Complaint volume
288 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.
Complaint records
2021 Honda CR-V Complaints
288 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2021 Honda CR-V, grouped by component category.
288 Total complaints
13 Crash reports
1 Fire reports
11 Injury reports
Complaint data reflects consumer-submitted reports. A complaint is not proof
of a defect, recall, or manufacturer fault. Enriched severity fields come
from official bulk records when the complaint can be matched by ODI number.
Buyer interpretation
How to use these complaints before buying
Complaint records are most useful when they turn into inspection points, seller questions, and comparison checks against nearby model years.
Pattern to inspect
The most common categories are steering, forward collision avoidance, unknown or other. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 13 crash reports, 1 fire report, 11 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 51 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 32,802 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to steering, forward collision avoidance, unknown or other?
- Can I see recent maintenance and repair records?
- Has the vehicle ever been towed, involved in a crash, or repaired for the same issue twice?
- Can we also check the recall record for this 2021 Honda CR-V?
Used-car checklist
Use these complaints before the test drive.
Build a buyer checklist to turn these issues into questions and inspection points.
2021 Honda CR-V
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2021 Honda CR-V complaints?
13 Crash
1 Fire
11 Injury
0 Fatality
14 Towed
9 Medical attention
What are the most common 2021 Honda CR-V complaint categories?
STEERING 75
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 50
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 22
ENGINE 11
SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 11
AIR BAGS 10
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 6
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 6
VISIBILITY/WIPER 6
SERVICE BRAKES 5
288 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2025 | STEERING | The steering is sticky and makes a grinding noise as it is turned to its neutral position. Notice more during a right turn. But overall steering is not smooth. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2025 | STEERING | The steering wheel sticks. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2025 | STEERING,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | The steering wheel sticks when beginning to turn it. Occurs at all speeds and seems to be more prevalent at warmer temperatures. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2025 | STEERING | The contact owns a 2021 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver observed that the steering wheel stiff. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic however, the failure was not duplicated. The contact stated that on another occasion while driving 10 MPH, the steering wheel became stiff. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that that power steering rack needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 90,000 |
| Jun 2025 | STEERING | The steering wheel sticks during turns causing the wheel to jerk back into place afterwards. There were no warning lights to alert of this issue. The dealership says that the entire power steering system needs to be replaced and quoted me $3500. I bought the car 6 months ago with 27000 miles on it. I have now learned that this issue is common on the CRV and that newer models have been recalled. I'm hoping that the 2021 can be added to the recall. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2025 | SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | My 2021 Honda CR-V has experienced incidents where it suddenly and unexpectedly applied the brakes while I was driving, despite: - No vehicle, pedestrian, or object is present in front of me - No driver input on the brake pedal - Not using cruise control at the time My car occasionally jerks or shows warning lights before stopping, sometimes without any warning. I suspect an issue with the Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS) or related driver-assistance components. These braking incidents occurred under normal driving conditions and pose a high risk of being rear-ended. My car's issues remain unresolved, and I feel unsafe while driving my vehicle. Two dealerships conducted four diagnostic tests (on 18, 19, 21, and 24 May 2025) to evaluate the Honda Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS) and the associated driver-assistance components. But no issues were identified during these evaluations. - 23 May 2025, I discussed my car’s issues with a Honda Case Manager (in California). He did not accept any responsibility for the reported Honda braking issues. - 27 May 2025, I filed a formal complaint with Honda Customer Service. Honda has not taken any action to address my car’s issues. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2025 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I was driving down a main road and with no cars in front of me, my Automatic Emergency Breaking came on, flashed Brake and then brought my car to an immediate stop. I made an appointment at my dealership. The dealership said there were no recalls and said they would charge me $50 to try to recreate the issue but they didn't think they would be able to recreate it. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2025 | ENGINE | Head gasket failure. 79,600 miles. Car consumes coolant. Coolant is entering the firing ring when car sits after being driven a distance of 5 miles or more and sits for about 8 hours, vehicle starts with a misfire and makes a small amount of white sweet smoke out of the exhaust pipes even in 85 degree weather. Car smooths itself out after 10-30 seconds. No OBDII or Honda specific codes. Spark plugs, ignition coils, and spark plugs again since 75K. Over $2,000 into this car in repairs. Refilled coolant reservoir 3 times since April 8TH (3 full jugs of Peak Asian blue from Advanced Auto Parts). I want justice for this car and other Honda 1.5T vehicle owners as many of them have this happen at the 80K mark and they’re being quoted $10K for an engine and $5K for a head gasket. There are several people with Accords, Civics, CR-Vs equipped with the 1.5T engine that have coolant leaking into one cylinder. Oil looks fine and not milky. And besides the coolant being low, it looks fine (blue/aqua). Only when the car sits. Car was brought to Rivera Honda in Port Jeff and they couldn’t find any issues. Car is consuming coolant. No leaks. It’s being burned when you start the car after it sits. Gushing liquid noise when car starts or with idle engine stop activated and car restarts.Design flaws on cylinder head has grooves that allow coolant to flow on top of the head to cool it. Failure point according to a Honda mechanic on YouTube. Second flaw is poorly designed head bolts that are too thin and are brittle, not making a good seal as the vehicle ages. Parts are not expensive at all, but the man hours needed to replace this are the killer. 4.5 years old with 80K, it’s Honda. It’s supposed to run forever. Not die under 100K. I would expect this problem after 250K or when the car is over 10 years old. My Godmother had a 1998 Accord that she had for over 20 years and it only needed a fuel pump as a major repair. A testament to Honda’s rock solid reliability. What happened? | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2025 | STEERING | The steering wheel was sticking when steering to the left then back to center, almost like it was catching on something. Took to the dealer and they replaced the electric rack due to the steering issue. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2025 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I had 2 unrelated issues in the past 2 days: 1) rear door actuator malfunction. The door won't lock or unlock as part of the central locking system 2) The "break" alert went off without any cars around. Happened once, breaks weren't activated by the car. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2025 | STEERING | Steering sticking at highway speed | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2025 | STEERING | Sticky steering wheel. It catches when beginning to turn(i.e. when changing lanes or turning corners). Right now, it doesn't keep me from continuing to turn, but issue is getting worse in terms of frequency of occurrence. It occurs every time I take the car out. Currently, the car has less than 14,000 miles on it. Problem has not been examined nor confirmed by dealer. There have been no warning lamps, messages, or other symtoms prior to problem occurring. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Driving on the highway going 55 mph when the car in front of me in the left lane more than 5 car lengths began to break, recognizing this I put my blinker on and tried to switch to the right lane when suddenly the automatic breaking kicked in and slowed the car down to a near stop. I was unable to deactivate with the break or the gas for a few seconds and by that time I was stuck between the lanes nearly getting t-boned in the right lane before the car swerved to avoid my vehicle. Had there been someone behind me in the left lane I would have surely been in a terrible and fatal accident. I was in complete control of the car and received no more than a one second warning (in the form of a short beep) that the automatic breaks would kick in suddenly. This put myself and my passenger in serious danger. This is not the first time this has happened and has happened as I have approached an exit on the highway as well. Again, fortunately no one was driving behind me that time as well. There is something seriously wrong and I no longer trust the safety of my vehicle. There is also no way for me to turn this feature off until there is a formal recall issued. The dealership says there is no active recall therefore I will need to pay $175 to get the issue checked out. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | STEERING | When turning (any direction and any speed) the steering wheel will get stuck requiring more effort to turn the vehicle. It was initially intermittent but has recently become more frequent. After searching online this appears to be a common issue with newer Hondas. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | STEERING | Excess friction between the worm wheel and worm gear. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | STEERING | Sticky steering wheel. Happens when temperatures get above 75 degrees. Feels like the steering wheel might not turn. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2025 | STEERING | The contact owns a 2021 Honda CR-V. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel became sticky while turning. There was no warning light illuminated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not covered under recall or warranty. The contact was informed that the repair of the vehicle would be an out-of-pocket expense. Upon investigation, the contact discovered and linked the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V744000 (Steering) however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 18,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 18,000 |
| Apr 2025 | STEERING | The steering sticks really bad when going around a curve or turning. It has been doing it for months, but it keeps getting worse. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2025 | STEERING | I have noticed an issue with the steering wheel in my vehicle. It feels sticky and does not turn as smoothly as it once did. Specifically, it sticks at certain intervals when steering at highway speeds, such as when making long right or left turns. Additionally, when making sharper/ slower turns, like when turning into a parking space, I hear cracking or popping sounds coming from the steering wheel as I turn. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2025 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | On several occasions since I’ve owned the vehicle, it has come to a complete stop while driving at highway speeds without any apparent reason, accompanied by a warning of a possible collision. On one such occasion, the vehicle stopped so abruptly that I initially thought I had been rear-ended, though thankfully no cars were near me at the time. If other vehicles had been nearby during any of these incidents, I believe it could have resulted in a serious accident. While I am grateful for the technology, as it has also helped me avoid an accident on two separate occasions (different from the above referenced instances), I believe the system needs improvement to prevent these unexpected stops from occurring. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2025 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | On Friday, March 21, 2025, there was a very loud explosion (bomb-like) while driving. Parts started flying off the car, including shattered glass. The next day I took the car to the Honda Dealership and was told the sunroof had exploded. I was very fortunate that I or anyone in the cars behind me were not injured. Unfortunately, Honda is not covering this as part of my warranty. I currently have a little over 27,000 miles on the car. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2025 | SERVICE BRAKES | Today was the fourth time that the automatic breaking system engaged when there was no other car present to trigger it. I was going under 5 miles an hour. The car next to me was making a left-hand turn, and there was no car in front of me to cause the breaking system to engage with such a force that I thought I was rear-ended by a truck | Crash: No Fire: No Injuries: 1 | Unknown |
| Mar 2025 | STEERING,SEAT BELTS | The contact owns a 2021 Honda CR-V. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the seat belt and the steering wheel were deteriorated. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer where it was determined that it was normal wear and tear. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 33,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 33,000 |
| Mar 2025 | STEERING | I am writing to formally report a serious safety concern with my 2021 Honda CR-V EX. For approximately a year and a half, I have experienced a persistent issue with the steering system that has progressively worsened. Specifically, my vehicle exhibits a “sticky” steering sensation, making it difficult to smoothly turn or change lanes. This issue occurs most prominently when I first start driving and persists whenever I make turns to either the left or right. I am aware that Honda has issued a recall for steering problems in certain models, but my vehicle has not been included in the recall. Given the severity of the issue and the potential safety risks involved, I am extremely concerned. This problem affects my ability to control the vehicle properly, and I fear it could lead to an accident if it continues to deteriorate. I urge the NHTSA to investigate this issue further, as multiple owners of the 2021 Honda CR-V have reported similar complaints. If necessary, I am willing to provide additional details or documentation regarding my vehicle’s condition. Please advise on the next steps I should take to ensure this issue is properly addressed. Thank you for your time and attention to this matter. I look forward to your response. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2025 | STEERING | Steering is sticky at highway speeds. Momentary inability to turn steering wheel while driving. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |