10th Oct 2008, 20:51

Well, I guess you should add me to the list of unhappy owners of a 2003 CRV. At about 36,500 miles with no prior warning my wonderful car which never gave me any problems started blowing hot air. Took it to the dealer and a cursory examination revealed that it was probably caused by a blown compressor. The dealer said that this was not a very common problem with this car and said that if Honda would help with the costs due to my low mileage, it would probably still cost around 1,000.00 dollars. After checking on the web I found that this is a very common problem and one that Honda seems to ignore rather than issue a recall. Because we loved our 03, we bought an 08 which my wife thinks is the cat's meow. I find it difficult to believe that Honda would risk losing goodwill over a compressor that is obviously flawed in design or manufacturing. I am hopeful that Honda live up to its reputation, and its actions will reinforce the reasons so many people buy its products.

Disappointed in Lafayette La.

23rd Oct 2008, 06:04

Wow, I can't believe how many people have had this exact same problem. I bought a used 2003 CR-V for my wife last year with just over 70,000 miles. Apparently the original owner knew to trade it in as soon as the warranty expired. Fortunately it was in nice enough condition that the vehicle was Certified Used with a one year warranty. Within the first month the A/C compressor blew up, same story as above, the entire system needed replaced. The local dealer claimed they had never seen this happen before, but after this site I have to wonder.

I am a Quality Assurance Engineer, so my first question was "How can I be sure the replacement will not explode as soon as my warranty expires?" I was told the replacement compressor is a new design and is more robust. I guess time will tell. At least if it blows again I know to contact Honda America, thanks to those who posted that information.

Doug in Indianapolis.

12th Nov 2008, 01:25

My 2002 CR-V now has trouble with the headlights. The parking lights and high beams work fine, but while driving along one night the regular headlights just died. Any suggestions from anyone? We checked the fuses and they seem fine.

20th Dec 2008, 21:10

My 2002 with 197,000 just blew its compressor. It left us stranded on 1-95, because when the compressor blew, it somehow seized up the engine. I plan to contact Honda of America, but any other advice is welcome!

29th Dec 2008, 10:00

We are another victim of the Honda A/C compressor failure fiasco.

Our 2004 CRV with 58,000 had catastrophic failure of its compressor that has essentially wiped out the A/C system. The entire system needs to be replaced at a cost of $3,182.88.

After calling Honda's North American headquarters at 800-999-1009, my satisfaction with this company is very low. I told the man that I have owned 4 Hondas and 1 Acura, and have never had a problem of this magnitude. He said that Honda is not aware of any problem, he said that Honda does not recognize any of this internet chatter as legitimate, and they are not aware of the class-action lawsuit that has been started by Mazie, Slater, Katz & Freeman, LLC.

If anyone wants to join the lawsuit against Honda, click here... http://www.honda-lawsuit.com/?gclid=CNbEw4KZ5pcCFQHBDAod60phDA

12th Feb 2009, 17:17

I have a 2003 Honda CRV. In April 2005 I was driving on the interstate and heard a squeal and a clunk and the AC quit working. The dealership said the clutch snapped off the compressor and it was paid for under warranty. This was at 30,125 miles. I now have 95,000 miles and 4 years later, the same thing happened on the way to work this morning - squeal and clunk with no a/c. Two times in 4 years! You cannot tell me there isn't a problem with this part. I will be taking my car back to the same dealership and lodging a complaint and will also be contacting Honda of America.

BL

Orlando, FL.

16th Jun 2009, 11:42

The AC quit last week on our 2003 CRV with only 45,000 miles. The dealer advised us that the whole system would need to be replaced at a cost of $2800.

I contacted Honda, was given a case number and have just been told over the phone that American Honda refuses to cover any of the the cost of this repair.

I will never buy another Honda again and advise anyone considering a Honda to look elsewhere. This company has no customer loyalty and does not stand behind its product.

19th Jun 2009, 10:27

Add me to the list. I've had the A/C compressor blow up twice now. Once at 24,000 miles and now again at 49,000 miles. I've been loyal to Honda since I started driving but this is it for me. I've been to the dealership and I've called Honda America and they DENY knowing about the problem. I can't believe the audacity of this since there are clearly so many people with this problem and hundreds of pages of complaints online. The guy at the dealership called these forums 'heresay'.

I've joined the class action lawsuit.

22nd Jun 2009, 21:44

Add me to the list of failed Honda AC compressors.

My 2004 Honda CRV with 60,000 miles died over the weekend.

I'll be contacting Honda tomorrow morning. I had no idea that this was such a common problem with Honda.

I just read about a class action lawsuit about this very problem.

If interested, the link is: http://www.honda-lawsuit.com/?gclid=CNbEw4KZ5pcCFQHBDAod60phDA

1st Jul 2009, 01:21

I own an auto repair shop in NM and do a lot of AC work on all different cars and models. I have a 02 CR-V in here now for bad AC compressor. I started searching the internet trying to get tech info to assist in doing a quality repair. I have a feeling that the design flaw on this vehicle has to do with the strange receiver/drier-condensor configuration. This also adds to the cost of the repair. A typical GM-Ford-Chrysler with total system failure/overhaul typically runs between $650 (Chevy) to $950 (Ford). In most cases new condensor or Evap core is not required and expansion tube/valves are easier to service.

I believe that part of the reason for repeat failures is that the AC condensor on these Hondas should be replaced, rather than just flushed. This is part of the reason for the high cost. The most insulting part of these comments is the diff in price $3400 at dealership, when independants usually get about $1500-both prices should include new condensor. Either way, looks like a faulty design that is bound to fail again about every 50K miles.