Problems · NHTSA complaints

2021 Honda HR-V problems

Owners filed 64 complaints about the 2021 Honda HR-V with NHTSA between Apr 2021 and Oct 2026. The most-cited component is air bags (21).

Complaints
64
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
5
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
5
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Air bags21
  2. Electrical system16
  3. Forward collision avoidance7
  4. Service brakes5
  5. Power train5
  6. Steering3
  7. Vehicle speed control3
  8. Engine3
  9. Lane departure2
  10. Seats2
  11. Seat belts2
  12. Exterior lighting1
  13. Fuel/propulsion system1
  14. Other / unknown9

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 3, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Trend

When complaints were filed

Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
View as table
Model yearComplaints filed per calendar year
20215
20223
20235
202420
202516
202615

Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.

03 —Owner reports

Top problems in owners’ words

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first

Air bags

21 reports2 crashes2 related recalls
“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.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 11, 2026Air bagsODI 11756144

Electrical system

16 reports
“The instrument cluster display intermittently fails and blanks out while driving. When this happens, I completely lose access to critical safety information, including the speedometer, fuel gauge, and all vehicle warning lights. I cannot monitor my speed or know if a critical vehicle system is malfunctioning while actively operating the vehicle in traffic. This happened in the morning when it’s cold but it comes back up when it gets hotter.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 21, 2026Electrical systemODI 11772826

Forward collision avoidance

7 reports1 crash
“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 did not have a recall for this vehicle.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Aug 31, 2026Service brakes, Forward collision avoidanceODI 11760856

Service brakes

5 reports
“Brakes are not keeping car stopped. Several times car has started moving slowly when stopped at traffic light or driving on freeway. Several times almost hit car in front of my car. I had to push harder on brakes. No warnings. It has to been inspected by anyone. This has happened since purchase of car in Jan. 2024.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled May 2, 2024Service brakesODI 11586622

Power train

5 reports
“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.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled May 26, 2026Power trainODI 11740048

Steering

3 reports1 crash
“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.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jun 3, 2026SteeringODI 11741789
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 3, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.