Skip to content
Transmission and drivetrainPart report

2021 Honda Accord Transmission and drivetrain Problems

Complaints
14about this part
Share
6%of 246 total for the year
Median mileage
—not reported
Trend
Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.

NHTSA recorded 14 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2021 Honda Accord, 6% of the 246 complaints for this model year. 1 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.

Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“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.”

NHTSA complaint #11595301, filed 2024-06

“I bought my vehicle around May 2024. Initially, everything seemed fine. However, I noticed that my car was starting to slow down and would enter limp mode, preventing me from exceeding a certain mileage. Subsequently, all the lights on my dashboard began flashing, prompting me to pull over and call a mechanic shop. I had all the necessary maintenance and repairs performed as per the plan. After starting the vehicle, all the lights turned off, and it drove smoothly. …”

NHTSA complaint #11736561, filed 2026-05

“I bought my Accord in February of 2026 with only 79k miles (now at 93k). 3 days after purchasing all of these warning lights popped up regarding emissions, brake system, power steering, etc. I brought it back in and they said that it needed a new fuel injector on cylinder one (which didn’t fix the issue). I have replaced all 4 spark plugs and kept up with maintenance since it has been in my ownership. Now I’m having issues with the car going in limp mode, decreased acceleration, decreased mpg, and constant misfire codes! …”

NHTSA complaint #11770383, filed 2026-10

“The head gaskets are known to fail on the 10 generation accord. It failed on my 2021 Honda accord ex-l. I left work and while I was driving the dashboard lit up with every possible light. This was quickly followed by the vehicle losing power on the highway. I ultimately got it repaired by a Honda certified mechanic. The mechanic took it to a Honda dealer to confirm it was the gasket, in which it was. There were no warning lamps message or other symptoms prior to the failure. At the time of power loss I was on an 8 lane highway at 70mph. …”

NHTSA complaint #11695539, filed 2025-10

“Driving on the highway, my dashboard lit up like a Christmas tree. Car started having white smoke at tail pipe. Check engine lit blink 5 times. Had 4 kids under 14 years old in car. Almost got hit trying to merge over. Turns out misfire cylinder 4. Head gasket. Only 81,000 miles. I have owed 5 months. Car currently at Honda, they want almost 4,400 to repair. But apparently, Honda is aware of these HEAD gaskets going prematurely, in 1.5 l. and has done nothing about it. I do not have the money to repair this car on top of how dangerous it was to be driving on the highway.When this happened.”

NHTSA complaint #11726618, filed 2026-03

Related service bulletins

Transmission and drivetrain: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
202555%
202464%
202333%
202283%
2021146%
2020164%
2019436%
20181397%
2017336%
2016295%
2015407%
2014657%
20131108%
2012277%
2011217%
2010458%
2009365%
2008705%
20075811%
20065012%
200511317%
200434834%
200392447%
200247846%
200120923%
200020117%
199924622%
199827623%
1997337%
1996276%
1995183%
1994216%
1993179%
19922512%
1991188%
1990158%
198933%
19881113%
198776%
198659%
198518%
1983114%
1982110%
1981114%

Other parts of the 2021 Honda Accord

Electrical system
68 complaints
Forward collision avoidance
62 complaints
Other or unknown
58 complaints
Engine
39 complaints
Brakes
31 complaints
Fuel system
18 complaints
Lane departure
16 complaints
Air bags
15 complaints
Vehicle speed control
9 complaints
Steering
8 complaints
Seat belts
6 complaints
Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
5 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2021 Honda Accord

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 30, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology