The hood release on a 2012 Honda CR-V is located below the dashboard on the lower left of the driver’s seating area, close to the inside of the door frame.

Written by Mary Cahill

Reviewed by Christelle Agustin

Updated on Jan 19, 2023

Table of Contents

Where is the hood release on a 2012 Honda CR-V?
How to open the hood on a Honda CR-V
How to repair the 2012 Honda CR-V hood release

The hood release on a 2012 Honda CR-V is located beneath the lower left-hand corner of the dashboard, near the inside of the driver’s side door frame. When you pull it, you should hear the hood latch at the front of your vehicle disengage. You’ll need to pull the hood latch lever on the inside edge of the hood to fully open it.

Need to fill your windshield washer fluid? Or maybe you need a battery jumpstart? No matter the reason, opening your CR-V’s hood is just another part of vehicle ownership.

If you’re feeling a bit confused about the hood release on a 2012 Honda CR-V, you’ve come to the right place. In this article, we’ll let you in on where to find the hood release, how it works, and whether your

car insurance

will cover the repair cost if your hood release breaks or malfunctions. Scroll down to get the info!

MORE:

Honda CR-V insurance costs

Where is the hood release on a 2012 Honda CR-V?

The hood release on a 2012 Honda CR-V is located on the driver-side door frame, by the emergency brake. It is the handle marked by a white image of a car with an open hood, right below the fuel door release.

To completely open the hood, you will also need to use the hood release latch lever which you can find above the Honda emblem and inside the hood.

How to open the hood on a Honda CR-V

Now that you know where both hood releases are on the 2012 Honda CR-V, you should be able to

open the hood

with no problem! Let’s go over the steps:

Pull the hood release handle on the inside of your Honda CR-V. You should hear the hood releasing immediately after.

Stand in front of the vehicle and feel for the hood release latch lever located on the inner edge of the hood. Pull the lever.

As you pull the hood release latch lever, gently lift your hood.

Once the hood is fully lifted, secure it using the prop rod by fitting it into the notch on the underside of the hood.

That’s all you need to do! Once the prop rod is properly secured, you can easily access whatever component you need to address—that is of course, if your hood release isn’t functioning correctly.

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What if the hood release latch doesn’t work?

One of the first telltale signs your hood release is stuck is if you don’t hear the latch disengage when you pull the interior hood release handle. Often, the cause of a hood latch that won’t open is a faulty cable release.

The cable release runs from the interior hood release handle to the release latch on the inside of the hood. If you think the cable has come loose, try to reconnect it to both hood release components.

Another way to release the hood is to use a flathead screwdriver to push on the right side of the release latch where the cable connects. You’ll likely need to access the hood latch through the top portion of the CR-V’s grille—so use a flashlight and make sure you’re super careful!

MORE:

How long do Hondas last?

How to repair the 2012 Honda CR-V hood release

If you’ve done some basic troubleshooting and still can’t get the hood release open, it’s best to have it looked at by a professional mechanic. It may be time to have the

hood latch

replaced.

This repair will cost around $175 to $225. You can keep the repair bill on the lower end of things by opting for an aftermarket replacement part instead of the OEM parts used by the Honda dealership. On the other hand, if the hood release latch replacement is covered by insurance and you’re carrying

OEM coverage

, you can have an OEM hood release latch installed on your 2012 CR-V for no extra cost.

If the hood release latch has simply corroded or aged to the point of no return, your insurance provider isn’t going to foot the bill for a new one. However, if a car accident damaged your hood release latch and you have

collision insurance

, your insurance can help pay for the repair.

MORE:

Does car insurance cover repairs?

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