My daughter's 2020 Honda HR-V experienced a serious transmission malfunction at approximately 117,000 miles. While traveling approximately 64 mph on Highway 378 in South Carolina, where the posted speed limit is 60 mph, the vehicle suddenly stopped accelerating, and ALL dashboard warning lights illuminated. This unexpected loss of acceleration at highway speed created a dangerous situation, placing her safety and the safety of surrounding motorists at risk of a serious collision. The vehicle was subsequently towed to an authorized Honda dealership. The dealership confirmed diagnostic trouble code P0793 (Intermediate Shaft Speed Sensor "A"). During inspection, the technician drained the transmission fluid through a filter and discovered metal flakes. Additional metallic material was detected using a magnet, indicating internal transmission damage. The dealership determined that the entire transmission required replacement at an estimated cost of $7,942.57. Honda previously acknowledged premature CVT belt deterioration affecting certain 2016–2020 Honda HR-V vehicles through Service Bulletins 21-046 and 21-047. However, Honda advised that my daughter's VIN was excluded from the extended warranty coverage. Honda subsequently denied goodwill assistance, citing the vehicle's age, mileage, and an asserted absence of similar complaints. I am concerned that this sudden loss of acceleration may be related to premature CVT deterioration previously documented by Honda. I request that the federal safety agency investigate whether this failure is related to a known transmission defect and whether other 2020 Honda HR-V owners face similar safety risks. The dealership's diagnostic findings and repair estimate are available. Availability of the failed transmission for inspection must be confirmed with the dealership.
Honda HR-V cvt failure problems
84 of the 1,890 owner complaints about the Honda HR-V describe cVT failure, most of them for the 2016 model year.
- owner complaints
- 84
- worst model year
- 2016
- typical repair cost reported
- $9,000
- typical mileage
- 98,982
By model year
Often reported together
Transmission failure 24Warning lights 15Loss of power 12Won't shift 10Check engine light 9Jerking 8Stalling 3
Trouble codes mentioned
P271E 3P0793 3U0402 1U0401 1P2337 1P1899 1P0843 1P0796 1P0780 1P0717 1
What owners say
The contact owns a 2016 Honda HR-V. The contact stated that there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the vehicle while driving at various speeds. The vehicle was inspected by a dealer, but the dealer was unable to duplicate or diagnose the failure. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle shut off without warning. The driver safely maneuvered the vehicle to the shoulder of the highway with the assistance of another motorist, and the vehicle was towed to the residence. Upon further research, the owner discovered Technical Service Bulletin: 21-047. The vehicle was then towed to a dealer, who diagnosed a failure with CVT transmission, but stated that the vehicle was not covered under warranty. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and offered financial assistance in repairing the vehicle. The failure mileage was 132,972.
At approximately 100000mi my car was diagnosed by a honda dealer with premature catastrophic failure of the CVT. This failure can happen while the vehicle is traveling highway speeds causing immediate full loss of motive power creating an extreme safety hazard. No symptoms or warning ahead of time.
This vehicle has been meticulously dealer-maintained, with 3 documented CVT fluid changes by 85,000 miles. At the third transmission fluid change, the dealer found CVT steel belt shards in the transmission pan. This failure matches the exact manufacturing defect described in Honda Service Bulletin 21-047, yet the manufacturer is refusing to remedy the safety defect. When this belt fails, as Honda has stated it will, it will caused an immediate and complete loss of motive power / acceleration, creating a severe and sudden safety hazard
My 2019 Honda HR-V Sport had a CVT transmission failure due to premature belt deterioration exactly as described in Honda Service Bulletin 21-047, confirmed by the Honda dealer and manager. This happened during my normal driving without any prior symptom -- all of a sudden, all engine lights on the dashboard flashed, and I had to cautiously slow down and pull over on the busy highway. The failure happened on the second year of my ownership of this Honda Certified used car. Since it is around two months after the 7-year extended warranty period, Honda has denied any assistance, despite this being a known safety-related defect, not even covering the inspection fee.
Premature catastrophic failure of the CVT while driving; yes, it is available for inspection upon request. I am [XXX], and was driving with my husband in New Jersey. We were in the middle of driving, when the car suddenly failed to move anymore. Cars behind us had to swerve off the road to avoid colliding with us. The problem has been confirmed by an independent service center. No, the component has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others. No, there were not any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The CVT is defective and failed while driving, causing immediate loss of motive power. This has been diagnosed and confirmed by the dealer. Honda has a voluntary extended warranty in place for this exact issue for certain VIN's, but because this particular VIN was assembled at a location where less VIN's were assembled with the faulty CTV it is not covered. This should be a mandatory safety recall as losing motive power while driving can easily cause an accident. There were no warning signs, just a loud sound and immediate loss of motive power while driving. For us this happened in a busy intersection, but could easily have happened on the highway causing a serious safety hazard. Honda is not denying that the CVT is defective, but this particular VIN is not covered in the extended warranty due to the location the vehicle was assembled.
Vehicle: 2016 Honda HR-V Approximate Mileage: 114,400 miles Incident Description: While driving at highway speeds on the freeway, the vehicle suffered a sudden, catastrophic loss of motive power and dropped into an emergency "limp mode." The vehicle suddenly refused to accelerate and could not maintain highway speeds, forcing me to navigate across active lanes of traffic to the shoulder to avoid being rear-ended. My minor child was present in the vehicle during these instances. This dangerous event has occurred twice, both times on high-speed roadways, presenting an immediate and severe risk of a high-speed collision to myself, my child, and other motorists. This dangerous event has occurred twice, both times on high-speed roadways, presenting an immediate and severe risk of a high-speed collision to myself, my child, and other motorists. A diagnostic scan of the vehicle's OBD-II system revealed error code P271E, which indicates Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) steel belt deterioration. This is a known, documented engineering defect with the metal drive belt fracturing inside the transmission, as outlined in Honda's official Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) 21-047. Because the vehicle completely loses propulsion without warning in live traffic due to a known manufacturing flaw, this constitutes an extreme, life-threatening safety hazard. I am requesting that the federal safety agency investigate this component failure, as the current time-limited warranty extension does not adequately protect owners from sudden, dangerous highway failures of this defective drivetrain.
In 2020/2021 Honda did a * Honda Service Bulletin 21-046 Honda Service Bulletin 21-047. They knew the CVT on models 2016/2021 had early CVT failure. They had us come in to add a program that was supposed to give us warning if the belt was going to break so we had time to get to a mechanic or the dealer before complete failure ; which I had done. On August 8th 2026 I was driving on the highway doing the speed limit of 60 mph in the middle lane, when the CVT completely failed & I could not move the car ! No warning lights (that program was pointless) no prior warnings AT ALL. I did the trans flush every 30,000 miles as they suggested to extended the life of the transmission. My point is that was a catastrophic failure and could have cause a major accident or even a pile up on the highway. Something has to be done about these vechicals ! It’s a major safety concern.
While traveling at freeway speed, the CVT transmission slipped and the vehicle suddenly lost all propulsion. The engine continued to run and responded to the accelerator, but the vehicle would not move under its own power. Multiple warning lights appeared, including a brake-system warning. The vehicle also rolled backward on an incline and was not safe to drive. It was towed to an authorized honda dealer. The dealer confirmed that the CVT transmission had failed and quoted approximately $9,750 to replace it. The failed vehicle/transmission remains available for inspection. Before the failure, honda dealer inspection records showed the vehicle in green/good condition and did not advise that CVT service was due. American honda reviewed the matter and denied goodwill assistance. The sudden loss of propulsion at freeway speed created a serious risk of a rear-end or high-speed collision.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the Honda HR-V cvt failure
Which Honda HR-V years have cVT failure problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2016 (28 complaints), 2017 (18 complaints) and 2018 (10 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix CVT failure on the Honda HR-V?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $9,000 (median of 17 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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