2021 Honda Accord: problems, recalls and reliability
4 recalls and 282 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is forward collision avoidance (23% of complaints).
Data updated weekly · 14 new complaints in the last 90 days · latest recall May 2026
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 282 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“Vehicle started flashing all lights on dashboard. I drove it for awhile and then it eventually went off. A few days later same lights came back on a car started misfiring. Was told by Honda that is was the Turbo that's going bad. Today is just cut off on me. Luckily there wasn't anyone behind me. I see a lot of people are having these same issues and a recall should be put out immediately.”Owner report · Forward Collision Avoidance · Sep 2026
“Dash lights on for Brake system malfunction. Emergency parking brake light on as well as TPS system. Lights around Park, Neutral and drive not illuminated. Battery and alternator are in good standing.”Owner report · Service Brakes · Aug 2026
“Infotainment system recieving phantom / ghost touches. Screen selects menu items on its own, plays, pauses music, causes major distraction and disruption. Screen flashes when changing menus and can pull attention from the road. Safety issue!”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Aug 2026
Show 7 more owner reports
“The contact owns a 2021 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, the message "Emission System Problem" was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the turbocharger had failed and needed to be replaced. The contact was informed that the failure was a common issue. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 108,579.”Owner report · Engine And Engine Cooling · Aug 2026
“Sudden braking; car comes to a complete stop and brakes so Hard. Most likely fault from Collision Mitigation Brakking system”Owner report · Forward Collision Avoidance · Aug 2026
“My center screen has a ghost touch; I have brought it to my dealer since the day I bought it I have been having screen and CarPlay issues. never fixed always told its fake phone cable, even though my phone can be disconnected and the screen still goes crazy, either way I left it alone because I can't keep going to the dealer, today while I was backing up this ghost touch keep changing my camera angle and caused the screen to freeze completely, I would suggest looking into this as I found many people online with the same issue,”Owner report · Electrical System · Jul 2026
“My car stalled stopped and takes a While to turn on , all lights turned on .. coded came back and showed it was fuel pressure regulator / fuel pump. I believe it is part of the recalls put in place for other Honda accord lx as well since I'm having same problem”Owner report · Vehicle Speed Control · Jul 2026
“40,000 miles and 5 years after original in service date - failure of 2021 ACCORD 1.5T headgasket system between cylinder s #1-2. Required full head disassembly, removal, rebuild of head, and replacement of head gasket and associated components. $6000 quote from Honda Corporate as I was 55 DAYS outside of warranty. Absolutely ridiculous for a 5 year old car with low miles.”Owner report · Engine · Jul 2026
“Had to repleace the electrical parking brake sensor. Now all my lights on the dash board are lighted up and have to go get a diagnostic test done”Owner report · Service Brakes · Jul 2026
“Touchscreen system in my 2021 Honda Accord Hybrid Touring is now having issues registering touches or is exhibiting ghost touches. This results in unpredictable selections for diverse systems like sound, touch free phone integration, navigation, etc. These are distracting in the extreme, and seem to be common during the afternoon hours in strong sun. This issue is partially mitigated via a hard reset, but this is helping less and less as this error becomes more and more common.”Owner report · Electrical System · Jul 2026
When filing, owners marked a crash in 16 of these complaints and injuries in 8 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 4 campaigns
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2021 Accord Sedan, Accord Hybrid, CR-V, Ridgeline, 2022 Insight and CR-V Hybrid vehicles. The automatic locking retractor on the second-row center seat belt assembly may deactivate improperly, which can result in an unsecured child restraint system. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Remedy: Dealers will replace the second-row center seat belt assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 14, 2022. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138.
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 Type R, 2017-2021 Civic hatchback, 2016-2020 Civic coupe, 2016-2022 Civic, 2017-2022 Accord Hybrid, and 2016-2022 Accord vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, which can cause the air bags to deploy unintentionally during a crash.
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. Honda's numbers for this recall are BOL, WO9, OOA, WOM, XOH, NOC, POD, BOE, UOF, POB, EOG, AOI, QO8, TOJ, DO7, and SOK. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 24V064. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning May 29, 2026.
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 vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, failing to suppress the air bag as intended.
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. Honda's numbers for these recalls are XHP and VHQ.
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 Accord Hybrid, Pilot, Acura NSX vehicles. The fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
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. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall numbers 21V-215 and 20V-314.
Trouble codes owners mention
OBD-II codes that appear in NHTSA complaints about this car.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 2021 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Counts are not adjusted for time on the road here - see all Accord years ranked fairly for the age-adjusted comparison.
Check your exact Accord by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2021 Honda Accord reliable?
NHTSA has 282 owner complaints and 4 recall campaigns on record for the 2021 Honda Accord. The most complained-about area is forward collision avoidance (23% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2021 Honda Accord problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 69,000 miles or less.
Does the 2021 Honda Accord have open recalls?
4 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning seat belts. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.