Honda CR-V Intermittent Starting Problem: Complete Guide on the Issue

"Now it starts, now it doesn't, now it starts, now it doesn't". For how long has this been happening with your Honda CR-V? Probably long enough that you've decided to do some research regarding this issue. Having an intermittent starting problem can be very frustrating, especially because you can never know when the vehicle will start or not, or it might even end up not starting at all.

Intermittent starting issues highlights

• Level of urgency:Medium
• Can you drive?Yes
• DIY inspection:Impossible
• DIY repair:Impossible
• Price for repair:$300 - $600
• Common Reasons:Anykind ofstarting problem
• Ways to fix:Take it to professional mechanics and let them find the solution

What can cause problems?

You should know that an intermittent starting problem can be caused by more factors, which is why you should take into account each one of them before spending any money on replacing components that aren't actually faulty. Here are some of the things that could cause issues:

1) Faulty battery terminals

Time and exposure to vibration will eventually take their toll on the battery terminals and when they are faulty or loose, they could cause intermittent starting issues.

2) Bad ground points

Although car owners only think about checking the vehicle's ground points when there's an electrical problem, we believe that they should be checked regularly. Since they are exposed to all sorts of vibrations and even to humidity in certain cases, with time, they might either get loose or corroded. Have we also mentioned that they're one of the most common reasons for intermittent starting issues?

3) Faulty relays

Many times, whenever a certain electronic component of the vehicle stops working as it should, people will immediately assume that changing that particular component will solve their issue. However, there have been many cases in which the actual reason for an electronic component that no longer works was a faulty relay. They are cheaper and easier to replace than, for example, a starter or a fuel pump, which is why we would advise you to check them before spending money on replacing good parts.

4) Clogged fuel filter/fuel injectors

Just like you regularly have to change the oil and oil filter, you also have to replace other filters in your vehicle, such as the air filter, cabin filter, and fuel filter. It is not rare to see that there are vehicles out there that are 10 or more years of age and they still have their original fuel filter. A clogged fuel filter will definitely prevent fuel flow to the engine, which is why you might have intermittent starting issues. Also, you could think about cleaning the fuel injectors as well, while in there.

5) Drained battery

When a car battery is on its last legs, you will almost certainly notice all sorts of running issues. Not only you could encounter an intermittent running issue, but you might also notice some very strange electrical issues, such as warning lights coming on and off, or various electrical components that no longer work as they used to.

6) Broken starter

The more inexperienced out there would be tempted to think about the starter right away, whenever there's an intermittent starting problem with their vehicle. Even though this component is indeed responsible for starting the engine, we would advise you to first check the fuses, relays, and ground points before deciding to replace the starter itself. If you hear strange noises coming from it whenever you start the car, you might want to have the starter checked in this situation.

7) Faulty key fob

You may have noticed that car keys have no longer been just keys in the last two decades or so. This is because they also have electronics inside them, which are used to communicate with the vehicle's immobilizer. Basically, a key fob that's acting up could result in either intermittent starting issues or even no start at all. Have you dropped your key fob recently? This might be the cause of your issues.

8) Faulty ignition coils

Ignition coils are the electronic components that trigger the spark plugs, which, in their turn, produce the spark necessary to burn fuel. It is not uncommon for them to fail after a certain period of time, which is why you'll want to check them as well. Many times, when there's an issue with either the ignition coils or the spark plugs, you might also notice a warning light in the instrument cluster and an error code upon performing a diagnostic.

9) Faulty ignition switch

Not only could a bad ignition switch cause intermittent starting problems, but it could also cause electronic components to stop working as they should, such as the horn, the buttons on the steering wheel, and even the sun visor lights. As unrelated as this may seem to the issue, you'd be surprised to find out it is, in fact, true.

10) Bad electronic steering lock

If your car features a push-button ignition instead of a classic ignition barrel, you might have noticed that whenever you're turning on and off the engine, you hear a click coming from somewhere behind the steering wheel. What you're hearing is the electronic steering lock. If this component starts to fail, it might not disengage from time to time and if that happens, the vehicle's ECU will not allow the engine to start.

11) Bad immobilizer

As you may already know, immobilizers have been used in cars for quite a long time now and their purpose is to prevent the vehicle from being started with any random key. When the immobilizer fails, it won't be able to recognize the vehicle's key fob anymore. Most of the time, this issue isn't intermittent, but it's still a possibility.

12) Faulty fuel pump

As you can probably tell from its name, the fuel pump is responsible for providing the engine with fuel. With time, these can also fail and they usually do without any warning. They will simply stop working and leave you stranded. However, there are rare situations in which you can actually hear strange noises coming from the fuel pump, just before it fails. Also, remember to check the fuses and relays before replacing the fuel pump.

13) Bad crankshaft position sensor

This is another common reason for intermittent starting issues and the reason for it is that this particular sensor is constantly exposed to heat, which will certainly shorten its lifespan. Its purpose is to tell the vehicle's ECU of the exact position of the crankshaft at all times. If the ECU doesn't know this information, it won't be able to send fuel or spark at the right time, in order for the engine to run as it should.

How to fix the problems?

If the problem is something simple such as making sure that the battery terminals or grounds are tightened properly, then you have a free and easy fix for your problem. However, for anything else, we would recommend you start the troubleshooting process by performing a diagnostic.

A diagnostic tool will provide you with a lot of vital information, not only related to the error codes but also related to the way your engine is running. After you perform the diagnostic and you have an array of error codes, you will have a good starting point for your troubleshooting process.

If you do not feel comfortable with doing any work yourself, you could always take your vehicle to a Honda specialist. Since this is such a popular and documented vehicle manufacturer, they will have almost certainly dealt with such problems before and will therefore know what they need to do in order to fix the issue.

How to avoid issues in the future?

You should know that in order to prevent issues such as this one, the only things you could do would be to regularly service your vehicle with high-quality parts and to visually inspect as many components as possible from time to time.

Apart from the mentioned things, there really isn't much you could do to avoid this issue, since many components aren't usually messed with by most drivers out there. You could try replacing certain parts even if they seem in good working order but you think that they are a little bit too old, but this sort of preventative maintenance would only be recommended if you decide to only use original or very high-quality components.

Should you drive like this?

We definitely wouldn't recommend you drive your car in this situation since you can never be 100% sure of when it will start and when it will not. Just like we've mentioned above, it would be very unpleasant for you to be left stranded somewhere very far from home with a vehicle that refuses to start.

Of course, there are situations, such as when the starter is faulty and the vehicle can be started by pushing it, but even so, we wouldn't recommend you risk it.

Final thoughts

Having an intermittent starting issue can become extremely frustrating, especially because many times the issue is not present. This becomes increasingly annoying when you decide to take your vehicle to the mechanic and they simply won't be able to observe just how exactly this issue manifests.