVERAL OCCURRENCES OF THIS IN 150,000 MILES OF DRIVING...ONCE ON VACATION, NO LESS. I HAVE SPOKEN TO TWO OTHER OWNERS OF SAME MODEL WITH SAME COMPLAINT. FOR THE RECORD, I OWNED A 2002 CR-V WHERE I RARELY REPLACED ANY BULBS IN 200,000 MILES! THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE AND CREATES A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SITUATION. OBVIOUSLY, SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH THE DESIGN - PERHAPS THE DESIGNED VOLTAGE IS GREATER THAN THE BULBS CAN ACCEPT RESULTING IN FREQUENT BULB FAILURE FAR ABOVE (WHAT I BELIEVE) A STATISTICAL ANALYSIS WOULD DEEM WITHIN AN ACCEPTABLE MARGIN. PLEASE INVESTIGATE! *TR THE CONSUMER NO LONGER OWNS THE VEHICLE PUT CONTINUOUSLY RECEIVES RECALL NOTICES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. *JS
ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS HEAD LIGHT (S) FAILS. INTERNET RESEARCH SUGGEST THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM ON ALL 2005 HONDA CRV'S. THE TERMINALS CORRODE, ARC AND LOSE CONTACT. *TR
I OWN A 2006 HONDA CRV. I'VE REPLACED THE HEADLIGHTS AT LEAST 6 TIMES SINCE I'VE PURCHASED THE CAR. IN NOVEMBER 2009, I REPLACED THE HEADLIGHTS AND GUESS WHAT-- TODAY THE DRIVER SIDE HEADLIGHT IS OUT! UNBELIEVABLE. SERVICE DEPT. TELLS ME I MUST BE GETTING FAULTY BULBS, BUT I NOTICED ON THE OLD BULB THAT THE METAL LOOKS LIKE ITS BEEN HOT. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 HONDA CR-V. EVERY FOUR MONTHS OR APPROXIMATELY 6,000 MILES, BOTH FRONT HEADLIGHTS FAIL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHEN THEY FAILURE FIRST OCCURRED, AND THEY STATED THAT IT WAS COMPLETELY NORMAL. THE CONTACT BELIEVED THAT IT WAS A DEFECT AND HAS REPLACED THE LIGHTS AT LEAST FIVE TIMES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 6,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 55,000. UPDATE 04-02-08 *BF
SINCE MY WIFE PURCHASED HER 2005 HONDA CR-V, HER HEADLAMPS (MOSTLY THE DRIVER'S SIDE) CONTINUES TO GO OUT. IT HAPPENS EVERY 3-4 WEEKS. IT'S BEEN DOING THIS FOR OVER A YEAR. HONDA SAYS IT'S NOT THEIR PROBLEM. *TR
Trend Over Time
Complaints by year
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Common problems reported
Quick Summary
The 2005 Honda CR-V has 90 Exterior Lighting complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.