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2021 Honda CR-V: engine and transmission complaints

NO ELEVATED SIGNAL
19%
57 of 328 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system

No elevated drivetrain complaint concentration in the available NHTSA records for the 2021 Honda CR-V. Engine, transmission and fuel system account for 19% of relevant complaints.

Better than 89% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).

NHTSA data checked September 13, 2026
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Drivetrain complaints
57
engine, transmission, fuel
Total complaints
328
this model year
Fires reported
1
owner-reported
Recall campaigns
4
14 crashes · 13 injuries

Complaints by component

STEERING111 · 34%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE86 · 26%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER37 · 11%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM34 · 10%
ENGINE32 · 10%
SERVICE BRAKES27 · 8%

The years either side

2010
35%
89 of 480
2011
22%
54 of 552
2012
35%
127 of 403
2013
55%
176 of 381
2014
46%
245 of 587
2015
56%
361 of 670
2016
48%
171 of 392
2017
48%
807 of 1,762
2018
36%
756 of 2,133
2019
22%
220 of 1,091
2020
28%
81 of 352
2021
19%
57 of 328
2022
13%
32 of 255
2023
9%
45 of 515

Manufacturers fix things mid-generation. A bad year next to a clean one is common; the fix usually arrived in between.

What owners reported

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM10/07/20251 INJURED
The contact owns a 2021 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that the battery failed to start the engine. The vehicle was jumpstarted, and the vehicle was taken to the dealer. The contact noticed acid on top of the battery by the terminals and noticed that acid had dripped down the vehicle, and the battery was hot. The deale…
POWER TRAIN09/09/2026
June 22nd- Merging car onto NJ turnpike near Manasquan, NJ...accelerated to merge onto highway. Engine light started to blink and then car lost power as pushing the gas pedal no longer powered car. Pulled off the road. Turned the car off. Restarted it and car functioned and power came from pressing gas pedal. Safety o…
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM09/04/2026
All the warning lights on the dash board started to randomly light up like a Christmas tree while driving to get something to eat. The car began to shake and the steering stiffened up while the brakes were not working well enough to stop completely causing me to turn on the hazards lights to make it back home safely wi…

Three of 57 drivetrain complaints. The full report shows more, with quotes about the engine in the car you are looking at first.

Recall campaigns on this model year (4)

SEAT BELTS:REAR/OTHER:RETRACTOR
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2021 Accord Sedan, Accord Hybrid, CR-V, Ridgeline, 2022 Insight and CR-V Hybrid vehicles. The automatic locking ret…
AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER
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 Ty…
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline, Odyssey, Acu…

This does not say whether a particular car has an open, unrepaired recall. That depends on the VIN.

Before you buy a 2021 Honda CR-V

Have the VIN?Paste it and get the full report for that car. First report free, then a 30-day pass covers a whole car search.

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Experimental model-level information. This is not a vehicle inspection, vehicle-history report, financial advice or purchase recommendation. It describes patterns across a model year, not the condition of any individual vehicle.