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2021 Honda Accord

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2021 Honda Accord do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 356.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 25 of 230 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Electrical System. Review the 61 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Forward Collision Avoidance. Review the 60 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 35 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

14 crash reports1 fire reports5 injury reports

Service Brakes complaints

28 reports
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Mileage unknown · Apr 2, 2025
Service Brakes

Car says “brake system problem, brake performance may be reduced. See your dealer” and then another one saying “brake hold system problem. Apply brake when stoped. See your dealer” and another one that says “Electric parking brake system problem. Parking brake not available. See your dealer.” And I know quite a few people with…

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Car says “brake system problem, brake performance may be reduced. See your dealer” and then another one saying “brake hold system problem. Apply brake when stoped. See your dealer” and another one that says “Electric parking brake system problem. Parking brake not available. See your dealer.” And I know quite a few people with accords that are having this issue as well!

NHTSA ODI #11652347

Mileage unknown · Jan 23, 2025
Service Brakes

I was driving on the freeway and suddenly my ABE brake activated and I was almost being hit in the back . It was happening many times in the past but when I brought the attention to the Honda dealer and it said nothing was wrong with it

NHTSA ODI #11637845

77,156 miles · Dec 18, 2024
Service Brakes

The contact owns a 2021 Honda Accord. The contact stated while driving at approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The braking system warning light was illuminated. The failure had occurred on several occasions. The vehicle was taken back to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not not…

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The contact owns a 2021 Honda Accord. The contact stated while driving at approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The braking system warning light was illuminated. The failure had occurred on several occasions. The vehicle was taken back to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 77,156.

NHTSA ODI #11631396

Mileage unknown · Sep 12, 2024
Service Brakes

Brake noise from rear whenever backing out. After several visits to Space Coast Honda was assured it is nothing. Because it is getting worse and braking involved, I am concerned. This began with purchase of vehicle and continues today. Wrote letter to American Honda Motor Co …

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Brake noise from rear whenever backing out. After several visits to Space Coast Honda was assured it is nothing. Because it is getting worse and braking involved, I am concerned. This began with purchase of vehicle and continues today. Wrote letter to American Honda Motor Co in July of 2023 but never received a response.

NHTSA ODI #11614313

Mileage unknown · May 21, 2024
Electrical SystemPower TrainService Brakes

I have only had this car 4 months, if that long. I have put very few miles on it. Driving home from work, at most 35 mph, there was a loud thud from what seemed the floorboard followed by a sharp slam of the brakes that i could not control. Many of the instrument warning lights came on. some flashed, some stayed on. I was able t…

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I have only had this car 4 months, if that long. I have put very few miles on it. Driving home from work, at most 35 mph, there was a loud thud from what seemed the floorboard followed by a sharp slam of the brakes that i could not control. Many of the instrument warning lights came on. some flashed, some stayed on. I was able to pull onto the shoulder of the road to call for help. However, upon trying to put the car into gear again, it would not move. This is very very disappointing as it was purchased at not only an expensive price, but bought with a promise of your Honda dealership. It is noteworthy that i had just returned home from a trip a day or two prior to this happening. Had this happened unexpectantly in six lanes of traffic, it would have certainly caused an accident or worse. After doing some research, I see there were many defects specific to the make and model of this car. I was never informed of any of them. Please see CVT control information published for reference. I have spoken with the dealership multiple times and I have been unable to come to any resolution concerning this new vehicle, that is unable to be driven. Scary and Dangerous!

NHTSA ODI #11589982

Mileage unknown · Jun 13, 2023
Electrical SystemForward Collision AvoidanceService Brakes

I was driving home in the rain and felt the car automatically braking when there was no car or object in front of me. The car was also slow to accelerate because the brakes were automatically applied. 5 miles later numerous warnings appeared on the dash and the following error messages came through my Hondalink app: Electric …

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I was driving home in the rain and felt the car automatically braking when there was no car or object in front of me. The car was also slow to accelerate because the brakes were automatically applied. 5 miles later numerous warnings appeared on the dash and the following error messages came through my Hondalink app: Electric Parking Brake Problem, CMBS Problem, Adaptive Cruise Control Problem, and RDM Problem. Several times during this drive home the brakes automatically applied without any intervention from me or roadway object. I almost got rear-ended once when a car behind me had to slam on its brake when my car automatically braked without me doing anything. This is a very dangerous condition that should be looked further into as multiple drivers have reported brakes being applied without driver intervention or an apparent road hazard. How many complaints will it take before a recall is issued so other Honda drivers do not need to be put at risk?

NHTSA ODI #11526779

Mileage unknown · Apr 20, 2023
Service Brakes

On four occasions I was required to slam in my brakes to avoid hitting a car in front of me on major highways in Virginia. When engaging the brakes the antilock brakes did not engage, the idle system (such as when you come to a red light and brake cuts the engine idle) kicked in and I lost the ability to steer. I had to release …

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On four occasions I was required to slam in my brakes to avoid hitting a car in front of me on major highways in Virginia. When engaging the brakes the antilock brakes did not engage, the idle system (such as when you come to a red light and brake cuts the engine idle) kicked in and I lost the ability to steer. I had to release the brake for the idle to re-engage then hit the brake again. I finally was able to stop but left approximately 6 feet of skid marks on the highway. I have reported this to my dealership for them to say brakes are performing as designed and they did nothing. My car has been at the dealership for 2 weeks and I’m driving a loaner. Rear brakes have high pitch noise when backing up but dealership said they can’t recreate it therefore will do nothing. I had one service manager say he did recreate the noise and was fighting to get rear brakes replaced but then called back to say “I misspoke and Honda did not hear the noise so not replacing rear brakes. All phone messages are recorded on my cell phone. I have filed a complaint with Honda Corporate and also called local law enforcement to see where liability falls if my brakes fail again and I hit someone (faulty equipment charge). Was informed by police to have all service orders in the car to confirm I did all I could to get my brakes fixed. So three trips to dealership, almost 4 accidents, and car has approximately 24k miles on it. No idea if this is a sensor problem or several interactions between all the different systems but this is a major problem. Your engine shouldn’t cut off and cause steering problems when you brake the car and are still moving forward. No one can give me options with this car other then trade it in and get something else. This is not acceptable. Someone could be seriously injured. I don’t want to be that driver.

NHTSA ODI #11517988

Mileage unknown · Apr 4, 2023
Electrical SystemService BrakesVisibility/wiper

Hello, the car has this issue since i got it nrand new. Every time i drive in the rain or while its snowing, all lights on the dash board comes up and at least 50% of the options gets disabled. Like back up camera, windshield vipers, horn beeps non stop until you disconnect the battery and more. I see there is lots of people rep…

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Hello, the car has this issue since i got it nrand new. Every time i drive in the rain or while its snowing, all lights on the dash board comes up and at least 50% of the options gets disabled. Like back up camera, windshield vipers, horn beeps non stop until you disconnect the battery and more. I see there is lots of people reporting same issue but honda dont want to help me with this issue. Went to homda dealer and they said $169 for diagnostics, then called and said its gonna be 2 hours which is $338 and even then saying they are not sure if it will take them 2hrs or 10 and i had no choice to tell them to stop and pay only $169. Please see the video for details Honda case# 13733111 https://youtu.be/ABoYlunVNVo

NHTSA ODI #11515495

Mileage unknown · Mar 19, 2023
Forward Collision AvoidanceService Brakes

The electrical emergency brake locked up without warning as I was coming off the highway by the way of off ramp. Almost put the car in the guard rails! Brake has locked up twice now

NHTSA ODI #11512710

Mileage unknown · Sep 2, 2022
Power TrainService Brakes

the steering wheel shakes extremely when using the brake. especially at 60 to 65 miles on curves it's awful. (2) throttle is slow to react as if losing power. Apart from small climbs when I stop and release the brake the drive tends to go backwards as if it were a car with a manual transmission. Honda Dealer from downy. Can’t fi…

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the steering wheel shakes extremely when using the brake. especially at 60 to 65 miles on curves it's awful. (2) throttle is slow to react as if losing power. Apart from small climbs when I stop and release the brake the drive tends to go backwards as if it were a car with a manual transmission. Honda Dealer from downy. Can’t find the problem.

NHTSA ODI #11482521

Official recalls

4

26V332000 · Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification:front Passenger

May 21, 2026

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2021, 2023 Acura TLX, 2019-2024 RDX, 2017-2020, 2022-2026 MDX, 2017-2021, 2023, 2025 Honda Ridgeline, 2017-2022 Pilot, 2019-2021 Passport, 2018-2026 Odyssey, 2019-2022 Insight, 2019-2021 HR-V, 2018-2020 Fit, 2020-2022 CR-V Hybrid, 2017-2022 CR-V, 2017-2018, 2021 Civic Type R, 2017-2021 Civic hatchback, 2016-2020 Civic coupe, 2016-2022 Civic, 2017-2022 Accord Hybrid, and 2016-2022 Accord vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, which can cause the air bags to deploy unintentionally during a crash.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Air bags that deploy unintentionally during a crash increase the risk of injury.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 7, 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are BOL, WO9, OOA, WOM, XOH, NOC, POD, BOE, UOF, POB, EOG, AOI, QO8, TOJ, DO7, and SOK. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 24V064. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning May 29, 2026.

24V064000 · Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification:front Passenger

Feb 1, 2024

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An air bag that deploys unintentionally during a crash can increase the risk of injury.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 28, 2024. 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.

23V858000 · Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump

Dec 18, 2023

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline, Odyssey, Acura ILX, MDX, MDX Hybrid, RDX, RLX, TLX, 2019-2022 Honda Insight, Passport, 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Clarity PHEV, Fit, and 2015-2020 Honda Accord Hybrid, Pilot, Acura NSX vehicles. The fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 6, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are KGC and KGD. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall numbers 21V-215 and 20V-314.

21V900000 · Seat Belts:rear/other:retractor

Nov 18, 2021

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."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An unsecured child restraint system can increase the risk of injury during a crash.

Remedy: 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.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

1

EA24002 · Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking

Opened Apr 15, 2024 · No close date supplied

Status: open (inferred from source dates) · Forward Collision Avoidance; Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking; Forward Collision Avoidance: Sensing System: Camera; Forward Collision Avoidance: Sensing System: Radar; Forward Collision Avoidance:software

On February 21, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation (PE22003) to assess reports of inadvertent activation of the Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS), an automatic emergency braking (AEB) system, in model year 2017-2019 Honda CR-V and 2018-2019 Honda Accord vehicles.  The reports allege that activation of the AEB system occurs while driving with no apparent obstruction in the vehicle's forward path, resulting in sudden vehicle deceleration. Honda indicated that they were aware of a total of X,XXX reports that may relate to the alleged defect. Honda provided analysis of the alleged defect and alleges that some customers possibly had an inadequate understanding of the CMBS and its limitations.  However, many consumer complaints allege that Honda dealerships were unable to reproduce the condition or state that they were informed that this is considered normal CMBS operation. To date, ODI has received a total of 1,294 consumer complaints of inadvertent activation of CMBS in 2017-2022 Honda CR-V and 2018-2022 Honda Accord vehicles. A total of 31 complaints alleged a crash and 50 alleged an injury.  The Total column in the Failure Report Summary removes duplicate reports and shows the total number of reports with unique VINs from all Manufacturer, ODI, and EWR data sources.  In some cases, there were multiple reports associated with a particular vehicle in which recurring failures were alleged.  In total, there were X,XXX reports, 93 injury incidents and 47 crashes involving vehicles with unique VINs that may relate to the alleged defect. PE22-003 has been upgraded to an Engineering Analysis to further assess the scope, frequency, and potential safety related consequences of the inadvertent AEB activations. The scope has been expanded to include assessment of model year 2020-2022 Honda CR-V and Accord vehicles. To review the ODI reports cited in the Opening Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.

Additional source detail variants (5)

Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking

On February 21, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation (PE22003) to assess reports of inadvertent activation of the Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS), an automatic emergency braking (AEB) system, in model year 2017-2019 Honda CR-V and 2018-2019 Honda Accord vehicles.  The reports allege that activation of the AEB system occurs while driving with no apparent obstruction in the vehicle's forward path, resulting in sudden vehicle deceleration. Honda indicated that they were aware of a total of X,XXX reports that may relate to the alleged defect. Honda provided analysis of the alleged defect and alleges that some customers possibly had an inadequate understanding of the CMBS and its limitations.  However, many consumer complaints allege that Honda dealerships were unable to reproduce the condition or state that they were informed that this is considered normal CMBS operation. To date, ODI has received a total of 1,294 consumer complaints of inadvertent activation of CMBS in 2017-2022 Honda CR-V and 2018-2022 Honda Accord vehicles. A total of 31 complaints alleged a crash and 50 alleged an injury.  The Total column in the Failure Report Summary removes duplicate reports and shows the total number of reports with unique VINs from all Manufacturer, ODI, and EWR data sources.  In some cases, there were multiple reports associated with a particular vehicle in which recurring failures were alleged.  In total, there were X,XXX reports, 93 injury incidents and 47 crashes involving vehicles with unique VINs that may relate to the alleged defect. PE22-003 has been upgraded to an Engineering Analysis to further assess the scope, frequency, and potential safety related consequences of the inadvertent AEB activations. The scope has been expanded to include assessment of model year 2020-2022 Honda CR-V and Accord vehicles. To review the ODI reports cited in the Opening Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.

Forward Collision Avoidance

On February 21, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation (PE22003) to assess reports of inadvertent activation of the Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS), an automatic emergency braking (AEB) system, in model year 2017-2019 Honda CR-V and 2018-2019 Honda Accord vehicles.  The reports allege that activation of the AEB system occurs while driving with no apparent obstruction in the vehicle's forward path, resulting in sudden vehicle deceleration. Honda indicated that they were aware of a total of X,XXX reports that may relate to the alleged defect. Honda provided analysis of the alleged defect and alleges that some customers possibly had an inadequate understanding of the CMBS and its limitations.  However, many consumer complaints allege that Honda dealerships were unable to reproduce the condition or state that they were informed that this is considered normal CMBS operation. To date, ODI has received a total of 1,294 consumer complaints of inadvertent activation of CMBS in 2017-2022 Honda CR-V and 2018-2022 Honda Accord vehicles. A total of 31 complaints alleged a crash and 50 alleged an injury.  The Total column in the Failure Report Summary removes duplicate reports and shows the total number of reports with unique VINs from all Manufacturer, ODI, and EWR data sources.  In some cases, there were multiple reports associated with a particular vehicle in which recurring failures were alleged.  In total, there were X,XXX reports, 93 injury incidents and 47 crashes involving vehicles with unique VINs that may relate to the alleged defect. PE22-003 has been upgraded to an Engineering Analysis to further assess the scope, frequency, and potential safety related consequences of the inadvertent AEB activations. The scope has been expanded to include assessment of model year 2020-2022 Honda CR-V and Accord vehicles. To review the ODI reports cited in the Opening Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.

Forward Collision Avoidance: Sensing System: Camera

On February 21, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation (PE22003) to assess reports of inadvertent activation of the Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS), an automatic emergency braking (AEB) system, in model year 2017-2019 Honda CR-V and 2018-2019 Honda Accord vehicles.  The reports allege that activation of the AEB system occurs while driving with no apparent obstruction in the vehicle's forward path, resulting in sudden vehicle deceleration. Honda indicated that they were aware of a total of X,XXX reports that may relate to the alleged defect. Honda provided analysis of the alleged defect and alleges that some customers possibly had an inadequate understanding of the CMBS and its limitations.  However, many consumer complaints allege that Honda dealerships were unable to reproduce the condition or state that they were informed that this is considered normal CMBS operation. To date, ODI has received a total of 1,294 consumer complaints of inadvertent activation of CMBS in 2017-2022 Honda CR-V and 2018-2022 Honda Accord vehicles. A total of 31 complaints alleged a crash and 50 alleged an injury.  The Total column in the Failure Report Summary removes duplicate reports and shows the total number of reports with unique VINs from all Manufacturer, ODI, and EWR data sources.  In some cases, there were multiple reports associated with a particular vehicle in which recurring failures were alleged.  In total, there were X,XXX reports, 93 injury incidents and 47 crashes involving vehicles with unique VINs that may relate to the alleged defect. PE22-003 has been upgraded to an Engineering Analysis to further assess the scope, frequency, and potential safety related consequences of the inadvertent AEB activations. The scope has been expanded to include assessment of model year 2020-2022 Honda CR-V and Accord vehicles. To review the ODI reports cited in the Opening Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.

Forward Collision Avoidance: Sensing System: Radar

On February 21, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation (PE22003) to assess reports of inadvertent activation of the Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS), an automatic emergency braking (AEB) system, in model year 2017-2019 Honda CR-V and 2018-2019 Honda Accord vehicles.  The reports allege that activation of the AEB system occurs while driving with no apparent obstruction in the vehicle's forward path, resulting in sudden vehicle deceleration. Honda indicated that they were aware of a total of X,XXX reports that may relate to the alleged defect. Honda provided analysis of the alleged defect and alleges that some customers possibly had an inadequate understanding of the CMBS and its limitations.  However, many consumer complaints allege that Honda dealerships were unable to reproduce the condition or state that they were informed that this is considered normal CMBS operation. To date, ODI has received a total of 1,294 consumer complaints of inadvertent activation of CMBS in 2017-2022 Honda CR-V and 2018-2022 Honda Accord vehicles. A total of 31 complaints alleged a crash and 50 alleged an injury.  The Total column in the Failure Report Summary removes duplicate reports and shows the total number of reports with unique VINs from all Manufacturer, ODI, and EWR data sources.  In some cases, there were multiple reports associated with a particular vehicle in which recurring failures were alleged.  In total, there were X,XXX reports, 93 injury incidents and 47 crashes involving vehicles with unique VINs that may relate to the alleged defect. PE22-003 has been upgraded to an Engineering Analysis to further assess the scope, frequency, and potential safety related consequences of the inadvertent AEB activations. The scope has been expanded to include assessment of model year 2020-2022 Honda CR-V and Accord vehicles. To review the ODI reports cited in the Opening Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.

Forward Collision Avoidance:software

On February 21, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation (PE22003) to assess reports of inadvertent activation of the Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS), an automatic emergency braking (AEB) system, in model year 2017-2019 Honda CR-V and 2018-2019 Honda Accord vehicles.  The reports allege that activation of the AEB system occurs while driving with no apparent obstruction in the vehicle's forward path, resulting in sudden vehicle deceleration. Honda indicated that they were aware of a total of X,XXX reports that may relate to the alleged defect. Honda provided analysis of the alleged defect and alleges that some customers possibly had an inadequate understanding of the CMBS and its limitations.  However, many consumer complaints allege that Honda dealerships were unable to reproduce the condition or state that they were informed that this is considered normal CMBS operation. To date, ODI has received a total of 1,294 consumer complaints of inadvertent activation of CMBS in 2017-2022 Honda CR-V and 2018-2022 Honda Accord vehicles. A total of 31 complaints alleged a crash and 50 alleged an injury.  The Total column in the Failure Report Summary removes duplicate reports and shows the total number of reports with unique VINs from all Manufacturer, ODI, and EWR data sources.  In some cases, there were multiple reports associated with a particular vehicle in which recurring failures were alleged.  In total, there were X,XXX reports, 93 injury incidents and 47 crashes involving vehicles with unique VINs that may relate to the alleged defect. PE22-003 has been upgraded to an Engineering Analysis to further assess the scope, frequency, and potential safety related consequences of the inadvertent AEB activations. The scope has been expanded to include assessment of model year 2020-2022 Honda CR-V and Accord vehicles. To review the ODI reports cited in the Opening Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.

Go deeper into Honda Accord problems