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2015 Honda CR-V Vibration at idle

1M views 4K replies 501 participants last post by  Mehta 
#1 ·
I was shopping for compact SUV and I almost decide to get CR-V But When I test drive last weekend.
I've noticed that when I'm stopped and in gear, there is a noticeable vibration from the engine, I can feel it on handle and seat.
I tried with passenger side but still feel same.
Is this normal on CR-V ?
 
#5 ·
2015 EX-L AWD with about 250 miles has the vibration at idle in D. It seems that when the rpms get too low (around 600 or so) the engine starts getting rough. I'm hoping it is a break-in issue that will go away as the miles rack up, although from what I've read on here it seems that it is just an inherent flaw with the CR-V. Perhaps that's one they are saving to fix on the next redesign...
 
#3,554 ·
This is a known problem and there is a technical service bulletin that addresses it. The TSB is 15-046, and I had the fix done on my brand new 2015 today. Go to your service department and give them that number and insist they read the updated one. First, they did a software update on mine a few weeks ago and asked me to drive 1000 miles to note whether the problem improved, worsened, or stayed the same. Mine was the same, so they ordered the parts which are some new brackets, transmission and radiator mounts, and even front seat headrests, all of which Honda engineers have determined will help absorb the vibration, which is a result of the offset connection between the engine and the transmission. It took about 4 hours for them to do it. Mine isn't 100% gone now, but at least 95-98% and I can live with it since I don't sit at a stop sign or light for long. Some dealers don't even know about the problem or the fix, so insist they read the bulletin. It was updated in November to include the vibration felt at idle. They won't just adjust the idle speed because that affects the mileage, and they will lose overall average performance ratings as a corporation, at least that's what I was told. Good luck!
 
#6 ·
My 2015 EX 2WD with about 900 miles has a notable but subtle vibration at about 550/600 RPMs, this seems standard for the car & if that were all, I probably would be happy. My BIG complaint / concern is that when I am at a complete stop and in drive the idle is hanging out just above the 500 line - 525? and the vibration is pronounced and annoying. The whole car shakes and anything in the cup holder rattles. This drop in RPMS happens only after the car is warm (about 7-10 minutes).

I am so sad this is happening because it is otherwise everything I want in a car.

I took it to the dealership and they deemed it a "normal" characteristic, but I am not convinced. I experienced the mild vibration in another 2015, but not the more profound one. It seemed to me that the RPMs would drop, but quickly pop up again & not hang out at 525.

I am hoping that with more effort this will be deemed abnormal & a fix will be found, because it is super annoying.

Palmoyas - Does this describe the problem you are having?

RobE - Please observe you car more at idle after 10 minutes of operation -specifically when you are at a full stop & in gear - and let us know what you are experience is since you are not experiencing this problem. If all CRVs don't do this, it is not normal & Honda really needs to do something. I would GREATLY appreciate your help!

Please let me know. Thanks!
 
#335 · (Edited)
My 2015 EX 2WD with about 900 miles has a notable but subtle vibration at about 550/600 RPMs, this seems standard for the car & if that were all, I probably would be happy. My BIG complaint / concern is that when I am at a complete stop and in drive the idle is hanging out just above the 500 line - 525? and the vibration is pronounced and annoying. The whole car shakes and anything in the cup holder rattles. This drop in RPMS happens only after the car is warm (about 7-10 minutes).
I just found this on my CRV 2015 AWD EX-L ... The car has less than 500 miles on it and recently I'm idle in traffic and the vibrartions start.

After reading someone in this thread mentioning it doesn't happen at night, I remember that for some reason I turned my headlights off that day. I went back out to my CRV, recreated the problem, turned the head lights to AUTO, and the problem went away immeditely after turning the headlights on ... RPMS back up closer to 500. I could see the needle move immediately by flipping the switch. It is the wife's car so she always leaves them on AUTO... which is a good idea anyway with a kid in the car.
I think Honda knows about this, which maybe why the dealer mentioned to always keep them on Auto.... but if there is a switch... I'm flipping it. Which makes me feel the next checkup they will probably flash or update something that will take care of this.

Alternator issue or some Green software thing? Seems like a engine firmware fix. Just happy to get the vibration to go away.
 
#7 ·
RobE - Please observe you car more at idle after 10 minutes of operation -specifically when you are at a full stop & in gear - and let us know what you experience - where do your RPMS tend to stay? Since you are not experiencing this problem, your information might be a huge help for us who are. If all CRVs don't do this, it is not normal & Honda really needs to do something. I would GREATLY appreciate your help!
 
#8 ·
I bought a new 2015 CR-V EX and sadly, off the bat, I noticed the aggressive vibration but only when the car is idling in D, and only when the engine is idling at about 600 rpm. Putting any load on the engine (turning the headlights on etc) increases the idle speed and diminishes the vibration.

But, when the car is idling in D at about 600 the passenger seat vibrates vigorously and the wheel shakes to a very irritating extent.

The dealers said they had not encountered this problem with any cr-v. Service said every car is like this. But I wish I had test-driven a warmed up car. It would have been a deal breaker as where I live requires a lot of waiting for lights to change.

Service will see if there's anything that can be done. I can report back if there's interst.
 
#18 ·
Feldman described my situation exactly, although it hasn't happened since and I've been looking for it. Perhaps I need to make sure everything is off (lights, defrost, etc) so there is less load on the engine.

I've also been running in non-economy mode since then to help effect a better engine break-in with more varied RPMs. When I was stopped at a light in D I switched over to Econ mode (albeit briefly) and it had no effect on the idle speed.
 
#19 · (Edited)
Thanks Palmoyas for reporting back. I did have a day or two when the engine would just idle at 650 or so (no major vibration) & I was praying it was the end of it, but no such luck. Hopefully, that won't happen to you.

If you do experience it a again, film it with your phone.

How many miles do you have on your car now? I have just over 1000, and it is still doing it...maybe you have more?

If you are willing, please put in a complaint to Honda Corp USA - it is friendly and easy. The more complaints, the more likely we are to get that fix the other posters mentioned.

Keep us posted!
 
#20 ·
Hello everyone,

We would like to apologize if customers are experiencing anything unusual with the drive-ability of the vehicle. We would like to confirm if this is an issue or a characteristic of the vehicle. We would like to welcome customers to visit their local Honda dealership for a diagnosis. If you need further assistance with the dealership, I can assist. If interested, please private message us with your full name, VIN, mileage and dealer so we can better assist you.


Thank you,

Jonathan
Social Media Team
Automobile Customer Service
Twitter: @HondaCustSvc
 
#21 ·
I am a proud owner of a 2015 Touring edition CRV and yes notice the vibration at idle after warming up. Sits around 600 rpm. More annoying is the vehicle shudder when in town between 10-40 mph, especially with ECON mode turned on. I like to drive "in the green" so very gentle on the pedal. When coasting tach reads 1500 rpm. Ease on the gas pedal and tach drops to 1100 rpm and vehicle shudders until you give it much more gas to get above 1500 rpm. Let go of the gas and it drops to 1100 rpm, engine studders than recovers back to 1500 rpm. I attribute this to the CRV transmission and gas pedal position. They are trying to optimize engine rpm against the CRT transmission and are being overly agressive on the set points established in the transmission. Having the engine rpm drop that low is putting too much strain on the engine. I would rather have a bit worse gas mileage and have the set point above the coasting speed of 1500 rpm. I am thinking this is a flaw for sure. I saw the same issue reported with 2013 Accord which has the same engine/CRT tranny as the new 2015 CRV. I actually brought the CRV in today to report the problem - picking it up in 10 minutes. I suspect they will have no clue what I am talking about since no TSB will be out soon. Maybe in 6-12 months Honda engineers will have enough complaints to change the computer programming to change the rpm characteristics agains the CRT set points. Will keep you updated.
 
#24 ·
If you have only experienced the 600 rpm vibration, you are lucky. Mine consistently drops to just above the 500 - 525? and it is terrible. The 600 is much more tolerable.

I have not experienced the other issue (yet?). I know nothing of mechanics, but maybe both of these problems are related?

I am completely with you on the mpg - better to have no vibrations than a slightly higher mpg!

I really hope it does not take that long for a fix to come.

Thanks for keeping us updated.

PS Sorry for the double post - still learning how to use this website.
 
#23 ·
If you have only experienced the 600 rpm vibration, you are lucky. Mine consistently drops to just above the 500 - 525? and it is terrible. The 600 is much more tolerable.

I have not experienced the other issue (yet?). I know nothing of mechanics, but maybe both of these problems are related?

I am completely with you on the mpg - better to have no vibrations than a slightly higher mpg!

I really hope it does not take that long for a fix to come.

Thanks for keeping us updated.
 
#25 ·
Just came from visiting multiple local dealers. Each had just one 15 with Navi and we wanted to buy several so would have combined the purchase so that all cars could have been picked up from one dealer at the same time.

Each car was tested and it was evident they all suffered from this malfunction.
 
#27 ·
I just got back from my dealer regarding the shaking at idle. They were very helpful and tried to retrain the idle speed according to Honda's instructions a few times to no effect. They contacted Honda directly while I was there and the dealer reported back to me that this issue was a feature of these vehicles rather than a flaw. Honda advised the dealer to show me other 2015 crvs and they all have this shaking to a certain extent at no-load idle though mine appears a little more pronounced.

I am really hoping for an update soon.
 
#28 ·
Well, your dealer sounds very helpful. It is really a shame that Honda considers this an acceptable condition for their cars. I compared my idle another 2015 crv and mine too was more pronounced. I have filmed my idle rpms and plan on showing my dealer - we were not able to reproduce the most pronounced idle vibration in the other car.

Did you ask them about an update? It would give me hope if I knew Honda can / would do it.

Thanks for reporting back - I hope more people will.
 
#29 ·
I just got back from an hour long test drive of the 2015 crv (se option package with awd) and can confirm there is a definite vibration issue when accelerating below 1500 rpm. The salesperson gave the car to my wife and I to test drive for the afternoon on our own and I was able to replicate the issue 100% of the time. The outside temperature was around 10 degrees celcius and the roads were dry.

The vibration was very noticible to myself through the steering wheel and also to my wife sitting in the front passenger seat. The first time I felt it I thought I was driving over rough pavement. It is a constant annoynance in stop and go traffic when the engine is often below 1500 rpm. It just feels wrong.

I reported the issue to the service desk thinking that we had a lemon on our hands. The guy behind the desk replied that this is a known issue and that his co-worker is also experiencing the issue in a 2015 that he bought for himself. He said that they think this is related to the atkinson cycle of the engine and are hoping that there will be an ecu fix in the future.

I was sad to hand the keys back to the salesperson. It has all the options that I am looking for in a car in my price range but this was the deal breaker. I am actually putting off buying a new car until the new year. I like this crv so much I am willing to wait to see if Honda can resolve this with an ecu patch. Otherwise, hello cx-5.
 
#30 · (Edited)
As noted by Grumpypants (post #4 above), the low-rpm vibration described in this thread has been discussed extensively. Owners of V-6 automobiles have similarly, ahem, "concerns" with regard to Honda's VCM (variable cylinder management) system, which as the name of the system suggests, varies the timing and firing sequence of the engine at specific rpm and engine-load conditions, and gives rise to similar engine-vibration complaints. Simply stated, these systems, which have inherent compromises, enable Honda to meet the federal government's emissions requirements while delivering the fuel-economy demanded by consumers. Toyotas, Subarus, Fords, BMWs, et al., all have similar, unique characteristics of their own. Fortunately, aside from the (minor?) irritation they cause new owners, these emission-control technologies have been tested extensively --i.e., for years -- before they were put into production, and they are mechanically benign. I doubt that Honda (or Toyota, Subaru, Ford, etc.) will ever acknowledge this with such candor -- 'tis better to express sympathetic concern to new owners (see post #20 above) -- but given the requirements of federal emissions laws and our desire to breath clean air, such is the state of automobile engineering in the 21st century. Finally, the ECM (engine management module) cannot be "re-flashed" to raise the engine rpm, because if that were done, it would raise the exhaust emissions at idle in violation of federal law.

(There is a practical, self-help work-around, by the way: Shift to neutral at traffic lights. Voila! no vibration.)
 
#31 ·
The "issue" or "characteristic" or however one decides to perceive this is not limited to vibration at idle. Switching into neutral might alleviate this annoyance at idle but I personally lose confidence in the engineering when the vibration is so pronounced when accelerating at low speeds. I have to wonder if this relatively new cvt technology will demonstrate the reliability and longevity of the Honda engines and transmissions of the past. No way to tell but I think you're right that an ecu flash will not be offered as a way to smooth things out. This will most certainly affect the emissions rating. I guess we just have to accept that this is indeed a characteristic of the new power train.
 
#33 ·
Damn it! I just bought a 2015 over the weekend and noticed this problem on the way home. I figure it would go away after the engine has been broken in.

Oh well, guess my wife was right, it's a massage feature. I don't really mind as long as it doesn't shake itself to pieces.
 
#34 ·
Crossposted from the ROC forum, Joe(Csimo) ...

Originally Posted by csimo View Post
The word on the street is that Ito will be GONE by March, 2015. Good riddance. He has run Honda into the ground.

Things are starting to look better. Honda was developed with quality over quantity, but that changed under Ito. Quantity was much more important that quality. Ito has admitted his mistakes and somehow avoided being thrown out (until the March meeting at least). He has broken tradition by not retiring.

It's looking like there will be a clean sweep at the top if one certain person is placed in charge by the board. That is the best case scenario.

In Ito's defense he has admitted his mistakes and Honda is scrambling to return to the quality over quantity model, but with the Takata airbag and the TERRIBLE MDX IQS survey they have a LONG way to go.

The bottom line is that Honda does not have the resources to make the needed changes now. It will take years even if Ito and his regime is removed and a more progressive regime takes over.

For now Honda is WAY behind the curve, and trails many other manufacturers. Ito is personally responsible for two HUGE failures... the Civic debacle, and now the Fit out of Mexico. Ito might know how to build a race car, but he has no idea how to run a major automotive company and will not accept his shortcomings. Only apologize.

Ito has run Honda into the ground. Honda quality absolutely SUCKS right now and top engineers are working on issues at assembly plants and port of entry rather than developing superior new products. The Earth Dreams engine does not even come close to meeting the goals. The purchase of the ZF 10-HP is a good move that can compensate for Honda's overly complicated and inefficient engines by today's standards.

I believe all of the above to be true. All you Honda fan boys can hate on me all you want. I know the numbers and they don't lie.
 
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