poor gas mileage

Asked by kjudge9916 Apr 12, 2008 at 10:13 AM about the 2003 Honda CR-V

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

Love the car - bought Dec. 06.  But gas mileage dreadful - under 20 mpg.  Improved after air filter changed, but back to low miles again.  Is this standard?  I have about 25M miles on the car.  My 99 Odyssey was better than the CRV on mpg.

48 Answers

27,615

You should be getting somewhere between 23 and 29 mpg. You have at least 3 options that I can think of. 1. Change your driving habbits. Fast starts and "flooring it" will hurt your mpg worse than anything. 2. Change your fuel source. You might be getting a poor grade of fuel based on lowest price. 3. Add a bottle of fuel injector cleaner to your fuel tank once every other month. This might clean out the deposits that are robbing your mpg. Good luck!

51 people found this helpful.
305

Not sure why.... I have 278, 000. ML on my 1997 CR-V... I get better then that. Even with all my miles. Try changing your spark plugs... or your spark plug wires. That will cause not only gas Mileage but power loss.

28 people found this helpful.
16,725

What goes through my head... fuel filter? injection cleaner? Plugs/wires? oil leaking into plug wells from valve cover gasket?

10 people found this helpful.
650

I have a 2003 CRV and gas milage sucks. I just had firestone do the 3 stage fuel injector cleaning and changed out the plugs, no spark plug wires on this car, thats what I'm told. 89 bucks for plugs and 98 bucks for the fuel injection cleaning. Much better gas milage, 27 on highway, used to get about 20. I have 120,000 miles on it.

65 people found this helpful.
105

I've got a mk3 2.2 diesel (2007). Does over 30 mpg around town and over 40 on a longer journey. So like others have said, maybe there's something wrong with the car...

9 people found this helpful.
185

Yeah must be something wrong with the car. My 02 gets about 30mpg.

12 people found this helpful.
540

yur 03 crv has a fuel filter built into the fuel pump. so u cant change the fuel filter with changing the fuel pump. best off changing the plugs, and air filter, and putting a bottle of techron in the tank and if oil change is due to make sure u us the right oil. should improve the mpg.

15 people found this helpful.
930

My wife's CRV is a 2012. It had been getting about 27.5 mpg. It all of a sudden dropped to 23 mpg the last two tanks of fuel. I went to a local dealer and they said there was nothing wrong. No fuel change, no change in driving habits and all of a sudden it gets 23 mpg. Something is wrong. This was a great car. I have had other Hondas and Honda motorcycles. This will be the last Honda for me, unless this is fixed or gets better or heals up on its own.

93 people found this helpful.
370

I have a 2013 with less than 1500 miles on it. Was getting about 24.9. then I figured I would try pressing that green Econ button. Got worse mileage. turned the green button off and continued with worse mileage. Hasn't even had its first oil change yet. Love the car but very disappointed. Hopefully it will be something that can be fixed.

37 people found this helpful.
310

Ihave one honda CR-V, ONLY 750 miles on it, and I only get 17-20 mpg, I drive very careful, not sudden changes of speed, and Im very dissapointed, I been calling honda seller,and request to exchange por one odyssey, dont called me back. My old honda odyssey 2000 was giving me almost the same miles por galon. Im very angry

31 people found this helpful.
1,000

I have Honda CRV 2010 make it 17.4 as average fuel per gallon, what should I do

100 people found this helpful.
340

I have a 2014 Honda CRV- I am lucky if I get 13 mpg, in the city! Just drove 2 and a half hours on the freeway and only got up to 26 mpg!!! Tons of oil changes, with only 26,775 miles on it!!! Extremely disappointed!! That econ button is a joke!! I don't do fast starts, and stops, however, sitting at a light, and easy acceleration my mpg tank!!!

34 people found this helpful.
130

Tired of poor mileage - bought a Prius . I'm a happy camper !

13 people found this helpful.
200

My 2014 CRV recently started to use a lot of gas. I live in a hilly city, but why all of a sudden. I mentioned it to the mechanic when I got an oil change a week ago, but he wasn't of any help. I think I will try a different gas station and see ...I had a Toyota RAV and the gas mileage was much better. I like my CRV but this suddenly happening and I only have 20,070 kilometers on it.

20 people found this helpful.
70

I have 2009 fuel problem filling up more than my 2004 Nissan quest. Wish I had did my homework. Have to drive slow for good mpg

7 people found this helpful.
190

valve into block with 3 vacuum hoses lines. What is the name Honda CRV 2003

19 people found this helpful.
680

I have a 2003 crv and get about 300kms per tank only!! its got 270000kms and drives like new but ive never had a vehicle with such poor mileage. Ive changed plugs, air filter, used multiple bottles of injector cleaner, always use correct oil and have tried all grades of gas. I drive like an old granddad and Still no change. What about PCV valve? Any other ideas as this is costing a fortune in gas!

52 people found this helpful.
680

what do you mean by valve into block with vacuum hoses

16 people found this helpful.
30

FB1978 I think he means the IAC

3 people found this helpful.
150

Same problem....after oil change my gas mileage began to drop.......now i know why they said they changed the oil at della but they didnt...Prior to oil change I was gettting 30-34 on highway after oil change and right away the mileage dropped to 22 highway and im at 70 % oil life left the mileage is still going down....no change in driving habits......HONDA KNOWS WHATS GOING ON.......DONT BUY FOR ECONOMY......GO TOYOTA IF YOU WANT A GOOD GAS MILEAGE CAR!!!

15 people found this helpful.
650

My Car: 2007 Honda CRV EX-L , NAVI Guys, I had the same problem. My car was stolen, recovered in pretty beat up condition. I used to get about 24 mpg average , now its 17 ... So i scratched my head and eventually did some vary basic thing, that vastly improved MPG and did better than before. I am averaging 27 to 29 mpg. Here is what I did. 1) Remove the intake air filter. 2) Cleaned intake grill of all rubbish, accumulated dirt, leaves from near the windshield corners, 3) Also cleaned the insides of the intake chamber, below the air filter. I noticed small debris & dirt and crushed leaves that were probably sucked inside. 4) Wiped insides of the chamber where the filter sits clean 5) Replaced air filter. 6) Reset the MPG counter including in both A & B. 7) Started driving the car normally. 8) After driving about 25 miles , its averaging now at 26.8 MPG in regular highway driving without traffic. I am happy

65 people found this helpful.
90

I have a 2013 Honda CRV and it also gets terrible gas mileage. I get around 18.7 in the city and it still stays at that going on the highway. I am very disappointed!! Wish I got the Jeep Cherokee that I really wanted but when I test drove that I was told the gas mileage was around 20 city at most. I decided to get the CRV thinking and was told that it would get around 25 city and it doesn't. I get regular oil changes every 5k. I guess I will have to look at your suggestions to get the mileage up.

9 people found this helpful.
110

Brand new 2018 CRV-EX and only getting around 17mpg in town. 22 is the best I've gotten on the highway. Sticker boasts 27/32! Less than 500 miles. I'm really disappointed! I always loved my Hondas and got decent gas mileage, but now... such disappointment and such deception!

11 people found this helpful.
80

I'm in NYC, driving under 25 mph due to City's Vision Zero policy. Brand new 2018 CRV Ex. I've filled up the SUV once thus far. Averaging about 15-18 mpg. Really disappointed!!!

8 people found this helpful.
80

I have a 2012 CRV. I drive carefully but most trips are around town. I only have 25,000 miles. The gas mileage sucks. Around town is anywhere from 11-17 mpg. If I drive at 60 mph I’m lucky if I get 19 mpg

8 people found this helpful.
690

So here is something to check ! I have been chasing a fuel mileage issue for approx a year now ! Tryed A bunch of suggestions from diff sites on the net And finally nailed it this week! First off the 2.4 has 245000 kms it gradually lost mileage over the last year went from a consistent 500 kms per 50 liter tank full down to 425 per 50 litre tank full slowly over the last year ! Things I went thru to get to this point included changing plugs / air filter / o2 sensor/ checked the CAT .ect: After having it checked at the dealer with a clean bill of health I had the compression checked And had found 2 - 3 cyl lower on compression 120 than the the other two 150 I assumed after a wet test I had a stuck ring issue ! The Fix Seafoam in this order Remove plugs turn the engine to start of compression stroke on each cyl An pour in the cyl approx an ounce of Seafoam with the spark plug re installed turn the engine over BY HAND using the p/s nut past TDC this helps force the seafoam Past the rings! repeated this on the rest of the cyls. Next turn the engine till all the cyls are halfway up the bores and repeat the pour in instruction this time leaving it soak overnight, Next day with spark plugs removed crank the engine for several revs and reassemble and drive for a couple of days then retest your compression In my case here my compression came up to even + - couple of pounds ! the mileage is now back to where it was when I got the car 50 litre per 500 KMs Thought I would post this in hopes it will help others with similar issues! Worth a try in my mind! Just something to try if your chasing a mysterious fuel mileage issue with no codes or anything else to go on!

30 people found this helpful.
130

I just bought a 2005 CRV only 71k miles on it and I am here because the gas millage is horrible. I get some 300 miles one tank and I am driving it like a grandma. I will now be searching for a solution and will try the things tried above. Regards,

9 people found this helpful.
690

Your problem is the same issue. I was driving like a granny too! give the above post a try check the compression then follow through the instructions or go to the you tube post unstick pistion rings with Seafoam! Don't crank the engine with the starter with the plugs in till your sure the seafoam has passed the rings or plugs are removed first! Worth a try if you like the car!

10 people found this helpful.
130

Thanks Gunv! I will test the Compression ASAP and report back. Thank you for the advice. I absolutely love this car and whatever is wrong is minor. This thing is like brand new and well take care of. I plan to put 300,000 miles on it myself.

4 people found this helpful.
690

Stuck rings is not a good thing or an easy fix so this is just something to try that may help .Then if it does help we both have to stop granny driving get out and step on it once and a while also don’t use cheap gas I have vowed not to use generic fuel from now on I beleive this has contributed to the issue

2 people found this helpful.
100

Two years ago I bought an off-lease 2014 AWD LX. My wife is quite happy with the car. Perfect size for local transport of 2 children still at home, medium transport of one at university, and visiting one who’s launched. 90% city driving (on lovely livable Long Isaland) has always led to horrendous gas mileage, even on my past manual transmission cars. However, a strange phenomenon I have seen is that mpg improves 20-30% at about the 7-8 year mark. There might be other factors such as 80-100k maintenance? Winter formulary gas? Anyway, current average is 15mpg @ 100% city driving. When I drive the car on highways (still not sure if highway is synonymous with “freeway,” at 53 y.o.!), I keep my speed below 65 and use cruise control. Thus I can average as much as 37 mpg on 100+ mile trips. Due to great highway mileage, I doubt there is anything major wrong. It’s just that we have 50 traffic lights and 50 stop signs in a square mile. Simple physics. Gas is cheap! But I don’t want to be wasteful.

10 people found this helpful.
690

I have an up date on this issue as well! Since my original try at this! the seafoam fix worked for one or two tank fulls I am now down on mileage again I don't know if there is a bonifide repair for stuck compression rings with out rebuilding! Even running brand name fuel didn't keep the problem from coming back! Going to except defeat for now! :(

4 people found this helpful.
50

My 2009 2.0i Vtec auto CRV is exactly the same,the fuel consumption is shocking, I’m struggling to get 20mpg out of it even driving carefully and coasting whenever possible. I set off the other day with a full 4 bars of fuel and after a 22 mile round trip I was down to two bars. How can this be when Honda claim an official mixed driving of 34mpg ? Only had it three months and really wish I’d never bought the damn car !

5 people found this helpful.
100

There are many ways in which gas mileage can be improved. I too have struggled to solve the low gas mileage on my 2012 Honda CRV EXL with 98, 856 miles over the past few months. The spark plugs (OEM Denso Iridium) were first replaced. Then went Walmart AutoCenter and cleaned up the fuel system (cost me $ 20 for fuel System cleaning package and worth it). Finally, all 4 tires have been changed to Goodyear Assurance Fuel Max (this tire gives you 4 miles/galon improvement). The car is now running smoothly, gas mileage and horsepower improved. While driving in a city at 50 digrees F or hotter weather I get 26 mpg. In the highway I average 33 mpg.

10 people found this helpful.
690

So after my last post here and the seaform down the spark plug holes which I had some success I decided to go all out with the seafoam treatment in the spray form down throttle body and as before had a marked improvement in mileage so I,m still hopeful I can smarten this thing up, the mileage has dropped sum how ever I'm going to keep at it and will post back if I have a solid fix with this method ! Im convinced I am having a positive effect on the suspected ring issue here!

7 people found this helpful.
690

Hello guys ! Its Been a while now after the seafoam spray treatment and can say the mileage issue has leveled out and I am achieving a decent and constant 29 mpg or roughly 10L / per 100 kms Fairly impressed with the out come here and can confidently recommend trying this method considering the crv Has 250 plus KMs on it. it is doing well in my mind and will continue the seafoam treatments in the future as a yearly maintenance item !

10 people found this helpful.
30

Wth is seafoam treatment and how much do i need (2011)crv?

1 people found this helpful.
30

Hey gurú can you upload pics of your steps exactly pretty please?

2 people found this helpful.
690

Bud you simply follow the sea foam directions on the can! I drilled a small hole in the rubber boot just ahead of the throttle body so I could repeat the process easily and put a screw in the hole when complete! However I used half the can first go and repeated the dose twice on two separate occasions! sorry no pics ! Worth a try! Note the second dose I did NOT Warm the engine And Did Not Drive THE CAR I let It soak over night!

6 people found this helpful.
50

I have the 2014 CR-V base model bought new. For the first 75,000 miles I was getting about 28.9 city and 35-6 highway with cruise control on. Just recently, gas mileage has gone into the dumper. I routinely run a tank of gas with Techron and dis three tanks back to back. I changed plugs (With OEM IR's) and air cleaner and picked back up 2 MPG from a dismal 22 MPG. We are back to 22 MPH and I will test the actual distance I can travel on a tank of gas by driving to my Daughters house (I have made this 433 mile trip many times) and I should be able to make it. If it does, I suspect the MPG display is whacko and I need to calculate the old fashion way, Total miles traveled / Gallons = MPG. Something is going wrong and Honda isn't helping again. I had trouble with no heat on the drivers side and constant re-calibration of the digital compass blinking. I'll post again after my Christmas trip.

3 people found this helpful.
50

People will attest to checking your air pressure in your tires. Whenever it gets cold, your tires need air to be added, IT DOES MATTER. Let me also say, on a used car, check to see if you have the right size tires on your car. I often go to tirerack.com and compare the revolutions per mile on different tires. My 2014 CR-V with OEM tires is right on the speedo calibration as compared to my GPS.

2 people found this helpful.
20

GuruK3G5Z: Your sudden drop in gas millage sounds just like what happened to my 2014 CRV two years ago. A sudden increase of 2liters/100K. I used to be able to get 6l/100K on a summer highway drive, and 7.2 l average, Winter millage a little worse. Now the best I can get is 8.8, summer, winter, doesn't matter. The mechanic has tried everything, plugs, additives, filters, etc. No error codes... no ideas.

2 people found this helpful.
10

For those with the 2005/2006 CR-V's, the engines are just bad, period at MPG. The 2007+ CR-V's have a more fuel-efficient engine. I average 19-21 city/hwy and it sucks - especially with the tiny 15.2 fuel capacity. No amount of tuning will get my engine's efficiency higher.

1 people found this helpful.

I have a 2008 version of the CRV but my average mpg is 14.3 I have changed the plugs and air filter but still the results is still the same! What should I do?

20

My 2014 CRV..went from 30 mpg..to 29.3..I drive the same..kept up the maintenance, from what I have read on here, mine still gets good gas mileage but the drop is not normal for my car..Honda charges an arm and a leg..now retired, do not want to buy another vehicle.

2 people found this helpful.

2011 crv: 160K Miles: 26 Street 29/30 Highway. Every 3,000 Miles: Techron System Cleaner and make sure you change PCV valve (ONLY buy Honda OE valve). I did mine at 100K after started getting 25 and below. I dont know how its related, but there you go

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