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 assistance7228.2%
- Electrical5521.6%
- Engine3112.2%
- Brakes2710.6%
- Fuel system155.9%
- Airbags145.5%
- Powertrain (other)114.3%
- Steering83.1%
- Seat belts62.4%
- Visibility52.0%
- Interior & seats31.2%
- Suspension31.2%
- Body & structure31.2%
- 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
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
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.
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
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,
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)
Engine
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.
From owner reports, verbatim
I own a 2021 Honda Accord Hybrid. Shortly after purchasing the vehicle as a used vehicle in 2023, I began experiencing intermittent air conditioning performance. The A/C would gradually lose cooling capacity over time until it was no longer able to cool the cabin effectively. To temporarily restore operation, I added refrigerant approximately twice per year, believing the system had developed a minor leak. As the condition worsened, I brought the vehicle to an authorized Honda dealership for diagnosis. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle with a leaking A/C condenser and a leaking heat exchanger pipe and recommended replacement of both components. Honda declined goodwill assistance because the vehicle is outside the original warranty period. I later learned that Honda previously issued an extended warranty for A/C condenser failures on 2018–2020 Accord models due to a known condenser defect. My vehicle exhibits the same symptoms of gradual refrigerant loss and declining cooling performance, despite being a 2021 model year. In researching this issue, I found multiple reports from other 2021 Accord and 2021 Accord Hybrid owners describing similar A/C condenser failures and refrigerant leaks. I am submitting this complaint because I believe there may be a broader pattern affecting 2021 Accord vehicles that warrants review. I am requesting that NHTSA document this complaint and evaluate whether similar failures are occurring in 2021 Honda Accord and Accord Hybrid vehicles.
First of all started with small coolant missing, later on I started noticing power loss and finally white smoke out the exhaust. Blown Head Gasket. Honda need to own up on defect engine design the ford did awhile back. Those slits between the cylinder was a big mistake. I myself is doing the repair. 2021 Honda Accord Sport 2.0 with mods and tuned
Brakes
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.
From owner reports, verbatim
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
This has been reported one time before but the situation has gotten worse when driving at approximately 60ish miles per hour but it starts doing it about between 50 and 70 mph when driving and the car is using the regular engine not the EV section. You will randomly lose the ability to accelerate and you have to remove your foot from the gas let the engine slow and then re-accelerate now for the second time as I'm driving I lose the ability to accelerate at all and no matter what I do the car will slow almost every warning light on the dash comes on and there are 11 different warnings I've uploaded photos of a few I have a video though also and you lose complete power and ability to drive warning lights such as power steering problem emissions problem powertrain problem all of those are part of what turns on if you try to move the vehicle it will not move unless it is an EV mode and even then it only works for several feet but you can't get over a few miles per hour if you are on the highway like I was going 65 mph and there's traffic is extremely dangerous the only reason I was not hit was because I turn my emergency lights on and was able to maneuver my vehicle to the shoulder safely had I been in a more busy section of the road or had I been in an area where I could not get off the road I would have been hit by another vehicle. Honda has stated they can't find anything wrong with the vehicle but a quick Google search shows that this is a common issue and I have a video of the dash with all the warning lights should anyone need it as well as photos.
Fuel system
Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.
From owner reports, verbatim
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
I am submitting this complaint regarding my 2021 Honda Accord because of a serious safety issue involving the turbocharger and fuel injector system. While driving on the highway, my vehicle experienced a failure related to the turbocharger and fuel injector system, which caused multiple warning sensors to activate and resulted in the vehicle suddenly losing power and becoming unable to continue driving. This unexpected failure forced my car to stop in the middle of the highway, placing me and other motorists at significant risk of a serious accident or fatality. A vehicle should not suddenly become inoperable while traveling at highway speeds due to a mechanical defect. This creates an extremely dangerous situation, especially in heavy traffic where other drivers may not have sufficient time to react. After researching this issue, I discovered that numerous other owners of 2021 Honda Accords have reported similar failures involving the fuel injectors and turbocharger. Given the number of reported incidents and the serious safety risks associated with these failures, I believe this represents a potential defect that warrants investigation. I respectfully request that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration investigate this issue and require Honda to issue a safety recall if appropriate. No driver should have to experience a sudden loss of power that leaves them stranded in moving traffic due to an apparent vehicle defect.
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
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.
Driving on the highway, my dashboard lit up like a Christmas tree. Car started having white smoke at tail pipe. Check engine lit blink 5 times. Had 4 kids under 14 years old in car. Almost got hit trying to merge over. Turns out misfire cylinder 4. Head gasket. Only 81,000 miles. I have owed 5 months. Car currently at Honda, they want almost 4,400 to repair. But apparently, Honda is aware of these HEAD gaskets going prematurely, in 1.5 l. and has done nothing about it. I do not have the money to repair this car on top of how dangerous it was to be driving on the highway.When this happened.
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 .