With its perfect crash test scores and only one recall on file, the 2013 Honda CR-V offers very little for used car buyers to worry about. You’ll want to look out for transmission shake and electrical issues during the test drive, but don’t be surprised if you find nothing wrong.
- The 2013 Honda CR-V’s leading issue is transmission shake at 30-40 miles per hour.
- Potential rollaway has generated a single recall for a faulty brake-shift interlock blocking mechanism.
- A broad assortment of electrical problems probably point to rodents chewing through the soy-based wire coating.
- The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety awarded the 2013 CR-V a Top Safety Pick, while the vehicle earned a five star crash test rating with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
- There’s simply not much to worry about when buying a used 2013 Honda CR-V. As long as you find one with low miles, and in good condition, there’s no reason you can’t get another hundred thousand miles or more out of the SUV.
Several Instances of Transmission Shake Might Not Share a Common Cause
The 2013 Honda CR-V has 334 total complaints on file with the NHTSA. 88 of these are for the engine, and 80 are for the powertrain. So, it’s not hard to tell where most of the car’s problems are coming from. The most common problem being reported: transmission shake at around 30-40 miles per hour.
Reports of transmission shake have become more common over the last few years, suggesting that the issue has something to do with wear and tear, but some complaints note failure mileage as low as 16,000, so it can’t be put down entirely to how many miles you’ve put on the odometer.
Shaking transmission typically points to issues with fuel pressure in the vehicle. What that could mean in any given case, who can say. It could be a problem with the onboard computer systems, low fluids, using the wrong type of fuel, or any number of things.
In some instances, the problem was addressed by replacing a timing belt or VTC actuator, in others, the mechanic wasn’t able to find out what was wrong and the problem was left unresolved. All you can really do as a used CR-V buyer is test drive and see how it performs transitioning from city to highway speeds.
Cold Temperature May Lead to Vehicle Rollaway
Unless you imagine your car sliding down an icy road, it doesn’t make a lot of sense that cold weather might result in vehicle rollaway, but that’s exactly why the 2013 CR-V was included among 204,169 recalled Hondas and Acuras.
The problem came down to a brake-shift interlock blocking mechanism that could contract in cold weather, interfering with its functionality. Essentially, the mechanism is there to make sure you can’t move the gear selector out of Park without pressing down on the brake pedal, and it wasn’t doing its job in the cold.
So far, this has been the vehicle’s only recall, and it was issued within the first year of the SUV’s launch. There has only been a single parking brake related complaint registered with the NHTSA, stating that the dash indicator would not light when the parking brake was engaged.
In other words, we’re not seeing reports of rollaway. So it’s probably safe to say that this matter has been settled, at least in the case of the 2013 Honda CR-V. Just make sure to check the VIN and get any pending recalls taken care of and you should have no issue with the mechanism.
Assortment of Electrical Problems May Owe to Rodent Infestations
There are 30 complaints on file for electrical systems at present, with another 32 for exterior lighting, and 5 for electronic stability control. These issues range from dim headlights to warning lights flashing for no apparent reason.
Some of these issues are relatively minor, like the door locks failing, leaving the car unable to be locked. Other issues are potentially disastrous, such as anti-lock brake and stability control not working as intended, or the car suddenly losing power while in motion.
There is a clear pattern here of electrical systems going wonky due to unreliable actuators and generally bad wiring, but the symptoms are not consistent enough to suggest any one, single faulty component at the source. Rather, this may have to do with the soy-based wire coating used in the CR-V.
One driver reports that their door locks are still failing after replacing the actuator several times. This suggests that it’s not the actuator, but the wiring, which uses a soy-based coating that rodents love to chew on. This may not explain every single electrical issue, but it is likely the root cause for more than a few of them.
It’s Really Hard to Go Wrong With a Honda CR-V
The Honda CR-V is simply a Honda Civic with an SUV body, and it’s about as safe and reliable as that iconic compact car, with a perfect five star overall crash test score from the NHTSA, and a Top Safety Pick award from the IIHS, and barely over 300 official complaints on file.
It’s hard to find a bad year for the nameplate. The 2013 in particular has been hit with only a single recall, and while it is currently under investigation for potential airbag problems, it has only generated 23 airbag complaints in total, so this is essentially a non-issue.
Add to this, anyone driving a Honda SUV is probably going to take pretty good care of their vehicle. A Civic Si might attract a “certain type of buyer,” but a CR-V driver is probably just looking for a simple, dependable grocery-getter. So it’s not hard to find a used CR-V in good condition.
Look for low miles, listen for any weird sounds coming from under the hood, and see how it accelerates on inclines. Beyond that, you don’t have much to worry about when buying a used 2013 Honda CR-V.
