2021 Honda Civic
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Steering is the leading concern among 145 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 23rd highest complaint count among 26 Civic model years with reports.
Of the 2021 reports, 5 involved a crash and 2 involved a fire. 2 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Air bags, sensor, occupant classification, front passengerMay 21, 2026
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2021, 2023 Acura TLX, 2019-2024 RDX, 2017-2020, 2022-2026 MDX, 2017-2021, 2023, 2025 Honda Ridgeline, 2017-2022 Pilot, 2019-2021 Passport, 2018-2026 Odyssey, 2019-2022 Insight, 2019-2021 HR-V, 2018-2020 Fit, 2020-2022 CR-V Hybrid, 2017-2022 CR-V, 2017-2018, 2021 Civic Type R, 2017-2021 Civic hatchback, 2016-2020 Civic coupe, 2016-2022 Civic, 2017-2022 Accord Hybrid, and 2016-2022 Accord vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, which can cause the air bags to deploy unintentionally during a crash.
Air bags that deploy unintentionally during a crash increase the risk of injury.
Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 7, 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are BOL, WO9, OOA, WOM, XOH, NOC, POD, BOE, UOF, POB, EOG, AOI, QO8, TOJ, DO7, and SOK. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 24V064. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning May 29, 2026.
Campaign 26V332000 on NHTSA.gov
Air bags, sensor, occupant classification, front passengerFeb 1, 2024
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Pilot, Accord, Civic sedan, HR-V, Odyssey, 2020 Civic coupe, Fit, 2021-2022 Civic hatchback, 2021 Civic Type R, Insight, 2020-2021 CR-V, CR-V Hybrid, Passport, Ridgeline, Accord Hybrid, 2020 Acura MDX, 2022 Acura MDX, 2020-2022 Acura RDX, and 2020-2021 Acura TLX vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, failing to suppress the air bag as intended.
An air bag that deploys unintentionally during a crash can increase the risk of injury.
Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 28, 2024. This is a phased recall. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for these recalls are XHP and VHQ.
Campaign 24V064000 on NHTSA.gov
Fuel system, gasoline, delivery, fuel pumpDec 18, 2023
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline, Odyssey, Acura ILX, MDX, MDX Hybrid, RDX, RLX, TLX, 2019-2022 Honda Insight, Passport, 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Clarity PHEV, Fit, and 2015-2020 Honda Accord Hybrid, Pilot, Acura NSX vehicles. The fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 6, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are KGC and KGD. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall numbers 21V-215 and 20V-314.
Campaign 23V858000 on NHTSA.gov
Service brakes, hydraulic, foundation components, master cylinderJun 29, 2023
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Civic, 2020-2023 Ridgeline, 2021-2023 Passport, 2021-2022 Pilot, and 2020 Acura MDX vehicles. The tie rod fastener that connects the brake booster and the brake master cylinder may have been improperly assembled during manufacturing, which can cause the brake master cylinder to separate from the booster assembly.
Brake master cylinder separation can cause a loss of brake function and increase the risk of a crash.
Dealers will inspect and repair the brake booster assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 7, 2023. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are VEU, AEV, and ZET.
Campaign 23V458000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints
145 reports, newest first.
Steering, Mar 4, 2024
Steering wheel gets “stuck” and have to jerk steering wheel either left or right to unstick it before it just gets stuck again. Doesn’t matter if I’m turning or going straight, it gets stuck.
Service brakes, Feb 22, 2024
The problem is unintended braking. It is possible for this malfunction would cause the car to be rear ended. Have not taken it to the dealer... yet. There is no warning, the car suddenly starts to brake while in cruise control mode without any other cars being near.
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Feb 16, 2024
I was notified of a Safety Recall by American Honda regarding the fuel pump module. I contacted to dealership and they are stating they will not have a remedy within a reasonable time period (60 days), rather they will have the parts available for a remedy in the fall of 2024, which is over six months away. Per the recall information provided on this website, they are supposed to have a way to fix this issue within 60 days from the date I contact them, but they won't even offer an inspection to see if the defect exists on my car.
Steering, Jan 25, 2024, crash
This vehicle has started to randomly start pulling to the left or right as it's moving at a high rate of speed. It was diagnosed by the dealer to need the steering rack replaced. This is the same issue the 2022-2024 Honda Civic are being recalled for. The dealership stated that they have seen a lot of 2021 model coming in for this same issue so I am concerned it could involve the 2021 models as well. It has become very dangerous to drive.
Forward collision avoidance, Dec 7, 2023
Driving down the road sunny, dry roads, no vehicles around, car starts flashing brake and slams on break has happened 3 or 4 times. Also, Diver assist warning lights keep coming on with radar obstructed. Honda please do something about this before someone gets hurt. I am a single mother and loved this car until recently. I don't have the money to pay the dealership to run diagnostics and lie and say they don't know what's wrong because they cant make it happen again.
Forward collision avoidance, Lane departure, Back over prevention, Oct 10, 2023
What is going down the highway and my car almost went into oncoming traffic
Other or unspecified, Aug 28, 2023
While driving, the sunroof exploded, sounding like an explosion inside the car. The glass shattered while the inside cover was closed. Therefore, the cover contained the shattered glass. There was no traffic around, therefore no debris was thrown into the vehicle. There was no warning that this was going to occur. The suddenness and loudness is certainly enough to startle the driver enough to cause an accident. The vehicle has yet to be inspected and/or repaired.
Service brakes, Aug 17, 2023
My Important Safety Recall is not showing up on my dealer's system or the following sites: Check for Recalls: Vehicle, Car Seat, Tire, Equipment | NHTSA Recall Information for Safety & Defects | Honda Owners Site Honda Campaign Number: AEV, VEW Service Bulletin Number: 23-051, 23-052 Brake Booster Assembly during production.
Forward collision avoidance, Aug 1, 2023
Car will display BRAKE on the dashboard, and automatically brake without an object in front of vehicle, causing vehicles to have to slam on their brakes to avoid collision. Has happen multiple times. Dealership was unable to replicate the problem as it is very unpredictable and does not have any consistency as to when it happens.
Steering, Lane departure, Forward collision avoidance, Jun 16, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving, the Apple's car play screen went blank. While merging into the left lane, the Automatic Emergency Braking feature engaged. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who reset the battery but was unable to duplicate the failure. Upon leaving the dealer and driving 25 MPH, the steering wheel was tight, and the vehicle continued to drift towards the left. The brakes, adaptive cruise control, and stability control warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the local dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 18,480.
Vehicle speed control, Service brakes, Forward collision avoidance, May 22, 2023, crash, fire
Driving down the highway about 70 mph and it started to rain so little that I had not even needed the wipers yet. Then out of nowhere with absolutely no warning what so ever the breaks locked up and the car began to slide and was completely unresponsive to any solution possible. The steering wheel was locked in place and the break peddle was so far to the floor I was not able to reach it. After colliding with the propane delivery truck which I was unable to see due to passanger side airbags which inflated unnecessarily with no passanger in the vehicle. After finally coming to a stop I was going to try and catch my breath while I gather my thoughts but unfortunately it was not possible due to the unimaginable amount of smoke that came from the driver airbag in the steering wheel. I jumped out not sure if it was on fire and assessed the situation and learned that the smoke was just coming from the steering wheel so I did my best to get it out. Which took bottles of water poured into the office steering wheel to stop the cap smoking.
Other or unspecified, May 2, 2023
Sunroof spontaneously shattered while driving on the highway. If the sunroof visor was open the occupants would have been sprayed with glass. It has the potential to cause injuries or an accident given the right circumstances.
Steering, May 1, 2023
I'm experiencing “sticky steering.” I feel momentary increases in steering effort while driving the vehicle at highway speeds. I fear that I may over correct one day and cause an accident.
Forward collision avoidance, Apr 25, 2023
Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) system alerted and engaged emergency braking on a clear road when there was no obstacle in the vehicle path.
Steering, Apr 23, 2023
Car is constantly wandering and completely impossible to keep straight at highway speeds.
Visibility/wiper, Apr 21, 2023
The windshield of my 2021 Honda Civic Hatchback Sport Touring CVT has prematurely cracked in two places, inhibiting the frontward-facing view (and ultimate safety!) of both the driver's and passenger's sides of the vehicle. Neither crack was due to a chip or normal windshield damage caused from driving. Again, these cracks are NOT driver-induced and are not considered "wear and tear!" Both cracks began at the middle of very top of the windshield, in parallel with the position of the front collision camera nd also near the internal rearview mirror mounting stem.
Steering, Mar 21, 2023
Steering wheel tries to stick in place randomly. Does not happen daily but has happened multiple times. The only way to make it stop is to stop driving the car for a few hours.
Seat belts, Mar 16, 2023
Seatbelt does not latch properly. Reported to dealership at last oil change appointment.
Steering, Electrical system, Forward collision avoidance, Mar 13, 2023
the vehicle has brakes with out cause. Two times I was on the street no cars in sight and the car just brakes without notice or cause. Then it happened again yesterday on the freeway. It was raining no cars close and it just brakes again in the middle of the freeway.
Steering, Mar 5, 2023
My car has about 24k miles on it and at about 20-22k I started to notice something wrong with the steering. I was on an off ramp at about 45 mph and encountered a steering overcorrection that I didn't feel I caused on my own without another factor related to the vehicle being present. Since then I have been paying more attention to it and have the following to report. So far I only experience it when the vehicle is hot or warmed up and it feels like the steering wheel is sticking and then when you finally get it to break free you end up with a steering overcorrection or like a swerve that you didn't intend to cause due to your normal human driving inputs. There is definitely something going on here, my car did not do this for the first 20k miles and now it's essentially every time I drive it long enough to get warmed up. I hope that NHTSA is able to help us out here.
Lane departure, Forward collision avoidance, Jan 16, 2023
The front windshield camera that utilizes Honda Sense safety tech keeps misreading certain traffic signals and inadvertently activates the phantom braking. Sometimes it blinks ultimate times to even cause the vehicle to apply it’s emergency brakes despite no objects present on or near the intersection(s) of major traffic light routes and or construction sites with very bright lighting. Luckily no other motorists were behind me. The Lane Departure warning feature would also mistake the vehicle for moving over the designated lane when driving down or uphill or in some interstate highways even though the vehicle is maintaining centered lane control. I have consulted my nearest Honda dealership on the matter and was told the manufacturer would have issue a recall for the Honda Safety Sense since they do not have the hardware nor software to resolve the matter in a timely fashion. Not sure if other 10th generation Honda Civic owners are experiencing the anomaly but it’s a monthly occurrence.
Visibility, Dec 6, 2022
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving 5 MPH and approaching a stop sign, the rear-view mirror casing detached from the vehicle without warning or impact. The contact detected an abnormally loud explosion. The contact stated that she taped the casing back together. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who informed her that the failure was due to the rear-view mirror being struck. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case and spoke with the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 15,071.
Electrical system, Nov 28, 2022
The coating on the wiring harness is soy based and rodents chew the wires causing multiple electronic failures. Power steering failed, Adaptive Cruise Control failed, Automatic Emergency Braking failed, Lane Keeping Assistance failed. Vehicle is extremely unsafe!
Steering, Service brakes, Forward collision avoidance, Oct 17, 2022
Rodents chewed thru the main computer cable while car was parked in our car port. When I went to start car it started but immediatley the warning lights on dash began flashing that the road assist features, brakes and steering were not operating.Called road side assistance for a tow to Arrowhead Honda were they replaced main computer cable and reprogrammed computer. This is the second time this has happened. I think the manufacture should change the exterior coating on the cable should be changed to a material that rodents are not attracted to.
Steering, Electrical system, Service brakes, Sep 23, 2022
While accelerating on a multi-lane freeway, the dashboard speed suddenly indicated 0 MPH and flashed warnings for power steering, emergency braking, suspension, and many other systems. Steering became almost impossible to control, with no resistance felt through the wheel, and small movements of the wheel resulting in unpredictable jerky movements of the vehicle. It was almost impossible to control the vehicle while exiting the freeway and coming to a stop. OBD scanner pulled only one code: U0416(68) Invalid data received - vehicle dynamics control module