VehicleVerdict

2021 Honda CR-V problems

Verdict · NHTSA data

One of the years to avoid

The 2021 Honda CR-V carries two red flags at once: 438 consumer complaints filed with NHTSA and an open NHTSA defect investigation (subject: Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking). It is one of the CR-V years to avoid. Complainants reported 13 injuries in total across these filings.

Driver Assistance leads the complaint categories with 127 reports (29% of the total). In government crash testing it earned 5 of 5 NCAP stars overall.

438

NHTSA complaints

4

Recalls

2

Investigations · 1 open

18

Crash-involved

1

Fires reported

13

Injuries

0

Deaths

5

NCAP overall · of 5 stars

How does 2021 compare to other CR-V years?

CR-V NHTSA complaints by model year, 2021 highlighted2,923 complaints1997: 129 complaints1998: 136 complaints1999: 158 complaints2000: 156 complaints2001: 159 complaints2002: 661 complaints2003: 580 complaints2004: 603 complaints2005: 601 complaints2006: 522 complaints2007: 1,158 complaints2008: 1,221 complaints2009: 447 complaints2010: 588 complaints2011: 646 complaints2012: 508 complaints2013: 498 complaints2014: 795 complaints2015: 975 complaints2016: 544 complaints2017: 2,596 complaints2018: 2,923 complaints2019: 1,502 complaints2020: 438 complaints2021: 438 complaints2022: 291 complaints2023: 644 complaints2024: 514 complaints2025: 339 complaints2026: 140 complaints
CR-V NHTSA complaints by model year, 2021 highlighted. Red bars are years to avoid.

See all CR-V years to avoid →

What are the most common 2021 Honda CR-V problems?

ComponentComplaintsShare
Driver Assistance12729%
Steering9923%
Other358%
Engine338%
Electrical System338%
Brakes266%
Fuel System225%
Airbags153%
Transmission113%
Visibility & Wipers92%
Speed Control61%
Tires & Wheels61%
Seat Belts41%
Lighting41%
Body & Structure41%
Suspension31%
Seats10%

Does the 2021 Honda CR-V have recalls?

4 NHTSA recall campaigns on file. Recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.

26V332000AirbagsMay 21, 2026 · 98,892 units

Defect

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2021, 2023 Acura TLX, 2019-2024 RDX, 2017-2020, 2022-2026 MDX, 2017-2021, 2023, 2025 Honda Ridgeline, 2017-2022 Pilot, 2019-2021 Passport, 2018-2026 Odyssey, 2019-2022 Insight, 2019-2021 HR-V, 2018-2020 Fit, 2020-2022 CR-V Hybrid, 2017-2022 CR-V, 2017-2018, 2021 Civic Type R, 2017-2021 Civic hatchback, 2016-2020 Civic coupe, 2016-2022 Civic, 2017-2022 Accord Hybrid, and 2016-2022 Accord vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, which can cause the air bags to deploy unintentionally during a crash.

Consequence

Air bags that deploy unintentionally during a crash increase the risk of injury.

Remedy

Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed July 6, 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are BOL, WO9, OOA, WOM, XOH, NOC, POD, BOE, UOF, POB, EOG, AOI, QO8, TOJ, DO7, and SOK. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 24V064. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning May 29, 2026.

24V064000AirbagsFebruary 1, 2024 · 750,114 units

Defect

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Pilot, Accord, Civic sedan, HR-V, Odyssey, 2020 Civic coupe, Fit, 2021-2022 Civic hatchback, 2021 Civic Type R, Insight, 2020-2021 CR-V, CR-V Hybrid, Passport, Ridgeline, Accord Hybrid, 2020 Acura MDX, 2022 Acura MDX, 2020-2022 Acura RDX, and 2020-2021 Acura TLX vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, failing to suppress the air bag as intended.

Consequence

An air bag that deploys unintentionally during a crash can increase the risk of injury.

Remedy

Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 28, 2024, October 18, 2024, and August 2025. This is a phased recall. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for these recalls are XHP and VHQ.

23V858000Fuel SystemDecember 18, 2023 · 2,490,460 units

Defect

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline, Odyssey, Acura ILX, MDX, MDX Hybrid, RDX, RLX, TLX, 2019-2022 Honda Insight, Passport, 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Clarity PHEV, Fit, and 2015-2020 Honda Accord Hybrid, Pilot, Acura NSX vehicles. The fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.

Consequence

Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 6, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are KGC and KGD. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall numbers 21V-215 and 20V-314.

21V900000Seat BeltsNovember 18, 2021 · 4,346 units

Defect

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2021 Accord Sedan, Accord Hybrid, CR-V, Ridgeline, 2022 Insight and CR-V Hybrid vehicles. The automatic locking retractor on the second-row center seat belt assembly may deactivate improperly, which can result in an unsecured child restraint system. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

Consequence

An unsecured child restraint system can increase the risk of injury during a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will replace the second-row center seat belt assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 14, 2022. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138.

Open NHTSA investigations

EA24002

Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking

On February 21, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation (PE22003) to assess reports of inadvertent activation of the Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS), an automatic emergency braking (AEB) system, in model year 2017-2019 Honda CR-V and 2018-2019 Honda Accord vehicles.  The reports allege that activation of the AEB system occurs while driving with no apparent obstruction in the vehicle's forward path, resulting in sudden vehicle deceleration. Honda indicated that they were aware of a total of X,XXX reports that may relate to the alleged defect. Honda provided analysis of the alleged defect and alleges that some customers possibly had an inadequate understanding of the CMBS and its limitations.  However, many consumer complaints allege that Honda dealerships were unable to reproduce the condition or state that they were informed that this is considered normal CMBS operation. To date, ODI has received a total of 1,294 consumer complaints of inadvertent activation of CMBS in 2017-2022 Honda CR-V and 2018-2022 Honda Accord vehicles. A total of 31 complaints alleged a crash and 50 alleged an injury.  The Total column in the Failure Report Summary removes duplicate reports and shows the total number of reports with unique VINs from all Manufacturer, ODI, and EWR data sources.  In some cases, there were multiple reports associated with a particular vehicle in which recurring failures were alleged.  In total, there were X,XXX reports, 93 injury incidents and 47 crashes involving vehicles with unique VINs that may relate to the alleged defect. PE22-003 has been upgraded to an Engineering Analysis to further assess the scope, frequency, and potential safety related consequences of the inadvertent AEB activations. The scope has been expanded to include assessment of model year 2020-2022 Honda CR-V and Accord vehicles. To review the ODI reports cited in the Opening Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.

Consumer complaints filed with NHTSA

Representative excerpts, cleaned of personal information. These are consumer statements, not verified defects.

“ The contact owns a 2021 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the forward collision avoidance sensor failed to brake causing the contact to crash into another vehicle. A police report was filed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent…”

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Driver Assistance · August 8, 2023 · crash

“February 5, the car infront of me swerved to avoid a 2x4 in the road and I tried to do the same but my lane assist beeped and took control and forced me to run it over now I am going through another insurance claim because my electrical system is broken now due to the new damage. Since my last…”

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Steering · February 5, 2025 · crash

“I was parking in the garage in the condominium complex where I live. Because the spaces are narrow with a concrete post on the left of my space and a parked car on my right, rather than pull directly into my space I typically stop the car a few feet beyond my space, reverse to align my car with the…”

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Other · April 9, 2024 · crash

“Auto-Restart is failing, causing car to stall or shut down entirely. When we pull up to a red light and the engine turns off, the car does not restart. Sometimes, it needs to be manually turned back on — sometimes, it shuts down entirely and requires a jump. Most recently, it required a jump and…”

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Electrical System · March 17, 2026

“The contact owns a 2021 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while parking, and the brake pedal was depressed, the vehicle accelerated inadvertently up a slight incline and collided with a stone boulder/wall. Neither the contact nor the passenger sustained injuries. The contact stated that no…”

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Engine · November 14, 2025 · crash

2021 Honda CR-V — common questions

Is the 2021 Honda CR-V reliable?

NHTSA data argues against it: 438 complaints put the 2021 model at #21 of 30 CR-V years, and a defect investigation remains open. It is one of the CR-V years to avoid.

What are the most common 2021 CR-V problems?

According to NHTSA complaint data, the leading problem areas are driver assistance (127 complaints), steering (99 complaints), other (35 complaints).

Does the 2021 Honda CR-V have recalls?

Yes — NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns affecting the 2021 Honda CR-V. Recall repairs are free at franchised dealers; check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to confirm the work was done.

Is the 2021 Honda CR-V under NHTSA investigation?

Yes — an investigation remains open (Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking). An open ODI action means NHTSA is actively assessing a possible defect.

Which Honda CR-V years should you avoid?

Based on complaint rates and open investigations, the CR-V years to avoid are 2018, 2017, 2019, 2008, 2007, 2015, 2014, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2003, 2006, 2012, 2013, 2021, 2020, 2022. The cleanest record among CR-V years belongs to 1997.

How safe is the 2021 Honda CR-V?

In NHTSA's NCAP crash testing, the 2021 Honda CR-V earned an overall rating of 5 out of 5 stars.

Related

Based on NHTSA ODI data through June 2026. Complaints are consumer-reported and unverified. Updated July 5, 2026.

Compiled by Sharon Ben-Moshe, Founder.