Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2021 Honda Passport owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
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.
The vehicle infotainment system froze. Several minutes later after driving, I pressed the brakes but they did not function. The vehicle would not stop and crashed into the vehicle in front of me. Emergency braking did not engage or otherwise show signs of activation. After turning off the car and dealing with the accident, I restarted the vehicle and the brakes and infotainment system operated normally.
Owned the 2021 Honda Passport for 4 years and have had multiple issues over that time. 1st. Electrical issues. Randomly while driving the center/head unit will continuously restart on a loop until vehicle is turned off and turned back on. 2nd. The speakers make crackling noises randomly while driving. Even when the audio/speakers are turned off the crackling continues. (Very loud and annoying) 3rd. The Passport sometimes shuts off completely when stopped at red lights and has difficultly turning back on / restarting. This showed an error that there was a battery issue, which the battery had just been replaced a month or two earlier. It said something about being in accessory mode. 4th. The sensor that tracks oncoming traffic goes off sporadically. There are times on single lane roads that the car forces the breaks on because it senses cars on the other side. 5th. …
Vehicle has been having AIS issues for a couple of years, requiring new batteries, new starter/relays and countless internal computer updates (none of which have helped btw...). This morning she had the AIS engaged, went to turn left at a green light and when she released the brake the vehicle threw itself into Neutral and flashed a "Auto Idle Stop System Problem" message on the dash. She put it into park and tried to restart, which failed, she then had to turn the vehicle off completely and restart from there. As I mentioned, none of the computer updates Honda has done for this vehicle have helped and it's my understanding there is a block of vehicles in this age range (all Passports, Ridgelines and Pilots) that continue to have problems with the AIS as well. …
Honda has a recall on certain vin numbers for the starter. My starter i was told to replace at a $2500 fee from reggie jackson honda in raleigh nc. I had to visit the dealership 3 times, they said its the battery, replaced the battery at my cost, now they said its the starter. They said there is a recall but my vin number was not included in the recall. The starter is worn out from the auto start and stop feature at stop lights. My issue is it will stop at a stop light and it wont start again then a warning comes on the screen about collision detection issue, then the warning goes away quickly and eventually i will get it to start but it is a safety issue that honda is aware of. I am asking honda to do partial credit on repair costs, but i dont understand why my vin number was excluded. …
There is a known issue with auto idle feature. If you do not manually turn off every time it stays on and occasionally will cause car issue when stopping. I have had it happen in vehicle about a dozen times. When you fully depress brake engine is suppose to i gel to save gas however on occasion the vehicle will completely stall out. I have had this issue happen when approaching stop signs or in traffic situations. The biggest problem is trying to reengage car. Sometimes you can feel it starting to do this and if you quickly apply gas you can avoid it however sometimes the car will lock up with display lights and you have to keep pushing the Engine stop button to turn off the vehicle and turn vehicle back on. It is sometimes difficult to even turn off engine vehicle when this happens but seems to be only way to get vehicle to respond. …
My Passport has shut down 4 times recently while idling at a stop. There is a auto start/stop feature on the car that shuts down the engine at stops until the brake is released. The problem is that it sometimes does not restart after releasing the brake. The first 3 times it happened at an intersection so it was no big deal. The last time, today, it stalled on a highway as soon as I stopped for heavy traffic. The car was automatically put it neutral and it took me about 40-50 seconds to realize what happened and to restart while the lanes next to me started moving at highway speeds. I looked up the problem online and saw a "Honda Idle-Stop Class Action Suit ([redacted])" and found out that it is happening to others as well. [redacted] I am not looking for money but want this to be looked at. I will be taking my vehicle in for repairs at a Honda dealership later this week.
When using the audio system (Apple Airplay, Bluetooth, Sirius Navigation, or FM Radio), the speakers or radio will at some point start to crackle and make noises similar to static noise, like wires sparking. which causes the music to cut out and shut off completely. Our safety is at risk because the noise is very distracting, it is very annoying, it makes me nervous and angry because it becomes unbearable. I have to stop and turn off the car, turn it back on because I can't use music or browser or anything. I took it to the dealer where I bought it and they told me that it was a factory defect due to poorly installed cables. That creak is now constant that the car is barely drivable in those conditions. The equipment has not been inspected. I was never warned about this defect of the car. And I am sure I am overpaying for this car for it to have such a major and obvious issue.
I purchased my vehicle in August 2023 (used). Phone calls (both through using CarPlay and with the phone unplugged and with genuine cables) sound terrible on the part of the recipient. We replaced the FAKRA cables and harness late last year and just replaced the microphone (and I got charged a diagnosis fee). The issue is continuing. It's gotten so bad that I have to use my AirPods to make any calls for my recipient to hear anything I'm saying (which is illegal in my state and should not be a requirement in a car that is less than 3 years old). I've dug in to forums and this is a common issue for the EX-L trim level in the 2021 model. Additionally, this can impact the backup camera and other lane keeping assist issues. I have factory reset it multiple times and it's still having similar issues.
Electrical complaints in other Passport years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2021 Honda Passport?
NHTSA has 27 complaints about the electrical system of the 2021 Honda Passport, 19% of the model year's 144 complaints. The component named most often is instrument cluster/panel (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2021 Honda Passport electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2021 Honda Passport, though it has 7 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2021 Honda Passport electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 4,000 miles, and 100% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 0 injuries to electrical system problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
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.