2018 Honda CR-V Steering
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
Steering keeps sticking while cruising down the highway, which is a problem but supposedly not on my vin number. Manufacturer claims it’s a problem just not on mine. This happens constantly not on specific date below.
When the car is hot, (warmed up and the temp the ambient temp is over 80 degrees F) the electrical power steering "sticks" while highway driving and makes it difficult to steer the vehicle. We took it to a local Honda dealer who has indicated that they find nothing wrong with the steering but there is definitely something not right. We have noticed that other 2018 Honda CR-Vs have had power steering recalls, but ours is not indicated on the list. We are wondering if this is simply not something that has been discovered for our vehicle VIN yet. Hoping for some kind of resolution that assists in getting problem properly addressed issue has been occurring for about 2 months now. Issue is ongoing.
When driving the steering is sticky, making steering corrections constantly. Happens at all speeds, but very noticeable and dangerous at highway speeds. This has been occurring for quite some time and I thought there would be a recall. This is a known issue for Honda but goes unaddressed. Dealer says the EPS needs to be replaced to the tune of about $3000, not the solution I wanted. By reading the complaints from other Honda owners this issue is on many model years. My vehicle has only 61,000 miles and this should not happen to this many model years. This puts my family and others at risk. There were no warning lamps or messages regarding this issue. Please review and take some action to help resolve this situation
The steering input on this vehicle could be described as "sticky" or "notchy". It requires higher levels of force for a moment (as if it is getting stuck or bound up on something). The steering will often times not self-center when going around a curve. The independent shop (Honda specific) shop that cares for my vehicles says that is not the power steering pump but something in the rack that has gone bad. They pointed to: NHTSA Recall #128844 NHTSA Compaign #18V663000 However my VIN is not covered by that recall. But it is definitely close to the VIN range. This "sticky" steering can make it very difficult to make the small corrections necessary to keep the car centered in it's lane and could potentially make the Lane Keep Assist dangerous. It could also potentially hamper the drivers ability to make an emergency maneuver to avoid an accident.
"Sticky Steering" is what its being called. I have been dealing with this for several years (after the warranty was out) but over the last 2 months it has gotten worse. While at highway speeds (45+) there is more resistance when trying to straighten the steering wheel causing an over correction and veering into another lane. Problem is known to dealer but has yet to be duplicated by several garages.
The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel failed to turn in the intended direction. The contact stated that it felt as if the steering wheel was stuck. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with power steering rack failure. The contact was informed that the power steering rack needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. In addition, the contact referenced an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The contact was provided with a monetary discount to assist with the repair. The failure mileage was approximately 81,418.
Although the incident date is recent (since an alignment was done a few days prior) this issue has been happening for over a year, but is now getting to the point that we are unable to drive safely at highway speeds. Our steering wheel, especially at highway speeds, gets stuck either side of center, pulling the car to one side or the other. The steering wheel feels stuck and has to be turned with effort constantly to keep the car traveling in a straight line. Even the lane assist feature is also constantly having to correct the steering. After a wheel alignment the problem seems to have gotten worse. The steering also does not recover to the center position after making a turn at low speed.
When making a steering correction, there is a tendency for the steering to get stuck in a fixed position for a brief period. It takes an abnormal level of force to overcome this stickiness before it becomes un-stuck and allows a steering change. As a result, there is some jerkiness in the steering, which presents a significant safety issue. It is more noticeable at higher speeds and can be a bit alarming, and a potential collision hazard, particularly if surrounded by other vehicles on a major highway, which I have experienced with this vehicle. I have not yet taken it to a dealer or service provider but have read several forums on-line and tried some of the recommended remedies, such as adjusting the steering column and turning the wheel slowly through full motion, which did not resolve the issue.
When driving on long curves my steering sticks and I need to correct it by turning the wheel slightly inorder to continue on the road. It feels like it could lose control and veer off the road causing an accident. It is both frightening and dangerous to feel the steering stick and not possibly be able to be corrected. i took my car to my local Honda dealer and to diagnose the problem it would cost $224 I could not afford that and would lose it if they did not feel the sticking and if they did it would be applied to the repair. I decided to wait for what I feel is a pending recall. Now it has gotten worse and confirmed by my son who drove my car and asked what the heck is wrong with the steering. Now I feel confirmed and will have to have it repaired. There are no warning lights or messages the driver feels the steering stick and adjusts the direction to stay on the road. This is dangerous, frightening and please do a recall before someone is injured.
WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, WHEN KEEPING THE CAR IN THE CURRENT LANE OR WHEN CHANGING LANES, THE STEERING STICKS WHEN TURNING THE WHEEL TO THE RIGHT.
Rack and pinion required repair/replacement. The car has less than 50,000 miles on it. Issues appeared several weeks ago. Repair was just completed because of issues with steering. Repair was done due to safety concerns.
Stick in steering while driving; slight clunking noise when steering wheel is moved and same noise heard while backing out of parking spots slightly turning the steering wheel .
The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel became inoperable. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel was sticking while attempting to make a turn. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and it was determined that the steering gearbox had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 112,000.
The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and turning the steering wheel to the left or the right, the steering wheel failed to return to center. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the steering gear box needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 71,000.
The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving on several occasions at various speeds, the steering wheel became sticky, making it difficult to steer the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, there was a creaking sound coming from the steering column, and the steering wheel was momentary sticking while turning the steering wheel in either direction. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the steering gear box and steering magnet was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact was informed that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V663000 (STEERING). The contact indicated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 125,000.
I am writing to express my deep concern regarding the ongoing steering problems I have been experiencing with my 2018 Honda CR-V. This has made it difficult and even dangerous to operate the vehicle at highway speeds. Specifically, the steering wheel often becomes extremely hard to turn, creating a feeling that the power steering is not working as it should. Additionally, the steering wheel frequently fails to return to its center position after making a turn, further compromising my ability to control the vehicle safely. Upon researching this issue, I discovered that other CR-V owners have experienced similar steering problems. Furthermore, a recall (18V-663) was issued for some 2018 CR-Vs due to a potential problem with the torque sensor magnet in the electronic power steering system, which may result in unexpected steering behavior during full-lock turns.
The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that the steering wheel was abnormally loose, and easily turned. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed that the rack and pinion had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not under recall. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 38,000.
There is an issue with the power steering system. When I turn the steering wheel from a stop I experience resisting or binding feel in the steering wheel. this occurs whether the wheel is making a left or right turn. I also notice this if I am changing lanes in driving. This issue is most noticed after the engine is warm from travel. The steering feels 'Sticky" and the safety of the vehicle at freeway speeds is concerning. MY Honda dealer has investigated this issue on o9/05/2025 and indicated the steering rack needs to be replaced. This was an issue Honda was aware of back in 2018, however my vehicle was not apart of the recall. I purchased this vehicle in august of 2018 at Honda of Covington. this vehicle currently has 59,524 miles and has been regularly serviced at my Linda dealer. some financial remediation would be appreciated.
The steering is bad. its going to cause a crash. Hoda knows the steering part is bad, but they will not provide any help to fix it. $5000 was the quote from the Honda dealership. The recommend a replace =ment of the EPS rack.
Steering has sticky response from the neutral position. Car has 60000 mi. Seems be after car warms up, and over 35 mph. When driving, when car is starting to drift left, light steering to right hangs up briefly before jumping right slightly. No warning lights and lane departure is off. No tire problems. Recent alignment. No recall on this car, but problem seems very similar to other cr-v recalls with electric steering. My wife is afraid to drive car very far, as problem has become much more pronounced since it started last month. There is a definite feeling of lack of steering control. Car will taken to dealer as soon as possible.
When turning, the steering wheel has a very loud creak and when driving, the steering wheel sticks. The Honda maintenance dept said there’s a recall on 2018 CRV’s for this exact problem due to a faulty steering gearbox but that my VIN # is not affected. The problem on my car has been confirmed by the Honda dealer. The maintenance supervisor at our Honda location stated there is also a recall on newer model Honda’s for the steering gearbox. Honda, as well as multiple independent mechanics, have stated that this issue can cause catastrophic injury or death. However, Honda Corporate has refused to offer assistance in fixing this issue and said the out of pocket cost to me will be $4300. There have been no warning signals about this issue and it started about 1 year ago. The car currently has only 62k miles. The original owner of the vehicle was my mother-in-law who leased it directly from the Honda dealer. She only put 18k miles on the car. We both have had it serviced according to Honda’s official maintenance schedule. This is a serious, known issue with active recalls that can cause a fatal accident and Honda refuses to expand their recall for public safety.
The contact's wife owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed and making a turn, the steering wheel failed to return to center automatically. Additionally, the contact stated that the steering wheel jerked while driving, causing the vehicle to jerk and to make sudden movements. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was test-driven. The dealer diagnosed that the EPS gear box rack assembly needed to be replaced, and an alignment, and reprogramming of the PSCM to the steering neutral position needed to be performed. The dealer related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V663000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 52,400.
The contact owns a 2018 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving at speeds above 40 MPH, the steering wheel became sticky and failed to return to center while turning. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the steering rack was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted regarding the failure. The failure mileage was 34,000.
The steering wheel sticks especially after being driven for a while. It is necessary to use slightly more force to move it sometimes causing overcorrection. I took it to the Honda dealer and they said eventually the gears will be worn so much that the steering mechanism will fail and potentially cause an accident. There are no warning lights for this issue, and currently no recall. I have not had it fixed because the repair cost I was quoted was $4,300. My vehicle has not even hit 100K miles, and should not have such a dangerous, costly issue already.
Trend Over Time
Complaints by year
Other Issues
Common problems reported
Quick Summary
The 2018 Honda CR-V has 221 Steering complaints on file. 4 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.