Most common 2021 Honda Passport problems
Share of the 144 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Honda Passport complaints by model year
Best Passport years: 2024. Years to avoid: 2019, 2021, 2020, 2025, 2022. Compare all years →
2021 Honda Passport recalls (7)
Suspension › Rear
American Honda Motor Company (Honda) is recalling certain 2016-2022 Honda Pilot, 2017-2023 Ridgeline, 2019-2023 Passport, and 2014-2020 Acura MDX vehicles that were sold in Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New…
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the rear subframe and install a rear subframe reinforcement kit and, as necessary, repair or replace the rear subframe components, free of charge.
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.
Fuel system, gasoline › Delivery › Fuel pump
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline, Odyssey, Acura ILX, MDX, MDX Hybrid, RDX, RLX, TLX, 2019-2022 Honda Insight, Passport, 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Clarity PHEV, Fit, and 2015-2020 Honda…
Remedy: Dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 6, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are KGC and KGD.
Service brakes, hydraulic › Foundation components › Master cylinder
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Civic, 2020-2023 Ridgeline, 2021-2023 Passport, 2021-2022 Pilot, and 2020 Acura MDX vehicles. The tie rod fastener that connects the brake booster and the brake master cylinder may have been improperly assembled during manufacturing, which can cause the brake…
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and repair the brake booster assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 7, 2023. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138.
Back over prevention › Display function
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2023 Odyssey, 2019-2022 Pilot, and 2019-2023 Passport vehicles. Due to a faulty Media Oriented Systems Transport (MOST) communication coaxial cable connector, the rearview camera image may not appear on the display.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the MOST cable harness and install a straightening cover over the vehicle cable connector, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 24, 2023.
Show 1 more recall
Visibility › Rearview mirrors/devices › Exterior
Honda (American Honda Motor Co) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Pilot and Ridgeline, and 2020-2022 Passport and Odyssey vehicles. The heating pads behind both side-view mirrors may not be bonded properly, allowing the mirror glass to detach.
Remedy: Dealers will replace both left and right side-view mirrors, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed January 17, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is FE5.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into 3 possible defects involving the 2021 Honda Passport:
Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking
On March 7, 2024, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE24008) to assess reports of inadvertent activation of the Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) system in model year 2019-2022 Honda Insight and 2019-2022 Honda Passport vehicles. The complainants allege activation of the AEB system with no apparent obstruction in the vehicle's path, resulting in rapid vehicle deceleration.
No Restart After Auto Start/Stop Engages
On June 3, 2022, the O ce of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE22005 after the agency received VOQs and several eld reports concerning the Auto Idle Stop (AIS) feature on 2016-2019MY Honda Pilot vehicles. The complaints allege that the engine fails to restart on its own from a complete stop at a tra c light or road intersection with the AIS function engaged.
Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking
On March 7, 2024, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE24008) to assess reports of inadvertent activation of the Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) system in model year 2019-2022 Honda Insight and 2019-2022 Honda Passport vehicles. The complainants allege activation of the AEB system with no apparent obstruction in the vehicle's path, resulting in rapid vehicle deceleration.
What 2021 Honda Passport owners say
Driver assistance all 54 →
I don't know which system failed or malfunctioned. It is available for inspection. While parking at the community parking lot the car accelerated. I wan't able to stop it. It jumped a bumper stop than a curb and drove up a berm and crashed into a tree. (The incident is on film at the clubhouse). I was the only one injured. My knee broke the underside of dashboard (see phpto). I did have other bruises. The vehicle is still at the collision repair shop so it hasn't been seen by the dealer. However I did report the matter to American Honda who assigned a case #13707324 on 3/17/2023. As of this writing I am told they haven't assigned same to a representative. To the best of my knowledge the vehicle has not been inspected. There were no warnings given.
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Passport. The contact stated that while driving 45 MPH, the Forward Collision Avoidance activated, and the vehicle stopped. The contact stated that the braking was aggressive. The contact stated that the failure was persistent. The contact stated that the vehicle was the only form of transportation. The contact stated that the vehicle was unsafe to use while transporting minor children. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact stated that an unknown recall repair was performed previously; however, the failure occurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 32,000.
Engine & cooling all 29 →
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Passport. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine compartment. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the connecting rod bearing in cylinder #3, resulting in damage to the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V751000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 73,000.
My 2021 Honda Passport Elite suffered cataphoric engine failure at 90,000 miles. The 6th cylinder bearing was missing when my vehicle was towed into Honda for diagnosis after my engine shut off while I was traveling 55 mph. I had no warnings for this failure including no engine noises and no check engine lights. I had to have a new engine put in my vehicle and Honda refused to cover the cost at 100% because they stated there were no open recalls at this time. I feel this is a manufacturer engine defect that is the same as the open recall defect Honda has on the 2017, 2018, and 2019 Pilots with the same 3.5-liter V6. The engine failure descriptions are exactly the same.
Electrical system all 27 →
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Passport. The contact stated that while driving the 49 mph they noticed their radio suddenly went off and the vehicle's instrument panel blacked out. The vehicle's horn no longer functions properly. The vehicle's windows failed to open and close and the vehicle turned completely off in the middle of the highway losing all power. The contact stated the failure caused an oncoming vehicle to end up rear-ending them. There were no injuries and no medical attention was needed. The vehicle was towed. A police report was filed. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who was informed by the manufacturer that they were not to proceed forward with any diagnosing or repairs for the vehicle. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened a case regarding the matter. The failure mileage was 3,627.
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Passport. The contact stated while driving 40-45 MPH, the instrument panel lights, and GPS navigator screen inadvertently turned black. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the dashboard wiring connectors were faulty. The contact stated that the vehicle was not repaired as the parts for repair were not yet available. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring upon starting the vehicle and while driving. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 3,000.
2021 Honda Passport engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5L 6-cyl | 9-speed automatic | FWD | 20 / 25 / 22 |
| 3.5L 6-cyl | 9-speed automatic | AWD | 19 / 24 / 21 |
EPA ratings. Class: Small SUV.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2021 Honda Passport a good car?
Based on 144 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2021 Passport rates avoid: 3.2× as many complaints as a typical year of the Passport at the same age. It is one of the Passport years we suggest avoiding. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2021 Honda Passport?
The driver assistance — 54 complaints, 38% of all complaints for this model year, most often about automatic emergency braking. Next are the engine & cooling (29) and electrical system (27).
How many recalls does the 2021 Honda Passport have?
There are 7 recalls for the 2021 Honda Passport, the most recent from June 4, 2026 (rear). 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 Passport?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2024. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2019, 2021, 2020, 2025 and 2022. See the full Honda Passport years comparison.
At what mileage do 2021 Honda Passport problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 7,000 miles; 83% 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.