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Honda · NHTSA safety record

2021 Honda CR-V Hybrid

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Owners have filed 104 safety complaints about the 2021 Honda CR-V Hybrid with the US government. Of those, 5 describe a crash, 5 people were injured and no death is recorded. 3 recall campaigns are open against it, covering the air bags and the electrical system.

The most complained-about system is the engine, named in 35 complaints, 34% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 25,000 miles, the median across the 9 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers April 2021 to September 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

104 complaints on file

104

Complaints

5

Describe a crash

0

Mention fire

5

People injured

0

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

Complaints halved year on year: 7 in the twelve months to 2026-Q2, against 38 in the twelve before.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year. A further 2 defect investigations are open and unresolved.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
ENGINE 35 · 34%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 24 · 23%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 22 · 21%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 16 · 15%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 15 · 14%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 13 · 13%
POWER TRAIN 12 · 12%
SERVICE BRAKES 8 · 8%
STEERING 6 · 6%
STRUCTURE 3 · 3%
AIR BAGS 2 · 2%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 2 · 2%
0 15 31

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 104.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2024 at 35.

40 30 20 10
21 22 23 24 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2021 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2021 Honda CR-V HYBRID, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.

Test SUV AWD
Overall
Frontal crash
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Side barrier
Side pole
Rollover
Chance of rollover 16.4%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard

A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.

Recall campaigns

3 on file

AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER

26V332000 · May 21, 2026

The defect
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.
The risk
Air bags that deploy unintentionally during a crash increase the risk of injury.
The remedy
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.

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) · up to 98,892 vehicles across all model years covered

AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER

24V064000 · February 1, 2024

The defect
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.
The risk
An air bag that deploys unintentionally during a crash can increase the risk of injury.
The remedy
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.

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) · up to 750,114 vehicles across all model years covered

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY:CABLES

23V844000 · December 13, 2023

The defect
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2020-2022 CR-V Hybrid vehicles. The 12-Volt battery cable routed outside of the body frame is missing a fuse on the power circuit, which can allow the battery cable to short circuit or overheat during a crash.
The risk
An overheated battery cable or short circuit can increase the risk of a fire or injury in a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the battery cable, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 29, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is FGB.

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) · up to 106,030 vehicles across all model years covered

Defect investigations

3 on file

An investigation means NHTSA has decided a pattern is worth examining. A preliminary evaluation is often closed with no action; an engineering analysis is the stage that usually precedes a recall.

Loss of Motive Power

PE25016

Still open preliminary evaluation · opened October 28, 2025

the engine

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received 48 Vehicle Owner Questionnaire (VOQ) reports and some Early Warning Reporting (EWR) field reports alleging intermittent loss of motive power in Model Year (MY) 2020–2022 Honda CR-V Hybrid vehicles.  These incidents are alleged to occur without warning at highway speeds and are accompanied by a flashing check engine light immediately before the loss of motive power occurs.  Motive power can be restored by turning the ignition off and back on.  However, this action also clears the check engine light and any fault codes that were set.  The fault’s intermittent nature, combined with the lack of fault codes, often results in many visits to repair facilities yielding no repairs. Honda indicated it was unaware of any related complaint or repair trends. ODI is opening this Preliminary Evaluation (PE) to determine the scope and severity of the alleged fault and to fully assess the possible safety consequences. To review the ODI reports cited in the Opening Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.

Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking

EA24002

Still open engineering analysis · opened April 15, 2024

forward collision avoidance

On February 21, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation (PE22003) to assess reports of inadvertent activation of the Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS), an automatic emergency braking (AEB) system, in model year 2017-2019 Honda CR-V and 2018-2019 Honda Accord vehicles.  The reports allege that activation of the AEB system occurs while driving with no apparent obstruction in the vehicle's forward path, resulting in sudden vehicle deceleration. Honda indicated that they were aware of a total of X,XXX reports that may relate to the alleged defect. Honda provided analysis of the alleged defect and alleges that some customers possibly had an inadequate understanding of the CMBS and its limitations.  However, many consumer complaints allege that Honda dealerships were unable to reproduce the condition or state that they were informed that this is considered normal CMBS operation. To date, ODI has received a total of 1,294 consumer complaints of inadvertent activation of CMBS in 2017-2022 Honda CR-V and 2018-2022 Honda Accord vehicles. A total of 31 complaints alleged a crash and 50 alleged an injury.  The Total column in the Failure Report Summary removes duplicate reports and shows the total number of reports with unique VINs from all Manufacturer, ODI, and EWR data sources.  In some cases, there were multiple reports associated with a particular vehicle in which recurring failures were alleged.  In total, there were X,XXX reports, 93 injury incidents and 47 crashes involving vehicles with unique VINs that may relate to the alleged defect. PE22-003 has been upgraded to an Engineering Analysis to further assess the scope, frequency, and potential safety related consequences of the inadvertent AEB activations. The scope has been expanded to include assessment of model year 2020-2022 Honda CR-V and Accord vehicles. To review the ODI reports cited in the Opening Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.

Pedestrian alert sounds

DP22005

Closed defect petition · opened January 27, 2023 · closed August 7, 2023 · led to recall 22V063000

the electrical system

NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified NHTSA he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by NHTSA regarding the subject matter of the petition.

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

3 injured · crash · towed · 5,000 miles

The contact owns a 2021 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 57 MPH, the vehicle suddenly shut off causing the driver to lose control of the steering and crash into several rocks which caused the vehicle to rollover several times. During the incident the air bags deployed. The driver sustained an injured right leg, head, and chest injuries, the front passenger sustained a neck injury and the child seated in the rear passenger seat suffered a head injury. All occupants in the vehicle required medical treatment for their injuries. A police report was taken at the scene and the vehicle was later towed to an undisclosed location and later deem destroyed. The cause

NHTSA complaint 11505161, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

1 injured · crash · towed · 25,000 miles

The contact owns a 2021 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while reversing into her driveway at 1 MPH, the vehicle accelerated, the brake pedal was applied but locked up, and the steering wheel locked up. The vehicle crashed through a guardrail and crashed into a tree. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number 23V844000 (Electrical System). The driver sustained injuries to her head, neck, back, and body, and emotional distress and medical attention were provided at the scene. There was no reported fire or airbag deployment. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a body shop. The contact called the local

NHTSA complaint 11619955, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE:BODY

1 injured

The vehicle was parked, not running in a shopping center. The trunk was open and I was putting groceries into the trunk. The trunk started to close while I was leaning inside loading groceries. The trunk did reverse up only after it hit my back, quite hard. This has happened to me three times, each time injured a part of my body. No sounds were made to alert me the trunk was closing while leaning in it, I will be finally report this to Honda. No insurance claim has been made

NHTSA complaint 11520012. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

crash

I attempted to park my vehicle. The brakes did not work they, seemed to have no pressure. The engine then accelerated. I did not press the gasoline pedal. The vehicle moved forward and it struck a wall. Damage to the radar system and front grille of vehicle. I took the vehicle to the dealership and all they did was zip tie a component that came loose from under the steering column and give me a referral to a body shop. As of this time the problem has not been reproduced and the vehicle has not been inspected. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. No warning lights or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure.

NHTSA complaint 11463714. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
I was driving my 2021 Honda CR-V hybrid touring at approximately 55 mph on [XXX] near the [XXX] exit. The vehicle had been operating normally. Approximately 115 miles before the incident. I had filled the vehicle with gasoline at BJ's in [XXX]. At approximately 11:50 am on XXX, the malfunction indicator lamp (check-engine light) began flashing while I was driving at highway speed. At the same time, the vehicle began smoothly losing power and slowing down. There was no shaking or rough running. I immediately pulled over, activated my hazard lights and turned the vehicle off for approximately 8 minutes. After restarting the vehicle, the malfunction indicator lamp was no longer flashing and

NHTSA complaint 11767647, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
August 13, 2026- Driver was traveling on Route 30 West approaching the Reeceville Exit. Driver attempted to pass a tractor trailer. As car accelerated to pass tractor trail, engine light flashed and car lost the ability to accelerate. As driver lost ability to power the car, he allowed truck to pass him and then coasted into right lane and eventually off to the side of the highway. Car had a half tank of gas at the time of incident. Safety of driver at risk as car was traveling approx. 61 mph in order to pass another vehicle. Suddenly, power lost in car as car was passing truck and driver had to maneuver car from passing lane into right lane and eventually come to a stop on side of road.

NHTSA complaint 11763066, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
2021 CR-V Hybrid, approximately 103,000 miles. Multiple incidents of loss of propulsion at highway speed with engine shaking and a flashing MIL. Cycling the ignition restores normal operation, and the codes disappear. I have had it scanned, and no errors show up. Spark plugs and ignition coils have been replaced. The vehicle has also displayed an engine high-temperature/reduce-acceleration warning. This can be in relation to NHTSA Preliminary Evaluation PE25016 that has been documented by other owners.

NHTSA complaint 11761715. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
I am a senior citizen who bought a brand new 2021 Honda CRV hybrid in 2022. I used the vehicle mainly for driving around town in city driving. I ensured that my vehicle received all the necessary scheduled maintenance at either the dealership I bought the vehicle,(Pacific Honda, [XXX];phone [XXX]) or a certified Honda dealership. I have complete maintenance records at the Honda dealership for the entire life onf the vehicle. In early XXX I received a warning light on my dash concerning the engine and immediately took the vehicle into the Honda dealership to have it looked at. I was told I had a blown headgasket and the repairs would be approximately $7,000.00 dollars. The mechanic then told

NHTSA complaint 11759190, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
Manufacturer Dealer Diagnostic confirmed that Head Gasket is leaking on cylinder 1 and that this is a known issue. Vehicle just 3 months and barely 2000 miles out of new car warranty. Manufacturer fails to cover repair at 100% Power Loss while driving on the freeway on 2 separate occasions. Engine did not provide power in response to accelerator pedal, car slows down w/o control. Incident 1 traveling 65 mph Hwy [XXX] in [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint 11755481. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
The vehicle experienced a premature failure of the head gasket; it was blown at 130,000 miles. I was close to home when I received a dash alert stating not to accelerate as the engine was nearing a critically high temperature. If I had not been able to get home so quickly, my safety may have been compromised as my car could have overheated forcing me to pull over on the shoulder of a busy bridge. My local dealership inspected the vehicle and has quoted me nearly $4,500 for the repair, despite it appearing as this is a known issue with this particular engine.

NHTSA complaint 11688230. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Honda CR-V Hybrid

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2025 28 4 —
2024 85 3 —
2023 116 5 —
2022 76 4 —
2020 82 5 —

Other 2021 Honda models

Pilot 436 CR-V 331 Accord 234 Civic 145 Odyssey 142 Passport 142 Ridgeline 101 HR-V 63

Complaints on file, same model year.

Every Honda on this site — 192 vehicles.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst