2021 Honda HR-V problems & reliability
61 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2021 Honda HR-V, alongside 4 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 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 vehicles.
5 complaints report injuries (5 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2021 Honda HR-V vehicles were involved in 27 fatal crashes with 11 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Air Bags → | 20 | 33% |
| Electrical System → | 15 | 25% |
| Unknown OR Other | 9 | 15% |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 6 | 10% |
| Power Train | 5 | 8% |
| Service Brakes | 4 | 7% |
| Engine | 3 | 5% |
| Steering | 3 | 5% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 3 | 5% |
| Lane Departure | 2 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“My cars had a clunking type noise coming from the front left of vehicle, sounds happens on both left and right turns, and sometimes the steering wheel STICKS. Making a knocking sound and sometimes feels difficult to turn the wheel. I had to have the steering gearbox assembly replaced at cost of over $3015 before taxes.”
Steering · filed Jun 3, 2026
“Air bag sensor light is always off even when nobody is sitting in the passenger seat. The sensor has been recalled once before however it’s still having the same issue even after being replaced.”
Air Bags · filed Jun 1, 2026
“CVT transmission failed and vehicle lost power while on Interstate I-88 65 MPH speed zone. f Momentum allowed me to reach an exit at which point I needed to push the vehicle by myself off the roadway. Vehicle mileage was slighlty over 60,000 miles and the $10,000 dollar repair was not covered by warranty. Dangerous…”
Power Train · filed May 26, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Rear Differential Seizure
Preliminary Evaluation PE22011 · opened Nov 28, 2022 · closed Jul 22, 2024
Technical service bulletins
41 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2021 Honda HR-V. The 10 most recent:
Service Bulletin - During engine start in cold conditions, a miscalculation in the PCM causes the air-fuel ratio to exceed DTC P2DE1 rich criteria.
A23-100 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 5, 2024
Service Bulletin - During engine start in cold conditions, it is possible for air-fuel ratio to exceed DTC P2DE1 rich criteria.
A23-100 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 8, 2023
Service News - Some customers have complained of fluid leaking from the rear differential after it has been serviced due to over-torqueing of the drain plugs during servicing.
A23110A · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 3, 2023
Dealer Message Request for Visit: 2018-2022 Accord & HR-V Front Damper Noise (ACTION REQUIRED)
ATI&03312023906 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 31, 2023
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2021-2022 Accords and 2022 HR-V Sports with a customer complaint of a front damper noise. To better understand the cause of this condition…
ATI&02212023902 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 21, 2023
Servicenews article - If you are inspecting an HR-V and notice oil residue on the A/C condenser, it's not always an indication that the condenser is leaking refrigerant. The source of oil residue can potentially come…
A22080B · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 25, 2022
Dealer message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2016-2021 HR-V that exhibits a leak at the A/C Condenser. To better understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to inspect the…
ATI&07112022902 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 11, 2022
Dealer message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2016-2021 HR-VS that exhibit a leak at the A/C Condenser. To better understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to inspect the…
ATI&06032022901 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 3, 2022
Dealer message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2016-2021 HR-V that exhibits a leak at the A/C Condenser. To better understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to inspect the…
ATI&05252022901 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 25, 2022
Dealer message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2016-2021 HR-V that exhibits a leak at the A/C Condenser. To better understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to inspect the…
ATI&05202022901 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 20, 2022
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 HR-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 HR-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.