RoadVitals

2021 Honda CR-V Hybrid Problems

Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints 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.
103
Latest Sep 9, 2026
Components namedHow many of our component categories appear on at least one report for this model year. One report can name several.
11
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
5

What this page shows

Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2021 Honda CR-V Hybrid, 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

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.

36
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

August 13, 2026- Driver was traveling on Route 30 West approaching the Reeceville Exit. Driver attempted to pass a tractor trailer. As car accelerated to pass tractor trail, engine light flashed and car lost the ability to accelerate. As driver lost ability to power the car, he allowed truck to pass him and then coasted into right lane and eventually off to the side of the highway. Car had a half tank of gas at the time of incident. Safety of driver at risk as car was traveling approx. 61 mph in order to pass another vehicle. Suddenly, power lost in car as car was passing truck and driver had to maneuver car from passing lane into right lane and eventually come to a stop on side of road. Honda was contacted since this occured before. It was taken in on Monday August 17th.

NHTSA ID 11763066 · filed Sep 9, 2026

I am a senior citizen who bought a brand new 2021 Honda CRV hybrid in 2022. I used the vehicle mainly for driving around town in city driving. I ensured that my vehicle received all the necessary scheduled maintenance at either the dealership I bought the vehicle,(Pacific Honda, [XXX];phone [XXX]) or a certified Honda dealership. I have complete maintenance records at the Honda dealership for the entire life onf the vehicle. In early XXX I received a warning light on my dash concerning the engine and immediately took the vehicle into the Honda dealership to have it looked at. I was told I had a blown headgasket and the repairs would be approximately $7,000.00 dollars. The mechanic then told me that this was a common problem with this vehicle due to the engine Honda put in the car. The mechanic advised me to contactHonda to see if they would assist me with the cost due to the fact that this was a manufacturing problem and I did nothing to cause the issue and there is nothing I could have done differently to have avoided this issue. I called and Honda told me there was nothing they could do for me since the car was out of warranty. I bought the vehicle in August of 2021 and repair was done XXX. I was treated very poorly at the Honda dealership and lost trust in their tech team. On XXX I received another warning light on my dash. I took my vehicle to Mossy Honda in [XXX] to have it looked at due to the fact I did not trust Pacific Honda. They did a multi point inspection and told me that my Rear differential was bad and had to be replaced for approximately $5,500.00 dollars. I had the work done. When I picked up the vehicle after the repair the tech told me that the Rear differential was completely bad and that there were metal flakes throughout the Rear Differential. He told me that if I had not brought it in when I did the car could have had a catastrophic lockup or seizure! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID 11759190 · filed Aug 24, 2026
All 36 reports naming driver assistance →

Engine

Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.

35
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

2021 CR-V Hybrid, approximately 103,000 miles. Multiple incidents of loss of propulsion at highway speed with engine shaking and a flashing MIL. Cycling the ignition restores normal operation, and the codes disappear. I have had it scanned, and no errors show up. Spark plugs and ignition coils have been replaced. The vehicle has also displayed an engine high-temperature/reduce-acceleration warning. This can be in relation to NHTSA Preliminary Evaluation PE25016 that has been documented by other owners.

NHTSA ID 11761715 · filed Sep 2, 2026

I am a senior citizen who bought a brand new 2021 Honda CRV hybrid in 2022. I used the vehicle mainly for driving around town in city driving. I ensured that my vehicle received all the necessary scheduled maintenance at either the dealership I bought the vehicle,(Pacific Honda, [XXX];phone [XXX]) or a certified Honda dealership. I have complete maintenance records at the Honda dealership for the entire life onf the vehicle. In early XXX I received a warning light on my dash concerning the engine and immediately took the vehicle into the Honda dealership to have it looked at. I was told I had a blown headgasket and the repairs would be approximately $7,000.00 dollars. The mechanic then told me that this was a common problem with this vehicle due to the engine Honda put in the car. The mechanic advised me to contactHonda to see if they would assist me with the cost due to the fact that this was a manufacturing problem and I did nothing to cause the issue and there is nothing I could have done differently to have avoided this issue. I called and Honda told me there was nothing they could do for me since the car was out of warranty. I bought the vehicle in August of 2021 and repair was done XXX. I was treated very poorly at the Honda dealership and lost trust in their tech team. On XXX I received another warning light on my dash. I took my vehicle to Mossy Honda in [XXX] to have it looked at due to the fact I did not trust Pacific Honda. They did a multi point inspection and told me that my Rear differential was bad and had to be replaced for approximately $5,500.00 dollars. I had the work done. When I picked up the vehicle after the repair the tech told me that the Rear differential was completely bad and that there were metal flakes throughout the Rear Differential. He told me that if I had not brought it in when I did the car could have had a catastrophic lockup or seizure! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID 11759190 · filed Aug 24, 2026
All 35 reports naming engine →

Electrical

Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.

24
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

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 · filed Apr 19, 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 · filed Feb 11, 2025
All 24 reports naming electrical →

Fuel system

Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks.

17
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

2021 CR-V Hybrid, approximately 103,000 miles. Multiple incidents of loss of propulsion at highway speed with engine shaking and a flashing MIL. Cycling the ignition restores normal operation, and the codes disappear. I have had it scanned, and no errors show up. Spark plugs and ignition coils have been replaced. The vehicle has also displayed an engine high-temperature/reduce-acceleration warning. This can be in relation to NHTSA Preliminary Evaluation PE25016 that has been documented by other owners.

NHTSA ID 11761715 · filed Sep 2, 2026

Manufacturer Dealer Diagnostic confirmed that Head Gasket is leaking on cylinder 1 and that this is a known issue. Vehicle just 3 months and barely 2000 miles out of new car warranty. Manufacturer fails to cover repair at 100% Power Loss while driving on the freeway on 2 separate occasions. Engine did not provide power in response to accelerator pedal, car slows down w/o control. Incident 1 traveling 65 mph Hwy [XXX] in [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID 11755481 · filed Aug 7, 2026
All 17 reports naming fuel system →

Powertrain (other)

Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials.

12
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

August 13, 2026- Driver was traveling on Route 30 West approaching the Reeceville Exit. Driver attempted to pass a tractor trailer. As car accelerated to pass tractor trail, engine light flashed and car lost the ability to accelerate. As driver lost ability to power the car, he allowed truck to pass him and then coasted into right lane and eventually off to the side of the highway. Car had a half tank of gas at the time of incident. Safety of driver at risk as car was traveling approx. 61 mph in order to pass another vehicle. Suddenly, power lost in car as car was passing truck and driver had to maneuver car from passing lane into right lane and eventually come to a stop on side of road. Honda was contacted since this occured before. It was taken in on Monday August 17th.

NHTSA ID 11763066 · filed Sep 9, 2026

I am a senior citizen who bought a brand new 2021 Honda CRV hybrid in 2022. I used the vehicle mainly for driving around town in city driving. I ensured that my vehicle received all the necessary scheduled maintenance at either the dealership I bought the vehicle,(Pacific Honda, [XXX];phone [XXX]) or a certified Honda dealership. I have complete maintenance records at the Honda dealership for the entire life onf the vehicle. In early XXX I received a warning light on my dash concerning the engine and immediately took the vehicle into the Honda dealership to have it looked at. I was told I had a blown headgasket and the repairs would be approximately $7,000.00 dollars. The mechanic then told me that this was a common problem with this vehicle due to the engine Honda put in the car. The mechanic advised me to contactHonda to see if they would assist me with the cost due to the fact that this was a manufacturing problem and I did nothing to cause the issue and there is nothing I could have done differently to have avoided this issue. I called and Honda told me there was nothing they could do for me since the car was out of warranty. I bought the vehicle in August of 2021 and repair was done XXX. I was treated very poorly at the Honda dealership and lost trust in their tech team. On XXX I received another warning light on my dash. I took my vehicle to Mossy Honda in [XXX] to have it looked at due to the fact I did not trust Pacific Honda. They did a multi point inspection and told me that my Rear differential was bad and had to be replaced for approximately $5,500.00 dollars. I had the work done. When I picked up the vehicle after the repair the tech told me that the Rear differential was completely bad and that there were metal flakes throughout the Rear Differential. He told me that if I had not brought it in when I did the car could have had a catastrophic lockup or seizure! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID 11759190 · filed Aug 24, 2026
All 12 reports naming powertrain (other) →

Brakes

Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.

8
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

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 · filed Aug 8, 2025

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 · filed Feb 17, 2025
All 8 reports naming brakes →

Steering

Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage.

6
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

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 · filed Jul 9, 2025

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 · filed Apr 23, 2025

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.

3
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

The vehicle was parked, not running in a shopping center. The trunk was open and I was putting groceries into the trunk. The trunk started to close while I was leaning inside loading groceries. The trunk did reverse up only after it hit my back, quite hard. This has happened to me three times, each time injured a part of my body. No sounds were made to alert me the trunk was closing while leaning in it, I will be finally report this to Honda. No insurance claim has been made

NHTSA ID 11520012 · filed May 2, 2023

Good day, I bought my Honda CRV last summer. In October, I was driving on an on-ramp to the expressway and the hood flew open. I filed an insurance claim with Farmer's for the repairs. It was repaired to the original specs. I saw where other Honda models have been recalled for this issue. There was no reason for the hood to fly open, I had no recent needs to open the hood at the time. I thought it prudent to bring this to your attention in case the Honda CRV has the same type of hood as the other models recalled. I was fortunate the incident in October had no injuries and did not compromise safety for other travelers on the road. However, there may still be risk for another occurrence if it is the same problem as the other models. I appreciate any information or guidance that will help ensure my Honda is safe to drive. Thank you, [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA ID 11450812 · filed Feb 7, 2022

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.

2
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

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 · filed Aug 16, 2025

Driving on flat highway and the windshield cracked from the outside edge inwards. There was no impact of any object and windshield passes "ball point pen test". Dealer refuses to warranty repair. Vehicle is available for inspection. No warning signs although there are ongoing class action suits claiming defect in windshield support.

NHTSA ID 11476891 · filed Aug 1, 2022

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Airbags

Reports naming the air-bag system — deployment behaviour, inflators, sensors and warning lights.

2
reports

From owner reports, verbatim

The contact owns a 2021 Honda CR-V. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V064000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ID 11583254 · filed Apr 16, 2024

The contact owns a 2021 Honda CR-V. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 24V064000 (Air Bags) and 23V844000 (Electrical System) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ID 11580506 · filed Apr 1, 2024

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Tires & wheels

Reports naming tires, wheels, hubs, or the tire-pressure monitoring system.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

Hankook Kinergy GT 235 / 60 R 18 130H The driver's side front tire burst on 12/24/2021. The tire split, almost like a re-tread (see pictures). I suspect a sidewall structure/reinforcement failure. This could/should have caused a rollover like the tire failures and accidents of Ford Explorers and other light trucks/SUV's fitted with Firestone Radial ATX, ATX II, and Wilderness tires in the late 90's and early 2000's. Pacific Honda Dealer replaced the tire and disposed the detached and burst tire on 12/28/2021. When the tire burst on highway, I barely managed to pull over to the left side since it was pulling in various directions, so my safety was at risk. There was no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure.

NHTSA ID 11445619 · filed Dec 30, 2021

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

Data on this page last refreshed .