2021 Honda CIVIC

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Below Average

Quick Summary

The 2021 Honda CIVIC has 196 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 2.5x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is steering problems (29% of all complaints), specifically: honda uses a soy-based insulation on the wires in its new cars. we have a brand new, less than 4,000 miles, honda civic. i recently went out to start it in the morning and received warning lights on virtually all of the systems you list. why? apparently rabbits are attracted to the soy-based ins. ⚠️ 4 fire reports filed.

4 fire reports 9 crash reports 2 injuries

196

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

2.5x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

STEERING

56 complaints

29%

• Honda uses a soy-based insulation on the wires in its new cars. We have a brand new, less than 4,000 miles, Honda Civic. I recently went out to start it in the morning and received warning lights on virtually ALL of the systems you list. Why? Apparently rabbits are attracted to the soy-based ins
• While accelerating on a multi-lane freeway, the dashboard speed suddenly indicated 0 MPH and flashed warnings for power steering, emergency braking, suspension, and many other systems. Steering became almost impossible to control, with no resistance felt through the wheel, and small movements of the
• Rodents chewed thru the main computer cable while car was parked in our car port. When I went to start car it started but immediatley the warning lights on dash began flashing that the road assist features, brakes and steering were not operating.Called road side assistance for a tow to Arrowhead Ho

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 1 crashes

“Honda uses a soy-based insulation on the wires in its new cars. We have a brand new, less than 4,000 miles, Honda Civic. I recently went out to start it in the morning and received warning lights on virtually ALL of the systems you list. Why? Apparently rabbits are attracted to the soy-based ins”

— NHTSA complaint filing

DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS

46 complaints

23%

• The contact owns a 2021 Honda Civic. The contact stated while making a left turn, they noticed the rearview camera in the center console does not show an image or no notification alert for blind sport warning when making a turn. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer who inspected the veh
• MANY times I've pressed the gas after a full stop and had the engine roar in response while the car only moved forward a few feet rather than at full speed. My life is in danger if I'm trying to make a turn across traffic when I have a space to do so and I CAN'T make the turn SAFELY because the car
• I was driving at 55 mph on a clear day with no vehicles or other obstacles in front of my car when the collision mitigation braking system (cmbs) activated and stopped the car suddenly.

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports💥 2 crashes

“The contact owns a 2021 Honda Civic. The contact stated while making a left turn, they noticed the rearview camera in the center console does not show an image or no notification alert for blind sport warning when making a turn. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer who inspected the veh”

— NHTSA complaint filing

BRAKES

18 complaints

• 2125 miles on this Type R, fresh off the show room floor. At low speed turning into the slight dip in my driveway, the suspension in Sports Mode flexed enough for the driver side tin rotor back plate at the driver front wheel to get caught on the lower control arm. Drove it to Honda, and yes, they c
• Three issues I been having every since I got my car. 1. Car navigation displays not working properly, screen completely freezes or black-out. 2. Brake warning sign appears randomly in dashboard even if theres no vehicle in front, probably an issue with the car detection sensor camera . 3 Probably
• While accelerating on a multi-lane freeway, the dashboard speed suddenly indicated 0 MPH and flashed warnings for power steering, emergency braking, suspension, and many other systems. Steering became almost impossible to control, with no resistance felt through the wheel, and small movements of the

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports💥 2 crashes

“2125 miles on this Type R, fresh off the show room floor. At low speed turning into the slight dip in my driveway, the suspension in Sports Mode flexed enough for the driver side tin rotor back plate at the driver front wheel to get caught on the lower control arm. Drove it to Honda, and yes, they c”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ELECTRICAL

17 complaints

• HEADLIGHTS ARE TOO DIM, WITH POOR VISIBILITY AT NIGHT, EVEN WHEN THE FOG LIGHTS ARE ON. H ROAD NEEDS TO BE ILLUMINATED A LITTLE BIT MORE, OR EVEN HAVE A FURTHER BEAM. THE LED VERSION OF THE CIVIC HAS A EXCELLENT HEADLIGHT PATTERN/BRIGHTNESS. HOWEVER, LX, SPORT AND EX SHARE THE SAME DIM HEADLIGHTS AT
• In first month of ownership, all four windows automatically opened after I parked the car and walked away. After some online investigation, I made an appointment with Honda Service Dept. and asked them to disable the remote window open feature. They said it could not be done. Then I found video on
• The contact owns a 2021 Honda Civic. The contact stated while making a left turn, they noticed the rearview camera in the center console does not show an image or no notification alert for blind sport warning when making a turn. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer who inspected the veh

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 1 crashes

“HEADLIGHTS ARE TOO DIM, WITH POOR VISIBILITY AT NIGHT, EVEN WHEN THE FOG LIGHTS ARE ON. H ROAD NEEDS TO BE ILLUMINATED A LITTLE BIT MORE, OR EVEN HAVE A FURTHER BEAM. THE LED VERSION OF THE CIVIC HAS A EXCELLENT HEADLIGHT PATTERN/BRIGHTNESS. HOWEVER, LX, SPORT AND EX SHARE THE SAME DIM HEADLIGHTS AT”

— NHTSA complaint filing

SPEED CONTROL

14 complaints

• The contact owns a 2021 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at 50 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently decelerated. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 200.
• MANY times I've pressed the gas after a full stop and had the engine roar in response while the car only moved forward a few feet rather than at full speed. My life is in danger if I'm trying to make a turn across traffic when I have a space to do so and I CAN'T make the turn SAFELY because the car
• was in reverse backing into parking spot. my foot was on the break; however, the car accelerated rapidly resulting in hitting a post. there were no warnings that registered took it to Honda and reported, they indicated they were not aware of this issue and did not run diagnostics as requested

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports💥 2 crashes

“The contact owns a 2021 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at 50 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently decelerated. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 200.”

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

STEERING(~50K mi)

$500

DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS(~50K mi)

$500

BRAKES(~50K mi)

$500

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

SPEED CONTROL(~50K mi)

$500

Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 196 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
STEERING: Honda uses a soy-based insulation on the wires in its new cars. We have a brand new, less than 4,000 miles, Honda Civic. I recently went out to start it in the morning and received warning lights on virtually ALL of the systems you list. Why? Apparently rabbits are attracted to the soy-based ins
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS: The contact owns a 2021 Honda Civic. The contact stated while making a left turn, they noticed the rearview camera in the center console does not show an image or no notification alert for blind sport warning when making a turn. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer who inspected the veh
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
BRAKES: 2125 miles on this Type R, fresh off the show room floor. At low speed turning into the slight dip in my driveway, the suspension in Sports Mode flexed enough for the driver side tin rotor back plate at the driver front wheel to get caught on the lower control arm. Drove it to Honda, and yes, they c
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ELECTRICAL: HEADLIGHTS ARE TOO DIM, WITH POOR VISIBILITY AT NIGHT, EVEN WHEN THE FOG LIGHTS ARE ON. H ROAD NEEDS TO BE ILLUMINATED A LITTLE BIT MORE, OR EVEN HAVE A FURTHER BEAM. THE LED VERSION OF THE CIVIC HAS A EXCELLENT HEADLIGHT PATTERN/BRIGHTNESS. HOWEVER, LX, SPORT AND EX SHARE THE SAME DIM HEADLIGHTS AT
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)