2021 Honda CR-V: check engine light

Filed Sep 9, 2026 · Transmission · PA

June 22nd- Merging car onto NJ turnpike near Manasquan, NJ...accelerated to merge onto highway. Engine light started to blink and then car lost power as pushing the gas pedal no longer powered car. Pulled off the road. Turned the car off. Restarted it and car functioned and power came from pressing gas pedal. Safety of driver at risk as car was approaching merging onto highway speeds when suddenly lost power to accelerate. Luckily car had enough room with traffic that it could coast off road and come to a stop.

Filed Aug 15, 2026 · Electrical, Engine · OR

Hello NHSTA -- My Honda is a 2021 CR-V AWD Hybrid. Two very unsafe events to report which occurred within a few weeks of each other, apparently from the same cause. First event, on 27 Feb 2026, I was driving on a two lane county road, traveling about 40 mph, I was in the lead with 2 or 3 cars behind me. Suddenly, on a fairly level grade, I noticed that the car was gradually slowing down; I was not touching the brakes, my foot was on the accelerator. When I pushed it to speed up, there was no effect, no change in the engine sound. I put on my flashers, and scanned for a place to pull-over, but there was no shoulder. My speed had reduced to around 5 mph. The check engine light flashed I believe, but it did not stay on. In about a hundred yards I was able to locate a broad drive-way entrance to pull in to and I was able to let the cars behind go by. Turned the engine off 2 or 3 times. On the 3rd time, the car moved a little bit. When I put it in reverse, it moved back a little bit. So, when the road was clear I put it in drive again and it took off like normal. I drove directly to my local Honda shop. The kept it for a couple of days. They couldn't find anything, and said that no service codes had been recorded in the system. Given the age of the battery, we put in a new one. And the car ran fine from that point. Then, second event, a few weeks later on 30 March 2026, I was driving on an Interstate (3 lanes each way), traveling around 55 mph, flat terrain. Suddenly, the car began to lose power and gradually slow down, I had no acceleration or control over it. I was in the middle lane, Put on the flashers and drifted into the right lane, the other cars slowed for me. Got over to the shoulder. Check engine light was on steady. Called Honda, per their instructions from the first event. They told me to have it towed. Bottom line, Honda said that the intake valves were too tight. See attached worksheets. Clearly a factory build defect. Valves are not checked until 90K.

Filed Jun 11, 2026 · Engine, Fuel system · MD

While driving a 2021 Honda CR-V Hybrid, the vehicle has intermittently and without warning lost the ability to accelerate. When this occurs, depressing the accelerator pedal — even fully to the floor — produces no response, and the vehicle simply coasts and loses speed. This has happened on three occasions — January 13, 2025; December 16, 2025; and June 10, 2026 — including at highway speed. Each occurrence is documented by a Honda dealer service invoice. In each instance, the check engine light began flashing immediately before the loss of power. The only way to restore normal operation was to bring the vehicle to a stop, turn the ignition off, wait, and restart. Restarting restores power but also clears the check engine light and any stored diagnostic trouble codes. Safety risk: Losing motive power without warning, particularly at highway speed or while merging in traffic, creates a serious risk of a rear-end or loss-of-control collision, because the vehicle cannot accelerate out of danger. The affected systems appear to be the power train and hybrid propulsion system, possibly originating from the engine given the flashing check engine light, which typically indicates an active engine misfire. The exact failed component has not been confirmed (UNKNOWN). The problem has NOT been reproduced or confirmed by the dealer during inspection. The vehicle was taken to an authorized Honda dealer for each occurrence, but because restarting the vehicle clears the fault codes, the dealer found no stored codes and could not duplicate the failure during a test drive. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. This matches the federal safety agency Preliminary Evaluation PE25016 regarding intermittent loss of motive power in MY 2020–2022 Honda CR-V Hybrid vehicles.

Filed Apr 8, 2026 · Fuel system · 42,000 miles · TX

The contact owns a 2021 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the road and turned off. The vehicle was restarted and driven to the residence. The vehicle was later taken to the dealer; however, the failure was not duplicated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer two times, but the failure was not duplicated. The failure reoccurred. In addition, several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed with fuel injector and a misfire on cylinder number 1. The contact was informed that the fuel injector failure, and the contact was informed that the fuel injector needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The failure reoccurred three weeks later. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was determined that a valve adjustment was needed in cylinder #2. The vehicle was being repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 42,000.

Filed Apr 7, 2026 · Engine, Fuel system · CA

When driving on the highway at the speed of traffic, the check engine light appeared and was followed by a loss of engine power. Vehicle had to be pulled over to the shoulder. After shutting the vehicle off and turning it back on, engine power was restored. Vehicle is available for inspection upon request. Safety is a major concern if unable to move the vehicle out of traffic before coming to a stop with no power. The Honda dealer ran a diagnostic and did not find an issues. They were also unable to reproduce the problem. The vehicle has not been inspected by any other parties. -1st incident: August 15, 2025 -2nd incident: October 31, 2025 -inspected by dealer: November 13, 2025 -3rd and most recent incident: April 2, 2026

Filed Mar 25, 2026 · Driver assistance, Transmission · CA

CRV Dashboard all warning lights illuminated including check engine and emissions system problem. I had to park my car and it smelled like gas. I immediately called Honda Care and I took my car to Unicars Dealer on 03/11/2026 They provided a diagnostic report, report retrieved PO172 fuel system Bank 1 too rich and P219F no 4 cyclinder air fuel ratio variation. Despite Honda issuing Service Bulletin NHTDA ID 10220352, 10208090 and similar 22-002 for the exact same part failure 2017-2019 models, and despite Manufacturer Communication MC -10201454 specifically requesting failed injectors from 2021 models for investigation, HONDA HAS REFUSED TO PROVIDE A WARRANTY EXTENSION OR GOODWILL ASSISTANCE FOR THIS KNOWN DEFECT. This is a premature failure of critical fuel system component that causes the vehicle to stall smell like gas, lose power unexpectedly posing a significant safety risk to the driver and others on the road. I opened a GoodWill case # 16219868- after two weeks Case manager said it did not meet their guidelines offered a $125 assistance. I have called Unicars dealer service technician multiple times with no avail and no return calls. I finally walked into the UNICARS Dealer yesterday 3/25/26 and made appointment to get vehicle fixed on 03/27/26. I am paying out of pocket for all repairs over $2000 dollars.

Filed Feb 27, 2026 · Transmission · CA

While ascending a steep hill in San Francisco, the engine began operating roughly and the check engine light came on and began flashing. Pulled over as soon as possible, let the engine cool, and confirmed in the operator manual that the flashing light indicated severe misfire and possible loss of engine power. After cooloff and restart, the flashing check engine light went off, but a scanner revealed a pending P0302 error code, indicating a misfire in cylinder 2. On the first restart of the engine, it started roughly before settling down, and I could hear loud water sloshing. On the short drive home, I could continue to feel the engine running roughly on each startup cycle (periodically on the drive since this is a hybrid), indicating to me a blown head gasket. In my research, this seems to be a common issue with this engine or model year (see the federal safety agency Preliminary Evaluation PE25016 or Bissell v. American Honda Motor Co., Inc. et al). I'm confident that if I continue to drive it, another misfire like this on a hill in San Francisco could easily cause a loss of power, steering, or braking action. I will be taking it in for inspection at a Honda service center. The service representative at my local service center (Berkeley CA) indicated this is a common issue on this car that they see regularly. No prior mechanical issues or engine roughness with the vehicle, or anything that would've indicated an issue prior to this misfire and leak. Regularly serviced as a leased vehicle from Honda dealership until it was purchased 2 years ago from the dealership with 70,000 miles. No major maintenance since purchase besides oil changes, rear differential fluid changes, air filters, and tire replacement.

Filed Feb 24, 2026 · Acceleration, Engine · 48,000 miles · NY

The contact owns a 2021 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving 73 MPH with two children inside the vehicle, the check engine warning light illuminated, and while depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle decelerated and failed to respond as needed. The contact was able to move over to the right side of the road, where the vehicle was turned off and restarted, and operated as intended. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed; however, the diagnostic result was unknown. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 48,000.

Filed Feb 10, 2026 · Engine · 61,000 miles · WA

The contact owns a 2021 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power and failed to accelerate above 60 MPH. The check engine warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the vehicle failed to accelerate above 5 MPH while driving uphill. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to duplicate the failure. The failure persisted. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, who adjusted an unknown valve, but the failure persisted. The vehicle was then taken back to the dealer for the third time, where a fuel injector was replaced, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Action Number: PE25016 (Engine). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 61,000.

Filed Jan 28, 2026 · Engine · 60,000 miles · CA

The contact's daughter owns a 2021 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at highway speeds, the transmission unexpectedly downshifted and failed to accelerate above 30 MPH. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The driver pulled over and restarted the vehicle. Upon restarting the vehicle, the check engine warning light was no longer illuminated, and the vehicle resumed normal operation. The following day, the vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed. The dealer determined that there was coolant intrusion in cylinder #1. Upon investigation, the contact discovered an open investigation under the federal safety agency Action Number: PE25016 (Engine) and related the failure to the open investigation. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and agreed to assist with paying the deductible the repair. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

Filed Dec 9, 2025 · Acceleration, Electrical · SC

This has happened twice in a month. I was driving on the interstate and the check engine light began flashing. The engine lost power and would not accelerate beyond 40 mph. The situation was incredibly unsafe as both times I was on the interstate and had to pull over. The second time was at night and around heavy construction which increased the danger. On each occasion the light turned off and the problem fixed when I turned off the car and turned it back on. Both times I took the vehicle to the dealership and they were unable to find the code or any issues. On the second time they recommended adjusting the valves and replacing spark plugs. The vehicle has not been inspected by anyone else. There were no warnings prior to the flashing check engine and the car losing power. On both occasions this happened within ten minutes of starting the vehicle.

Filed Dec 9, 2025 · Electrical, Engine · SC

On two recent occasions over the past month, my 2021 CR-V Hybrid has lost motive power/check engine light flashing, with the while driving on busy interstate roads between 60-70 mph, decelerating in fast-moving multi-lane traffic. The dealership service department has not been able to fix the issue. I believe this issue is similar to others that the federal safety agency is evaluating (PE25016). This issue could be very dangerous if a driver is not able to safely move off the road or shoulder. Please issue information to car owners and dealers on how to fix this serious issue.