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2021 Honda Accord Electrical Problems

Owner-reported complaints naming the electrical system, filed with NHTSA

Data refreshed

Electrical reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
62
Latest Sep 15, 2026
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
27%
of 232 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
4
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
2

What this page shows

Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2021 Honda Accord submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 62 reports on file name it.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Owner reports naming electrical

The 25 most recent of 62, in the owner's own words

Driver assistanceElectrical
Filed Sep 15, 2026

The car's infotainment system constantly glitches out and changes channels,outputs,texts,videos while car is being driven. It's very distracting and dangerous. It will literally do it 100's of times within a short period. It's much worse than any text messaging distraction, which is against the law. Several people with this car have the same issue. Also the car will break when there's actually nothing in the road that should make it break but it will just slam on the brakes.

NHTSA ID
11764376
Incident
Oct 28, 2021
Electrical
Filed Sep 8, 2026

Door lock actuator(s) randomly failing to lock/unlock. Multiple reports on forums for same exact issue. Replace one, another fails shortly after. Issue involves both locking and unlocking, putting safety individuals at risk for unexpected access to car or inability to lock car once inside. No messages, warnings, or suggestions from car to tell me that the locking had failed.

NHTSA ID
11762690
Incident
Oct 1, 2025
BrakesElectrical
Filed Aug 31, 2026

Dash lights on for Brake system malfunction. Emergency parking brake light on as well as TPS system. Lights around Park, Neutral and drive not illuminated. Battery and alternator are in good standing.

NHTSA ID
11761169
Incident
Aug 31, 2026
BrakesElectricalEngine
Filed Aug 27, 2026

All of my services lights are on in th dashboard.

NHTSA ID
11760127
Incident
Jun 12, 2026
BrakesElectricalEngine
Filed Aug 25, 2026

SUBJECT: A REQUEST FOR HONDA CORPORATE INVESTIGATION AND GOODWILL ASSISTANCE - 2021 HONDA ACCORD I am submitting a formal complaint regarding serious and recurring electrical and safety-related problems with my 2021 Honda Accord. 1. Numerous dashboard warning lights and safety-system warnings illuminate simultaneously. 2. The vehicle repeatedly displays messages instructing me to "See Dealer." 3. The power door locks repeatedly click and cycle as though they are attempting to lock or unlock on their own. 4. The stereo, on its own, scrolls through buttons and bluetooth blinking through all the stereo options on its own. 5.An OBD diagnostic code reader is unable to properly communicate with the vehicle and reports "Unable to Connect/Vehicle Not Found." 6. Sudden brake activated without any object being in front of the vehicle. 7. Factory Rims Extensive finish failure The simultaneous occurrence of these problems strongly suggest that this may involve an electrical, communication-network, body control module, wiring, power-supply, or other vehicle system defect rather than ordinary wear and tear. I am particularly concerned because the dashboard warnings involve vehicle systems that may affect braking, steering, stability control, driver-assistance features, and other safety functions. When numerous safety warnings illuminate at the same time, I have no reliable way of knowing which vehicle systems are actually functioning correctly. The repeated activation of the door-lock system is also concerning. The locks should not continuously activate on their own during normal vehicle operation. Combined with the diagnostic communication failure and multiple warning messages, this raises concern regarding a larger electrical or vehicle-network malfunction. Although the vehicle is currently outside the factory warranty period, this type of widespread electrical and safety malfunction should not reasonably occur in a 2021 vehicle as the result of normal use.

NHTSA ID
11759493
Incident
Aug 23, 2026
ElectricalEnginePowertrain (other)
Filed Aug 18, 2026

My car currently has displayed all lights on panel. Went to auto zone to have codes read, shows powertrain-description is code PO299 suggests turbocharger assembly. Safety is put at risk because all of the safety features are now disabled.

NHTSA ID
11757836
Incident
Jun 13, 2026
ElectricalEngine
Filed Aug 15, 2026

Emission system

NHTSA ID
11757216
Incident
Aug 15, 2026
Electrical
Filed Jul 23, 2026

My center screen has a ghost touch; I have brought it to my dealer since the day I bought it I have been having screen and CarPlay issues. never fixed always told its fake phone cable, even though my phone can be disconnected and the screen still goes crazy, either way I left it alone because I can't keep going to the dealer, today while I was backing up this ghost touch keep changing my camera angle and caused the screen to freeze completely, I would suggest looking into this as I found many people online with the same issue,

NHTSA ID
11752534
Incident
Jul 23, 2026
Electrical
Filed Jul 14, 2026

The infotainment touchscreen in my 2021 Honda Accord Hybrid intermittently registers inputs that I am not making. The screen experiences repeated “ghost touches,” accompanied by random beeping and clicking sounds. During these episodes, the system changes GPS screens or navigation directions, changes music or audio settings, turns the audio on or off, closes applications, and opens other applications without any input from the driver. During these "ghost" episodes, the touch capability seems to also be intermittent preventing from leaving the current screen or app that the "ghost" clicks on. This problem occurs while the vehicle is being driven and creates a serious distraction. The unexpected sounds, screen changes, and navigation changes draw the driver’s attention away from the road and may require the driver to attempt to stop or correct the malfunctioning system. This increases the risk of a collision and could result in serious injury or death. I contacted a Honda dealership regarding the issue. The dealership indicated that it was aware of this behavior and had received similar reports from multiple other vehicle owners. The malfunction is intermittent, but it has occurred repeatedly. There were no warning lamps or dashboard warning messages before the touchscreen began malfunctioning. The vehicle and infotainment system are available for inspection upon request. I also have video evidence showing an example of the touchscreen malfunctioning and producing inputs without being touched. See Google Drive link to Movie: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID
11750216
Incident
Jun 15, 2026
BrakesElectrical
Filed Jul 7, 2026

Had to repleace the electrical parking brake sensor. Now all my lights on the dash board are lighted up and have to go get a diagnostic test done

NHTSA ID
11748937
Incident
Jul 7, 2026
Electrical
Filed Jul 5, 2026

Touchscreen system in my 2021 Honda Accord Hybrid Touring is now having issues registering touches or is exhibiting ghost touches. This results in unpredictable selections for diverse systems like sound, touch free phone integration, navigation, etc. These are distracting in the extreme, and seem to be common during the afternoon hours in strong sun. This issue is partially mitigated via a hard reset, but this is helping less and less as this error becomes more and more common.

NHTSA ID
11748375
Incident
Jul 1, 2026
Driver assistanceElectrical
Filed Jul 4, 2026

On July 4th 2026, I was leaving from a restaurant that evening and within 5-10 seconds of me turning my car on, all of the lights on my dashboard turned on. I was slightly confused because there were multiple at once and my car was rumbling a bit from under the engine hood. Within a few weeks prior, I’ve been having with my digital car screen switching back and forth between tabs (from the radio, to my CarPlay, to the settings). It will be intermittent but fairly consistent. I plan to take my car to an auto parts store for a code test and battery/alternator test to see if there’s any further issues. I just purchased a new battery for this car within the 3 years of me getting it, 2 years ago and there shouldn’t be any issues. I’m not sure how to proceed and I really don’t have it in me to spend large amounts of money and time with repairs for a supposedly heavily reliable car. My current mileage is at 120,000.

NHTSA ID
11748319
Incident
Jul 4, 2026
Electrical
Filed Jun 26, 2026

Infotainment Center

NHTSA ID
11746720
Incident
Jun 26, 2026
Electrical
Filed Jun 17, 2026

The contact owns a 2021 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the navigation system independently switched to random screens and made random phone calls. In addition, the contact stated that the failure had occurred while the GPS was activated. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The contact was recommended to take the vehicle for a diagnostic test. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 72,693.

NHTSA ID
11744698
Incident
Jun 14, 2026
Mileage
72,693 mi
Electrical
Filed Jun 15, 2026

While driving to work, the radio seem to have a ghost inside the radio. The screen has a mind of its on. The radio turns itself off and on by itself. It’s a safe hazard to driving with all that is happening. The radio will beep constantly while driving down the road and my teenager will not driving my car, due to being scared

NHTSA ID
11744133
Incident
Jun 12, 2026
Electrical
Filed Jun 9, 2026

I have been experiencing what’s being called “ghost touches” on google. This is a known issue that needs to be addressed. Also VIN number starting with 1HGCV need to be added to the fuel pump recall list. I’ve had to change both systems.

NHTSA ID
11742980
Incident
Jun 4, 2026
Electrical
Filed Jun 2, 2026

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2021 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while attempting to register the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 76,566 and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 111,139.

NHTSA ID
11741504
Incident
May 18, 2026
Mileage
111,139 mi
Electrical
Filed Jun 1, 2026

Infotainment center has phantom touches, the screen also freezes up and goes completely black when it is connected to a phone and also when it’s not connected to a phone. When car is connected via CarPlay for directions it will not display all the time or it will completely shut off in the middle of the directions, the only way for it to unfreeze or cut back on is if the car is turned off which makes it very dangerous. This has been happening for 2 years.

NHTSA ID
11741268
Incident
Apr 29, 2024
AirbagsElectrical
Filed May 31, 2026

I have 2 issues and not sure if they are related 1.SRS system light came on and says see dealership. This one happened about 2 weeks ago. 2. While driving today all the lights on my dash came on including the check engine and all warning notices were going off. I was driving when this happened and it was alarming because I didn’t know if my car was going to die while I was driving. Neither problem have been confirmed by the dealership because they want 199 just to diagnose and does not include repair cost No one has inspected the vehicle No previous warning signs prior to either of these both happening

NHTSA ID
11741089
Incident
May 30, 2026
Electrical
Filed May 29, 2026

Stereo randomly started glitching out

NHTSA ID
11740852
Incident
May 29, 2026
Electrical
Filed May 27, 2026

Infotainment system randomly cycles through menu, as if I'm pressing buttons on the screen. It will lose navigation, randomly call my contacts and audio will turn off and on. This is extremely unsafe. Once it starts doing this the screen becomes unresponsive to actual touch. I can't stop it if I want to. I'm stuck disconnecting my phone and using the screen as navigation, constantly looking down while driving or holding the phone to make a phone call. Local Honda dealerships have told me that it's a common problem with no solution.

NHTSA ID
11740384
Incident
May 4, 2025
Electrical
Filed May 23, 2026

The touch screen display malfunctions and is often either unresponsive or it has ghost touches and moves across various screens while you are driving and during navigation. The system will make calls, activate voice assistance, move the map when navigation is active to where you can no longer see your route, switch between audio sources, open random apps, etc while driving leading to distraction. The touch screen will not respond to your touch but continue to do its own thing. This is dangerous while driving because it is hard to end calls, get back to your navigation, or focus on the road when voice assistants are activated randomly and difficult to turn off. There is not a reset button for this issue so it may continue the duration of your drive. The issue has been confirmed by a dealer with the suggestion to replace but online forums suggest this is a widespread issue and replacement does alleviate the problem. The vehicle has not been inspected by police or insurance. There were not any warning lamps, messages, or systems prior to the issue.

NHTSA ID
11739658
Incident
May 9, 2024
Electrical
Filed May 21, 2026

Ghost touch on the radio screen and it’s worst when it’s hot

NHTSA ID
11739286
Incident
Apr 1, 2025
Driver assistanceElectricalEngine
Filed Apr 15, 2026

The lights and warnings below popped up on my dash after the engine light had come on and then off again for about a week. See below, -Emission system problem Avoid heavy acceleration and high speed. See dealer -tpms light -brake system problem -brake hold system problem -electric power steering system problem -vehicle stability assist system problem -hill start assist problem -adaptive cruise control system problem -collision mitigation braking system problem -road departure mitigation system problem Went to get diagnosed at the dealership and was told that the turbo on my engine had failed. Mechanic said it had nothing to do with me and that it failed on its own. I saw that it was a reoccurring problem with other Honda owners with the same year, make, and model as mine but are being given the run around and no solution.

NHTSA ID
11731289
Incident
Mar 17, 2026
Electrical
Filed Apr 1, 2026

4 out of 5 times driving the car the infotainment screen with get random touches guiding you to unknown menus or system setting or maybe just to a different radio station. Where I think this becomes a legitimate safety concern (asside from changing vehicle settings like security) is when trying to use maps function the random touches will direct the map away from where you are or where your next turn might be. So you basically need to keep hitting re-center just to get you back on course. However most of the time there is an uncomanded touch that is stuck on the screen or possibly a number of touches that prevent a real finger print touch to be sensed ultimately preventing you from re-centering. This causes extended moments where attention is taken away from the road or late/last minute route correction causing unsafe road/driving conditions. The manufacturer only recommends doing a system restart of your infotainment screen which does nothing or complete replacement of the screen which in many cases including my own is not covered by warranty.... the alternative is to disconnect your phone from android auto or apple car play and use it in your hand which again causes distracted driving. If this was something as simple as a volume knob or temperature control not responding I wouldn't even be here but since it always touching different placed and navigating you places you dont want to be i see it as a clear safety issue that should be corrected. Thanks

NHTSA ID
11728485
Incident
Apr 1, 2026

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.

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