2021 Honda CR-V problems, complaints & recalls

2021 Honda CR-V recalls (4)

• Recall 26V332000May 21, 202698,892 vehicles
  AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER

  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.

  Risk: 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 were mailed July 7, 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.

• Recall 24V064000Feb 1, 2024750,114 vehicles
  AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER

  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.

  Risk: 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. 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.

• Recall 23V858000Dec 18, 20232,490,460 vehicles
  FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

  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.

  Risk: 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.

• Recall 21V900000Nov 18, 20214,346 vehicles
  SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER:RETRACTOR

  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."

  Risk: 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.

NHTSA defect investigations

• EA24002Opened Apr 15, 2024Open

  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. Hon…

• PE22011Opened Nov 28, 2022Closed Jul 22, 2024

  Rear Differential Seizure

  On November 29, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE 22-011 after reviewing field reports alleging rear differential seizure in 2018-2022MY Honda CR-V and HR-V vehicles equipped with all wheel drive. To date, ODI has not received any consumer complaints. Some of the field reports received alleged the vehicle’s wheels locked up with no warning while the vehicle was in motion. These vehicles were towed to a dealership. Examination of these vehicles showed the driveshaft had broken and the differential unit was completely damaged. The field reports cited a lack of oil due to …

NHTSA 5-Star safety ratings

Recent 2021 Honda CR-V complaints

Excerpts of the newest owner complaints, lightly cleaned of personal details. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

1. Filed Oct 8, 2026NCSteering

   Steering gets slightly stuck when turning left and makes a clicking sound. Seems this is already a recalled issue on newer CRV models. The root cause is a manufacturing defect in the electronic power steering gearbox where an improperly set internal spring and insufficient grease cause the worm gear to bind and suddenly release. Dealer wants over $4000 to fix this issue.

   NHTSA complaint #11769816 · source
2. Filed Oct 6, 2026NJAirbags

   The contact owns a 2021 Honda CR-V. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated. The dealer was contacted by phone and made aware of the failure. The contact's friend used a code reader and retrieved DTC: B002-13 (Passenger Air Bag Inflator) and B00D5-17 (Driver Air Bag Inflator).

   NHTSA complaint #11769272 · source
3. Filed Oct 6, 2026NJFuel, Hybrid & EV Propulsion

   my fuel pump failed on an interstate in [XXX] while I was going 65 miles an hour and the speed of my car dropped to 20 mph and I was lucky to change to the right lane and get onto the shoulder or I would have been hit by an oncoming car.I had the car towed to [XXX] where my mechanic diagnosed failure of high and low pressure fuel pumps and I had the repair done.When the pump failed,all the lights on the dash showed systems failure.Honda would not reimburse me for the repair…

   NHTSA complaint #11769226 · source
4. Filed Sep 20, 2026PAFuel, Hybrid & EV Propulsion

   NHTSA SAFETY COMPLAINT SUMMARY Vehicle Identification: 2021 Honda CR-V Touring (1.5L Turbo) Current Mileage: 91,259 miles Failed Component: High-Pressure Fuel Pump (HPFP) & Associated High-Pressure Fuel System Diagnostic Trouble Codes: ⁠P0087⁠ (Fuel Rail/System Pressure Too Low) Technician Diagnostic Findings & Symptoms: Vehicle experienced sudden loss of power, erratically low fuel pressure under load, hard starting, and multiple dash warning lights. Independent repair shop…

   NHTSA complaint #11765715 · source
5. Filed Sep 15, 2026OHDriver Assistance & Safety Tech

   I was driving on a clear mid-day with very little traffic. There were no cars in front of or beside me. There were no people or animals anywhere in sight. I was traveling west at 45MPR when suddenly the car slammed on the brakes. The warning light and beeping came on. I was panicked thinking I hit something but there was nothing/no one in sight. This happened in August 2026. I am not sure of the exact date. I just thought it must have been a fluke (bird flew by or some other…

   NHTSA complaint #11764427 · source
6. Filed Sep 9, 2026PATransmission & Drivetrain

   June 22nd- Merging car onto NJ turnpike near Manasquan, NJ...accelerated to merge onto highway. Engine light started to blink and then car lost power as pushing the gas pedal no longer powered car. Pulled off the road. Turned the car off. Restarted it and car functioned and power came from pressing gas pedal. Safety of driver at risk as car was approaching merging onto highway speeds when suddenly lost power to accelerate. Luckily car had enough room with traffic that it…

   NHTSA complaint #11763057 · source
7. Filed Sep 6, 2026KYSteering

   There are steering problems with our 2021 Honda CRV. My wife & I notice two issues: 1. When driving on the interstate, we notice the steering wheel seems to grab or stick when we try to slightly turn it. It causes the car to suddenly jerk. 2. When driving on the interstate, we notice that we constantly have to constantly adjust the steering wheel (either to the left or right) to keep it moving straight. If we try to hold the steering wheel straight, the car starts moving…

   NHTSA complaint #11762416 · source
8. Filed Sep 4, 2026FLFuel, Hybrid & EV PropulsionOther / Unknown

   All the warning lights on the dash board started to randomly light up like a Christmas tree while driving to get something to eat. The car began to shake and the steering stiffened up while the brakes were not working well enough to stop completely causing me to turn on the hazards lights to make it back home safely with my child in the car. An OBD-II SENSOR READS P0087. The fear of the car turning off while driving in the rain almost caused me to try and steer clear of cars…

   NHTSA complaint #11762290 · source

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Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation public data, as of Oct 11, 2026. Complaints are submitted by owners and are not verified by NHTSA or by us; a complaint does not prove a defect exists. View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov Methodology