2021 Honda Accord automatic emergency braking problems
91 of the 282 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the 2021 Honda Accord name the automatic emergency braking (NHTSA’s “Forward Collision Avoidance” heading — forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking, including phantom braking). Filed under the same heading: 1 NHTSA investigation. Every figure below is a document in a federal file, linked; none is a failure rate, and none is a verdict on any one car.
What owners filed about the automatic emergency braking
Source: NHTSA complaint database7 of the 91 reports a crash · 0 a fire · 4 injuries. Self-reported, unverified.
Filed per year: 2021: 2 · 2022: 20 · 2023: 21 · 2024: 16 · 2025: 16 · 2026: 16
Too few of these complaints carry an odometer reading to say when the problem shows up.
282 complaints in all about the 2021 Honda Accord, 16 filed in 2026. The whole picture, every system →
Counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many of these were sold; nothing here is a rate. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so “Forward Collision Avoidance” means the same area of the vehicle, not one fault.
Across model years: Honda Accord automatic emergency braking problems, every year on file →
In owners’ own words
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseFiled with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, about the automatic emergency braking. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed; unverified reports — what was said, not a finding that it was true.
Since the first winter after I purchased my vehicle in 2021, typically when cold, but not always, I lose all the Honda Sensing (Advanced Driver Assist Features). The dashboard lights up with the following warnings . - Collision Mitigation Braking System Problem. See Dealer - Road Departure Mitigation System Problem.
I just got off the freeway and coasted down the off-ramp, did not engage the brake nor the acceleration pedals. Suddenly the emergency brake system slammed on the brakes, it slowed me down from about 50 mph to around 20mph. There were no vehicles in front of me for at least 100 yards.
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while driving 50-55 MPH, the collision mitigation braking system engaged inadvertently while there were no vehicles nearby, and the vehicle decelerated to 20-25 MPH abruptly. The brake warning light was illuminated.
My daughter was driving the vehicle on the highway, probably 65 mph. she said that a sheet shaped piece of metal struck the front bumper. It is not clear if this was on the road or fell from the car. It seems to have happened fast.
I was driving north on 95 in Massachusetts going about 75 mph and the forward collision avoidance went off (flashing break waring in the dashboard) slowing my car down to under 50 mph. There were NO vehicles or obstacles in front of me. This keeps happening and it's only a matter of time until I get rear-ended.
What is on file about the automatic emergency braking
Source: NHTSA recalls, investigations and manufacturer communicationsNHTSA investigation
- EA24002 Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Brakingopened Apr 15, 2024 · open
- On February 21, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation (PE22003) to assess reports of inadvertent activation of the Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS), an automatic emergency braking (AEB) system, in model year 2017-2019 Honda CR-V and 2018-2019 Honda Accord vehicles. The reports allege that activation of the AEB system occurs while driving with no a…
Other systems with a record on the 2021 Honda Accord
Source: the same files- electrical problems 71 complaints
Common questions
Source: NHTSA complaint database, recalls and manufacturer communicationsAre automatic emergency braking problems common on the 2021 Honda Accord?
They are documented: NHTSA holds 91 owner complaints naming the automatic emergency braking on this model year (32% of everything owners filed about it), and 1 NHTSA investigation is filed under the same heading. Whether it is a problem on one particular car is a diagnosis, not a count, and a count says nothing about how many were sold.
Is there a recall for the automatic emergency braking on the 2021 Honda Accord?
No recall campaign is filed under this heading for this model year (there are 4 filed under other headings). A bulletin is not a recall: it carries no federal duty to repair for free.
When do automatic emergency braking problems show up on the 2021 Honda Accord?
Too few of the complaints carry an odometer reading to say. The model year's page shows the mileage curve across every system where it can.
What does NHTSA's "Forward Collision Avoidance" heading cover?
Forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking, including phantom braking. Owners choose the heading when they file, so it says which area of the vehicle the complaint is about, not which part failed.