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Owner-Reported Problems · NHTSA

2021 Honda Civic — Problems & Complaints

NHTSA has 145 owner complaints on file for this vehicle. Every report below was filed by a real owner with the US government's road-safety agency.

145
Complaints
filed with NHTSA
5
Involved a Crash
owner-reported
2
Involved Fire
owner-reported
2
Injuries
across all reports
Years to Avoid

Honda Civic — Complaints by Model Year

Years flagged AVOID have at least twice this model's average complaint count — the strongest public-data signal of a bad year.

292 complaints

380 complaints

1,081 complaints

599 complaints

596 complaints

346 complaints

226 complaints

145 complaints

883 complaints

0 complaints

0 complaints

0 complaints

0 complaints

Problem Areas

What Owners Complain About Most

Steering 65 reports
Forward Collision Avoidance 33 reports
Electrical System 18 reports
Service Brakes 18 reports
Unknown Or Other 12 reports
Lane Departure 11 reports
Air Bags 9 reports
Vehicle Speed Control 6 reports
In Their Own Words

Recent Owner Reports

Steering ODI 11633363 12/31/2024

Steering is becoming sticky while on roadway. Seems like it is developing hard spots.

Steering ODI 11707912 12/30/2025

My car has sticky steering when making turns and has a difficult time making micro adjustments. This appears to be the same issue that there is a recall for but my VIN is not recalled. This is a huge safety issue as the steering is more difficult to control on the highways, turning on and off ramps, driving straight, etc. I find myself having to pull the wheel back to center …

Service Brakes ODI 11632366 12/26/2024

On multiple occasions my car has applied the brake while driving on the highway as well as my caliper has become frozen and I have replaced brakes 3 times in less than one calendar year. I have all old brakes that have needed to be replaced and there is uneven wear on them.

Steering ODI 11706973 12/24/2025

Steering is sticking. Honda has recalls for this exact issue for but not for 2021. The steering wheel sticks left or right and has to be forced out of the direction. Same exact symptoms as the current steering recall.

Seats ODI 11632083 12/23/2024

There’s been a safety recall and I took my car like more than a year ago to repairs and then the check the car but told me the piece it’s not ready yet. I have to wait almost a whole year for it and I receive the notification that the piece was ready. When I call to make the appointment the lady told me that I receive the notification but the piece it’s not on the Honda yet an…

Same Vehicle

Recalls & Crash Tests

Complaints are one half of the picture — see the official recalls and NHTSA crash-test stars for the 2021 Honda Civic, or check your exact car by VIN with the free VIN lookup.

Check Another Car

Problems Checker

Any year, make and model: open the Car Problems Checker. Data: NHTSA (US DOT, public domain), cached up to 7 days.

Questions

FAQ

Is the 2021 Honda Civic reliable?
Owners have filed 145 safety complaints with NHTSA for the 2021 Honda Civic, most often about steering. Compare the complaint counts across model years above — a year with far more complaints than the model's average is the strongest 'avoid' signal in public data.
Which Honda Civic years should I avoid?
The rule of thumb used by analysts: a model year whose complaint count is well above the model's own average (we flag 2× or more) usually had a real manufacturing or design problem — not just noisy reporting. Use the year-by-year strip on this page.
Where do these complaints come from?
Directly from NHTSA, the US government road-safety agency. Any owner can file a Vehicle Owner Questionnaire; NHTSA publishes them as public domain data. We cache each lookup for up to 7 days.
Do complaints mean a recall is coming?
Sometimes. NHTSA opens defect investigations when complaint patterns emerge, and investigations can end in recalls. Check the recalls page for this vehicle to see what has already been recalled.