2021 Honda CR-V engine problems

“Hello NHSTA -- My Honda is a 2021 CR-V AWD Hybrid. Two very unsafe events to report which occurred within a few weeks of each other, apparently from the same cause. First event, on 27 Feb 2026, I was driving on a two lane county road, traveling about 40 mph, I was in the lead with 2 or 3 cars behind me. Suddenly, on a fairly level grade, I noticed that the car was gradually slowing down; I was not touching the brakes, my foot was on the accelerator. When I pushed it to speed up, there was no effect, no change in the engine sound. I put on my flashers, and scanned for a place to pull-over, but there was no shoulder. My speed had reduced to around 5 mph. The check engine light flashed I believe, but it did not stay on. In about a hundred yards I was able to locate a broad drive-way entrance to pull in to and I was able to let the cars behind go by. Turned the engine off 2 or 3 times. On the 3rd time, the car moved a little bit. When I put it in reverse, it moved back a little bit. So, when the road was clear I put it in drive again and it took off like normal. I drove directly to my local Honda shop. The kept it for a couple of days. They couldn't find anything,…”

“While Driving on freeway, engine suddenly stops. This has happened four times now in the last two years one time was almost deadly as we were surrounded by semi’s and lost power completely except for the small amount of hybrid power. I had to quickly get to the side, barely missing a semi truck. 2021 Honda CRV hybrid. I have taken it into Bountiful Honda in Utah after each episode, the first time they did some adjustments it was about $600. The second time they just kept it for six weeks and couldn’t find anything wrong. Third time was the same and this last time they changed the fuel injectors. But we’re scared to death to drive our car. We’ve been renting cars every time we have to go more than an hour away from our home or get on the freeway for very long. We are hesitant to trade it in because we don’t want them to turn around and sell it to someone else that would not be aware of the problem. But we were able on the last episode to retrieve a code with a little machine we purchased. But that code just meant severe engine failure. The dealership kept my car for almost 2 months on the third episode and drove it over 2500 miles and were unable to get it to…”

“While driving a 2021 Honda CR-V Hybrid, the vehicle has intermittently and without warning lost the ability to accelerate. When this occurs, depressing the accelerator pedal — even fully to the floor — produces no response, and the vehicle simply coasts and loses speed. This has happened on three occasions — January 13, 2025; December 16, 2025; and June 10, 2026 — including at highway speed. Each occurrence is documented by a Honda dealer service invoice. In each instance, the check engine light began flashing immediately before the loss of power. The only way to restore normal operation was to bring the vehicle to a stop, turn the ignition off, wait, and restart. Restarting restores power but also clears the check engine light and any stored diagnostic trouble codes. Safety risk: Losing motive power without warning, particularly at highway speed or while merging in traffic, creates a serious risk of a rear-end or loss-of-control collision, because the vehicle cannot accelerate out of danger. The affected systems appear to be the power train and hybrid propulsion system, possibly originating from the engine given the flashing check engine light, which typically…”

“Dozens of photos&videos avail. When rains or humidity electrical is severely effected. All electrical warning lights turn on. Car wont shut off. Econo mode wont work and car stalls. Wipers wont turn off while driving. Lane change notification warnings go haywire and are unreliable. Has been "fixed"5 times and still happening. Car turned on by itself recently when it rained. Research has revealed that this is a common complaint with this particular vehicle/model. When conditions are dry it goes back to normal. This has been happening for a year and nobody has been able to fix it because they seem to not understand Honda Electrical. I have to tarp my car when off.”

“When driving on the highway at the speed of traffic, the check engine light appeared and was followed by a loss of engine power. Vehicle had to be pulled over to the shoulder. After shutting the vehicle off and turning it back on, engine power was restored. Vehicle is available for inspection upon request. Safety is a major concern if unable to move the vehicle out of traffic before coming to a stop with no power. The Honda dealer ran a diagnostic and did not find an issues. They were also unable to reproduce the problem. The vehicle has not been inspected by any other parties. -1st incident: August 15, 2025 -2nd incident: October 31, 2025 -inspected by dealer: November 13, 2025 -3rd and most recent incident: April 2, 2026”

“While driving warning light blink indicating electronic emergency brake issue, unable to drive because the brake set and would not release. After a while it released and drove to Honda dealership for a diagnosis. They stated it was a failed head gasket and due to this failure it leaked coolant onto the spark plugs, all had to be replaced and the estimated cost $5,500. It's a 2021 Honda CRV hybrid with 70,000 that has been well maintained. It should not have a failed head gasket. Upon researching this it appears this is a known issue for this vehicle, but Honda has not acknowledged. This is a very costly repair that is known by the manufacturer.”