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

Phantom emergency braking. Vehicle slamming on brakes at intermediate times when there is no emergency.

While traveling northwest at 37 mph, the automatic brake system engaged jolting the driver. The camera shows no objects in front of but there were two vehicles traveling southeast in the opposite lane prior to the brakes applying. There were shadows from trees. If there was a vehicle behind, and the driver did not react fast enough, this would have been a rearend collision. This is the third time that the automatic brake system engaged for no reason since we have owned this vehicle (Dec 2021) and each time it has been reported to the ntsb. In the past two cases, there were no vehicles or shadows from trees, since we were in the desert. The previous two times, the vehicle was inspected by the dealership with no defect noted (under warranty). There were no dashboard warning notices indicating an issue. The vehicle will be resubmitted to a dealership for inspection for this third incident (not under warranty).

My 2021 Honda Cr-v displays an “all system failure” message while driving. On multiple occasions, the car has also braked suddenly on its own when there was no obstacle in front of me. This is a serious safety hazard, as it could cause a crash from behind. The issue is intermittent but recurring. It has happened several times recently. I know other Honda Cr-v owners are experiencing the same problem, and some mechanics report they are seeing this issue frequently. I am very concerned about the safety of myself and my children while driving this vehicle. This vehicle was in an accident 3 years ago, but these problems only began recently and are consistent with widespread reports from other Cr-v owners.

The contact owns a 2021 Honda Cr-v. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 mph, the brakes activated independently. The contact immediately depressed the accelerator pedal and continued driving and the brakes released independently. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 26,323.

• during the short time I have owned this vehicle the automatic emergency braking system has engaged 3-4 times when there was no object in front of the vehicle. The vehicle can be made available upon request. • all incidents happened when driving on the freeway. Fortunately no one was following me which could have resulted in my being rear ended for a sudden stop. • I took the vehicle into the dealership service center today (8/8/25) where they told me it is normal and I should just be a good driver, keeping my distance from vehicle to the front of me. They stated that if they were to replace it the same thing would occur. The problem has not been reproduced by the service center. • when these issues have occurred on one occasion the braking alert sounded ( beeping noise) and then the car started braking. On the other occurrences I do not recall the alert. The car just started braking. Other than that there were no warnings it was going to happen.

I am reporting a serious safety issue with my 2021 Honda Cr-v involving the collision mitigation braking system (cmbs). On multiple occasions, the vehicle has applied the brakes suddenly and forcefully without any obstacle or vehicle in front of me. This had happened over 20 times since I bought the car on March 10 2024. The most recent incident occurred while I was driving at highway speed on a clear, dry day. The cmbs system engaged abruptly, causing the car to decelerate rapidly and slamed breaks automatically. There were no vehicles, pedestrians, or obstructions ahead. This unexpected braking could have easily resulted in a rear-end collision, endangering me and other drivers. I have kids in the back sit and the car behind us almost hit my car. I am afraid the result might have been much worse if there was truck behind my car. I took the vehicle to the Honda dealership, but they were unable to replicate the issue and did not offer a fix. They also mentioned that unless the problem could be duplicated, any diagnostic or repair fees would not be covered, despite this being a known issue under investigation by the NHTSA. I am aware that the NHTSA has an open engineering analysis (ea24-002) into this very issue affecting millions of Honda vehicles. I’m deeply concerned that this problem continues to put drivers and passengers at risk and believe a formal recall is necessary. I request that this issue be escalated and that Honda be held accountable for a fix before someone gets seriously injured or killed. Please contact me if additional details or documentation are needed.

My 2021 Honda Cr-v has experienced incidents where it suddenly and unexpectedly applied the brakes while I was driving, despite: - no vehicle, pedestrian, or object is present in front of me - no driver input on the brake pedal - not using cruise control at the time my car occasionally jerks or shows warning lights before stopping, sometimes without any warning. I suspect an issue with the collision mitigation braking system (cmbs) or related driver-assistance components. These braking incidents occurred under normal driving conditions and pose a high risk of being rear-ended. My car's issues remain unresolved, and I feel unsafe while driving my vehicle. Two dealerships conducted four diagnostic tests (on 18, 19, 21, and 24 may 2025) to evaluate the Honda collision mitigation braking system (cmbs) and the associated driver-assistance components. But no issues were identified during these evaluations. - 23 may 2025, I discussed my car’s issues with a Honda case manager (in California). He did not accept any responsibility for the reported Honda braking issues. - 27 may 2025, I filed a formal complaint with Honda customer service. Honda has not taken any action to address my car’s issues.

Driving on the highway going 55 mph when the car in front of me in the left lane more than 5 car lengths began to break, recognizing this I put my blinker on and tried to switch to the right lane when suddenly the automatic breaking kicked in and slowed the car down to a near stop. I was unable to deactivate with the break or the gas for a few seconds and by that time I was stuck between the lanes nearly getting t-boned in the right lane before the car swerved to avoid my vehicle. Had there been someone behind me in the left lane I would have surely been in a terrible and fatal accident. I was in complete control of the car and received no more than a one second warning (in the form of a short beep) that the automatic breaks would kick in suddenly. This put myself and my passenger in serious danger. This is not the first time this has happened and has happened as I have approached an exit on the highway as well. Again, fortunately no one was driving behind me that time as well. There is something seriously wrong and I no longer trust the safety of my vehicle. There is also no way for me to turn this feature off until there is a formal recall issued. The dealership says there is no active recall therefore I will need to pay $175 to get the issue checked out.

Today was the fourth time that the automatic breaking system engaged when there was no other car present to trigger it. I was going under 5 miles an hour. The car next to me was making a left-hand turn, and there was no car in front of me to cause the breaking system to engage with such a force that I thought I was rear-ended by a truck.

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.

I have experienced at least 4 occurrences in the last year of the automatic emergency braking system activating when there were no obstructions while crossing a bridge. I have also experienced at least 2 occurrences of the automatic emergency braking system activating while going under an overpass. I live in interior alaska and in the most recent occurrence I was going over an icy bridge in the dark in below zero temperatures when the car automatically applied the brakes for no reason. Brakes need to be applied carefully on icy roads - had someone been behind me or had I lost control of the car because of the unexpected braking, this could have resulted in a serious accident.

1) on 3 occasions the automatic emergency braking (aeb) has self activated and the car attempted to come to a complete stop. The 1st incident, 10/19/24, happened while driving 35-40 mph while changing lanes, a red brake light and alarms sounded bringing the car to a complete stop. While there was traffic around me, no one was directly in front of me or close enough to have required this to activate. A vehicle traveling behind came inches from rear-ending me. The 2nd incident, 11/9/24 concerns me the most, happening 3 weeks after the first incident while on the highway traveling 65 mph. I was in the left lane of multi-lane traffic. While there were vehicles two lanes to my right, there was no one directly in front of me by 100 yards. Again, alarms, red brake light, and the car proceeded to come to a complete stop. The car felt like it was floating and for a moment, I felt like my life was over as the car was out of control. The 3rd incident, 12/9/24 happened 9 days after it was in for service, while traveling 30 mph in town. 2) the 1st incident avoided an accident because of the alertness of the driver behind me. The second incident, at 65 mph, is of the most concern, as for a few moments, I felt like my life was over. This incident is also causing me to have ptsd symptoms while continuing to drive, it has required me to see an MD. 3) an appointment was available about 3 weeks after the second incident. They were not able to replicate it or find anything wrong with the vehicle. After speaking about my concerns after the 3rd incident to the dealership, they have recommended that I turn off the safety equipment. While I have spoken with Honda America, they do not want to get involved unless there is a recall by you, the NHTSA. Nothing has been reported to the police but I have spoken to my insurance agent regarding liability if I turn the safety equipment off. 4) brake light and alarms occurred at the same time as the braking.

A code came up with vsa for braking system. With 27,002 miles I was informed it needed a brake module with booster to the tune of $2500. 00. The mechanic informed me he has seen this in many hybrids. My nephew who is s lead mechanic for kia informed me he has replaced a few in kia hybrids. Further investigation revealed Honda recalling a half million hybrids in japan for the same issue. No recall for europe or America for this issue and Honda has no intention of covering this. If the manufacturer of this part is the same for many japanese makers and this issue appears across the board, why hasn’t a recall or proper fix been established?.

The contact owns a 2021 Honda Cr-v. The contact stated that while reversing into her driveway at 1 mph, the vehicle accelerated, the brake pedal was applied but locked up, and the steering wheel locked up. The vehicle crashed through a guardrail and crashed into a tree. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA campaign number 23v844000 (electrical system). The driver sustained injuries to her head, neck, back, and body, and emotional distress and medical attention were provided at the scene. There was no reported fire or airbag deployment. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a body shop. The contact called the local dealer but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, who opened a case, but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000.

My vehicle lost brakes as I was driving. The dealer stated it was because of wiring problem but I read where crv were having a problem with the accident mitigation system. They replaced my wiring harnes to my rear view mirror. The dealer couldn't explain why I lost power to my brakes.

A few times while using the vehicle’s cruise control system, our 2021 Honda crv suddenly started braking on its own automatically, for no apparent reason. It was sudden, surprising, jarring, and scary. Thank goodness no one was injured. The vehicle components have not been inspected yet by any party and is available for inspection. There were no warnings prior to the sudden automatic braking. We are reporting this to Honda today as well.

On at least 5 different instances (possibly one or two more) as I was turning and slowing down either to park in a parking space or else backing slowly out of a parking place, my car seemed to jump (or jolt) and then accelerate out of my control. The brakes did not work. The most recent incident (after a year or so of no problems) was on 7/19/24 when the car accelerated as I was pulling into a parking space, crashed into a woody bush, and destroyed it and came to a stop—possibly because I got the brakes to work though I was fairly panicked so I don’t remember—so it did not take out the low fence behind it though I may have hit it. I was terrified that I would hit a woman coming out of the bank as I didn’t know how to get the car to stop. She saw what happened and asked if I was okay. I have taken the car to the Honda dealer in fairfax, virginia every time this happened in the past but was told either that my foot must have been on the accelerator or else the technician was unable to duplicate the incident and therefore they could do nothing. After the last incident I took the car to Honda of chantilly, virginia where a technician has been looking at it since yesterday so it is still there. If they do not find the cause of this random, erratic sudden acceleration I am going to sell the car (probably back to Honda) because I do not believe it is safe to drive.

On or about Sep 25th 2023, automatic brake system invertedly activated while driving 40mph with no traffic. Dealership could not find any codes or errors. On or about Apr 01st 2024, automatic brake system invertedly activated while driving 40mph with no traffic. Dealership could not find any codes or errors. On or about Apr 03rd 2024, vehicle turned on all by its shelf with no key fob around. Open door and sat in driver's seat and about 15 second later, the vehicle turned off by its shelf. Step on brake, pushed start button and vehicle displayed "need key fob". Dealership could not find any codes or errors.

I was driving going about 30 in town and there were no cars, no pedestrians, no obstacles and all of a sudden my car's dashboard flashed brake and my car braked itself. We went from 30 to zero with a screech. I did not touch the brake during this time. It was unnerving and nothing like this has happened before. I commute on the freeway regularly and I am very scared this could happen at much higher speeds with deadly consequences.

The contact owns a 2021 Honda Cr-v. The contact stated that while driving 5 mph into the garage, the vehicle inadvertently started to reverse. The instrument cluster lights went blank. The brake pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to respond, and the vehicle drove over some rocks in the yard. The contact continuously depressed the brake pedal however, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact pulled the parking brake, and the vehicle stopped. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case and encouraged the contact to call again if the failure recurred, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 16,500.

Took my Honda crv 2021 ex in because all of my warning lights (critical failure) were going off as I was driving. All safety features were failing including awd control, braking, sensors, cruise control, etc. They replaced the battery and tested the alternator. They reset the system and said it was fixed. I picked mine up today, drove it for 10 mins on the highway and then hit the "main" button on the stearing wheel to turn on the cruise control. As soon as I did that, all of the warning lights came on at the same time and the systems started to fail again. This is a hazard and could cause an accident at any moment. In reviewing the Honda forums, this is a massive problem with hundreds of Honda crv ex 2020-2022 models. I'm 7000 miles over my warrant and Honda won't look at it. However, it is directly their problem and my car is only 2 years old.

Driving in cruise control, no one in front of me, suddenly hard braking, enough to throw me forward in the seat. There was a car behind me but fortunately he braked also. There was no apparent reason for my car to brake. Called service center, no solutions or recommendations.

On 2 separate occasions I was driving on the highway and the screen started flashing brake with nothing in front of me. While it was flashing the automatic braking system engaged causing me to come to almost a complete stop and get rear ended.

When changing lanes on a 60 mph highway to avoid vehicles that were stopped, the brakes auto engaged and the car came to a stop. The driver coming from behind had to swerve into a ditch to avoid rear ending my car. Thank god nobody was injured this time.

The car is less than 2 years old and needed complete rotor replacements due to brake pads sticking to calipers. No reason for this - pads sticking to calipers - to have occured. Car had normal driving and was parked in a garage. As well, brake fluid needed replacing a year earlier than scheduled. Again, no reason for this to have occured. Dealership could offer no explanation as to why the calipers/rotors failed and fluid was so poluted so early. After researching, it is clear that this car has issues with its braking system. I had to replace rotors and fluid at my own cost, though car is less than 2 years old. I have reported this to manufacturer, but have not recieved a response as of yet. There were also no warning lights to alert me that the brakes had failed, though the dealer says that there should have been. I have documentation of the repair.

2 months after purchase I have a lemon with Honda Cr-v year of car 2021 bought it in October of 2021. The 3-year warranty is about to expire. I have taken the car several times to two different Honda dealerships because they are the closest to my home and I don't have anyone to pick me up or take me back. They claim there's nothing wrong with the vehicle but lights in the dash come up every other day then disappear after several hours then return the next time, I use the vehicle. The vehicle also has an issue with the acceleration; sometimes I step on the gas pedal but after trying to drive the car, the motor does not move faster but rather the force of the vehicle decreases and doesn't allow for me to go faster than 20 mph. The odometer is also inaccurate; one month after driving the vehicle about 80 miles-the vehicle odometer increased around 10 miles. I only have about 9,877 miles that I’ve driven the car… I'm [xxx] and cannot drive and take pictures while I'm driving. I barely know how to use my phone. I get nervous, start to panic and my heart starts racing and I feel like I'm going to crash. I'm scared for my life and my grandchildren that I pick up after school and take them to their home. Ive tried to upload documents but I keep getting an error. . . Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Vehicle will brake without application of the brake pedal when there is not an obstacle that requires automatic braking to avoid a collision. The vehicle will have “brake” on the dash. This has occurred without anything in the lane in front of the occur and there have been several instances. The collision mitigation braking system is supposed is malfunctioning.

I have had 4 separate instances where the automatic braking system abruptly applied the brakes. Two of them happened at a place on the road where the pavement color changed. One was a pedestrian crosswalk painted on an asphalt road surface. Another was where a new concrete roadway changed to new asphalt. Those 2 situations led me to believe the system may see road color change as if there was an obstacle in front of the car. However, 2 additional events happened with no obvious reasons as the road surface did not change. This is a 2021 Honda crv. I have not taken it to a Honda dealer nor have I discussed it with Honda. I was fortunate that nothing was close behind and the road surface was not slippery. There is no telling what might have happened if the road was snow packed or icy.

Driving on empty road about 40 mph. Brakes engaged momentarily and red brake light came up on dash. Happened in daylight with excellent visibility. No cars in front or other lane and nothing on roadway. Car has 1040 miles on it. Will report to dealer but expect little resolution.

I attempted to park my vehicle. The brakes did not work they, seemed to have no pressure. The engine then accelerated. I did not press the gasoline pedal. The vehicle moved forward and it struck a wall. Damage to the radar system and front grille of vehicle. I took the vehicle to the dealership and all they did was zip tie a component that came loose from under the steering column and give me a referral to a body shop. As of this time the problem has not been reproduced and the vehicle has not been inspected. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. No warning lights or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure.

As my wife and I were driving downtown at about 20 mph on a regular city street with no cars in front of us, the automatic breaking system suddenly beeped and slammed on the breaks, giving us whiplash. There was clearly some kind of failure in the collision mitigation breaking system. Previously, the orange "break" light sometimes came on the dashboard if you got too close to the car in front but it was always accurate--there always was a car in front of us. But this time it was really startling because there was nothing in front of us and it almost caused an accident because the car behind us obviously wasn't expecting us to stop suddenly. We have a 2021 Honda crv hybrid and have had no other problems with it. We haven't had any maintenance on it in besides a bit of standard care (oil change, tire rotation) so I assume whatever problem it has has been there since the purchase (we are the car's original owner). Overall it was quite worrying.

Slowed down to go across a metal plate where work had been done on the street. Suddenly the car came to a hard stop. There was a car in the left lane that also slowed to cross the metal plate. Once before I was rounding a curve and the car softly broke on its own, but didn't completely stop. There was a car again in the left lane. Had the car behind me been closer, I would have been rear-ended. There was also no cars in front of me at both times. The warning collision light did come on and beep. I did call the dealer, they check for recalls and there were none. No inspections have been done. I plan to take it to the dealer for inspection.

I was driving at about 60 mph on the highway with no cars anywhere near me, not using cruise control. I saw an orange “brake” warning light flash on my dashboard a few times and the car slowed a bit. I was startled and looked all around and saw the closest vehicle at least 1/4 mile ahead of me, with no brake lights on and not seeming to slow. I was concerned but didn’t know if I did something wrong, and have been watching for it since then but it has not repeated. I believe this incident took place about 10 days ago, on 2/16/22, around 11 a. M. I read an article from cnn this morning that said there is a recall for just this occurrence for two Honda models in the years 2017 through 2019, but my model is a 2021. I am concerned that it might cause an accident.

While driving on a highway at approximately 60-65mph, the vehicle in front of me began to brake. I was a safe distance from the vehicle in front of me. I also started to brake, but allowed the gap between us to close somewhat due to a vehicle following closely behind me. The Honda’s emergency braking system suddenly took over with maximum braking, causing items in my vehicle to fly around and the vehicle behind me to nearly rear end me. I had no control over the braking. My wife screamed at me, thinking that I had slammed my foot on the brakes, but it was beyond my control. I’ve asked my Honda dealer if the system can be adjusted but I was given no help. I understand the emergency braking system’s intended purpose, but the manner that this system has engaged (3 times) is unsafe. It’s not like I wasn’t paying attention, I was, and I was already braking. It’s actually scary the way it locked up. Yes, I know that the brakes didn’t actually lock up, they are antilock brakes, but it was like I was standing on the brake pedal. Have there been similar complaints about this? * the date below, 10/26/2021, is approximately the first time that this happened. It happened two additional times. It pretty scary when it happens.

A complete failure of the braking system occurred while operating the vehicle. This resulted in the vehicle "coasting" to a stop under the laws of physics only. No indicators were present until the time of failure at which point a number of them went off. In the aftermath of the incident, the brake pedal laid flat on the floorboard without the sense of hydraulic pressure present. The brake fluid reservoir was full. Had the vehicle been operating at higher speed, the potential for injury or loss of life is evident. This particular vehicle had under 3,000 miles when the incident occurred. The issue was reproduced by the dealership and has a label that reads "do not drive" on it at the moment.