Dealer message - American Honda (AHM) is investigating certain 2012-2014 CR-Vs with a complaint of the parking brake indicator not illuminating when engaged. To fully understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to inspect the vehicle prior to your attempting a repair of any kind.
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗2012 Honda CR-V lighting problems
moderate Owners of the 2012 Honda CR-V have filed 12 NHTSA complaints about the lighting at roughly $250 to repair (U.S. federal records, as of July 2026). Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. See lighting across all vehicles →
Complaints
12
Recalls
0
Avg fix
$250
| Model year | lighting complaints |
|---|---|
| 2008 CR-V | 3 |
| 2010 CR-V | 5 |
| 2011 CR-V | 3 |
| 2012 CR-V (this page) | 12 |
| 2013 CR-V | 29 |
| 2014 CR-V | 19 |
| 2015 CR-V | 4 |
What stands out
No new NHTSA lighting complaint has been filed on this vehicle in over 13 years — the issue may be aging out of the active population.
Is there a fix? Manufacturer service bulletins
The manufacturer has issued service bulletins covering lighting on this vehicle — documented repair instructions, service campaigns, or warranty extensions sent to dealers. A TSB isn't a recall (it's not a free safety remedy), but it's the manufacturer acknowledging the issue and how to fix it.
Dealer message - American Honda (AHM) is investigating certain 2012-2014 CR-Vs with a complaint of the parking brake indicator not illuminating when engaged. To fully understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to inspect the vehicle prior to your attempting a repair of any kind.
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗Dealer message - American Honda (AHM) is investigating certain 2012-2014 CR-Vs with a complaint of the parking brake indicator not illuminating when engaged. To fully understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to inspect the vehicle prior to your attempting a repair of any kind.
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗HONDA: WHILE DRIVING, HEADLIGHTS TURN ON AND OFF, DISPLAY ON DASHBOARD CHANGES BETWEEN BRIGHT AND DIM AND LIGHT SWITCH IS ON AUTO.
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications. Bring the bulletin number to your dealer or shop.
The failure pattern owners describe
The 2012 Honda CR-V has a pervasive headlight problem that appears system-wide rather than isolated to individual bad bulbs. Owners describe low beams as too dim to drive safely at night, even with fog lights on. High beams don't help much—they either aim too high (lighting trees instead of road) or still don't produce enough intensity to illuminate the path ahead. One owner reported nearly hitting pedestrians and multiple deer because the lights won't show the road clearly.
The issue surfaces early (reported as low as 3,000 miles) and persists even after multiple dealer adjustments. Service departments confirm the lights are set to factory specification and say there's nothing more they can do. Honda corporate refused to acknowledge it as a defect. No recalls or technical service bulletins exist for this.
One complaint describes an intermittent electrical problem where low-beam lights fail to come on, then spontaneously work again after tapping the lens. Another owner reported running lights turning off during night driving.
Owners across forums are replacing entire headlight assemblies with aftermarket HID units as a workaround. The dimness becomes critical in rain, on dark rural roads with no streetlights, and anywhere visibility matters for collision avoidance.
Same Honda CR-V lighting reports on nearby years: 2013 · 2014
Failure modes owners describe
Dim/insufficient headlight output
Low-beam and high-beam headlights produce inadequate illumination for safe night driving, even after multiple dealer adjustments. Owners report the lights are too dim in dark conditions, rain, and on unlit rural roads. The issue occurs across 2012-2013 models and appears to be a design characteristic rather than a defect of individual units.
When: Present from early ownership (as early as 3,000 miles reported); occurs during night driving in dark/rainy conditions
Symptoms owners cite: Insufficient light output on low beam; Insufficient light output on high beam; Poor visibility at night without use of high beams; Poor visibility in rain with both headlights and fog lights on; Corner/side lighting inadequate; Unable to see road ahead clearly even on high beam
Repairs/costs cited: Multiple dealer adjustments attempted but did not resolve the issue; dealers report lights are set to factory spec and cannot be further adjusted. Some owners replaced entire headlight assemblies with aftermarket HID units.
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: Honda America stated they will take no action unless lights are defective; manufacturer advised headlight failure was not a manufacturing defect. No recalls or technical service bulletins available for headlight performance.
Low-beam headlight intermittent failure
Driver's side low-beam failed to illuminate, then spontaneously returned. Both driver's and passenger's side low beams subsequently failed to illuminate. Tapping on the lens caused both to come back on, suggesting an intermittent electrical or connection issue.
When: Reported on 12/23/2021 (date of complaint #7); vehicle year 2012
Symptoms owners cite: Driver's side low beam does not illuminate; Passenger's side low beam does not illuminate; Lights spontaneously return to function; Tapping on lens causes lights to resume operation; High beams and marker lights remain functional
Repairs/costs cited: Not yet taken to dealer or mechanic for diagnosis
High-beam misalignment (points too high)
High-beam lights aim excessively upward, illuminating trees or sky rather than the road ahead. Low beams aim too low. The aiming issue is set at factory and cannot be corrected through dealer adjustment.
When: Present from early ownership
Symptoms owners cite: High beam points too high (illuminates trees/sky); Low beam points too low; High beam provides no useful illumination of road; High beam not noticeable to oncoming traffic despite being on
Repairs/costs cited: Service department confirmed lights are set at factory spec and cannot be adjusted further
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: Dealers advise this is factory design with no available fix or recall
Running lights/daytime lights intermittent
Running lights turn off by themselves during night driving.
When: Occurs during night driving
Symptoms owners cite: Running lights turn off spontaneously
Synthesized from 12 NHTSA owner complaints — unverified consumer allegations, summarized for patterns. The verbatim filings appear below.
What owners are reporting 2 most recent
I would like to lodge a formal complaint in regards to the head lights on the Honda cr-v. The 2012 and 2013 models both suffer from very dim headlights. While the brightness may be enough to pass ntsb regulations; in practice, they are much more dim than most if not all modern vehicles. I am a member on multiple forums sites and there are a great deal of cr-v owners that feel the headlights in…
Driver's side low beam light went out. High beam and marker lights remained in working order. Spontaneously came back on. A few days later 12/23/2021, both the driver's side and the passenger side front low beams did not illuminate. Again, the high beam lights and marker lights remained in working order. I tapped the plastic on the lens, and both of them came back on. Vehicle is available for…
Had lighting trouble with your 2012 Honda CR-V?
File a complaint with NHTSA → It's free, official, and how every report above got here — owner filings are the federal safety record this page is built on.
Common questions
How serious is the lighting problem on the 2012 Honda CR-V?
It's a documented issue but not catastrophic. 12 complaints have been filed. Repairs average $250 and most owners catch it before it causes a breakdown.
At what mileage does the lighting typically fail?
Based on the 12 complaints filed, lighting issues most often appear around 18,507 miles. Some report problems earlier; some make it well past 150,000 with no symptoms. Maintenance habits matter — vehicles that received timely fluid services and were not regularly overworked tend to last longer.
What does it cost to fix?
Independent shops typically charge around $250 for lighting repairs on this vehicle. Dealer pricing tends to run 20-40% higher. The exact figure depends on the specific failure mode, parts availability, and your local labor rates. If you're outside factory warranty, an extended service contract often covers this category.
Are there any recalls related to lighting?
No active recalls currently cover lighting issues on this vehicle. The complaints filed represent owner-reported failures that haven't risen to the level of a manufacturer-issued recall — but they're still worth knowing about before you buy or budget for repairs.
Related
Complaint and recall data sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
public records database. Verify the raw federal record at
nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2012/Honda/CR-V.
Severity ratings are derived from reported crashes, fires, injuries, and fatalities. Repair cost estimates are
independent-shop national averages and may differ in your area. Some links on this page are affiliate links.