NHTSA lists 4 safety recalls and 147 owner complaints for the 2021 Honda Civic.
4Safety recalls
147Owner complaints
5Complaints citing a crash
2Complaints citing a fire
Data: NHTSA recall and complaint filesUpdated Sep 27, 2026
Recalled components: air bags, fuel system, and brakes. Most-reported area: steering (65 complaints, 44%). Includes the Civic Si and hatchback. Excludes the Civic Type R, like the GR Corolla on Corolla pages.
4 safety recalls for the 2021 Honda Civic
Newest first. Summaries are NHTSA's own wording. Open a recall for the fix and the full notice.
Air bags
May 21, 2026
sensor · occupant classification · front passenger
The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, which can cause the air bags to deploy unintentionally during a crash.
Risk: Air bags that deploy unintentionally during a crash increase the risk of injury.
The fix and full notice
Fix: 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.
The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, failing to suppress the air bag as intended.
Risk: An air bag that deploys unintentionally during a crash can increase the risk of injury.
The fix and full notice
Fix: 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.
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, 2020-2021CR-V,CR-V Hybrid, Passport, Ridgeline, Accord Hybrid, 2020 Acura MDX, 2022 Acura MDX, 2020-2022 Acura RDX, and 2020-2021 Acura TLX vehicles.
Risk: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: 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.
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.
Risk: Brake master cylinder separation can cause a loss of brake function and increase the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: 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.
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.
Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
What owners report
The areas named in the 147 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2021 Civic. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
Steering65 · 44%
Forward collision avoidance33 · 22%
Most named: automatic emergency braking (26); adaptive cruise control (9)
Brakes18 · 12%
Electrical system18 · 12%
Air bags11 · 7%
Lane departure systems11 · 7%
Most named: assist (5); lane keep, steering assist (3)
Speed control6 · 4%
Unknown or other12 · 8%
A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%.
Honda Civic recalls and complaints by model year
The highlighted bars are the 2021 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2022 Civic drew the most (874) and the 2021 drew 41.
Owner complaints
2021: 147 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Owner complaints by model year, Honda Civic
Model year
Complaints
2016
1,081
2017
596
2018
745
2019
441
2020
230
2021
147
2022
957
2023
321
2024
140
2025
91
2026
29
Safety recalls
2021: 4 recallsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, Honda Civic
Model year
Recalls
2016
5
2017
6
2018
6
2019
4
2020
5
2021
4
2022
4
2023
4
2024
3
2025
2
2026
1
Crash test ratings
NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
Tested version
Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover
Honda CIVIC 4 DR FWD
Rollover risk 9.5%
Honda CIVIC HATCH 5 HB FWD
Rollover risk 9.5%
Questions
What are the most common 2021 Civic problems?
The areas owners name most often in NHTSA complaints: steering (65), forward collision avoidance (33), brakes (18). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can name several areas.
Is the 2021 Honda Civic safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2021 Honda Civic earns 5 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.
How do I check if my Civic has an open recall?
Enter the 17-character VIN from your dashboard, door jamb or registration at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The lookup lists unrepaired recalls for that exact vehicle. Safety recall repairs are free at Honda dealers.
Sources and method
NHTSA recalls file (NHTSA datasets), dated Sep 27, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Sep 26, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP).
NHTSA model names covered: CIVIC, CIVIC HATCHBACK.
Complaint counts are unverified owner reports. They rise with sales volume and time on the road, so compare model years with care. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.