The coating on the wiring harness is soy based and rodents chew the wires causing multiple electronic failures. Power steering failed, Adaptive Cruise Control failed, Automatic Emergency Braking failed, Lane Keeping Assistance failed. Vehicle is extremely unsafe!
2021 Honda Civic
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2021 Honda Civic do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 183.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Civic years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 15 of 143 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.
- Steering. Review the 63 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Forward Collision Avoidance. Review the 33 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 17 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
What owners actually said
143 reportsRodents 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 Honda were they replaced main co…
Read full complaint
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 Honda were they replaced main computer cable and reprogrammed computer. This is the second time this has happened. I think the manufacture should change the exterior coating on the cable should be changed to a material that rodents are not attracted to.
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 wheel resulting in unpredicta…
Read full complaint
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 wheel resulting in unpredictable jerky movements of the vehicle. It was almost impossible to control the vehicle while exiting the freeway and coming to a stop. OBD scanner pulled only one code: U0416(68) Invalid data received - vehicle dynamics control module
Forward collision warning and braking has falsely activated with no vehicles ahead of car. First, "BRAKE" warning flashed for no reason while driving on a three lane road on Virginia Rt 286 and Rt 50 interchange. Second, driving in right lane, vehicle ahead was taking exit and was clear of my path, car flashed BRAKE warning, t…
Read full complaint
Forward collision warning and braking has falsely activated with no vehicles ahead of car. First, "BRAKE" warning flashed for no reason while driving on a three lane road on Virginia Rt 286 and Rt 50 interchange. Second, driving in right lane, vehicle ahead was taking exit and was clear of my path, car flashed BRAKE warning, then started braking. Third, while using Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) on highway, a passing car changed lanes into my lane. Due to distance, a car length, and smaller speed difference, emergency brakes activated. However, if a passing car operating at a faster speed (>5 mph est.) the car won't brake. The third problem is annoying as it creates an unsafe situation for people following too close (which they should not). Additionally, my brain is processing the situation faster than the HONDA SENSE can, Honda needs to expand their recall from Accord, CR-V, and Pilot to ALL vehicles with HONDA SENSE.
If your new car needs an expensive repair, which your bumper-to-bumper warranty should cover, the service staff tells you statements such as, "We cannot duplicate your complaint." These statements free them from the need to repair your brand-new car. Then, the dealership staff, Group 1 Automotive (owner), and Honda, USA (in my c…
Read full complaint
If your new car needs an expensive repair, which your bumper-to-bumper warranty should cover, the service staff tells you statements such as, "We cannot duplicate your complaint." These statements free them from the need to repair your brand-new car. Then, the dealership staff, Group 1 Automotive (owner), and Honda, USA (in my case), work to talk you into a trade or a costly insurance claim or string you along until your warranty runs out. Or they talk you into buying an additional warranty that only offers you the same type of answer of non-duplication. By the time your warranty runs out, the costly not fixed repair is massive and usually a situation only the manufacturer can repair. You know what that means. Either you decide to pay for a trade-in, or you fall into the trap of only the dealership being able to handle the repair they knew was needed. Either way, because the dealership refused to honor your warranty, you are charged by them possibly thousands to make up for them not being able to duplicate your concerns. Or, as I have learned, repair your vehicle the right way the first time. I read about a woman whose tire light would not go out until she bought a new tire because the dealership sold her the wrong size tire. Or another possible SCAM is to give you unpleasant surprises. After you have your car a while, you learn that your payments are possibly much higher than you expected, or you do not have the vehicle that you thought you bought. One of Group 1 Automotive dealerships took advantage of a Vietnam Veteran with an increase of payments possible contract SCAM after he had eye surgery. The moral to that story, make sure you can read your contract before leaving the dealership because you need to ensure that you signed exactly as you bargained. My signed contract from Honda of Slidell informed me that I had bought 2020 when I bargained for a 2021. It was not until I convinced Honda of Slidell management that I was willing to inform the public of their m
I experienced a false positive forward collision alert warning and subsequent, brief automatic emergency braking during two (2) episodes. Fortunately, my safety nor any surrounding motorists' safety was not at risk. The problem was not reproduced or confirmed by the dealer though my car ADAS was inspected by them. Of the five ep…
Read full complaint
I experienced a false positive forward collision alert warning and subsequent, brief automatic emergency braking during two (2) episodes. Fortunately, my safety nor any surrounding motorists' safety was not at risk. The problem was not reproduced or confirmed by the dealer though my car ADAS was inspected by them. Of the five episodes, I only recorded the last three episodes which did not include an automatic emergency braking component. The episodes only feature the collision warning alert. They are as follow: 02/21/2022, 1930; 02/22/2022, 0805; and 04/01/2022, 0810.
rear suspension making cluncking noise over bumps off brakes at any speed
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 insulation and will chew it. Hon…
Read full complaint
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 insulation and will chew it. Honda knows about this problem -- they have had class action lawsuits filed against them already because THOUSANDS of consumers have had their Hondas disabled when rodents chewed the insulation on the wiring harnesses. I had to have the Honda towed into the dealership here in Helena, Montana because it was COMPLETELY DISABLED -- including no power steering. Notably, the service technician told me "it's a common problem -- rodents like the soy insulation." The cost to repair the 18" wire harness was $350.00!! Rather astounding sum to unclip both ends and clip in a new wire harness. But here's the rub. Honda knows about this problem and have already had class action lawsuits filed against the company for the obvious design and manufacturing flaw. If anyone doubted that, all they have to do is ask what Honda does to deal with the problem. The answer: They sell and install "hot chili tape" that they wrap on the wire harness so rodents/rabbits won't chew it. Obviously, they wouldn't need to produce their own chili tape if there wasn't a known -- well known -- problem with their wiring insulation. This is a very real problem for consumers because virtually everywhere on the planet there are rodents and rabbits. So if you park your Honda anywhere, you may wake up to find it no longer works and you will be stranded. This is particularly a problem in rural areas such as Montana, where dealerships can be hundreds of miles away. Honda does not warn consumers of this problem -- although they do laud their "bumper-to-bumper" 30,000 mile warranty. Oddly enough, the wire harness is located between the bumpers...but the warranty does NOT cover this.
Was merging onto the crossover lane and it senses the water barrels by the wall as you go slightly left in the lane it doesn’t seem to understand that and pulls you toward the wall and hits the auto brakes almost causing an accident. This was in the 10 freeway by morongo and it has happened multiple times. I have taken those ass…
Read full complaint
Was merging onto the crossover lane and it senses the water barrels by the wall as you go slightly left in the lane it doesn’t seem to understand that and pulls you toward the wall and hits the auto brakes almost causing an accident. This was in the 10 freeway by morongo and it has happened multiple times. I have taken those assist programs off as it’s almost killed me
I’ve had multiply times where my dash with start indicating I need to break while I’m driving an will break for me while on the freeway or street with traffic. For the lane departure my car will just start turning out of a lane there was two incidents where I almost hit the wall divider on the Freeway from my car almost turning …
Read full complaint
I’ve had multiply times where my dash with start indicating I need to break while I’m driving an will break for me while on the freeway or street with traffic. For the lane departure my car will just start turning out of a lane there was two incidents where I almost hit the wall divider on the Freeway from my car almost turning me into it.
Official recalls
426V332000 · 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.
23V458000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:master Cylinder
Jun 29, 2023
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Civic, 2020-2023 Ridgeline, 2021-2023 Passport, 2021-2022 Pilot, and 2020 Acura MDX vehicles. The tie rod fastener that connects the brake booster and the brake master cylinder may have been improperly assembled during manufacturing, which can cause the brake master cylinder to separate from the booster assembly.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Brake master cylinder separation can cause a loss of brake function and increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and repair the brake booster assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 7, 2023. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are VEU, AEV, and ZET.
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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.
Illustration