general problems of the 2021 Honda CR-V - part 1

Manufacturer dealer diagnostic confirmed that head gasket is leaking on cylinder 1 and that this is a known issue. Vehicle just 3 months and barely 2000 miles out of new car warranty. Manufacturer fails to cover repair at 100% power loss while driving on the freeway on 2 separate occasions. Engine did not provide power in response to accelerator pedal, car slows down w/o control. Incident 1 traveling 65 mph hwy [xxx] in [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

I am a senior citizen who bought a brand new 2021 Honda crv hybrid in 2022. I used the vehicle mainly for driving around town in city driving. I ensured that my vehicle received all the necessary scheduled maintenance at either the dealership I bought the vehicle,(pacific Honda, [xxx];phone [xxx]) or a certified Honda dealership. I have complete maintenance records at the Honda dealership for the entire life onf the vehicle. In early xxx I received a warning light on my dash concerning the engine and immediately took the vehicle into the Honda dealership to have it looked at. I was told I had a blown headgasket and the repairs would be approximately $7,000. 00 dollars. The mechanic then told me that this was a common problem with this vehicle due to the engine Honda put in the car. The mechanic advised me to contacthonda to see if they would assist me with the cost due to the fact that this was a manufacturing problem and I did nothing to cause the issue and there is nothing I could have done differently to have avoided this issue. I called and Honda told me there was nothing they could do for me since the car was out of warranty. I bought the vehicle in August of 2021 and repair was done xxx. I was treated very poorly at the Honda dealership and lost trust in their tech team. On xxx I received another warning light on my dash. I took my vehicle to mossy Honda in [xxx] to have it looked at due to the fact I did not trust pacific Honda. They did a multi point inspection and told me that my rear differential was bad and had to be replaced for approximately $5,500. 00 dollars. I had the work done. When I picked up the vehicle after the repair the tech told me that the rear differential was completely bad and that there were metal flakes throughout the rear differential. He told me that if I had not brought it in when I did the car could have had a catastrophic lockup or seizure! information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

While driving a 2021 Honda Cr-v hybrid, the vehicle has intermittently and without warning lost the ability to accelerate. When this occurs, depressing the accelerator pedal — even fully to the floor — produces no response, and the vehicle simply coasts and loses speed. This has happened on three occasions — January 13, 2025; December 16, 2025; and June 10, 2026 — including at highway speed. Each occurrence is documented by a Honda dealer service invoice. In each instance, the check engine light began flashing immediately before the loss of power. The only way to restore normal operation was to bring the vehicle to a stop, turn the ignition off, wait, and restart. Restarting restores power but also clears the check engine light and any stored diagnostic trouble codes. Safety risk: losing motive power without warning, particularly at highway speed or while merging in traffic, creates a serious risk of a rear-end or loss-of-control collision, because the vehicle cannot accelerate out of danger. The affected systems appear to be the power train and hybrid propulsion system, possibly originating from the engine given the flashing check engine light, which typically indicates an active engine misfire. The exact failed component has not been confirmed (unknown). The problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by the dealer during inspection. The vehicle was taken to an authorized Honda dealer for each occurrence, but because restarting the vehicle clears the fault codes, the dealer found no stored codes and could not duplicate the failure during a test drive. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. This matches NHTSA preliminary evaluation pe25016 regarding intermittent loss of motive power in my 2020–2022 Honda Cr-v hybrid vehicles.

2021 Cr-v hybrid, approximately 103,000 miles. Multiple incidents of loss of propulsion at highway speed with engine shaking and a flashing mil. Cycling the ignition restores normal operation, and the codes disappear. I have had it scanned, and no errors show up. Spark plugs and ignition coils have been replaced. The vehicle has also displayed an engine high-temperature/reduce-acceleration warning. This can be in relation to NHTSA preliminary evaluation pe25016 that has been documented by other owners.

While driving on freeway, engine suddenly stops. This has happened four times now in the last two years one time was almost deadly as we were surrounded by semi’s and lost power completely except for the small amount of hybrid power. I had to quickly get to the side, barely missing a semi truck. 2021 Honda crv hybrid. I have taken it into bountiful Honda in utah after each episode, the first time they did some adjustments it was about $600. The second time they just kept it for six weeks and couldn’t find anything wrong. Third time was the same and this last time they changed the fuel injectors. But we’re scared to death to drive our car. We’ve been renting cars every time we have to go more than an hour away from our home or get on the freeway for very long. We are hesitant to trade it in because we don’t want them to turn around and sell it to someone else that would not be aware of the problem. But we were able on the last episode to retrieve a code with a little machine we purchased. But that code just meant severe engine failure. The dealership kept my car for almost 2 months on the third episode and drove it over 2500 miles and were unable to get it to replicate. It seems to happen every 3 to 4 months with normal driving. I have records for everything. This car is a hazard to gave on the road. I just can’t afford to just buy a new one without trading this in and I just can’t do that with good conscience.

Oil has gas in it.

When driving on the highway at the speed of traffic, the check engine light appeared and was followed by a loss of engine power. Vehicle had to be pulled over to the shoulder. After shutting the vehicle off and turning it back on, engine power was restored. Vehicle is available for inspection upon request. Safety is a major concern if unable to move the vehicle out of traffic before coming to a stop with no power. The Honda dealer ran a diagnostic and did not find an issues. They were also unable to reproduce the problem. The vehicle has not been inspected by any other parties. -1st incident: August 15, 2025 -2nd incident: October 31, 2025 -inspected by dealer: November 13, 2025 -3rd and most recent incident: April 2, 2026.

Hello nhsta -- my Honda is a 2021 Cr-v awd hybrid. Two very unsafe events to report which occurred within a few weeks of each other, apparently from the same cause. First event, on 27 Feb 2026, I was driving on a two lane county road, traveling about 40 mph, I was in the lead with 2 or 3 cars behind me. Suddenly, on a fairly level grade, I noticed that the car was gradually slowing down; I was not touching the brakes, my foot was on the accelerator. When I pushed it to speed up, there was no effect, no change in the engine sound. I put on my flashers, and scanned for a place to pull-over, but there was no shoulder. My speed had reduced to around 5 mph. The check engine light flashed I believe, but it did not stay on. In about a hundred yards I was able to locate a broad drive-way entrance to pull in to and I was able to let the cars behind go by. Turned the engine off 2 or 3 times. On the 3rd time, the car moved a little bit. When I put it in reverse, it moved back a little bit. So, when the road was clear I put it in drive again and it took off like normal. I drove directly to my local Honda shop. The kept it for a couple of days. They couldn't find anything, and said that no service codes had been recorded in the system. Given the age of the battery, we put in a new one. And the car ran fine from that point. Then, second event, a few weeks later on 30 March 2026, I was driving on an interstate (3 lanes each way), traveling around 55 mph, flat terrain. Suddenly, the car began to lose power and gradually slow down, I had no acceleration or control over it. I was in the middle lane, put on the flashers and drifted into the right lane, the other cars slowed for me. Got over to the shoulder. Check engine light was on steady. Called Honda, per their instructions from the first event. They told me to have it towed. Bottom line, Honda said that the intake valves were too tight. See attached worksheets. Clearly a factory build defect. Valves are not checked until 90k.

While driving warning light blink indicating electronic emergency brake issue, unable to drive because the brake set and would not release. After a while it released and drove to Honda dealership for a diagnosis. They stated it was a failed head gasket and due to this failure it leaked coolant onto the spark plugs, all had to be replaced and the estimated cost $5,500. It's a 2021 Honda crv hybrid with 70,000 that has been well maintained. It should not have a failed head gasket. Upon researching this it appears this is a known issue for this vehicle, but Honda has not acknowledged. This is a very costly repair that is known by the manufacturer.

Auto-restart is failing, causing car to stall or shut down entirely. When we pull up to a red light and the engine turns off, the car does not restart. Sometimes, it needs to be manually turned back on — sometimes, it shuts down entirely and requires a jump. Most recently, it required a jump and blocked traffic for 15 minutes on a busy street.

Blown head gasket at 125448 miles.

The contact owns a 2021 Honda Cr-v. The contact stated that while driving 73 mph with two children inside the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated, and while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle decelerated and failed to respond as needed. The contact was able to move over to the right side of the road, where the vehicle was turned off and restarted, and operated as intended. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed; however, the diagnostic result was unknown. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 48,000.

License plate: [xxx] (CA) vehicle: 2021 Honda Cr-v hybrid mileage: 102,700 description of incident: while operating the vehicle at highway speeds, a "engine temperature near high" warning suddenly appeared on the dashboard. I immediately heard a loud "gurgling" or "water pouring" sound from the dashboard area. I was forced to navigate through traffic to the shoulder to prevent a total engine seizure and avoid a high-speed collision. I was able to restart and limp the vehicle to tracy Honda (dealer), where a certified technician performed a diagnostic (repair order #xxx) and confirmed a blown head gasket with coolant leaking into the combustion chambers. Detailed defect information: the vehicle is experiencing a premature failure of the head gasket, a component designed for the life of the engine. This failure allows coolant to breach the internal engine seals and enter the cylinders. This specific issue is currently being litigated in the consolidated class-action lawsuit bissell v. American Honda motor CO. , inc. (case no. Xxx in the southern district of California. Despite following maintenance schedules, the engine hardware failed, creating a sudden loss of thermal management. Safety risk: the sudden onset of overheating while in high-speed traffic creates a significant safety risk. The "engine temperature near high" warning provides insufficient time for a driver to safely exit a highway before the risk of catastrophic engine failure or fire becomes imminent. This is a documented manufacturing defect in 2017–2022 Cr-v models that poses an unreasonable risk of accidents or being stranded in dangerous traffic conditions. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The contact's daughter owns a 2021 Honda Cr-v. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at highway speeds, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted and failed to accelerate above 30 mph. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The driver pulled over and restarted the vehicle. Upon restarting the vehicle, the check engine warning light was no longer illuminated, and the vehicle resumed normal operation. The following day, the vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed. The dealer determined that there was coolant intrusion in cylinder #1. Upon investigation, the contact discovered an open investigation under NHTSA action number: pe25016 (engine) and related the failure to the open investigation. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and agreed to assist with paying the deductible the repair. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

The contact owns a 2021 Honda Cr-v. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed, however the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The contact became aware of an abnormal sound coming from the engine with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The engine sputtered, and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was driven near the contact's son-in-law's residence. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with head gasket failure. The contact was informed that the head gaskets needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. In addition, the contact stated that in October 2025, the entire fuel injector kit was replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. In addition, the contact was informed that the repair was not covered under the recall. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 135,000.

This has happened twice in a month. I was driving on the interstate and the check engine light began flashing. The engine lost power and would not accelerate beyond 40 mph. The situation was incredibly unsafe as both times I was on the interstate and had to pull over. The second time was at night and around heavy construction which increased the danger. On each occasion the light turned off and the problem fixed when I turned off the car and turned it back on. Both times I took the vehicle to the dealership and they were unable to find the code or any issues. On the second time they recommended adjusting the valves and replacing spark plugs. The vehicle has not been inspected by anyone else. There were no warnings prior to the flashing check engine and the car losing power. On both occasions this happened within ten minutes of starting the vehicle.

On two recent occasions over the past month, my 2021 Cr-v hybrid has lost motive power/check engine light flashing, with the while driving on busy interstate roads between 60-70 mph, decelerating in fast-moving multi-lane traffic. The dealership service department has not been able to fix the issue. I believe this issue is similar to others that the NHTSA is evaluating (pe25016). This issue could be very dangerous if a driver is not able to safely move off the road or shoulder. Please issue information to car owners and dealers on how to fix this serious issue.

The contact owns a 2021 Honda Cr-v. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power and failed to accelerate above 60 mph. The check engine warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the vehicle failed to accelerate above 5 mph while driving uphill. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to duplicate the failure. The failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, who adjusted an unknown valve, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was then taken back to the dealer for the third time, where a fuel injector was replaced, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA action number: pe25016 (engine). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 61,000.

Report from dealer: customer states that the vehicle feels like it's sporadically shooting forward when accelerating between 20-30mph. Check and advise vehicle failed af test,all cylinders failed (rich).

I am experiencing the problems that are described in investigation NHTSA campaign number: pe25016. When driving on the highway, there have been multiple times (8-10) when the car stops accelerating and the check engine light starts flashing. I am not able to accelerate the car. If it turn the car off for 5-10 minutes, the check engine light stops flashing and I am able to drive the car again. It has always happened when I haven't driven the car for a while (either driving it for the first time for the day or after sitting idle at work for 8 hours), the problem happens within minutes of getting on the highway. I have taken the car to the dealership for service twice with this problem. The first time was in late August. They said there was no code with the check engine light and they could not replicate or find a problem. The most recent time was this past Friday (Nov. 21, 2025). I experienced the problem and immediately took it to the dealership. Because the check engine light was flashing, they were able to pull diagnostics and retrieve a code. They said a fuel check showed cloudy fuel and a spark plug was brown to copper color. They removed the old fuel and replaced all four spark plugs. This did not fix the problem, as I experienced it again this morning (Sunday, Nov. 23).

The contact owns a 2021 Honda Cr-v. The contact stated that while parking, and the brake pedal was depressed, the vehicle accelerated inadvertently up a slight incline and collided with a stone boulder/wall. Neither the contact nor the passenger sustained injuries. The contact stated that no collision warnings were activated to detect the collision. The air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, where the failure could not able to be replicated. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic, where the vehicle has yet to be diagnosed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 56,000.

2021 hybrid Cr-v - within the last 10 months the vehicle has twice lost engine power while driving on expressways with just enough time to pull off the road. In the same period of time, at least 6 times, when initially starting the engine, the engine runs roughly and will not accellerate. So far, this has happened in cold or cool weather but not extremely cold weather. In an effort to restart the system, we then shut the system off, wait a few minutes and try restarting. Occaisionally, the engine will start normally after this "reset". More often, if the "reset" doesn't work, we shut off the heat/cooling system (to keep the system from calling for the engine power) and restart the system in ev mode. The car will begin moving in ev mode. The engine then starts and runs normally when accellerating beyond the ev system's capacity to accelerate. We understand this problem does not register in the car's computer as a "fault" once the car's engine operation returns to normal. Therefore, the dealers are unable to diagnose the problem. We have read of many other people having the same experience without any satisfactory correction from the dealerships or mechanics. Because this is an intermitant and unpredictable failure, and because the engine and system operates normally for long periods between incidents, the error must be computer/electrical and not related to the fuel pump. We have also replaced the aged engine battery and cleaned the cables. This did not correct the problem. Any assitance in resolving this issue is appreciated. We are concerned that the system will fail completely at the most inopportune time, leaving someone stranded on the highway or being a road hazard on a highway.

The vehicle experienced a premature failure of the head gasket; it was blown at 130,000 miles. I was close to home when I received a dash alert stating not to accelerate as the engine was nearing a critically high temperature. If I had not been able to get home so quickly, my safety may have been compromised as my car could have overheated forcing me to pull over on the shoulder of a busy bridge. My local dealership inspected the vehicle and has quoted me nearly $4,500 for the repair, despite it appearing as this is a known issue with this particular engine.

Traveling on 4 lane highway at 65 mph on slight upgrade-check engine light started flashing and vehicle started to shudder slightly and went into "limp" mode I think. Started to slow down with no power. Turned on emergency flashers and was able to pull over without incident, although it was close to causing an accident with a tractor trailer. I shut the vehicle down and after 10 minutes, started it again> I was able to drive home another 45 miles without incident. This happened a week ago and so far it hasn't happened again.

On 7/21/2025, the car smelled of rotten eggs. When I got home I checked the Honda website for recalls. There is a recall on the fuel pump for my type of car, but not with my VIN number. I researched that if the fuel pump goes without repair it can lead to the catalytic converter needing replaced. So, I went outside to go get some dinner and the car wouldn't start. Everything inside flashed a few times and then went dead. This car is only 4 years old. I believe they've missed my car on their recall list.

The contact owns a 2021 Honda Cr-v. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the fuel injector was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 72,000.

When I accelerate up a hill at speed I lose power of the car. Once I pull over and turn the car off and wait a few minutes, the car starts up and drives fine. I have taken it in to be fixed and one time they changed spark plugs and a head gasket and then about 8 months later it did the same thing. I took it in to be checked out and they cannot find anything wrong with it. I have searched online and have found out there are other people having the same issue with this model (2021 crv hybrid). I've only owned the car for 4 years and love Honda's and have owned one most of my life so this is disappointing.

Dozens of photos&videos avail. When rains or humidity electrical is severely effected. All electrical warning lights turn on. Car wont shut off. Econo mode wont work and car stalls. Wipers wont turn off while driving. Lane change notification warnings go haywire and are unreliable. Has been "fixed"5 times and still happening. Car turned on by itself recently when it rained. Research has revealed that this is a common complaint with this particular vehicle/model. When conditions are dry it goes back to normal. This has been happening for a year and nobody has been able to fix it because they seem to not understand Honda electrical. I have to tarp my car when off.

My 2021 Honda Cr-v hybrid has experienced three identical and dangerous incidents over a one month period beginning around 60,000 miles. Each time, while driving at highway speeds (60-70 mph) climbing hills or grades, the vehicle suddenly loses all acceleration power accompanied by a rapidly flashing check engine light. This creates an extremely hazardous situation as the vehicle cannot maintain highway speeds with fast-moving traffic approaching from behind, forcing emergency stops on busy highway shoulders where rear-end collisions become a serious risk. After each incident, turning off the vehicle and waiting 10+ minutes allows normal operation to resume, with the flashing check engine light disappearing. The malfunction involves the engine ignition system, specifically cylinder 4 misfiring as confirmed by diagnostic trouble code p0304 that I captured during the most recent incident. The suspected failing components include the ignition coil, spark plug, or fuel injector for cylinder 4. What makes this particularly dangerous is the complete unpredictability - no warning symptoms appear before each incident, and the failure occurs suddenly under specific conditions that are common in highway driving. Despite three documented occurrences, two separate Honda dealerships have been unable to reproduce the issue or confirm the problem. Both claim they find "no stored codes" even though I have evidence of the p0304 code. The codes appear to be cleared after turning the vehicle off and on. The intermittent nature and specific conditions required (sustained highway speeds while climbing grades) prevent typical shop diagnosis, yet this appears to be a widespread pattern affecting multiple 2021 Cr-v hybrids based on similar owner reports online. The recurring nature combined with the inability of dealers to address the root cause, creates an ongoing safety hazard. The vehicle remains available for inspection.

Head gasket failure. 79,600 miles. Car consumes coolant. Coolant is entering the firing ring when car sits after being driven a distance of 5 miles or more and sits for about 8 hours, vehicle starts with a misfire and makes a small amount of white sweet smoke out of the exhaust pipes even in 85 degree weather. Car smooths itself out after 10-30 seconds. No obdii or Honda specific codes. Spark plugs, ignition coils, and spark plugs again since 75k. Over $2,000 into this car in repairs. Refilled coolant reservoir 3 times since April 8th (3 full jugs of peak asian blue from advanced auto parts). I want justice for this car and other Honda 1. 5t vehicle owners as many of them have this happen at the 80k mark and they’re being quoted $10k for an engine and $5k for a head gasket. There are several people with accords, civics, Cr-vs equipped with the 1. 5t engine that have coolant leaking into one cylinder. Oil looks fine and not milky. And besides the coolant being low, it looks fine (blue/aqua). Only when the car sits. Car was brought to rivera Honda in port jeff and they couldn’t find any issues. Car is consuming coolant. No leaks. It’s being burned when you start the car after it sits. Gushing liquid noise when car starts or with idle engine stop activated and car restarts. Design flaws on cylinder head has grooves that allow coolant to flow on top of the head to cool it. Failure point according to a Honda mechanic on youtube. Second flaw is poorly designed head bolts that are too thin and are brittle, not making a good seal as the vehicle ages. Parts are not expensive at all, but the man hours needed to replace this are the killer. 4. 5 years old with 80k, it’s Honda. It’s supposed to run forever. Not die under 100k. I would expect this problem after 250k or when the car is over 10 years old. My godmother had a 1998 accord that she had for over 20 years and it only needed a fuel pump as a major repair. A testament to Honda’s rock solid reliability. What happened?.

On the freeway. The engine-icon lit up on the dash screen. Shortly after, I realized that the car was slowing down. Pushed on gas pedal and nothing happened. Started going slower and slower. Put on the emergency flashers, changed lanes to the far right and managed to coast it to a spot with a shoulder large enough to get me 100% on the shoulder. Turned off the power button and sat there for about 3-5 minutes. Turned the car back on and it was fine the rest of the way to my destination. Has not happened since. It was very scary! called the dealership the next morning. Took it in at their request. There were no "codes" that came up and they had no idea why it happened. No resolution.

Within the past 3 months, twice now, the battery indicator goes to zero and engine loses power and you can't accelerate. This is very dangerous where we live as it is a 2 lane mountain highway with few spots to safely pull over. There are a number of posts about this know issue, all stating the same scenario and that no Honda dealerships will fix it as they "can't determine an issue". I called our dealer after this happened the first time and was instructed to not restart the vehicle and just have it towed in. That is not realistic.

The issue occurs seemingly randomly about once a month when driving on the highway. All of the sudden the car starts DE-accelerating. Even if you push the gas pedal all the way down it doesn’t go. It just goes slower and slower and thank goodness I’ve been able to pull over every time. Once I shutdown the car completely and turn back on then I have power again.

I was driving the vehicle on route i287 and all of a sudden the break system got activated without touching any button and the car speed was damped down and as a result the car was pulled aside to see what had happened. The break system completely collapsed with a break sign on the dashboard appearing persistently which could not be deactivated or was not able to remove from the dashboard with several attempts made in restarting the engine. Due to the involuntary break activation on highway driving, my life as well others would have been in extreme danger and jeopardized the whole situation in continuing driving further. The car was towed on a flat bed to the the dealer the Honda princenton, new jersey for further investigation and got analyzed for the root cause and they suggested a fix of head gasket replacement, a major repair, asking us to fix the vehicle at the cost of 6000 dollars. Previously, I had driven several Hondas and never experienced break issues on the cars and we had invested in buying this time the Honda Cr-v and what we went through this vehicle something like this is not fair for the customer has to go through a major repair on the vehicle at such a low milage of 127,000 put on the car which never was involved in an accident and driving the car on high way every day to the work place. We want a complete restoration of the vehicle at free of cost and get it certified and drivable safely on the road.

On January 15th while driving home with my son I attempted to accelerate around a truck when I hit approximately 60 mph the vehicle stopped accelerating and began to slow down. I did notice that the "charge bar" for the hybrid battery was indicating that it was charging. The car continued to decelerate and I pulled to the side of the road. The check engine light was flashing. I turned the vehicle off for a minute and started it back up. The car drove fine and I was able to make it home. The dealership said there were no codes saved and they had no explanation. This was a the third time in the past year this has occurred and no one can tell me what the codes are or how to fix it.