2021 Honda HR-V: problems, recalls and reliability
4 recalls and 62 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is air bags (32% of complaints).
Data updated weekly · 2 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 62 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“The contact owns a 2021 Honda HR-V. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V064000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was contacted several times. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.”Owner report · Air Bags · Aug 2026
“Air bag sensor light is always off even when nobody is sitting in the passenger seat. The sensor has been recalled once before however it's still having the same issue even after being replaced.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jun 2026
“The contact owns a 2021 Honda HR-V. The contact received a recall notification, NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V064000 (Air Bags). The contact stated that several appointments were scheduled, however the dealer canceled or rescheduled the appointments. The contact was informed that the parts were unavailable. The manufacturer was not contacted. The contact had not experienced any failure regarding the unrepaired recall repair.”Owner report · Air Bags · May 2026
Show 7 more owner reports
“Front Sensing Camera consistently deactivates, turning off safety features such as Lane Keep Assist, Emergency Braking, & Forward Collision Detection All of which fail despite no collision, & no tampering”Owner report · Lane Departure · May 2026
“My cars had a clunking type noise coming from the front left of vehicle, sounds happens on both left and right turns, and sometimes the steering wheel STICKS. Making a knocking sound and sometimes feels difficult to turn the wheel. I had to have the steering gearbox assembly replaced at cost of over $3015 before taxes.”Owner report · Steering · Apr 2026
“CVT transmission failed and vehicle lost power while on Interstate I-88 65 MPH speed zone. f Momentum allowed me to reach an exit at which point I needed to push the vehicle by myself off the roadway. Vehicle mileage was slighlty over 60,000 miles and the $10,000 dollar repair was not covered by warranty. Dangerous and costly to consumers! Same CVT was recalled or warranty extended in earlier models.”Owner report · Power Train · Feb 2026
“I have gone in for service many times since this recall was released and have been told each time that they do not have the pats.”Owner report · Electrical System · Jan 2026
“The contact owns a 2021 Honda HR-V. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V064000 (AIR BAGS). The vehicle was taken to the dealer for the recall repair. The contact was informed that the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.”Owner report · Air Bags · Sep 2025
“The contact owns a 2021 Honda HR-V. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V064000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that parts to do the recall repair were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced the failure.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jul 2025
“Panel flickered on the side where it tells you your milage to empty and how much gas you have in the car yesterday. This morning it was completely blank on that side of panel. My mechanic sade that it was something electrical but not the fuses. And he doesn't have the equipment to tell if it's an software update issue or not.”Owner report · Electrical System · Jul 2025
When filing, owners marked a crash in 5 of these complaints and injuries in 5 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 4 campaigns
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 (America Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2020 Fit and 2019-2022 HR-V vehicles that were previously recalled under NHTSA recall number 23V-046. The rearview camera image may not display when the engine is started with a key, due to a design error in the audio display power circuit. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Remedy: Dealers will update the display audio unit software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 8, 2024. Owners may contact Honda service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are TIQ and DIR. Vehicles previously repaired under recall 23V-046 will need to have the new remedy completed.
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 2018-2020 Fit and 2019-2022 HR-V vehicles. The rearview camera image may not display when the engine is started with a key, due to a design error in the audio display power circuit. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Remedy: Dealers will update the display audio unit software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 13, 2023. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is 6DW. This recall has been superseded by NHTSA recall number 24V-384. Vehicles previously repaired under recall 23V-046 will need to have the new remedy completed under recall 24V-384.
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
Check your exact HR-V 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 HR-V reliable?
NHTSA has 62 owner complaints and 4 recall campaigns on record for the 2021 Honda HR-V. The most complained-about area is air bags (32% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2021 Honda HR-V problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 43,500 miles or less.
Does the 2021 Honda HR-V have open recalls?
4 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning air bags:sensor:occupant classification:front passenger. 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.