Honda CR-V 2009: reliability & common MOT faults

At a glance

How 8,492 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time: 64 in every 100
Did not pass first time: 36 in every 1003,048 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car: 16 yearsabout 128,946 miles
First tests counted: 8,492

What failed most often

Track rod end (front)10 in every 100 failed tests
Anti-roll bar linkage ball joints (front)8 in every 100 failed tests
Individual sidelight or tail light (front)8 in every 100 failed tests

How we count this. Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Only Class 4 cars on their first MOT of the year are counted. A car that fails and is fixed at the test station still counts as a fail in the first-attempt rate. These are raw results, not adjusted for age, mileage, or peer mix. The MOT does not test engine or gearbox internals.

Note:

These are patterns across 2009 Honda CR-V vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.

Lamps and electrical

One fault: headlight levelling device (rear), 23 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 3,043 of 3,048 failed first attempts (99.8%) that recorded an odometer reading in 2025. Mileage is needed to compare like with like.

We only list faults with at least 20 failures and a rate of about 2.0 times that of similar cars, which keeps one-off results out of the list.

Headlight levelling device (rear)

Failed on 70 first tests23 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A headlamp levelling device that is inoperative is graded Major, and so is a manual levelling device that cannot be operated from the driver's seat. Vehicles with high intensity discharge or LED dipped beam headlamps may have a self-levelling system, and if fitted it must work. Where it is not easy to tell, testers give the benefit of the doubt, and motor caravans are not checked.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Suspension

Three faults. The strongest is the anti-roll bar pins and bushes (rear): 13 times as often as on similar cars.

Anti-roll bar pins and bushes (rear)

Failed on 85 first tests13 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

An anti-roll bar pin or bush that is excessively worn is Major, and one likely to become detached is graded Dangerous. The wording is DVSA's general rule for a suspension pin, bush or joint.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 141 first tests, 11 times as often as on similar cars.

Anti-roll bar linkage ball joints (rear)

Failed on 76 first tests4.0 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Excessive wear on an anti-roll bar linkage ball joint is Major. A joint likely to become detached is graded Dangerous.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 86 first tests, 2.8 times as often as on similar cars.

Anti-roll bar linkage ball joints (front)

Failed on 239 first tests2.0 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

Excessive wear on an anti-roll bar linkage ball joint is Major. A joint likely to become detached is graded Dangerous.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.

Advisories

Other things testers noted as worn or close to failing, more often than on similar cars.

An advisory is a note from the tester about something that has not failed yet. It is an early warning, not a fail. Advisories for the faults above are shown with those faults.

Macpherson strut (rear)

Noted on 24 first tests27 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Other towbar components

Noted on 35 first tests17 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Brake pedal

Noted on 117 first tests8.0 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

Other power steering components

Noted on 33 first tests4.6 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Structural sub-frame condition (front)

Noted on 24 first tests3.8 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Power steering pipes and hoses (front)

Noted on 31 first tests3.7 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Anti-roll bar (rear)

Noted on 50 first tests3.1 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Counts cover advisories recorded on failed first tests only, compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

MOT pass rates

How first tests ended, and how the pass rates are counted.

Passed first time: 64in every 100; Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station: 7in every 100; Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed: 29in every 100; Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 64.1% of 8,492 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 71.0%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 7 fixed and the 29 not fixed make the 36 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Petrol and diesel

First testsTypical mileagePassed first time, as testedPassed first time, same mileage

Diesel5,988137,149 miles6364

Petrol2,503108,350 miles6864

Figures are in every 100 first tests. Cars with more miles usually fail more often, so the same-mileage figure gives every fuel the mileage mix of all the cars in this year.

Same model, other years

Passed first time in every 100, all tested in 2025.

Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb. A year earlier (2024), when these cars were a year younger, 67 in every 100 passed first time.

Year	Passed first time	First tests
1999	52 in every 100	343
2000	52 in every 100	531
2001	55 in every 100	891
2002	49 in every 100	2,508
2003	50 in every 100	3,782
2004	49 in every 100	4,876
2005	53 in every 100	6,998
2006	54 in every 100	7,920
2007	57 in every 100	11,743
2008	60 in every 100	8,890
2009 This car	64 in every 100	8,492
2010	69 in every 100	9,230
2011	71 in every 100	9,222
2012	74 in every 100	11,907
2013	80 in every 100	13,543
2014	82 in every 100	14,223
2015	83 in every 100	13,859
2016	85 in every 100	13,724
2017	86 in every 100	11,531
2018	88 in every 100	8,968
2019	91 in every 100	8,055
2020	92 in every 100	5,389
2021	92 in every 100	5,635
2022	93 in every 100	5,014

If you are buying one

What this year's MOT record means for the decision in front of you.

Mileage matters most on a 2009 CR-V.

Of 2009 CR-V vehicles with under 98,000 miles, 76 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 162,000 miles or more, 56 in every 100 did.

Under 98,0001,677 tests

76

98,000–120,0001,742 tests

66

120,000–139,000 Typical car1,694 tests

64

139,000–162,0001,687 tests

59

162,000 and over1,685 tests

56

Petrol or diesel?

	Typical mileage	Passed first time, as tested	Passed first time, same mileage
Diesel	137,149 miles	63	64
Petrol	108,350 miles	68	64

Figures are in every 100 first tests. Petrol cars look better on the raw figures only because diesel cars have done more miles (typically 137,149 against 108,350). At the same mileage there is no clear difference between the two.

What to check at your mileage

How often each fault turned up on a failed first test, by the car's mileage. Read it as: what is likely to need looking at on a car like the one in front of you.

	Under 98,000	120,000–139,000	162,000 and over
Track rod end (front)	1.8	3.8	5.9
Anti-roll bar linkage ball joints (front)	1.3	3.2	3.5
Individual sidelight or tail light (front)	0.8	2.7	5.0
Headlight aim	1.9	2.6	3.9
Headlight	0.7	2.2	3.4

Faults per 100 first tests, by the car's mileage at the test.

When a car fails

30in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

43in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

8in every 100

of all first tests had a defect the tester marked dangerous (unsafe to drive away).

Every figure here is a first-attempt MOT rate from DVSA open data for this model line, for cars of this model year tested in 2025. Each mileage band holds a fifth of the tests. MOTs do not test engine or gearbox internals, so this is a pre-purchase checklist, not a full reliability score.

FAQs

Short answers about how to read this model-year guide.

Is the 2009 Honda CR-V reliable?

The 2009 Honda CR-V follows the pattern of the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Track rod end (front), about 10 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 64.1% of 8,492 first MOTs on the 2009 Honda CR-V passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 71.0%. Among 3,048 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Headlight levelling device (rear) appears more often than on similar cars (2.3% of those tests; 70 observed failures; about 23× more often than similar cars). There is no single reliability score here; this is a pre-purchase checklist built from DVSA open data, not a guarantee for any individual car.

What is most likely to fail on a 2009 Honda CR-V?

Ranked by how often they were actually recorded, the items that most often failed a 2009 Honda CR-V at the first attempt were Track rod end (front) (10.1%), Anti-roll bar linkage ball joints (front) (7.9%) and Individual sidelight or tail light (front) (7.5%), each as a share of the year's failed first attempts. That is what goes wrong most often on the car. The common faults table shows a different measure: faults that are unusual compared with similar cars.

What common MOT faults stand out on the Honda CR-V 2009?

Among failed first-attempt tests we highlight patterns that appear more often than on similar cars. Top example: Headlight levelling device (rear) (2.3% of those tests; 70 observed failures; about 23× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.

Why does Headlight levelling device (rear) stand out?

Headlight levelling device (rear) shows up more often than on similar cars (2.3% of those tests; 70 observed failures; about 23× more often than similar cars). That does not prove a design fault. Age, mileage, and how the car was used still matter. Treat it as a pre-purchase checkpoint, not a manufacturer service bulletin.

What are common problems with the 2009 Honda CR-V?

Common MOT problem areas for the 2009 Honda CR-V include Headlight levelling device (rear), Anti-roll bar pins and bushes (rear), Anti-roll bar linkage ball joints (rear). These are the faults that stand out compared with similar cars, not a complete list of what can go wrong on any individual car.

How should I read advisories vs fails?

Advisories flag issues noted at the test and are not a fail rate. We show advisory patterns that appear more often than on similar cars among failed first-attempt tests, separate from common failure rows. Use them as early-warning checks, not as a pass/fail score.

What does this Honda CR-V 2009 MOT report cover?

This page highlights MOT failure patterns for the 2009 Honda CR-V (registration year) using UK DVSA open data for the selected test year. Patterns are compared with cars of a similar age and mileage. It is a buyer checklist from MOT defect statistics, not a full service history or manufacturer service-bulletin list.

Does this include engine and gearbox problems?

No. MOT tests do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronic modules. Patterns here come from MOT defect statistics only and should not be read as engine or gearbox reliability scores.

About this data

How this page is built and what it can (and can't) say.

These figures come from UK MOT open data for this model year. We surface common failure patterns against similar cars, not a full reliability score, and not a pass/fail verdict on any individual vehicle.

2024 2025

What we include

UK Class 4 cars only. Normal MOT tests (not retests); first test per vehicle per calendar year; results pass, PRS, or fail.

Same-day repairs

PRS means the car failed items that were fixed at the test station and then passed the same day. We count PRS as a first-attempt fail in headline rates so same-day repairs do not hide problems.

How we compare

We compare this model year with other Class 4 cars of similar age and mileage in the same test year. This model family is left out of the peer group so the car is not measured against itself.

What this does not cover

MOTs do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronics; this is not a full reliability score.
Common faults come from MOT defect stats, not manufacturer TSBs or recalls.
Age and mileage matching reduces, but does not remove, differences in how cars were used and maintained.
If the data for a car is too thin to say anything useful, we say so rather than guess.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

At a glance

What failed most often

Lamps and electrical

Headlight levelling device (rear)

What it means

Suspension

Anti-roll bar pins and bushes (rear)

What it means

Also noted as an advisory

Anti-roll bar linkage ball joints (rear)

What it means

Also noted as an advisory

Anti-roll bar linkage ball joints (front)

What it means

Advisories

Macpherson strut (rear)

Other towbar components

Brake pedal

Other power steering components

Structural sub-frame condition (front)

Power steering pipes and hoses (front)

Anti-roll bar (rear)

MOT pass rates

Petrol and diesel

Same model, other years

If you are buying one

Mileage matters most on a 2009 CR-V.

Petrol or diesel?

What to check at your mileage

When a car fails

FAQs

About this data

What we include

Same-day repairs

How we compare

What this does not cover

Check any vehicle’s MOT history