2021 Honda CR-V
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Steering is the leading concern among 331 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 22nd highest complaint count among 26 CR-V model years with reports.
Of the 2021 reports, 14 involved a crash and 1 involved a fire. 13 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
Seat belts, rear/other, retractorNov 18, 2021
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2021 Accord Sedan, Accord Hybrid, CR-V, Ridgeline, 2022 Insight and CR-V Hybrid vehicles. The automatic locking retractor on the second-row center seat belt assembly may deactivate improperly, which can result in an unsecured child restraint system. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
An unsecured child restraint system can increase the risk of injury during a crash.
Dealers will replace the second-row center seat belt assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 14, 2022. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138.
Campaign 21V900000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: forward collision avoidance
87 reports, newest first. Show all
Forward collision avoidance, Jun 19, 2023
This has occurred several times recently. Driving at 30-40mph also at highway speeds. Nothing in from of vehicle for at least 1/2 mile. Collison Mitigation Brakjng System activates without any warning. If it were not for seatbelts one would be sent into the dashboard or steering wheel. It is a very disturbing feeling being basically jerked forward unexpectedly. Luckily no one was close enough behind to initiate a rear-end collision. Currently we are waiting to have the car seen by our dealer. The dealer seems to treat this as a big deal since we can't be seem until the first week of July. I would think this issue would be one of a very serious safety concern, but I suppose the dealer feels not. They did however tell us to turn that system off. Seems counter intuitive to have a safety system yet told to turn it off and wait about 2 weeks to be seen in the shop.
Forward collision avoidance, Jun 8, 2023
I was driving 50 mph and the automatic braking system engaged without any cars directly in front of me in my lane. It puts us and everyone behind us when it suddenly brakes.
Forward collision avoidance, Apr 26, 2023
On two separate occasions on local roads while driving under 15 miles an hour I was drawing near an intersection and the car in front of me was actively turning onto a side street and I had ample distance from that car and my car suddenly decided I was about to get in an accident and slammed on the breaks. Its a good thing the cars behind me were responsible and were able to break in time or there would have been an accident both times because no one would have expected me to suddenly break in either situation. There were other people in the car each time and we were all surprised.
Forward collision avoidance, Apr 24, 2023
On 2 separate occasions I was driving on the highway and the screen started flashing brake with nothing in front of me. While it was flashing the automatic braking system engaged causing me to come to almost a complete stop and get rear ended.
Exterior lighting, Forward collision avoidance, Apr 11, 2023
The contact owns a 2021 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed at night, the vehicle stopped independently. Additionally, the contact stated the headlights failed to operate as needed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The contact stated that the failure recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 9,000.
Forward collision avoidance, Mar 24, 2023
A car was way in front of me and had turned right into a driveway, before I was even a close and it stopped in the driveway entrance out of the road. I had my car turning away from the driveway knowing the car was moving slow in front of me. When I reached to pass this my ABS kicked on and brakes locked by itself and scared the pants off me!! My hands came off the steering wheel, my neck jerked forward and my glasses flew off my face at 50 MPH!!! I wasn’t even close to hitting this person. A few days later driving down the road a goose was on the same side right side on side of road as I’m rounding the bend my brakes lock up again!!! Again. The bird wasn’t even in the road!!!!! I had to pull over to read how to turn off this auto braking. I had to go to emergency room days later because my neck and shoulder pain was worsening. I went to ER last night. 3/23/23. Thank god just muscle damage. I was scared it was something worse! It’s just awful. Sometime you can see it say brake and nothing is in front of you. So I make sure I turn it off now. First incident was I think 3/12, when my car was doing 50 mph, second with the goose was 35 mph on 3/18.
Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Forward collision avoidance, Mar 20, 2023
My cars automatic braking system engages when nothing is around. This has happened multiple times. One of these time I recall traveling with my child at a sped of 50-+mph. It was fearful for the both of us. This alone is dangerous, it could become deadly given different weather conditions causing loss of control of the car. I believe this issue will eventually cause someone injury and/or death. During this time my child was recovering from traumatic brain trauma. The dealership is waiting on a part the they feel should repair the issue. The emergency brake light flashed, beeped and slammed on breaks. I believe this is more than a sensor issue I believe it’s an electrical issue. The lights sometimes brighten instead of deeming in on coming traffic, there have been times that the usb port don’t work an then times that they do with the same charger, the windows an sunroof open on it’s on, the volume will max out an not turn down or off, the pixels on the screen become broken up(I have pictures) also when the car is idling the rear exhaust smalls like fumes from spray paint or something similar. I bought the car in May 2021 w/5miles - March 2023 w/about 7,500miles, I’ve had to call roadside assistance 3/4 times. I am a single mom with a young son who suffers from 4 rare diseases. I am unable to run out an get a new car. If these issues fix I’ll be on my own in the next 13 months with unnecessary expenses.
Forward collision avoidance, Mar 6, 2023
You have 87 complaints about the Forward Crash Avoidance / Braking System for this vehicle. Since my previous complaint, (#11470565) this unsafe, DANGEROUS, condition has occurred on two additional dates. Nearly all of the complaints that I read, mention the same issue: you are driving along and the system forces the vehicle to brake to a stop or nearly to a stop, NEARLY causing numerous rear end collisions. It’s scary and DANGEROUS.
Forward collision avoidance, Feb 14, 2023
I was driving on State Road 426 in Florida at 40 MPH. The weather was cool and sunny with light traffic on the roadway on both sides of the median. Suddenly, the vehicle “Hard-braked” on its own while my foot was on the gas pedal. The brake action lasted about two seconds and luckily the car behind me was not following too close or it would have rear-ended us.
Forward collision avoidance, Jan 31, 2023
2021 Honda CR-V with about 17,000 miles. On at least 3 occasions, the vehicle activated the emergency brake warning and applies brakes, on 2 of the occasions, driving in a straight road with no vehicles or persons in sight. On another occasion, the brakes were also applied in the highway reducing the speed dramatically and almost causing an accident behind me, there were no cars nearby in front but on the lanes adjacent to our driving lane.
Forward collision avoidance, Jan 30, 2023
When changing lanes on a 60 MPH highway to avoid vehicles that were stopped, the brakes auto engaged and the car came to a stop. The driver coming from behind had to swerve into a ditch to avoid rear ending my car. Thank God nobody was injured this time.
Forward collision avoidance, Jan 9, 2023
The car was suddenly stopped by the automatic braking system at a time when there was nothing else around me and I was moving forward under normal driving conditions. This happened during acceleration around 20-25 mph. Thankfully, there was no one behind me as that might have caused a rear end collision.
Forward collision avoidance, Jan 8, 2023
While driving, using cruise control, usually at speeds between 35-45 mph, the automatic emergency braking will engage after a vehicle, formerly in front, has completed a right hand turn. That vehicle is no longer in front of my vehicle when my vehicle begins to brake. My vehicle was automatically maintaining distance and not accelerating. I informed the Honda dealer of this at the 15,000 mile check up. The Honda dealer told me that the car was responding correctly through the side sensors. It is jarring to almost come to a complete stop and could cause a driver behind to rear end my car. This has happened at least four times.
Forward collision avoidance, Dec 29, 2022
On two occasions now, the Automatic Emergency Braking has engaged without there being an actual danger, meaning nothing in front. The first time I was driving at about 55mph on the highway and it engaged with a dash alert to brake and then proceeded to decrease my speed. Luckily, no cars were behind me or else I would have been rear ended. The second time, I was going 5mph at a grocery store parking lot and it did the dash brake alert and stopped. Again, luckily no cars were behind me. Honda will be inspecting the car this coming week but did not seem worried about my initial report. It wasn't until my second incident of 5mph that they suggested taking a look at it.
Forward collision avoidance, Nov 29, 2022
My car has done this phantom braking multiple times before, however this time it managed to pull my car into a curb and pop my brand new back tire and ruin my front tire. This is a huge safety issue because if there was anyone in front of or behind the car could’ve caused a major collision. I have done some research and noticed this has been an issue on previous years of my vehicle. I feel unsafe driving my car and my dealership has basically told me there is nothing than can do and that is not acceptable with me. The fact that my life was put in danger due to a malfunction with the forward collision warning is absolutely ridiculous. I will probably never buy another Honda if something is not done to correct the issues.
Forward collision avoidance, Nov 16, 2022
The contact owns a 2021 Honda CR-V. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the Forward Collision Avoidance: Dynamic Brake Assist activated, and the vehicle came to a sudden stop without another vehicle nearby. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was contacted. The failure mileage was 40,000.
Forward collision avoidance, Nov 3, 2022
This has happened approximately once a month since i got the car and i've had the car for 13 month. When using adaptive cruise control on the freeway going at least 60, the car will randomly give me a forward collision warning. Sometimes the car slams on the brakes, and other times the warning goes away after about a second. I can override it by pressing on the accelerator. This always happens when theres no cars anywhere near the front of me. The car has not been inspected by the manufacturer because the problem cannot be recreated on demand. its very infrequent. Other than that the car has had no other major problems.
Forward collision avoidance, Oct 11, 2022
Twice on 10/10/2022, the automatic brake warning system engaged while the car was in cruise control at approximately 55 mph. There were no other vehicles or safety hazards in the lane of travel that should have prompted a brake system activation. The incidents happened on separate trips, with the car having been parked and turned off in between.
Forward collision avoidance, Sep 30, 2022
I was just driving on Ventura blvd, a busy street, it was very sunny out and suddenly for no reason, as I am driving around 35 MPH at least... the car fully brakes. everything goes flying - my neck is now sore, as is my upper back and shoulders... if someone had been behind me they would have hit me. It's pure luck it didn't cause an accident. This has never happened before and I want to get rid of this car now...
Forward collision avoidance, Sep 17, 2022
I was driving at about 35-40 MPH and the automatic emergency braking engaged for no reason. There was nothing on the road ahead of me. The vehicle braked very hard and had there been a vehicle behind me I suspect there would have been an accident. This is not the first time this has occurred - it has happened several times before - but it was the most severe braking that has occurred. There was no damage, so the police were not involved. I have not yet reported this to the manufacturer.
Forward collision avoidance, Sep 12, 2022
Vehicle suddenly emergency braked, by slamming on the brakes, when driving on a highway with no cars in front of us and no cars to the sides of us. This happened twice within the same afternoon. We had the adaptive cruise control on at these times. The highway was clear of obstructions and was in perfect shape. The car was clean on the outside. It was a bright sunny afternoon and the road was dry. We recall no warning as this happened. We had just purchased the vehicle used with 11000 miles on it.
Forward collision avoidance, Jul 31, 2022
I have had 4 separate instances where the automatic braking system abruptly applied the brakes. Two of them happened at a place on the road where the pavement color changed. One was a pedestrian crosswalk painted on an asphalt road surface. Another was where a new concrete roadway changed to new asphalt. Those 2 situations led me to believe the system may see road color change as if there was an obstacle in front of the car. However, 2 additional events happened with no obvious reasons as the road surface did not change. This is a 2021 Honda CRV. I have not taken it to a Honda dealer nor have I discussed it with Honda. I was fortunate that nothing was close behind and the road surface was not slippery. There is no telling what might have happened if the road was snow packed or icy.
Forward collision avoidance, Jul 27, 2022
The contact owns a 2021 Honda CR-V. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the roadway surface changed and the Forward Collision Avoidance feature activated and the vehicle independently started braking. The vehicle then started driving normally after the failure. The dealer was contacted and an appointment was scheduled. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 12,000.
Forward collision avoidance, Jul 25, 2022
I was driving at approximately 35 MPH on a straight, flat road. There were no cars in front of me, behind me, or oncoming. Without warning or any action on my part, the vehicle wheels locked up, the vehicle jerked to an abrupt stop, and the display went black. I noticed what appeared to be a red block of text on the display, but I was unable to read it before the vehicle started moving again. Luckily, I had both hands on the steering wheel, and I was alone in the vehicle. I was shaken up at the abruptness of the stop. If I had my dogs in the car, they would have been launched forward. If I or anyone else in the vehicle was not belted in and facing forward, there for sure would have been injuries. If there were someone behind me, there would have been impact. I am grateful none of these things happened, but I remain fearful of driving this vehicle if it were to happen again. I brought the vehicle immediately to my dealer for inspection. (Balise Honda, West Warwick, RI). The service manager stated this was a know issue with CR-V's, a result of the radar on the front of the vehicle that controls the ABS malfunctioning for some reason. He was unaware of a solution. His only recommendation was to turn off the ABS and LKAS, the very safety features that I purchased this car for, and paid extra for. I reported this to Honda on July 5, case number 13119359. They were to get back to me with an update by July 12, but I have yet to hear from them. The case manager only said there were no know recalls or bulletins on this issue. I had requested they open a bulletin as this is certainly a safety issue that needs to be addressed. For now, I am driving my vehicle without the safety features this vehicle advertised, and have limited my travel with this vehicle as well. NOT what I expect from a new 2021 vehicle.
Electrical system, Forward collision avoidance, Jun 24, 2022
Twice while driving the FCW warning brake light flashed on the dash with nothing happening. One time the brakes actually engaged and flashed the brake icon on the dash for the FCW and stopped the vehicle in the middle of the road and luckily no one behind me and I didn’t get hit.