2021 Honda CR-V Hybrid Owner Complaints

The vehicle experienced a premature failure of the head gasket; it was blown at 130,000 miles. I was close to home when I received a dash alert stating not to accelerate as the engine was nearing a critically high temperature. If I had not been able to get home so quickly, my safety may have been compromised as my car could have overheated forcing me to pull over on the shoulder of a busy bridge. My local dealership inspected the vehicle and has quoted me nearly $4,500 for the repair, despite it appearing as this is a known issue with this particular engine.

NHTSA ID

11688230

Incident

Sep 15, 2025

Brittle / torn top black windshield seal gasket tendency to fog / moisture / rain/water penetration inside the car . Also decolorize all black plastic side panels

NHTSA ID

11681067

Incident

Apr 1, 2025

While traveling northwest at 37 mph, the automatic brake system engaged jolting the driver. The camera shows no objects in front of but there were two vehicles traveling southeast in the opposite lane prior to the brakes applying. There were shadows from trees. If there was a vehicle behind, and the driver did not react fast enough, this would have been a rearend collision. This is the third time that the automatic brake system engaged for no reason since we have owned this vehicle (Dec 2021) and each time it has been reported to the NTSB. In the past two cases, there were no vehicles or shadows from trees, since we were in the desert. The previous two times, the vehicle was inspected by the dealership with no defect noted (under warranty). There were no dashboard warning notices indicating an issue. The vehicle will be resubmitted to a dealership for inspection for this third incident (not under warranty).

NHTSA ID

11679427

Incident

Aug 8, 2025

Traveling on 4 lane highway at 65 mph on slight upgrade-check engine light started flashing and vehicle started to shudder slightly and went into "limp" mode I think. Started to slow down with NO power. Turned on emergency flashers and was able to pull over without incident, although it was close to causing an accident with a tractor trailer. I shut the vehicle down and after 10 minutes, started it again> I was able to drive home another 45 miles without incident. This happened a week ago and so far it hasn't happened again.

NHTSA ID

11679040

Incident

Aug 1, 2025

The issue occurs seemingly randomly about once a month when driving on the highway. All of the sudden the car starts de-accelerating. Even if you push the gas pedal all the way down it doesn’t go. It just goes slower and slower and thank goodness I’ve been able to pull over every time. Once I shutdown the car completely and turn back on then I have power again.

NHTSA ID

11678339

Incident

Feb 2, 2025

When I accelerate up a hill at speed I lose power of the car. Once I pull over and turn the car off and wait a few minutes, the car starts up and drives fine. I have taken it in to be fixed and one time they changed spark plugs and a head gasket and then about 8 months later it did the same thing. I took it in to be checked out and they cannot find anything wrong with it. I have searched online and have found out there are other people having the same issue with this model (2021 CRV hybrid). I've only owned the car for 4 years and love Honda's and have owned one most of my life so this is disappointing.

NHTSA ID

11673100

Incident

Jun 26, 2025

The contact owns a 2021 Honda CR-V. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel failed to turn in the intended direction. No warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that the failure had occurred several times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the failure was not duplicated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 57,500.

NHTSA ID

11672256

Incident

Jun 9, 2025

Mileage

57,500 mi

Been dealing with an intermittent flashing engine light issue for the past 1.5 to 2 years. We bought this car brand new in 2021 and the first time this happened the car was barely 3 years old. Whenever this issue occurs, the check engine light would flash and the car would lose engine power (pressing down on the accelerator does nothing). Once stopped, we can hear loud knocking noises from the engine. Usually turning the car off and then back on resets the behavior and the car operates normally. However, this is a very dangerous issue as it sometimes happen on the highway. It took us almost 2 years to successfully pull the error codes because, for reasons we can't understand, Honda designed this error code to clear itself after 3 uneventful drive cycles (as told to us by two separate dealers). We took the car to the various shops multiple time and they were never able to reproduce or diagnose the issue. Finally we were able to get the codes pulled at an O'Reilly's right after it happened, and the codes they found were: - Cylinder 1 misfire - Cylinder 2 misfire - Random misfires We took it to a dealer afterward and they ran a fuel/air ratio test and said everything looked fine; then they examined the fuel valves and noticed they were all overly tight. They believed that was the root cause and adjusted them to spec; we had to pay $1000 for the adjustment because for some reason this was considered a "maintenance item" even though we have never touched the fuel valves and the car was not due for this particular maintenance item until 100K miles, so I don't understand why this shouldn't be covered under warranty. In any case, it turned out the fuel valve adjustments didn't fix the issue and it happened again, so the car's back in the dealership now. I found a bunch of similar complaints pertaining to this vehicle model, and it really deserves more. attention.

NHTSA ID

11669244

Incident

Jun 1, 2023

My 2021 Honda CR-V Hybrid has experienced three identical and dangerous incidents over a one month period beginning around 60,000 miles. Each time, while driving at highway speeds (60-70 mph) climbing hills or grades, the vehicle suddenly loses all acceleration power accompanied by a rapidly flashing check engine light. This creates an extremely hazardous situation as the vehicle cannot maintain highway speeds with fast-moving traffic approaching from behind, forcing emergency stops on busy highway shoulders where rear-end collisions become a serious risk. After each incident, turning off the vehicle and waiting 10+ minutes allows normal operation to resume, with the flashing check engine light disappearing. The malfunction involves the engine ignition system, specifically cylinder 4 misfiring as confirmed by diagnostic trouble code P0304 that I captured during the most recent incident. The suspected failing components include the ignition coil, spark plug, or fuel injector for cylinder 4. What makes this particularly dangerous is the complete unpredictability - no warning symptoms appear before each incident, and the failure occurs suddenly under specific conditions that are common in highway driving. Despite three documented occurrences, two separate Honda dealerships have been unable to reproduce the issue or confirm the problem. Both claim they find "no stored codes" even though I have evidence of the P0304 code. The codes appear to be cleared after turning the vehicle off and on. The intermittent nature and specific conditions required (sustained highway speeds while climbing grades) prevent typical shop diagnosis, yet this appears to be a widespread pattern affecting multiple 2021 CR-V Hybrids based on similar owner reports online. The recurring nature combined with the inability of dealers to address the root cause, creates an ongoing safety hazard. The vehicle remains available for inspection.

NHTSA ID

11669059

Incident

May 22, 2025

Engine overheating in short trips with full coolant and oil. My car is 4 years old and after years of mysteriously going into limp mode and no help from the dealer, I believe it has a bad head gasket. this started when the car was 3 years old.

NHTSA ID

11667665

Incident

Jun 18, 2025

I own a 2021 Honda CR-V Touring hybrid and have had 2 incidents of what I have learned is called sudden unintentional acceleration (SUA). I bought the car new and took possession of it in the spring of 2021. The first incident occurred Nov 14, 2023 when I was parking at a restaurant. I was slowly pulling forward into a parking spot where there were unattended cars on either side of me as well as in front of me. Suddenly, without warning, I was surging with full force into the minivan parked ahead of me as well as the front end of the car parked next to it. I slammed on the brake but not before I had pushed the minvan several feet forward. I did not know how this happened but, even though I knew that I had not stepped on the gas pedal nor had something interfered with it, I assumed that I must have done something to cause this accident. Thousands of dollars of damage was done to my car as well as the other two vehicles that were struck. The second incident was June 11, 2025. I was slowly advancing forward into a hotel parking space. There was a curb at the end of the space with some landscaping behind that. The landscaping had an uphill incline with some large evergreens about 8-10 feet from the curb. Once again, the car suddenly surged forward, jumping the curb, and accelerating into the evergreens. I slammed on the brake, feeling like I was putting my foot through the floor. This was an exact repeat of the previous incident and I am absolutely certain that I did nothing to cause this acceleration to occur. I was able to back out of the evergreens and my car does not appear to be damaged. Airbags were not deployed in either incident. I went on-line and there are numerous reports of similar incidents among CR-v owners but I do not see any recalls or actions taken by Honda on this problem. I intend to take the car to the Honda dealer in the next week. I fear the next incident may result in injury or death.

NHTSA ID

11666749

Incident

Nov 14, 2023

Sometime at about 47 miles I began noticing a “stickiness” in the steering. It feels hard to turn either direction and requires effort. Then suddenly it turns almost to the point of overcorrection. It also makes a creaking and popping sound. It seems to be getting worse and I’m now at 53k miles. The amount of time the steering feels stuck is longer and more frequent. I see this is a common complaint and a recall for other year models but not the 2021 in spite of there being plenty of complaints about the exact same issue. Clearly something is wrong with the whole lot of CRVs manufactured with whatever this defective part is. I have no choice but to repair but shouldn’t I expect to have a car made with functioning parts?

NHTSA ID

11656221

Incident

Oct 1, 2023

UNKNOWN. On 4/13/25 morning, I was with my wife driving towards a park and our car decelerated suddenly from 37 miles to 20 miles and then slowed down. Luckily no driver behind us was close otherwise the car would have crashed. We pulled over to the side of the road and shut off the engine. Restarted and the car seemed to run normal. The dealer who sold this car checked on 4/16/25 and they could not find any problem and asked to bring back if it happens again. We are totally speechless and don't know what to do next.

NHTSA ID

11655706

Incident

Apr 13, 2025

1st incident all failure lights went on while driving on HWy 137 which os a 2 lane hoghway. 2nd i cidenr -All engine failure lights went on and lost power on the fast lane while driving on 15 freeway. Had to be towed hime both times and sat in an unsafe zone while tow truck arrived.

NHTSA ID

11655641

Incident

Jun 10, 2024

The steering is sticky at highway speeds like something is wrong with the steering input. The steering doesn't react then all of a sudden the steering wheel releases and over compensates requiring a quick opposite steering input. Difficult to drive on the highway. A real safety issue.

NHTSA ID

11654608

Incident

Apr 1, 2025

My 2021 Honda CRV has been at freeway speeds, all of a sudden starts flashing my engine light, acceleration quits working... and I have to try to navigate off the highway as my car is slowing down to turn the car off. This has happened SIX times. Once I turn the car off and then turn it back on, it resets. It's not logging an error code so the dealership can't figure out what is wrong. I have recorded it happening on my phone several times, as requested, and shared with the dealership. I also made Honda Corporate aware and was given a case number a year ago and have contacted them SEVERAL times and they continue to say they are reviewing it, but no action has been taken. It's terrifying. I have so much anxiety driving my car and can't believe I haven't been hit or killed at this point. I also found several other people with the exact same make, model and year doing the exact same thing and Honda has done nothing. No recalls, nothing. They have been aware of this for over a year and are not reacting. I'm at a loss what to do. The dealership admitted this is a serious safety issue, but said they can't fix something they can't figure out. Unbelievable! Also, I do have video recordings on my phone of this happening and shared them with the dealership and with Honda Corporate Customer Service. I don't know how to upload them here, but happy to share them.

NHTSA ID

11653746

Incident

Jan 9, 2024

On the FREEWAY. The engine-icon lit up on the dash screen. Shortly after, I realized that the car was slowing down. Pushed on gas pedal and nothing happened. Started going slower and slower. Put on the emergency flashers, changed lanes to the far right and managed to coast it to a spot with a shoulder large enough to get me 100% on the shoulder. Turned off the power button and sat there for about 3-5 minutes. Turned the car back on and it was fine the rest of the way to my destination. Has not happened since. It was VERY scary! Called the dealership the next morning. Took it in at their request. There were no "codes" that came up and they had no idea why it happened. No resolution.

NHTSA ID

11651171

Incident

Feb 20, 2025

This car has a recall on it since Jan. 2024 for a battery harness cable. I have tried numerous times to get the recall done and each time, the dealer has not had the part. The dealer is also saying that I need to bring the car in first to inspect it before they will order the part from Honda of North America. I called Honda of North America and they say that is not true. That they just need to replace the part and I do not need to bring the car in for inspection. I am not sure what to do at this point. Honda just sent me another notice saying I need to do the recall. But my local dealer says they don't have the part and won't order it for me. Is anyone paying attention to this problem? Other people are saying that Honda is making them pay for service in order to do the recall.

NHTSA ID

11645543

Incident

Jan 31, 2024

I was driving the vehicle on route I287 and all of a sudden the break system got activated without touching any button and the car speed was damped down and as a result the car was pulled aside to see what had happened. The break system completely collapsed with a break sign on the dashboard appearing persistently which could not be deactivated or was not able to remove from the dashboard with several attempts made in restarting the engine. Due to the involuntary break activation on highway driving, my life as well others would have been in extreme danger and jeopardized the whole situation in continuing driving further. The car was towed on a flat bed to the the dealer The Honda Princenton, New Jersey for further investigation and got analyzed for the root cause and they suggested a fix of head gasket replacement, a major repair, asking us to fix the vehicle at the cost of 6000 dollars. Previously, I had driven several Hondas and never experienced break issues on the cars and we had invested in buying this time the Honda CR-V and what we went through this vehicle something like this is not fair for the customer has to go through a major repair on the vehicle at such a low milage of 127,000 put on the car which never was involved in an accident and driving the car on high way every day to the work place. We want a complete restoration of the vehicle at free of cost and get it certified and drivable safely on the road.

NHTSA ID

11643071

Incident

Jan 30, 2025

Within the past 3 months, twice now, the battery indicator goes to zero and engine loses power and you can't accelerate. This is very dangerous where we live as it is a 2 lane mountain highway with few spots to safely pull over. There are a number of posts about this know issue, all stating the same scenario and that no Honda dealerships will fix it as they "can't determine an issue". I called our dealer after this happened the first time and was instructed to not restart the vehicle and just have it towed in. That is not realistic.

NHTSA ID

11641878

Incident

Feb 10, 2025

On highway, engaged cruise control at 70 mph. Engine light came on, simultaneously with loss of power (pressing on gas pedal did nothing) and Apple CarPlay disconnect. We were near an exit and managed to drift off, at lower off-ramp speed engine again could respond to accelerator however was chugging very badly. Went to nearby oil change place. Mechanic there advised going straight to dealer a short distance further. Drove on to the Honda dealer, car still chugging and stopped the car until I could talk to the service person. When the car restarted it was no longer chugging. Service person diagnosed the following and said i basically needed a new engine: TECH SCANNED VEHICLE AND FOUND CODES P0300 RANDOM CYL MISFIRE, P0302 CYL 2 MISFIRE. TECH CHECKED LIVE DATA AND HAD VERY LITTLE MISFIRE COMING FROM CYL 3, PULLED ALL COILS AND PLUGS AND FOUND CYL 2 AND 4 HAD THE INJECTORS STILL SPRAYING WITH THE VEHICLE OFF INDICATING FAILURE OF THE INJECTORS IN THOSE 2 CYLINDERS, IN CYLINDER 3 TECH FOUND EXCESSIVE OIL BURNING ON THE PISTON, INDICATING OIL LEAKING INTO THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER OF THE MOTOR.

NHTSA ID

11640119

Incident

Jan 14, 2025

Several times when I was traveling at highway speeds on interstates, the car would suddenly decelerate and the engine light would start flashing. Sometimes the car shakes as well. When this occurs, I am unable to accelerate and the car's speed slows dramatically. I have to pull off onto the shoulder, shut the car off, and then turn it back on to clear the problem. I brought it to the dealership several times and they said there was no error code so they couldn't determine what occurred. Finally, they test drove the vehicle and experienced this problem and fixed it. I'm unsure of what they did to fix it. However, a couple of months passed and it just happened again. I was traveling approx. 70 miles per hour in rainy conditions in the left lane of an interstate with a lot of traffic/tractor trailers. I had to maneuver to the shoulder and put my hazard lights on. It is EXTREMELY dangerous and given the sudden slow speed on a highway with a 70 mph speed limit, this could easily cause a serious accident. I am going back to the dealership on Monday but it is concerning that they thought they fixed the problem and apparently, the defect is still present.

NHTSA ID

11640061

Incident

Jan 31, 2025

On January 15th while driving home with my son I attempted to accelerate around a truck when I hit approximately 60 mph the vehicle stopped accelerating and began to slow down. I did notice that the "charge bar" for the hybrid battery was indicating that it was charging. The car continued to decelerate and I pulled to the side of the road. The check engine light was flashing. I turned the vehicle off for a minute and started it back up. The car drove fine and I was able to make it home. The dealership said there were no codes saved and they had no explanation. This was a the third time in the past year this has occurred and no one can tell me what the codes are or how to fix it.

NHTSA ID

11637607

Incident

Jan 15, 2025

Mileage

95,937 mi

Driving on highway, engine light began flashing, then deceleration occurred. No response in pushing the gas pedal at all. Pulled to side of road. Stopped car. Had it towed to Honda dealer. At the dealership, the car ran fine, the problem could not be replicated and there was no record that it had occurred. Approximately five weeks later, the same problem occurred on the highway, but I immediately got to the side of the road when the engine light came on and was able to pull off as deceleration was occuring. Waited a few minutes and the car then ran fine.

NHTSA ID

11636921

Incident

Nov 13, 2024

See attached document for complaint.

NHTSA ID

11635848

Incident

Dec 10, 2024