There are 9 owner-reported speed control & cruise complaints for the 2021 Honda CR-V Hybridin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
The issue occurs seemingly randomly about once a month when driving on the highway. All of the sudden the car starts de-accelerating. Even if you push the gas pedal all the way down it doesn’t go. It just goes slower and slower and thank goodness I’ve been able to pull over every time. Once I shutdown the car completely and turn back on then I have power again.
This is the 3rd incident with the same issue. I lose power when on a freeway. (Other dates [XXX] and [XXX]). On [XXX] I entered [XXX] and had accelerated onto the freeway. Shortly after getting on the ramp, my check engine light went on/blinking and I couldn't accelerate anymore. I was able to pull over on the shoulder. I turned the car off, waited a minute and then turned it on again and the issue went away. This is the same scenario that I've experienced twice before. I am rarely on freeways. On [XXX], I was on an incline with curves and very little room on the shoulder. This was a very scary incident for me. All of these incidents shouldn't happen and it is VERY dangerous to lose power unexpectedly when driving on a freeway. Looking on the internet for a solution - I found several other posts on what sounds to be the same issue and unfortunately didn't find a resolution. [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] Please review this as this is unsafe. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
I was driving back from work on the highway, and I was suddenly not able to accelerate. The car was slowing down, and the engine light was flashing. I pulled over to the shoulder and drove slowly about a half a mile to the exit. I pulled over at the gas station. Left my car there and took Uber home. The next day, when I went to pick it up, the flashing engine light was off and drove fine and I was good to go like nothing had happened. Once at work, I researched the problem and found post about a similar issue. I took it to the nearest Honda dealer and they couldn’t find any problem with the car. They also said there is no recall on the vin number. I called Honda to file a complaint but I was told the same thing that there is no recall on this car and to work directly with the dealer. I am afraid to drive my car on a highway and if it happens again I may get into an accident.
My 2021 Honda CRV has been at freeway speeds, all of a sudden starts flashing my engine light, acceleration quits working... and I have to try to navigate off the highway as my car is slowing down to turn the car off. This has happened SIX times. Once I turn the car off and then turn it back on, it resets. It's not logging an error code so the dealership can't figure out what is wrong. I have recorded it happening on my phone several times, as requested, and shared with the dealership. I also made Honda Corporate aware and was given a case number a year ago and have contacted them SEVERAL times and they continue to say they are reviewing it, but no action has been taken. It's terrifying. I have so much anxiety driving my car and can't believe I haven't been hit or killed at this point. I also found several other people with the exact same make, model and year doing the exact same thing and Honda has done nothing. No recalls, nothing. They have been aware of this for over a year and are not reacting. I'm at a loss what to do. The dealership admitted this is a serious safety issue, but said they can't fix something they can't figure out. Unbelievable! Also, I do have video recordings on my phone of this happening and shared them with the dealership and with Honda Corporate Customer Service. I don't know how to upload them here, but happy to share them.
On December 12, 2023 at 6:50 AM my Check Engine light came on while I was driving, the battery gauge went to two bars, and the car powered down on Route 24 (a state highway). I took it to the dealer later in the day and they could not find anything wrong. Unfortunately, this is the third time my car has powered down/gone into limp mode on a highway. On August 8th almost the exact same thing happened at almost the exact same spot on the highway (slightly uphill, a day after refueling). In August, Honda kept my car for a week to try to pinpoint the problem. There were no stored problem codes. The best guess of the dealer was some sort of engine misfire due to a fuel impurity. On October 12, 2022 I had the first power down experience on the NY Thruway. On that occasion, the temperature sensor malfunctioned (at least according to the messages and gauges). The dealer replaced the sensor.
My vehicle on several occasions stalled and/or lost power. Stepped on the gas and no power. Both while using cruise control. One incident was not using cruise control.
I was driving on the highway at 65 mph when I suddenly felt a loss of power on in the car. I then saw the check engine light come on and my hybrid battery was almost discharged. I floored my foot to make sure but the car was still decelerating. I then pulled off the highway as safely as possible and shut off the car. When I turned the car back on, the check engine light was still on and the engine was rattling. I shut it off again and after turning it back on, it was perfectly normal. I took it to my local Honda dealer to check what happened and after they inspected and tested the car they said there were no codes on the computer of the car and that the car went into "safe mode." I have performed the appropriate maintenance on my CRV as per Honda's guidelines. I see that the NHTSA has an ongoing investigation on this issue on the CRV and I believe this incident pertains to that.
My hybrid vehicle lost speed on the highway while going approximately 60 mph. The engine light started blinking. The battery charge icon started decreasing. I was able to exit the highway and pull into a parking lot. After 20 minutes, my car turned on and the battery icon showed it was charged. I drove to the dealership and after having my vehicle in the shop for several days. I forwarded an article to my contact at the Honda dealership from Autoblog dated Dec. 7, 2022 about AWD Honda CR-V's loss of power. The article mentioned a "leaking differential." The dealership came back and said they couldn't find anything wrong.
On 9/2/2021 as I was turning left and pulling into a parking space, the vehicle suddenly accelerated without warning and without me touching the accelerator. I was able to stop the vehicle with the brake pedal and didn't hit anything. Thankfully, there was no car on my left side because the acceleration drove the car into the adjacent parking space before I could stop it. If a car had been parked there, I would have hit it. There were - and are - no warning lights. My husband called the Honda dealer were we bought the car asking for an urgent appointment to have the car inspected, but they did not call him back as he asked. The problem has not been reproduced or inspected yet. It is available for inspection should you wish to do so.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026