2021 Honda CR-V Problems, Recalls & Reliability
454 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2021 Honda CR-V, alongside 4 recall campaigns and 2 defect investigations. It scores 17/100 on the trouble index — one of this model's quieter years. Driver assistance leads the reports, typically around 40,000 miles.
One of the quieter years. Relative to its siblings, the 2021 Honda CR-V has drawn well-below-average complaint volume with at least four years on the road.
Better year
Where 2021 sits among all CR-V years
What owners report
“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.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2021 CR-V
“UNKNOWN, Steering stick when drivining down the road. You turn the steering wheel and just sticks.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2021 CR-V
“Glass sunroof was closed and exploded outward at 60 mph; nothing hit it and glass shows outward explosion deformation”— owner report to NHTSA, 2021 CR-V
“The contact owns a 2021 Honda CR-V. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the display screen intermittently went blank. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2021 CR-V
“While Driving on Highway engine lost power and check engine light went on so i had to pull over turn off engine wait a few minutes and restart this happened on 3 occasions”— owner report to NHTSA, 2021 CR-V
“The automatic emergency brakes deployed for no reason while I was driving through traffic. There was nothing in the road and nothing that should have triggered the emergency brakes. It could have caused an accident”— owner report to NHTSA, 2021 CR-V
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 61 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 33,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 17,000 and 56,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (4)
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,…
Fix: 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…
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…
Fix: 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…
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…
Fix: 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…
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…
Fix: 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.
Federal defect investigations
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2021 Honda CR-V reliable?
The 2021 Honda CR-V drew 454 complaints in federal safety records — one of this model's quieter years. Its trouble index is 17/100, scored against the model's worst year (2018).
What are the most common 2021 Honda CR-V problems?
The top reported problems for the 2021 Honda CR-V are driver assistance (128 complaints), steering (105), and other (37).
At what mileage do 2021 Honda CR-V problems show up?
Owners most often report 2021 Honda CR-V problems around 33,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 17,000 and 56,000 miles.
Does the 2021 Honda CR-V have recalls?
4 recall campaigns apply to the 2021 Honda CR-V. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.