2021 Honda CR-V problems & reliability
329 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2021 Honda CR-V, alongside 4 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Sep 21, 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.
12 complaints report injuries (13 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2021 Honda CR-V vehicles were involved in 72 fatal crashes with 35 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 → | 111 | 34% |
| Forward Collision Avoidance → | 87 | 26% |
| Unknown / Other | 37 | 11% |
| Electrical System → | 34 | 10% |
| Engine → | 32 | 10% |
| Service Brakes → | 25 | 8% |
| Fuel/propulsion System → | 23 | 7% |
| Lane Departure → | 17 | 5% |
| Air Bags → | 14 | 4% |
| Power Train → | 12 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 25 reported components →Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Among the 46 complaints that included a usable odometer reading, the median reported incident mileage was 34,117 miles (middle 50% between 18,000 and 54,000 miles).
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“I was driving on a clear mid-day with very little traffic. There were no cars in front of or beside me. There were no people or animals anywhere in sight. I was traveling west at 45MPR when suddenly the car slammed on the brakes. The warning light and beeping came on. I was panicked thinking I hit something but there…”
Forward Collision Avoidance · filed Sep 15, 2026
“June 22nd- Merging car onto NJ turnpike near Manasquan, NJ...accelerated to merge onto highway. Engine light started to blink and then car lost power as pushing the gas pedal no longer powered car. Pulled off the road. Turned the car off. Restarted it and car functioned and power came from pressing gas pedal. Safety…”
Power Train · filed Sep 9, 2026
“There are steering problems with our 2021 Honda CRV. My wife & I notice two issues: 1. When driving on the interstate, we notice the steering wheel seems to grab or stick when we try to slightly turn it. It causes the car to suddenly jerk. 2. When driving on the interstate, we notice that we constantly have to…”
Steering · filed Sep 6, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking
Engineering Analysis EA24002 · opened Apr 15, 2024 · open
- Rear Differential Seizure
Preliminary Evaluation PE22011 · opened Nov 28, 2022 · closed Jul 22, 2024
Technical service bulletins
126 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2021 Honda CR-V. 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.
A26-016 · 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.
A25-077 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 29, 2025
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2018-2022 Accord FHEVs, as well as 2017-2022 CR-V 1.5Ls (no 2.4L), & 2020-2022 CR-V FHEVs with a customer complaint of the Malfunction…
ATI&10112024901 · Other · issued Oct 11, 2024
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2018-2022 Accord FHEVs, as well as 2017-2022 CR-V 1.5Ls (no 2.4L), & 2020-2022 CR-V FHEVs with a customer complaint of the Malfunction…
ATI&09202024901 · Other · issued Sep 21, 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 2018-2022 Accord FHEVs, as well as 2017-2022 CR-V 1.5Ls (no 2.4L), & 2020-2022 CR-V FHEVs with a customer complaint of the Malfunction…
ATI&09112024907 · Other · issued Sep 11, 2024
Service Bulletin - Steering effort complaint while driving at moderate or highway speeds, with a possible complaint of a clicking noise at slow speeds while turning, and no MIL illuminated, or DTC stored.
A24-011 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 3, 2024
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2018-2022 Accord FHEVs, as well as 2017-2022 CR-V 1.5Ls (no 2.4L), & 2020-2022 CR-V FHEVs with a customer complaint of the Malfunction…
ATI&08262024902 · Other · issued Aug 26, 2024
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2018-2022 Accord FHEVs, as well as 2017-2022 CR-V 1.5Ls (no 2.4L), & 2020-2022 CR-V FHEVs with a customer complaint of the Malfunction…
ATI&08232024901 · Other · issued Aug 23, 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 CR-V 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 CR-V?
- · 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.
- · Among complaints with usable mileage, the median reported incident mileage was 34,117 miles. This does not predict when a particular vehicle will develop a problem.