2021 Honda CR-V Powertrain (other) Problems

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

Incident

Jul 31, 2026

While driving a 2021 Honda CR-V Hybrid, the vehicle has intermittently and without warning lost the ability to accelerate. When this occurs, depressing the accelerator pedal — even fully to the floor — produces no response, and the vehicle simply coasts and loses speed. This has happened on three occasions — January 13, 2025; December 16, 2025; and June 10, 2026 — including at highway speed. Each occurrence is documented by a Honda dealer service invoice. In each instance, the check engine light began flashing immediately before the loss of power. The only way to restore normal operation was to bring the vehicle to a stop, turn the ignition off, wait, and restart. Restarting restores power but also clears the check engine light and any stored diagnostic trouble codes. Safety risk: Losing motive power without warning, particularly at highway speed or while merging in traffic, creates a serious risk of a rear-end or loss-of-control collision, because the vehicle cannot accelerate out of danger. The affected systems appear to be the power train and hybrid propulsion system, possibly originating from the engine given the flashing check engine light, which typically indicates an active engine misfire. The exact failed component has not been confirmed (UNKNOWN). The problem has NOT been reproduced or confirmed by the dealer during inspection. The vehicle was taken to an authorized Honda dealer for each occurrence, but because restarting the vehicle clears the fault codes, the dealer found no stored codes and could not duplicate the failure during a test drive. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. This matches NHTSA Preliminary Evaluation PE25016 regarding intermittent loss of motive power in MY 2020–2022 Honda CR-V Hybrid vehicles.

NHTSA ID

11743431

Incident

Jun 10, 2026

When driving on the highway at the speed of traffic, the check engine light appeared and was followed by a loss of engine power. Vehicle had to be pulled over to the shoulder. After shutting the vehicle off and turning it back on, engine power was restored. Vehicle is available for inspection upon request. Safety is a major concern if unable to move the vehicle out of traffic before coming to a stop with no power. The Honda dealer ran a diagnostic and did not find an issues. They were also unable to reproduce the problem. The vehicle has not been inspected by any other parties. -1st incident: August 15, 2025 -2nd incident: October 31, 2025 -inspected by dealer: November 13, 2025 -3rd and most recent incident: April 2, 2026

NHTSA ID

11729803

Incident

Apr 2, 2026

CRV Dashboard all warning lights illuminated including check engine and emissions system problem. I had to park my car and it smelled like gas. I immediately called Honda Care and I took my car to Unicars Dealer on 03/11/2026 They provided a diagnostic report, report retrieved PO172 fuel system Bank 1 too rich and P219F no 4 cyclinder air fuel ratio variation. Despite Honda issuing Service Bulletin NHTDA ID 10220352, 10208090 and similar 22-002 for the exact same part failure 2017-2019 models, and despite Manufacturer Communication MC -10201454 specifically requesting failed injectors from 2021 models for investigation, HONDA HAS REFUSED TO PROVIDE A WARRANTY EXTENSION OR GOODWILL ASSISTANCE FOR THIS KNOWN DEFECT. This is a premature failure of critical fuel system component that causes the vehicle to stall smell like gas, lose power unexpectedly posing a significant safety risk to the driver and others on the road. I opened a GoodWill case # 16219868- after two weeks Case manager said it did not meet their guidelines offered a $125 assistance. I have called Unicars dealer service technician multiple times with no avail and no return calls. I finally walked into the UNICARS Dealer yesterday 3/25/26 and made appointment to get vehicle fixed on 03/27/26. I am paying out of pocket for all repairs over $2000 dollars.

NHTSA ID

11726973

Incident

Mar 10, 2026

While ascending a steep hill in San Francisco, the engine began operating roughly and the check engine light came on and began flashing. Pulled over as soon as possible, let the engine cool, and confirmed in the operator manual that the flashing light indicated severe misfire and possible loss of engine power. After cooloff and restart, the flashing check engine light went off, but a scanner revealed a pending P0302 error code, indicating a misfire in cylinder 2. On the first restart of the engine, it started roughly before settling down, and I could hear loud water sloshing. On the short drive home, I could continue to feel the engine running roughly on each startup cycle (periodically on the drive since this is a hybrid), indicating to me a blown head gasket. In my research, this seems to be a common issue with this engine or model year (see NHTSA Preliminary Evaluation PE25016 or Bissell v. American Honda Motor Co., Inc. et al). I'm confident that if I continue to drive it, another misfire like this on a hill in San Francisco could easily cause a loss of power, steering, or braking action. I will be taking it in for inspection at a Honda service center. The service representative at my local service center (Berkeley CA) indicated this is a common issue on this car that they see regularly. No prior mechanical issues or engine roughness with the vehicle, or anything that would've indicated an issue prior to this misfire and leak. Regularly serviced as a leased vehicle from Honda dealership until it was purchased 2 years ago from the dealership with 70,000 miles. No major maintenance since purchase besides oil changes, rear differential fluid changes, air filters, and tire replacement.

NHTSA ID

11721063

Incident

Feb 26, 2026

While highway driving around 60 mph, speed will decrease down to 30. Happened 4 times in the last 3 months. Need to pull over shoulder and shut off the vehicle to reset.

NHTSA ID

11720010

Incident

Feb 20, 2026

I bought this car new since 2021 the manufacturer warranty only lasted 60,000 miles warranty this car is fairly new and well taken care of I tooked it to a shop to get it looked at and the cvt housing is leaking and causing me issues like transmission sluggish and also power loss I’m scared that the leak can be leaking so bad that it can blow up my transmission due to over heat and causing major damage

NHTSA ID

11620596

Incident

Oct 18, 2024

Going down highway at 60mph, I heard a loud boom from pass side rear wheel I pull over safely to rest area, Got out thought maybe a tire blew but that wasn’t it, Got towed to a Honda Dealership and upon further inspection I was told the rear differential was cracked, The explanation I was told from Honda was I drove in reverse and hit something so hard that caused the cracks, What they couldn’t explain to me was why there was no other damage to the underneath of the car, I did have the extended warranty on my car but I believe Honda doesn’t want to honor it,I did some research and found this vehicle was having problems with a defective rear seal, Thank you if your able to ask more questions for me

NHTSA ID

11611672

Incident

Aug 11, 2024

EPS gearbox. When entering into a turn the steering wheel gets stuck and requires additional force to pull wheel out of the turn for both left turns and right turns. The risk of overcorrecting or being unable to return the wheel to a forward direction is a major risk to the driver and to others. The vehicle is uncomfortable to drive due to the unpredictability of the sticking steering. The more severe the turn the more sticky the steering. The issue seems to be progressing over time since it was first noticed (May 2024; vehicle purchased Aug 2021). The vehicle was taken to the Honda service center for diagnosis; however, there were no warning lamps or messages triggered by the vehicle. The vehicle was inspected by the service technician with the recommendation to replace the EPS gearbox assembly. The observations by the technician were "The EPS steering assist is not performing correctly on left turns. Checked suspension for binding. No damage found. Gearbox assembly will need to be replaced". The vehicle is a 2021 Honda CR-V with 42,000 miles (Honda warranty 3 YR/36,000 miles). The Honda service center initially placed responsibility on customer to repair at a cost of approx $4,000. This case has still not been settled and no authorization for repair has been agreed upon.

NHTSA ID

11588567

Incident

May 6, 2024

The contact owns a 2021 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving 5 MPH into the garage, the vehicle inadvertently started to reverse. The instrument cluster lights went blank. The brake pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to respond, and the vehicle drove over some rocks in the yard. The contact continuously depressed the brake pedal however, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact pulled the parking brake, and the vehicle stopped. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case and encouraged the contact to call again if the failure recurred, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 16,500.

NHTSA ID

11586837

Incident

Mar 30, 2024

Mileage

16,500 mi

The contact owns a 2021 Honda CR-V modified for disabled personnel. The contact stated while attempting to drive the vehicle out of the driveaway, the gear shifter remained stuck in the park position. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact turned the vehicle off. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the interior roof harness cable located behind the rearview mirror had detached as the contact constantly placed his handicap placard behind the rearview mirror. The dealer informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under warranty. The vehicle was repaired at the contact's expense. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 14,800.

NHTSA ID

11461799

Incident

Mar 26, 2022

Mileage

14,800 mi

OIL LEVEL RAISED UP TO ABOVE THE UPPER MARK ON DIP STICK AND SMELL GASOLINE. THIS VEHICLE HAS BEEN OFF AND SITTING MORE THAN A FEW HOURS ON LEVEL GROUND.

NHTSA ID

11402938

Incident

Mar 14, 2021

Mileage

233 mi