2021 Honda HR-V Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2021 HR-V write most often about two things: the front passenger seat weight sensor recall and the long wait for parts to complete it, and the small right-hand display that carries the fuel gauge, odometer and clock going blank or scrambled in cold weather. A further group describes CVT hesitation, whining and occasional loss of drive, and some owners report automatic braking engaging with nothing in front of the car.

1. 1
   Air bags

   Passenger seat weight sensor recall, parts unavailable

   • 23 complaints (36%)
   • median 43,500 mi at 4.7 yrs old (2 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2024–2026

   Owners state they received notice of NHTSA campaign 24V064000 for the front passenger seat weight sensor and then could not get the work done, because dealers told them the replacement part was not in stock and gave no date for when it would be. Complaints describe repeated calls, cancelled or rescheduled appointments, and being advised to keep passengers out of the front seat in the meantime. Several owners say the wait has gone on long enough that they consider the remedy overdue; a few report the airbag or SRS warning light behaving oddly, including after an earlier sensor replacement. Some also describe being turned away by a dealer, for example over a branded or salvage title. Complaints were filed from early 2024 onward, generally after owners received the recall notice, and mileage is often not listed.

   Recall 24V064000Recall 26V3320002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask for written proof that recall 24V064000 has been completed on the specific car, and check that the passenger airbag status indicator responds correctly with the seat empty and with an adult sitting in it.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Went to Honda dealer they didnt have the part for recall 24V-064 also called Honda directly adn they said only if the SRS light come in dashboard i can go and fix the recall otherwise i have to wait until parts become available to public. This means that Paragon Honda has the parts but is being selective. Honda doesn’t have an estimated time frame when issue will be fixed. I do not feel safe driving vehicle with open recalls and cant sell car as nobody wants with open recalls”

   NHTSA complaint #11599519, filed 2024-07

   “My local dealership has not been able to fix my recall issue with the passenger seat weight sensor for the airbag and all they said for a remedy is have people sit in the back and to wait in the mail for when the part is in stock. I am a college stupid who has to travel 18hrs to get to college. how am I suppose to drive comfortably knowing the sensor may not work in the chance of an accident happening. It is sad that I am not able to fix this recall issue since it was made aware in early February.”

   NHTSA complaint #11603859, filed 2024-07
2. 2
   Electrical system

   Fuel gauge and odometer display blank or scrambled

   • 11 complaints (17%)
   • median 36,000 mi at 4.5 yrs old (1 states mileage, few)
   • filed 2024–2026

   Owners describe the right-hand section of the instrument panel, which shows fuel level, odometer, trip meter and clock, flickering and then going blank or showing garbled characters. Many tie it to cold starts, saying it recovers after the cabin warms up or after the car has run for a while, and that it has become more frequent over time. A few report the whole cluster dropping out while driving, leaving no speedometer or warning lights. Dealers, according to the complaints, have replaced or inspected cluster parts and in some cases could not confirm a cause; owners say they have to track fuel by filling up on a schedule instead of trusting the gauge. Owners most often notice it on cold mornings, with reported temperatures around 30 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below roughly 70 degrees; mileage is usually not listed.

   5 related service bulletins

   What to check: Start the car from cold on the viewing and confirm the fuel, odometer and clock section lights up and reads clearly, then check it again after a few minutes of running; ask whether the cluster or gauge control module has already been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The fuel gauge, odometer, and trip meter portion of the instrument cluster functions only intermittently. In most instances, the display turns on but shows scrambled, incorrect, or misleading information. This defect has created multiple situations in which we were unaware that the vehicle was close to running out of fuel, placing us at risk of becoming stranded in remote areas of our state (New Mexico). …”

   NHTSA complaint #11713213, filed 2026-01

   “The instrument cluster display intermittently fails and blanks out while driving. When this happens, I completely lose access to critical safety information, including the speedometer, fuel gauge, and all vehicle warning lights. I cannot monitor my speed or know if a critical vehicle system is malfunctioning while actively operating the vehicle in traffic. This happened in the morning when it’s cold but it comes back up when it gets hotter.”

   NHTSA complaint #11772826, filed 2026-10
3. 3
   Forward collision avoidance

   Automatic braking and forward camera warnings

   • 15 complaints (23%)
   • median 13,000 mi at 2.8 yrs old (3 state mileage, few)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2021–2026

   Owners describe the collision mitigation system braking hard on its own with nothing ahead, sometimes on the highway, and say the warning beep and brake light come on at the same moment. Others report a cluster of warnings lighting up together, including forward collision, lane keeping, road departure and sometimes electronic parking brake or power steering messages, after which the driver assist features stop working. Complaints mention repeated dealer visits where the issue could not be reproduced or was handled by camera adjustment, and one owner was quoted a substantial price to replace the forward camera after it stopped working. Some owners link the warning lights to an outstanding airbag sensor recall. Mileage is often not recorded; one owner reports the forward camera stopping at about 44,000 miles, and another describes five dealer visits within the first several months of ownership.

   What to check: After start-up, check that no forward collision, lane keeping or road departure warnings stay lit, and ask whether the windshield camera has been replaced or recalibrated; a test drive at highway speed will show whether the system engages or drops out.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The forward-facing windshield lane assist monocular camera ceased working after only 44000 miles. This resulted in numerous hazard warning lights being activated in my dashboard. I went to the dealer where I bought the car, and they gave me an estimate for almost $2200.00. They are charging me $1649.00 for the part. I found the part (OEM) online for half that price. A search on the internet finds thousands of complaints about this part prematurely failing. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11727940, filed 2026-03

   “I've taken this vehicle to dealership 5 times between October 2021 and February 18, 2022. Three different times the brakes activated without my touching them. Three other times the brakes stopped the car even as I was slowing down for a stoplight. This could cause someone behind me to rear-end my car. I have been to my dealership four times and they could not duplicate the issue, no codes found so they could not fix it. One other was a dealership out of town. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11454107, filed 2022-02
4. 4
   Transmission and drivetrain

   CVT hesitation, whine and loss of drive

   • 5 complaints (8%)
   • median 62,166 mi at 2.3 yrs old (2 state mileage, few)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2021–2025

   Owners describe a delay when shifting from reverse to drive on cold mornings, slipping or skipping under hard braking, and a whining noise that builds before the car loses power. Several say the vehicle dropped out of gear or shut down at highway speed and had to be pushed off the road, with dealers then finding the CVT at fault and, in one case, metal particles in the transmission fluid. A few owners note that earlier HR-V model years received a product update and warranty extension for the same transmission, while their 2021 car was handled as a customer-pay repair. Reports range from cars with only a few dozen miles to one at about 124,000 miles, with several failures described around 60,000 miles.

   What to check: On the test drive, listen for a whine that rises with speed and check for a lag when shifting from reverse to drive from cold; ask for transmission service records and whether the fluid has been changed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “When I start my car and shift it from reverse to drive on cold mornings, there is a pronounced delay in the car moving. In addition, when I have to abruptly brake the transmission occasionally slips and/or skips. I brought this car brand new and I have only had it seven weeks. I should not have performance issues at the stage. My previous car was a Honda accord with 310,000 miles and the transmission started to decline similar to this in the last few months. The car is at the dealership now and they said they cannot replicate this issue. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11406923, filed 2021-04, 125 miles

   “In November 2024, I purchased a 2021 Honda HR-V with approximately 65,881 miles from Carvana, which conducted an inspection and found no issues. However, just four months later, while driving on the highway, my vehicle suddenly went into neutral, and all warning lights came on. It was a terrifying experience, as I narrowly avoided a collision with a semi-truck before the car shut off entirely. I was lucky to make it to the side of the road safely. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11655317, filed 2025-04

Buying note. Check the recall status in writing before buying, since the passenger seat weight sensor remedy has been slow to reach owners, and confirm the instrument cluster display works from a cold start. A pre-purchase inspection that includes the CVT and a highway test drive of the driver assist features is worth the cost on this model year.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 59 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.