Honda · Accord Hybrid · 2021
2
Recalls
46
Complaints
5/5
Safety Rating
The 2021 Honda Accord Hybrid has 2 recalls and 46 owner-reported complaints on file with NHTSA. Overall safety rating: 5 out of 5 stars. Most reported issue: forward collision avoidance (9 reports).
Source: NHTSA Public Records · Updated Apr 22, 2026
This page combines three types of NHTSA data: recall campaigns (official manufacturer or government actions), owner complaints (unverified consumer reports), and crash test ratings (where available). A vehicle with many complaints is not necessarily less reliable — complaint volume correlates with sales volume and vehicle age. Recalls indicate identified defects, not overall quality. To compare this model year with others, use the year navigation in the sidebar or return to the model overview page.
Frontal Crash Test

Side Crash Test

Overall Frontal Rating
Driver and Passenger Assessment
Driver Side
Passenger Side
Overall Side Rating
Side Barrier and Side Pole Tests
Driver Side
Passenger Side
Rollover Resistance
9.3% rollover risk in single-vehicle crash
Safety Features
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 Type R, Insight, 2020-2021 CR-V, CR-V Hybrid, Passport, Ridgeline, Accord Hybrid, 2020 Acura MDX, 2022 Acura MDX, 2020-2022 Acura RDX, and 2020-2021 Acura TLX vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, failing to suppress the air bag as intended.
Remedy Status
Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 28, 2024, October 18, 2024, and August 2025. This is a phased recall. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for these recalls are XHP and VHQ.
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 retractor on the second-row center seat belt assembly may deactivate improperly, which can result in an unsecured child restraint system. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
Remedy Status
Dealers will replace the second-row center seat belt assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 14, 2022. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138.
I purchased my vehicle in March 25th 2024 a message on my dashboard saying engine is too hot so in August of this year I took it to the shop for a diagnosis test and they told me that the car didn’t run hot when they drove it so again in October 10th I was driving home and my car lost power on the freeway so I pulled over and then all my lights on the dashboard came on so I took it to the shop on October 13th and they told me that my head gasket was faulty and my coolant system was faulty. To me a major problem should have not happened within a years time and I had my maintenance done on my car like I should have.
Occasionally the touch screen will have phantom touches and start randomly acting like it was clicked in random parts. This makes it do random things like switch from navigation to radio to calling random numbers. While driving this is especially distracting and poses a safety hazard. The issue is reported many times online and seems to be common especially when they temperature outside is above 70 degrees.The only solution from Honda seems to be to pay to replace the screen but it’s not a true fix as it can happen again.
Shortly after purchasing this 2021 Honda Accord Hybrid (used, from a dealer), the infotainment touchscreen began to exhibit phantom touch behavior — the screen activates or presses buttons on its own without user input. This causes menus to change, volume to fluctuate, navigation to exit, or apps to open/close while the vehicle is in motion. It occurs frequently. The issue is not related to driver error, screen protector use, or moisture. The system has been rebooted and factory reset without improvement. A dealership employee has personally witnessed the issue in person, and I have recorded video proof of it occurring. This behavior is distracting and unsafe, as it pulls the driver’s attention away from the road unexpectedly as the screen flashes, and produces audible beeps. This issue makes it difficult or impossible to control basic vehicle functions like audio, phone calls, or climate. On one occasion, it rapidly switched inputs and opened screens while I was actively driving. Given how many critical systems are integrated into this touchscreen — including vehicle settings, audio, climate, backup camera interface, and navigation — a malfunction like this compromises safe operation of the vehicle whilst the vehicle is in motion. This defect was not disclosed prior to sale and was present within the first few days of ownership. I urge NHTSA to investigate this issue for potential design flaws or hardware failures in Honda’s infotainment systems, particularly in Accord Hybrid models with the Display Audio touchscreen.
The infotainment system has major issues. We cannot use it bc it is dangerously distracting. If a phone is connected it will randomly make unrequested calls, mute calls over and over again, turn off navigation, falsely reports police or accidents without anyone prompting it to do so and randomly turns on static and loud radios stations. Which is startling. It will also randomly start playing iTunes or a podcast that you’ve never heard of. It is always flipping screens. It isn’t an occasional occurrence. It is all the time. Recently during a 10 minute drive it made 4 unrequested calls. If a phone is not connected it flips through screens and turns on the radio randomly and tries to connect to phones without being requested to do so. When you do try to connect a phone good luck. It won’t work easily or only the sound will come through but the screen will say nothing is connected. The touch screen only works about 20% of the time. You have to find your phone to hang up a phone call you didn’t make. We have recorded video of incidences. It has been happening since we got the car but recently it has been worse.
Since the first winter after I purchased my vehicle in 2021, typically when cold, but not always, I lose all the Honda Sensing (Advanced Driver Assist Features). The dashboard lights up with the following warnings . - Collision Mitigation Braking System Problem. See Dealer - Road Departure Mitigation System Problem. See Dealer - Auto High Beam Problem. See Dealer - Adaptive Cruise Control System Problem. See Dealer - Lane Keep Assist System Problem. See Dealer This failure of these safety systems can last anywhere from 5-60 minutes. Sometimes if you shut the vehicle off and turn it back on again, the warning will go away. On multiple cold mornings (below ~45°F), my 2021 Accord Hybrid displays a cascade of safety system failure warnings upon startup. The dash shows errors for the collision mitigation braking, lane keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, road departure mitigation, and more—all at once. When these systems are disabled, it severely compromises safety. This issue happens repeatedly in colder weather. The dealer has personally witnessed the issue in their service bay and acknowledged it's a known problem but had no fix, advising me to turn the car off and on again. This recurring failure of critical safety systems in cold conditions puts me, my passengers, and other road users at risk.
This issue has been happening since purchasing my vehicle in 2021. While driving my 2021 Honda Accord Hybrid in warm weather (above ~60°F), the infotainment touchscreen malfunctions frequently. The screen registers phantom touches on its own—switching menus, blasting the radio, canceling navigation, and dropping phone calls. After each phantom touch, the screen becomes completely unresponsive for 30–60 seconds, leaving me unable to access key functions like navigation or climate controls. This happens almost daily in warmer conditions, especially on longer drives. My Honda dealer replaced the audio unit, but the problem persists. They acknowledged it’s a known issue but have no fix. This malfunction is a major safety risk and makes it difficult to comply with hands-free laws, as I’m forced to troubleshoot the touchscreen while driving.
While driving all of a sudden seat belt sign pops up and stays there . I think there is something wrong with seat belt system.
While I was driving on the freeway, the car brakes hard on its own when there were no cars in front of me. This happened twice. Thankfully there were no cars behind me either, otherwise I might have gotten into an accident
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Accord. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V064000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer confirmed that parts were not yet available for the recall repair. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Cannot turn on car. Cannot put into drive. Error Message: Power System Problem. Do Not Drive.
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Accord. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V064000 (AIR BAGS); however, the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The local dealer was contacted, and it was confirmed that the part was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Twice while driving at highway speeds the check engine light came on. My car's engine was misfiring, and I have no acceleration. Both times, I took local roads home on which I could drive below 35 mph. Pulling out from traffic lights and stop signs was difficult. The dealership where I bought the car has been unable to diagnose the problem. No codes come up on the computer, and my car is currently at the dealership. The service manager has been able to duplicate the problem and still no diagnostic codes were recorded. The dealership technicians have contacted Honda engineering for advice.
I just got off the freeway and coasted down the off-ramp, did not engage the brake nor the acceleration pedals. Suddenly the emergency brake system slammed on the brakes, it slowed me down from about 50 mph to around 20mph. There were no vehicles in front of me for at least 100 yards. It almost caused an accident by the people who almost slammed into the back of me.
@ 96,970 miles, (2021 Honda Accord Hybrid) when getting on the freeway and accelerating to catch up with traffic, the car began sputtering, the check engine light flashed, the accelerator stopped working and I had to get it to the shoulder of the freeway immediately. The car sputtered and shook. I turned the car off, let it sit. I tried re-starting it and it started fine, no check engine light. I drove it slow off the freeway and to my home close by. I got it to the dealer. The Service Rep said he had never heard of this issue although it does appear on Honda Forums. He said no codes showed and decided it needed a Cylinder adjustment and then decided it also needed a new (refurbished) transmission. It was in the shop for weeks. I've tried warming the car up longer and using more expensive gas. Issue continues to happen. I called an made an appointment at the dealer for first available date. Today I had it checked for codes again from a different mechanic and the mechanic said it has no codes - at all. Fluids all perfect, no issues with coolant levels. All maintenance has been completed on schedule. I did video tape my dash when it happened Wednesday, on I80, 3/5/25 12:12pm.
Breaks failed causing vehicle accident [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
My car has 79700 miles and starter shaking vigorously while on the freeway. Took it to the Honda dealership and I have a blown headgasket. After reading the [XXX] forums this is a ridiculously common problem with these cars around 45-90k miles. Honda is saying it's not under warranty and it's a $5400 fix for me. With so many cars with the same 10th generation engine having blown head gaskets below 100k miles this is an problem and a safety issue. Honda needs to fix these issues for their consumers. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The screen randomly freezes or toggles between different screen without user input. It will randomly exit navigaton, end calls, increase volume, etc. This happens irrespective of day or night and whether I am using Android Auto of the factory navigation. Several times it has ended navigaton while driving cause me to have to pull over to avoid going in the wrong direction or missing turns. The system has also had its software updated the, factory reset and software reset with no improvement in the situation.
At 14,000 miles the passenger front seat shifts laterally when occupied under weight shifts in turns. Also makes an audible knocking sound. American Honda would not cover this potential safety issue after positive diagnosis from our local Honda dealer. The vehicle is covered under a 12,000 mile CPO warranty.
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Accord. The contact stated while driving at approximately 75 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact waited for several minutes for the vehicle to return to normal operation. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the fuel injectors needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 71,274.
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Accord Hybrid. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed with the cruise control activated, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle was able to be restarted. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a recurring failure. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 40,000. The VIN was not available.
Showing 1–20 of 25 complaints
The 2021 Honda Accord Hybrid has 2 recalls recorded by NHTSA.
NHTSA has received 46 owner-reported complaints for the 2021 Honda Accord Hybrid.
The 2021 Honda Accord Hybrid received an overall safety rating of 5 out of 5 stars from NHTSA.
The most commonly reported complaint categories for the 2021 Honda Accord Hybrid are forward collision avoidance (9 reports), air bags (5 reports), unknown or other (5 reports).
Yes. NHTSA has 2 recalls on record for the 2021 Honda Accord Hybrid. Scroll up to review the published recall summaries, consequences, and remedies. To check for unrepaired recalls on your specific vehicle, use your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
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This page summarizes publicly available data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA by vehicle owners and do not by themselves prove defect severity or vehicle safety. Safety ratings may not be available for all vehicle-years. This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any vehicle manufacturer. For official information, visit the official NHTSA page for this vehicle.