2018 Honda CR-V: Oil dilution (gas in oil, high oil level)
Common wear/failure (not a recall)
Symptoms
Owners of the 2018 CR-V report: fuel in oil with overfilled oil level gas smell in cabin. CarComplaints.com lists 63 owner complaints, average mileage 8,450 miles.
NHTSA has 544 owner complaints for the 2018 CR-V in this area. Examples:
- NHTSA complaint ODI #11768662 (filed 10/03/2026): “Had injectors replaced 2 times before it had 100k miles, honda knew what was happening. one of the men in the service dept told me while having them replaced the 2nd time. i took my car to the dealership at 123k miles and told them theres a problem with my…”
- NHTSA complaint ODI #11768420 (filed 10/01/2026): “The timing chain and camshaft broke the car froze while driving 70 mh. no warning. with about 67000 mi on it. yes it can be inspected. at risk on the freeway going 70 mph. was able to coast to the right side before engine locked the wheels. not able to resta…”
Likely causes
Honda's own dealer communications (filed with NHTSA) describe engine oil dilution on certain 2017-18 CR-Vs with the 1.5L turbo engine, tied to control-unit software/threshold settings: in extreme cold-weather states, CR-Vs driven on very short drive cycles may get fuel in the oil, raising the oil level, and in some cases causing misfire codes P0300-P0304 or P0172 (fuel system too rich). The 2019 owner letter also lists a whirling noise from the engine compartment and a lit check-engine light.
Fix, in plain English
Honda issued a product update (Service Bulletins 18-114 and 18-124, October 2018): replace the engine oil, update the PGM-FI (engine) and transmission software, reset learned values, and on some vehicles replace the A/C control unit. It started in five cold-weather states and was expanded in December 2018 to 16 more states. In 2019 Honda extended powertrain coverage for affected 2017-18 CR-Vs to 6 years/unlimited miles from the original sale date for damage from these concerns (camshafts, rocker arms, spark plugs), with software updates also covered under the 8-year/80,000-mile emissions warranty (campaign A4B, bulletin 19-032). Because that window runs from the original sale date, many 2017-18 CR-Vs are now past it; ask a Honda dealer to run a VIN check for open campaigns before paying out of pocket.
DIY difficulty: Pro
Internal engine work (lifters, oil consumption, fuel dilution diagnosis) requires engine teardown or dealer software/tests. (Our assessment.)
Cost
No sourced cost range: get a written quote after diagnosis.
Typical parts (search links, no affiliate codes)
AutoZone · O'Reilly · Advance · RockAuto
Sources
- CarComplaints.com: Fuel in oil with overfilled oil level gas smell in cabin (2018 CR-V)
- NHTSA complaints API, 2018 CR-V
- Manufacturer service bulletin / communication filed with NHTSA (2018): MC-10147181-9999
- Manufacturer service bulletin / communication filed with NHTSA (2018): MC-10151673-0001
- Manufacturer service bulletin / communication filed with NHTSA (2019): MC-10163170-0001