Honda's 1.5L turbo (L15B7) powers 2016-2022 Civic, CR-V, Accord, and Passport. The big story: gasoline-in-oil "fuel dilution" - bad enough that Honda paid out a class-action settlement (Soto v. American Honda) and issued TSB 19-039 for cold-climate CR-V owners.
Moderate-to-high failure rate. Fuel dilution on cold-climate 2017-2019 CR-V is the headline issue. Class-action settled 2020. Most repairs are software flashes - but worn rings and bearings from dilution are not covered.
Unburned gasoline washes past piston rings into the oil. Cold-climate CR-V was worst. TSB 19-039 reflashes ECU + transmission and Honda extended powertrain warranty to 6yr/unlimited mi for affected VINs. Soto v. Honda class action settled.
View P0301 Diagnosis →Reports of cracked pistons under load on early Civic Si 1.5T. Honda issued TSB and extended warranty on affected VINs. Symptoms: P0301-P0304 misfires under boost, oil consumption.
View P0300 Diagnosis →AC condenser and compressor failures are common. Class-action complaints filed against Honda. Symptoms: warm air on driver side, debris in AC system.
View P0532 Diagnosis →Direct injection causes carbon to coat intake valves over 60-80K miles. Causes rough idle, P0300 random misfire, and power loss. Walnut blast recommended at 80K.
View P0171 Diagnosis →Wastegate actuator wears and rattles on cold start. Usually still functions for tens of thousands of miles, but eventually loses boost control.
View P0299 Diagnosis →Fuel-diluted oil and short trips foul plugs early. Replace at 60K instead of 100K on cold-climate CR-Vs.
View P0301 Diagnosis →Run a free AI diagnosis tailored to your exact Honda. Get the most likely cause and repair estimate in under 30 seconds.
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2017-2019 CR-V 1.5T in cold-climate states (MN, WI, MI, ME, NH, VT). 2017-2018 Civic Si.
2020+ Civic and CR-V got revised ECU calibrations that largely solved fuel dilution. Or go to the 2.0L NA in base Civic - far fewer issues.
If you live in a cold-climate state, plan on TSB 19-039 reflash and a possible engine-block exchange on a problem CR-V (covered by Honda extended warranty on affected VINs). Otherwise expect carbon cleaning around 80K ($400-$800) and standard maintenance.
If your 1.5T is throwing a check engine light, these are the codes most often associated with the problems above. Click any code for full diagnosis steps and typical repair costs.
For affected VINs, Honda extended the powertrain warranty to 6 years/unlimited miles. TSB 19-039 reflashes the ECU and transmission. The Soto v. American Honda class-action settlement (2020) provides additional remedies for some 2017-2018 CR-V owners.
Check the dipstick. If oil is over the full mark and smells like gasoline, you have dilution. Sample oil for fuel content at any quick-lube shop.
2016-2022 Civic (non-Si and Si Turbo), 2017-2022 CR-V, 2018-2022 Accord 1.5T, and some Passport trims.
No. Warm-climate cars (CA, AZ, TX, FL) have far fewer dilution complaints. Cold-climate CR-Vs are the highest-risk segment.
Honda TSB 19-039 (CR-V) reflashes the ECU and CVT. Most cars are fine after the flash. A handful of severely affected engines get replaced under Honda's extended powertrain warranty.
Outside the cold-climate dilution problem, yes - many examples cross 200K miles with regular oil changes and 80K-mile carbon cleaning.