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Honda · NHTSA safety record

2021 Honda HR-V

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

Owners have filed 63 safety complaints about the 2021 Honda HR-V with the US government. Of those, 5 describe a crash, 5 people were injured and no death is recorded. 4 recall campaigns are open against it, covering the air bags and back-over prevention.

The most complained-about system is the air bags, named in 21 complaints, 33% of the total. The typical failure was reported at 24,500 miles, the median across the 8 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

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

What is on file

63 complaints on file

63

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.

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.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
AIR BAGS 21 · 33%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 15 · 24%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 9 · 14%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 7 · 11%
POWER TRAIN 5 · 8%
SERVICE BRAKES 5 · 8%
ENGINE 3 · 5%
STEERING 3 · 5%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 3 · 5%
LANE DEPARTURE 2 · 3%
SEAT BELTS 2 · 3%
SEATS 2 · 3%
0 12 23

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 63.

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 20.

24 18 12 6
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 HR-V, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.

Test SUV AWD SUV FWD
Overall
Frontal crash
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Side barrier
Side pole
Rollover
Chance of rollover 13.5% 15.3%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard

A rating belongs to a tested body style and drivetrain, not to the model as a whole, which is why more than one is listed. A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.

Recall campaigns

4 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

BACK OVER PREVENTION:DISPLAY FUNCTION

24V384000 · May 31, 2024

The defect
Honda (America Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2020 Fit and 2019-2022 HR-V vehicles that were previously recalled under NHTSA recall number 23V-046. The rearview camera image may not display when the engine is started with a key, due to a design error in the audio display power circuit. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
The risk
An inoperative rearview camera display can reduce the driver's rear visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will update the display audio unit software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 8, 2024. Owners may contact Honda service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are TIQ and DIR. Vehicles previously repaired under recall 23V-046 will need to have the new remedy completed.

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) · up to 114,686 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

BACK OVER PREVENTION:DISPLAY FUNCTION

23V046000 · February 2, 2023

The defect
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2020 Fit and 2019-2022 HR-V vehicles. The rearview camera image may not display when the engine is started with a key, due to a design error in the audio display power circuit. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
The risk
An inoperative rearview camera display can reduce the driver's rear visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will update the display audio unit software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 13, 2023. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is 6DW. This recall has been superseded by NHTSA recall number 24V-384. Vehicles previously repaired under recall 23V-046 will need to have the new remedy completed under recall 24V-384.

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) · up to 114,686 vehicles across all model years covered

Defect investigations

1 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.

Rear Differential Seizure

PE22011

Closed preliminary evaluation · opened November 28, 2022 · closed July 22, 2024

the power train

On November 29, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE 22-011 after reviewing field reports alleging rear differential seizure in 2018-2022MY Honda CR-V and HR-V vehicles equipped with all wheel drive. To date, ODI has not received any consumer complaints. Some of the field reports received alleged the vehicle’s wheels locked up with no warning while the vehicle was in motion. These vehicles were towed to a dealership. Examination of these vehicles showed the driveshaft had broken and the differential unit was completely damaged. The field reports cited a lack of oil due to damaged oil seals as the cause. Honda provided data including consumer complaints, field reports, and warranty claims they received relating to the loss of oil retention and resulting differential damage. Honda’s data cited 1201 incidents with unique vehicle identification numbers (VINs). The rear differential oil seals  prevent the oil from leaking out and protect internal components from contaminants. A loss of oil lubrication results in failure of the vehicle differential.  Honda stated that the oil seal’s lip contact with the driveshaft may become unstable due to intermittent changes in internal pressure. Their review of field report and warranty data indicated that these failures occurred early in the vehicle’s life thus the failures were covered by the manufacturer’s warranty. Honda stated that in November 2021 they changed the seal specifications and improved the packaging process of the parts for transport.  Honda also enacted an enhanced visual inspection process both before and after the oil seal installation on the assembly line. Honda stated that in the event of differential failure, the operator can control the vehicle without stability loss. After the drive shafts break due to differential failure, the operator will hear noises and the vehicle will still function as a 2WD vehicle preventing complete loss of motive power. Based on the following factors, ODI is closing this investigation: ·       Information regarding field failures does not indicate hazardous outcomes ·       The failures are occurring early in the life of the vehicle ·       Repairs are covered under the manufacturer’s warranty ·       The vehicle can continue functioning as a 2WD without loss of stability control in the event of failure The closing of this investigation does not constitute a finding by NHTSA that a safety-related defect does not exist, and the agency reserves the right to take additional action if warranted by new circumstances.

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.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed

Lease Car: I waited for the light to turn green and proceed into the intersection going east. The other driver was going south and went through the red light hitting my L/D door, fender,bumper, air bag deployed hit me in the face causing swollen bruised eye. Car was towed as of now there is $15,709 damage with drivers side seat belt on National-Global back order. Due to this being a safety item no after market parts are allowed no seat belt to be found. Car is held up in the body shop they will not release. American Honda stated they have no release date on this seat belt called 13 times, called Insurance company will not total car, call dealership no help. 12 months left on lease I am

NHTSA complaint 11514693, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed

This air bag and seatbelt both malfunctioned clearly the air bag malfunctioned while I was about to cross over a bridge on an interstate .. Ciasing a projectile to shoot me in my eye knocking me unconcouiss and I wasn’t sure wht happened until hind sight and clearly the foremsic evidence supports this .. I woke up hitting.my head on window roof I was in a ditch barreling down a hill twords the bridges legs it stands on and I was already blind I couldn’t see shit nor was I even able to regain control of the vehicle due to the blunt force trauma to my eye and head it was enough to burst my eye ball give me a hematoma and a contusion in my aye and when I finally stopped at about 200 feet 250

NHTSA complaint 11575703, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING

1 injured · crash · towed · 91,400 miles

The contact owns a 2021 Honda HR-V. The contact stated while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel did not function as intended. The contact stated that the steering wheel was stiff and veered in the wrong direction. The contact stated that when the steering wheel was turned in the correct direction, the steering wheel pulled in the opposite direction. The contact stated that the steering wheel was difficult to steer. The contact stated that due to the failure, the vehicle was involved in a crash. The vehicle crashed into the concrete sidewalls. The contact's daughter sustained body and neck pain. The contact stated no medical treatment was provided. The

NHTSA complaint 11619200, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

1 injured · crash · towed · 13,000 miles

The contact owns a 2021 Honda HR-V. The contact stated while entering a parking space, the vehicle accelerated unintendedly and jumped over a curb. The brake pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to respond and drove towards a building. The contact was able to steer the vehicle away from the building, and the vehicle crashed into the side of a tree. The air bags did not deploy. There was no injury sustained. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an autobody repair shop, where it was repaired. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed; however, the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. Additionally, the contact stated while at a complete stop

NHTSA complaint 11639877, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES
I got in my vehicle to go to work, put the vehicle in drive and it would not move. The engine light came on, a large red flashing PARK on the dash and the tire light. I placed the car back in park. Checked to see if the parking break had accidentally been engaged. It had not. I placed the vehicle in drive again, unable to move. Attempted to reverse. Unable to move. Placed the vehicle back in park. Turned off the ignition. Pulled the key out slightly and waited. I restarted the engine and as all of the lights were flashing I placed the vehicle in drive again. The vehicle was able to drive. We took it to a local repair shop and they said it was a recall. We contacted Honda and they said they

NHTSA complaint 11760856, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2021 Honda HR-V. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V064000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was contacted several times. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.

NHTSA complaint 11756144. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING
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.

NHTSA complaint 11741789. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
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.

NHTSA complaint 11741323. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
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 and costly to consumers! Same CVT was recalled or warranty extended in earlier models.

NHTSA complaint 11740048. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2021 Honda HR-V. The contact received a recall notification, NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V064000 (Air Bags). The contact stated that several appointments were scheduled, however the dealer canceled or rescheduled the appointments. The contact was informed that the parts were unavailable. The manufacturer was not contacted. The contact had not experienced any failure regarding the unrepaired recall repair.

NHTSA complaint 11738853. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Honda HR-V

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2025 45 1 —
2024 109 4 —
2023 686 3 —
2022 88 3 —
2020 84 5 —
2019 235 7 —
2018 157 3 —
2017 123 0 —
2016 239 2 —

Other 2021 Honda models

Pilot 436 CR-V 331 Accord 234 Civic 145 Odyssey 142 Passport 142 CR-V Hybrid 104 Ridgeline 101

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