2021 Honda Civic problems & reliability
144 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2021 Honda Civic, alongside 4 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Sep 24, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several components.
1 complaint report injuries (2 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2021 Honda Civic vehicles were involved in 73 fatal crashes with 34 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Steering → | 64 | 44% |
| Forward Collision Avoidance → | 33 | 23% |
| Electrical System → | 18 | 13% |
| Service Brakes → | 17 | 12% |
| Unknown / Other | 12 | 8% |
| Lane Departure → | 11 | 8% |
| Air Bags | 9 | 6% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 6 | 4% |
| Engine | 5 | 3% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 4 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 22 reported components →Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“On September 17, 2026 at approximately 8:00 a.m. I was driving my 2021 Honda civic Lx with my children in the vehicle when multiple warning lights and system malfunction messages suddenly appeared on the dash board. The vehicle appeared to experience an electrical malfunction/ reset while still driving and I suddenly…”
Electrical System · filed Sep 20, 2026
“While I am driving there is a stickiness in my steering wheel and it causes me to overcorrect my steering and becomes an issue. Feels dangerous to me. This has gotten worse over time.”
Steering · filed Sep 4, 2026
“Driving down street after pulling out of parking lot and driver’s side air bag employed for unknown reason.”
Air Bags · filed Sep 1, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
76 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2021 Honda Civic. The 10 most recent:
Dealer Message - Under certain conditions, the cylinder head gasket effectiveness may be reduced which may cause vehicles to experience overheating, coolant loss, misfire, and/or DTCs P0300 through P0304 stored.
AEBM08262026901 · Other · issued Aug 26, 2026
Service Bulletin - Under certain conditions, the cylinder head gasket effectiveness may be reduced which may cause vehicles to experience overheating, coolant loss, misfire and/or DTCs P0300 thru P0304 stored.
A26-009 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 26, 2026
Service Bulletin - Under certain conditions, the cylinder head gasket effectiveness may be reduced which may cause vehicles to experience overheating, coolant loss, misfire and/or DTCs P0300 thru P0304 stored.
A26-008 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 26, 2026
Service Bulletin - Oil leak at timing chain tensioner inspection cover due to possible insufficient sealant adhesion on inspection cover.
A25-076 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 29, 2025
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2018-2024 Accord 1.5Ls, 2021-2024 Civics 1.5Ls, 2023-2024 CR-Vs 1.5Ls, and 2017 Fits with customer complaint of Check Engine Light (CEL) on…
ATI&12022024909 · Other · issued Dec 3, 2024
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2018-2024 Accord 1.5Ls, 2021-2024 Civics 1.5Ls, 2023-2024 CR-Vs 1.5Ls, and 2017 Fits with customer complaint of Check Engine Light (CEL) on…
ATI&11052024902 · Other · issued Nov 5, 2024
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2020-2021 Civics, 2020-2022 CR-Vs, 2022-2023 Pilots & Passports with a customer complaint of the center display flickering, flashing, or…
ATI&09122024904 · Other · issued Sep 12, 2024
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2020-2021 Civics, 2020-2022 CR-Vs, 2022-2023 Pilots & Passports with a customer complaint of the center display flickering, flashing, or…
ATI&08072024901 · Other · issued Aug 8, 2024
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2020-2021 Civics, 2020-2022 CR-Vs, 2022-2023 Pilots & Passports with a customer complaint of the center display flickering, flashing, or…
ATI&07232024904 · Other · issued Jul 24, 2024
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2020-2021 Civics, 2020-2022 CR-Vs, 2022-2023 Pilots & Passports with a customer complaint of the center display flickering, flashing, or…
ATI&07082024906 · Other · issued Jul 9, 2024
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2021 Honda Civic has 4 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2021 Honda Civic?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.