Bought a new Honda CR-V less than 3 weeks ago. On Saturday, the front radar sensor (behind the emblem) was stolen. The car still drives, but all the safety features tied to it are now disabled. Honda service center wants $119 just to diagnose it. I was then quoted ~$1,500 for the part + ~$2,000 for labor (before tax). After looking into it, this seems to be happening frequently with CR-Vs. The radar sensor is externally accessible and can be removed in minutes. Thieves know this and it’s clearly becoming a trend.
This feels like a design vulnerability for such a critical safety component. What’s worse is Honda won’t even provide a free estimate even though reprogramming has to be done through them anyway.
I’ve filed a report with NHTSA: https://www.nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem
If this has happened to you, please report it as well. The more reports there are, the more likely Honda is forced to address this (recall, redesign, or at least acknowledgment).
For other CR-V owners, please be careful.