general problems of the 2021 Honda Accord - part 1

Ssue: water intrusion into tail light assembly causing electrical and safety system malfunctions status: repaired at owner expense (~$800) concern: safety?related defect and potential pattern across vehicles description of the issue: my 2021 Honda Accord experienced a failure where water entered the tail light assembly and caused electrical shorts. This resulted in multiple safety?critical system warnings, including brake system alerts, abs/vsa warnings, and Honda sensing failures. The vehicle also lost acceleration and entered a reduced?power “limp mode,” creating a hazardous driving situation. The dealership diagnosed the issue as water intrusion into the tail light assembly. The entire assembly had to be replaced at a cost of over $800. After replacement, all warnings and drivability issues resolved immediately.

This Honda Accord sport se has had electrical problems from the day I received the vehicle. Every time I went for an oil change at bommarito Honda I mentioned it to them and they said “yeah the new Hondas do tend to hand a lot of those electrical problems” so with this the problems continued to get worse. Sometimes the buttons do not work, sometimes they do, sometimes the lights don’t work and sometimes they do and sometimes the safety features and break system automated itself. I have slammed my head on the steering wheel on multiple occasions. I believe this needs to be looked into because the malfunction of the car falsely reports danger and caused an accident. Yes every time it malfunctions it flashes briefly and so quickly on the screen .

My vehicle is currently suffering a failed head gasket. I was alerted about this issue from local mechanics and friends way before it actually happened. I took it to services and regular maintenance even more frequently after that. However, it still failed no matter what. I took it to the dealership, they even admitted that this is a known problem for this generation of vehicle. They still proceeded to ask nearly $7000 to fix it, saying that even though this is a known issue, there was no recalls on the vehicles so they could not waive or deduct the fees.

I am writing to file a complaint on the service that was provided at vann york Honda. On February 17, 2026, I was returning home from work and my car had a hard idle at start up. I was able to drive it home without issue. The next day, February 18, I got in my car and I had another hard idle start with many check engine codes appearing on the dashboard. I drove it to vann york Honda in high point, north carolina for service. I was told it was a faulty fuel injector causing the problem and that it needed to be replaced. I left the car there over night and paid for the service; approximately $3,000. I got the car back on February 19. On February 20, I again had a rough idle on start up. I brought the car back to vann york Honda and advised them that I was experiencing the same issue as before. The mechanic brought it to the back and advised me that he could not find anything wrong with the vehicle and that it is running fine. I expressed my concerns with the vehicle and he stated that without a error code or check engine light being on, it would be difficult to diagnose. The technician and the advisor said to keep driving it until a light comes on saying there is a problem since they could not find an issue. In the following 2 weeks, I had regular rough idles on start up and the fuel efficiency dropped approximately 6 miles per gallon. When I filled the car with gas, the fuel range dropped from 540 to 370. When I called about that issue, they said they reset the computer when performing the previous service on the vehicle and it is taking time for the computer to "learn" the car again. On March 6, I brought the vehicle back to vann york Honda due to many check engine codes appearing on the dashboard. On the way to vann york, the service advisor called me and stated that she would be reaching out to Honda corporate to see about Honda paying for some of the cost of this service. My wife and I drove into the service bay and I spoke with the service adviso.

I am reporting a serious safety concern involving my 2021 Honda Accord sport se. The issue began at approximately 78,000 miles when multiple warning lights suddenly appeared on the dashboard while driving. At the same time, the vehicle began shaking and had difficulty accelerating. The engine felt unstable and the car struggled to gain speed. I immediately took the vehicle to a mechanic where it was diagnosed with an engine misfire on cylinder 3. The spark plug and ignition coil were replaced. After this repair the vehicle appeared to run normally for a short time, but the exact same symptoms returned shortly afterward. The vehicle again began shaking while driving and experienced loss of power and poor acceleration. This creates a serious safety concern, especially when merging onto highways or driving in traffic where sudden loss of power could lead to an accident. After researching this issue, I discovered numerous complaints from other owners of 2021 Honda Accords describing the same symptoms that ultimately resulted in blown head gasket failures. These complaints appear in the NHTSA database and other consumer forums. The pattern of engine misfires, shaking, and loss of acceleration appears to be consistent across many vehicles with similar mileage. Despite the number of similar complaints, there are currently no recalls associated with my VIN. I believe this may indicate a broader manufacturing defect affecting these vehicles. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate this issue further to determine whether a safety defect exists that could require a recall or other corrective action.

This problem is seemingly widespread from one google search! the infotainment system screen will randomly start doing “ghost touches,” tapping random areas of the screen which is distracting but also clicking on things that shouldn’t be casually clicked like emergency calling or calling a random number! the screen would end my navigation, mute the speaker, go back, switch to a different app, etc. There is no warning lights or anything. The Honda dealerships seem to realize that this is a know issue but will not replace it. They stated that replacing it is doesn’t always work as the problem returns. My car is perfect besides this issue and has never been in a crash.

I am reporting a safety-related issue on my 2021 Honda Accord hybrid involving a failure of the heating and climate control system. The vehicle is unable to produce heat or properly defrost the windshield, which significantly reduces visibility in cold weather. This directly impacts safe operation during winter conditions and should be considered a safety concern rather than a comfort issue. A Honda dealership diagnosed the problem as a heater core failure. The heater core itself is approximately $150, but the repair requires extensive disassembly and is estimated at nearly $2,000 due to labor. This type of failure should not occur on a vehicle this new. I recently purchased the car and do not believe this is normal wear or maintenance. Honda was contacted and denied goodwill assistance, stating they have no record of other complaints. I have since found similar reports from other Accord owners experiencing heating failures, particularly on hybrid models. This failure prevents windshield defogging and makes the vehicle unsafe for winter driving. I am documenting this issue with NHTSA so that the safety implications of heater failure on this model can be formally reviewed. I can provide the dealer diagnostic report, repair estimate, and Honda case number upon request. Vehicle details: 2021 Honda Accord hybrid ex VIN: [xxx] mileage at failure: 47000 date diagnosed: 11/13/25 location: salinas, CA please advise if additional documentation is needed. Thank you, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

I am writing to formally report a safety concern regarding the infotainment system in my 2021 Honda Accord. The infotainment system in my vehicle is faulty and exhibits consistent glitches that I believe pose a serious safety risk while operating the vehicle. The system frequently malfunctions by freezing, restarting unexpectedly, lagging during operation, or becoming entirely unresponsive. These issues affect critical functions such as navigation, backup camera display, audio controls, and in some cases, the touchscreen completely locks up, forcing me to divert my attention from the road. The system has even placed my iphone into reset mode. This is not an isolated incident. The problem occurs on a regular basis and seems to worsen over time. I have attempted to address this issue with the dealership, but no permanent fix has been offered, and the system continues to behave erratically. This is highly distracting and potentially dangerous, especially when quick access to vehicle features is needed during driving. I believe this issue warrants investigation, as it undermines driver focus and could lead to an accident. I urge the NHTSA to look into this matter and consider whether a recall or manufacturer fix is necessary to ensure driver and passenger safety. Toyota is recalling 591,377 automobiles because the instrument panel display can fail and not show the driver critical information including vehicle speed, brake system and tire pressure warning lights, which could lead to a crash and injury. This issue has been going on for years with Honda vehicles but it's never been recalled. Vehicle details: make/model: 2021 Honda Accord VIN: [xxx] mileage: 77,628 date of purchase: November 2021 problem frequency: ongoing and frequent (daily ) I am happy to provide any additional documentation or video evidence if needed. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Head gasket blown I had a diagnosis ran at the Honda dealership and it came back as a blown gasket its preventing me to accelerate whole on the highway im going at high speeds and it slows down like im slmming on brakes.

Occasionally the touch screen will have phantom touches and start randomly acting like it was clicked in random parts. This makes it do random things like switch from navigation to radio to calling random numbers. While driving this is especially distracting and poses a safety hazard. The issue is reported many times online and seems to be common especially when they temperature outside is above 70 degrees. The only solution from Honda seems to be to pay to replace the screen but it’s not a true fix as it can happen again.

My car ran hot for the first time and I was told my head gaskets were blown and I needed a new radiator. Once I got that repaired I was then told my transmission cooler went bad on my car which caused my engine to run hot and blow my gaskets in addition to cracking my radiator. I keep my car serviced as required with the Honda dealership and they had advised seeing this same issue in several other vehicles like mine. My car has less than 100k miles and I am the only owner. It has never given me any warning lights. The techs feel this is a manufacturer defect as my car should not be having this type of issue this soon. That’s the benefit of a Honda as I have owned several new Hondas and have never had any issues. I have done research and there are several forms with this same issue reported. I am attaching the initial work order. I was just advised of the transmission issue on Monday.

While driving, all of my dashboard warning lights turn on at the same time. On several occasions, the vehicle has also completely shut off while I was driving, creating a dangerous situation where I lost power steering & braking assistance. I request that your safety/ recall department investigate this issue immediately to determine whether it falls under an active recall or should be added as a new recall. I know several people who has the same issue in my city with the same model car as mines. Plus I seen on social media where people who has the model as mines have the same issue.

Shortly after purchasing this 2021 Honda Accord hybrid (used, from a dealer), the infotainment touchscreen began to exhibit phantom touch behavior — the screen activates or presses buttons on its own without user input. This causes menus to change, volume to fluctuate, navigation to exit, or apps to open/close while the vehicle is in motion. It occurs frequently. The issue is not related to driver error, screen protector use, or moisture. The system has been rebooted and factory reset without improvement. A dealership employee has personally witnessed the issue in person, and I have recorded video proof of it occurring. This behavior is distracting and unsafe, as it pulls the driver’s attention away from the road unexpectedly as the screen flashes, and produces audible beeps. This issue makes it difficult or impossible to control basic vehicle functions like audio, phone calls, or climate. On one occasion, it rapidly switched inputs and opened screens while I was actively driving. Given how many critical systems are integrated into this touchscreen — including vehicle settings, audio, climate, backup camera interface, and navigation — a malfunction like this compromises safe operation of the vehicle whilst the vehicle is in motion. This defect was not disclosed prior to sale and was present within the first few days of ownership. I urge NHTSA to investigate this issue for potential design flaws or hardware failures in Honda’s infotainment systems, particularly in Accord hybrid models with the display audio touchscreen.

There is a loud humming noise that is starts at 40 mph. The noise comes and goes, but sometimes lasts for 10 minutes. It appears to be the active noise cancelling unit. There was a previous bulletin service bulletin 21-053 about this issue for 2018-2020 Honda Accords.

The infotainment system has major issues. We cannot use it bc it is dangerously distracting. If a phone is connected it will randomly make unrequested calls, mute calls over and over again, turn off navigation, falsely reports police or accidents without anyone prompting it to do so and randomly turns on static and loud radios stations. Which is startling. It will also randomly start playing itunes or a podcast that you’ve never heard of. It is always flipping screens. It isn’t an occasional occurrence. It is all the time. Recently during a 10 minute drive it made 4 unrequested calls. If a phone is not connected it flips through screens and turns on the radio randomly and tries to connect to phones without being requested to do so. When you do try to connect a phone good luck. It won’t work easily or only the sound will come through but the screen will say nothing is connected. The touch screen only works about 20% of the time. You have to find your phone to hang up a phone call you didn’t make. We have recorded video of incidences. It has been happening since we got the car but recently it has been worse.

Info entertainment screen will glitch out. It starts with not responding to touch. Then it will eventually connect to car play, once navigation is entered it will work for a moment before changing screens to stopping navigation. It will also randomly mute call when using hands free. Even when not connect with bluetooth or wifi it will start changing screens and audio options. **have video of glitching, if there is a way to upload tried resetting to factory settings; didn’t fix issues. Delete phones and reconnected; didn’t fix issues, hard reset phones; didn’t fix issues.

Touch screen radio is not responding to my touch as well as it is pressing the buttons on the touch screen itself like a ghost.

Honda continues to repair recalls. They have repeatedly told me I can schedule the recall repair and their broken app says I can schedule my airbag recall repair. But, the Honda dealers in san diego say Honda refuses to send them parts and there is a 4-5 year delay for repairs. And that they have this issue with Honda for numerous other open years old recalls, no parts. The Hondalink app and the software it communicates with is also malfunctioning and the Honda and the dealers refuse to make repairs. Honda has already had 20 customers die from their takata recall; why are they allowed to keep dragging their feet on recalls while spending billions to purchase Nissan?.

I saw that they are investigating Honda pilots for an automatic braking issue. I wanted to report that on my car I’ve had the automatic brake warning come on at least 3 times while driving at highway speed with nothing in front of me. This is over a period of 3 years (my car has 40k). The brakes didnt engage, but it alerts you like it will engage for a couple seconds then the alert goes away. It could be related to the pilot issue. If the brakes did engage I would likely get rear ended on the highway. So far it hasnt happened but it is scary when it does. And totally random as each time no car within 2000ft.

My car has 79700 miles and starter shaking vigorously while on the freeway. Took it to the Honda dealership and I have a blown headgasket. After reading the [xxx] forums this is a ridiculously common problem with these cars around 45-90k miles. Honda is saying it's not under warranty and it's a $5400 fix for me. With so many cars with the same 10th generation engine having blown head gaskets below 100k miles this is an problem and a safety issue. Honda needs to fix these issues for their consumers. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The touch screen will constantly register phantom touches. Many other owners complain about this, but since it is sporadic, the dealers won't fix it. It is a safety concern as it is a distraction, especially when using google maps navigation. It can only be stopped by filming the screen to zero, rendering it useless.

Infotainment system is glitching, I have had my car for 1 year and it is a distraction and frustrating when the infotainment system changes on its own. It shows touches to the screen when I have not touched the screen. Changes pages, mutes calls, closes maps, changes songs, etc. I have seen many blogs about it being a persistant problem for many people. When I take it to the dealership they will do nothing about it except disconnect the battery, which is not a solution. I do not like paying for a car that I am not able to use fully. Actions need to be taken to correct this issue for me and many other owners.

As I parked my vehicle all of the dashboard lights turned on simultaneously. My safety is at risk because I can not identify or predict the safety of my vehicle. I have not visited my dealer at this point. I have had a check engine light that would come on and would go away. I’d be told by mechanics that it is a computer issue. My last encounter with this was approximately 2-3 months ago.

The infotainment screen touch is unresponsive half the time. Rarely works in the heat, sometimes works when cooler out. Carplay is tough to connect reliably wireless or wired. There are other people complaining on online forums about the touch being unresponsive especially in the heat as well.

Touch screen glitching and beeping, acts as if being touched and scrolls through settings and apps randomly; makes phone calls that can’t easily be disconnected, hangs up calls, enables or disables navigation. Many distracting and potentially dangerous glitches. Unsure if integrates into automated features and unsure if it will engage braking, steering, cruise control, etc. While driving. Replacement part indefinitely back ordered. Local and corporate uncooperative in answering questions regarding safety concerns. Touchscreen unresponsive frequently.

Honda head unit touch screen is glitching while driving. This causes my navigation system to shut down or freeze and then I am unable to use the touch screen entirely. The dealership has confirmed this as an issue that other people are experiencing as well.

At speed limit cruising down i66. I was all alone. No birds in area at all. Open road. I was in middle lanes. Car attempted to come to a complete stop by itself. “phantom braking”? all my friends with Honda’s and Acura’s mentioned similar issues. If anyone was behind me, I could have caused a pile up or even worse. It’s happened a few times. Took to capitol heights Honda and landmark Honda. They ran diagnostics. Explained to me there were no error codes. I explained to them, if system has a fault, it thinks it’s operating properly. So, no errors would appear! I have experience and education in computer programming (college), mechanical and electronic (us army) and over 30 electromechanical troubleshooting, repair and maintenance and other it experience. Sme after they haven’t been able to do anything about it, I turn off all safely systems. I drive a lot. So, I’m also a very good driver. Have almost 65k miles on my vehicle. Date of incident below was when I forgot to turn off sensor. But it happened a few times before and I brought to Honda after first two times. I even had to rent a car at my expense.

The infotainment system randomly presses all over the screen all the time. This causes tony of issues such as turning on the radio, changing navigation, and making beeping noises constantly. Honda has replaced the infotainment system twice in my vehicle and it has fixed absolutely nothing. This is a major safety issue because of how distracting it is when driving. The incessant beeping noises (it beeps every time the touch screen is “pressed”) makes it so that I don’t know whether the car is beeping for safety issues (lane assist etc) or not. The radio being turned on at random is extremely startling and has caused me many near accidents. The navigation turning off as I am navigating through traffic has caused much stress and confusion which can lead to an accident. This is a major issue that needs correction ASAP.

While driving, infotainment system starts jumping to different modes causing me to get distracted while driving. I ended up recording a few clips of it in the mist of running into the curb. Honda initially stated that it was odd because there are no complaints a year ago. Yesterday however, I talked to Honda because the problem is occurring more. They stated that there are numerous complaints. In order for them to fix it, they have to be able to duplicate the issue.

Vehicle entertainment system experiences phantom touches that changes or turns off navigation, makes calls, flashes between applications, is unresponsive to touch etc. This is very distracting at best since the screen can be flashing while driving. Also it can be dangerous as it can stop navigation while in route. This happens/has happened radomly for at least two years on my vehicle. Honda refuses to acknowledge that this is a problem. It is all over message boards and has been for several years. . Read more...

I am submitting this report to bring attention to a recurring issue with the infotainment/radio system in my vehicle, which I believe may warrant inclusion in a safety recall. The radio system in my vehicle has been experiencing persistent malfunctions, including ghost touching—where the screen registers inputs that I have not made. These phantom commands result in erratic behavior such as random changes to settings, volume fluctuations, unintended calls, and frequent screen switching. In some instances, this has caused significant distraction while driving, raising safety concerns. This issue appears to be electrical or software-related, and I have seen reports from other drivers of similar occurrences in the same make/model. I believe this defect poses a potential safety risk due to its impact on driver focus and control of in-car systems. I respectfully request that this malfunction be investigated by the NHTSA for potential inclusion in a recall or technical service bulletin, as it may represent a broader issue affecting other vehicles of the same type. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

I was driving on the highway going about 70mph and the automatic brake/ collision prevention went off and tried to stop my car for seemingly no reason. There were no cars or objects in front of me. The orange break alert flashed in the dash and car slowed abruptly. Thankfully no one was behind me. The only thing I can think of was the shadows on the road. This is the third time an event like this has happened to me. I made the dealership aware this happened after the second time and I was told I just wasn't use to the safety features. I have owned this car for a year now and am beyond use to the safety features, this is flat out unsafe and seriously concerns me. I do really like this car otherwise but I drive a lot for work and if it happens again, I am going to seriously consider selling it. Honda needs to fix this.

My sunroof suddenly and without warning exploded on the highway while traveling at the posted speed limit of 65 mph. The interior door of the sunroof was closed at the time but broken glass did fly out and away toward the back of the vehicle. Due to the loud exploding bang of the shattering glass I believed at first that my rear and/or side windows had been shot out by either someone in a passing vehicle or by someone firing from a location on the side of the highway. Had I not been able to keep my composure I could have lost control of the vehicle and been involved in a crash. The damage was inspected by my insurance company and has been repaired by an auto body shop, but I am greatly concerned that this could happen again.

I saw the investigation of hat the ntsb is opening into problems with the crv and a handful of other vehicles. I think you should add the Honda Accord hybrid (touring) to this investigation. I was driving on a road with speed limit of 55 mph. In full evening traffic. My check engine light flashed on, and I immediately called the dealership to set an appointment. Within one minute of that light coming on, I lost all acceleration power, it just dropped off in the middle of the high flow of fast traffic with no shoulder. I had to find a way to force people to let me over going less than 5 mph to get to a safe shoulder. Then my car just stopped. I was on the phone with the service department at Honda when this happened and they were like, yeah sometimes that just happens. You get to the side of the road within a minute or it will shut off while driving. They made it seem like it was a super common and well known problem. That is ridiculously dangerous. I mean, ridiculously dangerous. I was absolutely terrified I would be slammed by a car on the highway. I got my car to the dealership for a full diagnostic, that they tried to charge me for, but they didn’t find anything. And they said it was probably nothing because they had no proof it happened. That is about it, nothing too terrible, but that has way more potential problems than my scary incident alone. Thank you.

Car moving slowly and suddenly races and speeds up. Hard to stop it. Has happened twice, 8 to 10 months apart. . First time was on a small driveway. Was able to stop car , with no damages. 2nd occurrence I was pulling into a parking space. Foot not on gas or brake and again the car accelerated. This time the car hit a handicapped parking sign and pushed it over. The sign stopped the car with assistance from me. There was a small drop in front of the car and a tree 10-15 feet in front of the hill. The passenger in my car would have been in severe trouble had I not gotten the car stopped. My husband thought I may have somehow activated the cruise control. But I was going less than 20 miles per hour each time. This could be a deadly problem if a child or someone crossed in front of me.