NAVIGATING THE ROUGH TERRAIN OF HONDA CR-V OWNERSHIP: A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE

SUVs (sport utility vehicles) have conquered the heart of American drivers, with 47.4 per cent of vehicle sales in 2019 going to this catch-all category. The compact crossover was the most popular type – too big for the road, but nimble enough for fun. No vehicle dominated this sub-genre more than the Honda CR-V, and with good reason: ‘Wherever the road leads, the CR-V can handle it, every time’ – a line no doubt hammered into homes by a well-funded Honda advertising campaign. But ‘wherever the road leads’ wasn’t always smooth going for a growing number of CR-V owners.

THE CLIMATE CONTROL CONUNDRUM

The Freezing Terrain of Inadequate Heating

The terrain of the interior is the climate control of the Honda CR-V; for a vehicle whose terrain management system can adapt to sand, gravel, mud, snow or pavement, the climate control system of some CR-V owners has put them into a two-dimensional plane of frozen body parts right from the start. Owners of multiple years of the most recent CR-V models have cited a failure to effectively heat the interior, particularly of the 2017 model. Not surprisingly, the terrain of safety can be a place to get stuck where the ability to quickly warm the inside of the vehicle and to clear the windshield can be just as critical as the terrain management system that keeps the vehicle out of the ditches, stuck in the mud or spinning its wheels in the snow.

Navigating the Heated Terrain of Summer

On the other hand, driving the hot summer terrains has presented problems for CR-V owners as well.AC compressor reliability, typically for the late ’90s through 2016 models, is in doubt, with repairs costing owners as much as $1,300. This points up the importance of a working climate control system, especially when driving hotter terrains.

THE ROCKY ROAD OF SECURITY – DOOR LOCK WOES

Another terrain they never anticipated weaving through are the door locks, which can fail to lock securely and pose a risk to the car (the CR-V is in the top 10 most-stolen cars) in 1997 and through 2010 models. This course of action can cost hundreds of dollars, further exposing how the deck is stacked against the integrity of the car.

FLUID TERRAIN: OIL, DIFFERENTIAL, AND FUEL INJECTION ISSUES

The Slippery Slope of Oil Management

And then you have to realise that CVTs manage the vehicle’s fluids. There’s the oil-管理 oil, the fluid you put in your differential, and the fuel-反应 injection fluid. In 2018, Honda issued a recall over a CR-V oil level rising above its peak capacity and mixing with the fuel. The cooler the terrain, the shorter the trip, the worse the problem: Honda responded by tweaking fuel injection timing.

Groaning Under the Strain

For one thing, there are reports of creaking noises due to the breakdown of rear differential fluid that further craters the CR-V ownership landscape and is fixable with an oil change but more maintenance for owners who want their vehicles to be prepared for any environment.

THE DIVERSE TERRAIN OF HONDA CR-V OWNERSHIP

The road that this Honda CR-V travels encompasses not only the frost-bitten arteries in need of serious heating and the sun-baked asphalt that cries for effective cooling, but also the terrain of security checks and the terrain of fluid management. Ownership often involves a series of separate, challenging terrains that cumulatively make us aware of the perils of the ownership terrain itself – its vulnerabilities to leakage, its need for constant maintenance, and (let’s face it) its patience-testing requirements at times.

UNDERSTANDING TERRAIN

At the centre of the CR-V’s terrain lies, of course, terrain – a word that carries a variety of connotations in this context, related to the ‘different paths’ of CR-V ownership. In this sense, terrain refers to the many challenges and experiences an owner garners throughout the years they own their vehicle, including mechanical problems and environmental modifications. Mastery of terrain, in all its forms, is essential to any CR-V owner who wishes to fully engage with the vehicle’s capabilities and adventures. In the literal terrain of off-roading or the metaphorical terrain of vehicle repair, CR-V owners invariably face a set of challenges to conquer or experiences to embrace as they navigate through.