Most common 2021 Honda CR-V Hybrid problems
Share of the 105 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Honda CR-V Hybrid complaints by model year
2021 Honda CR-V Hybrid recalls (3)
Air bags › Sensor › Occupant classification › Front passenger
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…
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.
Air bags › Sensor › Occupant classification › Front passenger
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…
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.
Electrical system › 12V/24V/48V battery › Cables
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.
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.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 3 possible defects involving the 2021 Honda CR-V Hybrid:
Loss of Motive Power
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.
Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking
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.
Pedestrian alert sounds
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.
What 2021 Honda CR-V Hybrid owners say
Engine & cooling all 36 →
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 of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were both notified of the failures. …
My car lost power and the engine light came on when on the freeway. I was in the middle of merging from [redacted] to [redacted] on a San Diego freeway. Because of the highway interchange situation, I was in the far left lane and needed to merge about 4-5 lanes to the right to get to the next off ramp. This was so scary!! Though I had my hazard lights on, cars coming up behind me didn't expect a car to be slowing down in the middle of the freeway as the car decelerated down to 20 mph. I was very lucky that my car was not rear-ended. I used the side roads and the electric power to of my hybrid engine to drive about 7 miles to a Honda dealer. They asked me to turn off my car (big mistake). Honda had my car for 3 days and drove it about 70 miles, but could never duplicate the issue. I am [redacted] and frequently from Southern to Northern California alone. …
Electrical system all 24 →
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 of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were both notified of the failures. …
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 dealer but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, who opened a case, but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000.
Driver assistance all 22 →
Nothing has happened yet. I want it on record that the implementation of this feature is dangerous. On P.497 of the 2021 CR-V Hybrid's Owner's Manual is the following warning: "Exiting a vehicle that has been stopped while the ACC with Low Speed FOllow system is operating can result in the vehicle moving withoug operator control. A vehicle that moves without operator control can cause a crash, resulting in serious injury or death. Never exit a vehicle when the vehicle is stopped by ACC with Low Speed Follow." The way this feature is implemented, the following scenario is possible: I'm driving in heavy traffic that stops for a long time. I absent-mindedly forget that the CR-V is still in ACC mode and get out of the car to see if I can see what is causing the delay. While away from the car, traffic starts to move, and before I can get back in it, the CR-V drives away. …
We were driving at about 45-50mph on a 4 lane road (2 lanes in each direction) when the car in front of us moved to the right side of the road (bike/turn lane) to make a right turn. There was enough room for the other car to safely turn right without stopping or slowing traffic. The 2021 Honda CRV Hybrid braked suddenly as if to avoid a high speed crash. The collision avoidance feature was on (the car was delivered with the feature activated and it was never turned off.) The car forcefully slammed on the brakes, seatbelts locked up and the driver felt a pop inside the left shoulder blade and neck pain; later in the day, the pain radiated throughout the left side of the back, up to the neck / base of skull and down past the waist. The passenger seatbelt also locked and there were no injuries to the passenger. No passengers or children were in the back seat. …
2021 Honda CR-V Hybrid engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.0L 4-cyl hybrid | CVT | AWD | 40 / 35 / 38 |
EPA ratings. Class: Small SUV.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2021 Honda CR-V Hybrid a good car?
There isn't enough complaint history for the CR-V Hybrid to compare model years reliably. So far owners have filed 105 complaints with NHTSA.
What is the most common problem with the 2021 Honda CR-V Hybrid?
The engine & cooling — 36 complaints, 34% of all complaints for this model year. Next are the electrical system (24) and driver assistance (22).
How many recalls does the 2021 Honda CR-V Hybrid have?
There are 3 recalls for the 2021 Honda CR-V Hybrid, the most recent from May 21, 2026 (front passenger). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Honda CR-V Hybrid?
Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2024 and 2023. See the full Honda CR-V Hybrid years comparison.
At what mileage do 2021 Honda CR-V Hybrid problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 25,000 miles; 56% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.