2021 Honda Accord Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2021 Honda Accord, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Driver assistance7627.2%
- Electrical6222.2%
- Engine3813.6%
- Brakes3010.8%
- Fuel system165.7%
- Airbags145.0%
- Powertrain (other)134.7%
- Steering82.9%
- Seat belts62.2%
- Visibility51.8%
- Interior & seats31.1%
- Suspension31.1%
- Body & structure31.1%
- Other / unspecified10.4%
- Exterior lighting10.4%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
Sudden braking; car comes to a complete stop and brakes so Hard. Most likely fault from Collision Mitigation Brakking system
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.
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
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.
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.
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while her son was driving 55 MPH, the vehicle shut off with several warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact's son pulled off to the shoulder of the highway and had the vehicle towed to a dealer. While at the dealer, the mechanic discovered coolant leaking into cylinder #2, causing an engine misfire. The dealer replaced the head gasket. After the repair, the failure returned immediately upon driving the vehicle home from the dealer. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and the failure persisted upon return of the vehicle. While checking the repair order, the contact discovered that the service report was blank. The dealer was unable to duplicate the failure or determine the cause of the issue. The contact was not notified of the issue after retrieving the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and the contact was provided a case number. The vehicle remained with the dealer unrepaired. The failure mileage was 43,881.
All of my services lights are on in th dashboard.
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
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.
All of my services lights are on in th dashboard.
Fuel system
Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.
From owner reports, verbatim
Unable to use cruise control Unable to use lane control Unable to use tire pressure gauge Unable to use auto brake system Car shakes due to a sudden decrease in engine performance. Turbocharger issues Powertrain System issues ECM Failure
My car stalled stopped and takes a While to turn on , all lights turned on .. coded came back and showed it was fuel pressure regulator / fuel pump. I believe it is part of the recalls put in place for other Honda accord lx as well since I’m having same problem
Airbags
Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights.
From owner reports, verbatim
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
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Accord. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V064000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was contacted and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Powertrain (other)
Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials.
From owner reports, verbatim
Unable to use cruise control Unable to use lane control Unable to use tire pressure gauge Unable to use auto brake system Car shakes due to a sudden decrease in engine performance. Turbocharger issues Powertrain System issues ECM Failure
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.
Steering
Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage.
From owner reports, verbatim
This Honda continues to have fantom alerts and false warnings that triggers the car to jerk the steering wheel and try to steer you into another lane. I have narrowly avoided crashes more than 50 times. No "safety" system should be able to jerk the wheel out of your hands. You have know for more than 5 years about this defect, why no action? Shameful mismanagement that now needs to sued to get a reaction.
If im driving at normal rate of speed while on highway the steering becomes very loose and sticky when adjusting steering. The passenger wheel will feel like it wobbles on its camber axis or will act like a shopping cart wheel. At times changing direction of vehicle entirely. At that time suspension will feel really spongy.
Seat belts
Reports naming seat belts, buckles, retractors and pretensioners.
From owner reports, verbatim
I bought my vehicle around May 2024. Initially, everything seemed fine. However, I noticed that my car was starting to slow down and would enter limp mode, preventing me from exceeding a certain mileage. Subsequently, all the lights on my dashboard began flashing, prompting me to pull over and call a mechanic shop. I had all the necessary maintenance and repairs performed as per the plan. After starting the vehicle, all the lights turned off, and it drove smoothly. A few weeks later, all the lights came back on again, and nothing showed on the OB2 Reader, which I thought was odd because something shouldve popped up if all the lights on my dashboard was going all crazy. The mechanic said the same thing and maybe thought it was the battery, sensors going bad, or even the wiring. But he checked everything and said he didnt find any issues. So I went home and the lights on the dashboard stayed on for 30 seconds and then turned off after I started the car. The lights turning on all at once on the dashboard became more frequent and this time, the check engine light illuminated, indicating a misfiring issue. I took the vehicle to a mechanic shop for a thorough inspection, and they made a few minor adjustments. However, two months later, the same problem recurred. All the lights came on again, and the vehicle misfired once more, accompanied by the check engine light. Upon further investigation, it was discovered that the issue was a head gasket leak. Additionally, the seat belt alert for the passenger and rear seats, as well as the child car seat, failed to function properly.
Unknown
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Visibility
Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors.
From owner reports, verbatim
My 2021 Honda Accord Sport has had a problem that started about 30k miles which I told them about 3 times. The sun visors do not stay up. they hang down and you have to move them out of the way. I tried to get the dealer to replace them, but they said I was past the warranty, and I was going to be changed about 400.00 per visor. I kept messing with them and finally it got a little better. But did not last. I told them again, but I could not, and would not spend over 800.00 for sun visors. Id do without them before paying 800.00! Used to they were simple made and no problems. But now they have mechanisms inside that have parts that wear out. Because Honda would not replace them, and Bell Honda would not either, I will not buy another care from Bell Honda. As when I bout my 2014 Nissan in [XXX], then moved to [XXX] I took my car to Nissan on Bell, and for the first time ever, before the Honda did it, a sun visor stopped functioning right in my Altima, but because I took my car there for services, the dealership replaced it for me. Now today, searching for new visors, I found that many people are having problems with the Honda visors, and saying it is a safety issues, and one person said their dealer replaced theirs 2 times. With all the complaints you'd think Honda would have to change the way they are made. But seems they don't care. In-fact, before my car had 40k miles, one of my motor mounts went out, and something else before that. Thankfully my motor warranty was still good. But these expansive, poorly made sun visors really should be recalled as it is a safety issue. Please do something to make that happen. Thank you! This is reoccurring from 2023-2026. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Hello, the car has this issue since i got it nrand new. Every time i drive in the rain or while its snowing, all lights on the dash board comes up and at least 50% of the options gets disabled. Like back up camera, windshield vipers, horn beeps non stop until you disconnect the battery and more. I see there is lots of people reporting same issue but honda dont want to help me with this issue. Went to homda dealer and they said $169 for diagnostics, then called and said its gonna be 2 hours which is $338 and even then saying they are not sure if it will take them 2hrs or 10 and i had no choice to tell them to stop and pay only $169. Please see the video for details Honda case# 13733111 https://youtu.be/ABoYlunVNVo
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Interior & seats
Reports naming seats, latches, locks, linkages and interior fittings.
From owner reports, verbatim
I have taken my vehicle in 3 times to have the recall repair completed and each time the dealership said they did it just for me to have checked the nhtsa website to see that it has not been completed.
I have a open recall on my vehicle from 2/2024 VIN [XXX] Honda Will not honor it because, they don’t have the parts is what I was told. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Suspension
Reports naming suspension components — springs, struts, shocks, control arms and related hardware.
From owner reports, verbatim
If im driving at normal rate of speed while on highway the steering becomes very loose and sticky when adjusting steering. The passenger wheel will feel like it wobbles on its camber axis or will act like a shopping cart wheel. At times changing direction of vehicle entirely. At that time suspension will feel really spongy.
Around 12:30pm last week, we were driving a 2021 Honda Accord on a straight and clear Northbound Freeway. All of a sudden, our car started to swerve left and right a few times, even though my wife tried to keep the car straight. She didn't steer the wheel much, fearing that the car may go sideways or whatever, but she just couldn't make the car straight. I was in the car and saw the dashboard flashing something red and could only remember some words like … hi…lock… In just a few seconds, she hit the barrier/divider separating the Northbound/Southbound freeway. After that, the car went straight and we were able to stop the car on the shoulder. It really put our life in danger but luckily no one got seriously injured. The major damage and concern is: the front left wheel got tucked up into the fender with a snapped lower controller arm connecting the front left wheel to suspension as in the photos. Honda refused to inspect the car because it got into an accident, but it’s clear something of the car likely the front left lower control arm went wrong / defective before the accident. We didn’t see any warning signs before the incident.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Body & structure
Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim.
From owner reports, verbatim
The paint is peeling off 6 months After I bought the car.South shore honda and American honda are not doing anything. I spoke with the manager at South shore honda,,willie Mejia who referred me to American Honda and American Honda referred me back to the dealer.
Paint chipping on the body, the paint has chipped down to bare metal
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Other / unspecified
Reports whose component NHTSA recorded as unknown, or that do not map to one of the categories above.
From owner reports, verbatim
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the brakes would suddenly apply, stopping the vehicle immediately. The failure had become more persistent. The contact would immediately apply the accelerator, and the vehicle would gradually accelerate forward. The traction control failure, brake system failure, cruise control, and the mediation light were illuminated, all related to the various drive assistance systems within the vehicle. When attempting to shift from the sport mode to economy or regular modes, it shows as unable or failure. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 62,000.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Exterior lighting
Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting.
From owner reports, verbatim
I bought my vehicle around May 2024. Initially, everything seemed fine. However, I noticed that my car was starting to slow down and would enter limp mode, preventing me from exceeding a certain mileage. Subsequently, all the lights on my dashboard began flashing, prompting me to pull over and call a mechanic shop. I had all the necessary maintenance and repairs performed as per the plan. After starting the vehicle, all the lights turned off, and it drove smoothly. A few weeks later, all the lights came back on again, and nothing showed on the OB2 Reader, which I thought was odd because something shouldve popped up if all the lights on my dashboard was going all crazy. The mechanic said the same thing and maybe thought it was the battery, sensors going bad, or even the wiring. But he checked everything and said he didnt find any issues. So I went home and the lights on the dashboard stayed on for 30 seconds and then turned off after I started the car. The lights turning on all at once on the dashboard became more frequent and this time, the check engine light illuminated, indicating a misfiring issue. I took the vehicle to a mechanic shop for a thorough inspection, and they made a few minor adjustments. However, two months later, the same problem recurred. All the lights came on again, and the vehicle misfired once more, accompanied by the check engine light. Upon further investigation, it was discovered that the issue was a head gasket leak. Additionally, the seat belt alert for the passenger and rear seats, as well as the child car seat, failed to function properly.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
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.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .