2021 Honda CR-V automatic emergency braking problems
138 of the 435 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the 2021 Honda CR-V 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 database3 of the 138 reports a crash · 0 a fire · 2 injuries. Self-reported, unverified.
Filed per year: 2021: 6 · 2022: 37 · 2023: 24 · 2024: 27 · 2025: 26 · 2026: 18
Half of the 13 owners who gave an odometer reading reported the automatic emergency braking problem between 12,000 and 56,000 miles. A median of reports, not the life of a part.
435 complaints in all about the 2021 Honda CR-V, 18 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 CR-V 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.
I was traveling about 17 MPH when my CRV braked suddenly to a stop on it's own. There was nothing in front of me. Thank goodness no one was behind me because the car stopped with no warning. I was also wearing my seatbelt, which was good because I was thrown forward. There was no prior warning and no lights or other indicators on now.
Vehicle will frequently brake at full capacity on its own for cars in the next lane of traffic. This has happened 3 times so far. All three times it was on a highway going at speeds of 60-70 mph. "BRAKE" flashes in big letters on the screen. There are no obstructions in front of me only in the lane next to me.
I have had 4 separate instances where the automatic braking system abruptly applied the brakes. Two of them happened at a place on the road where the pavement color changed. One was a pedestrian crosswalk painted on an asphalt road surface. Another was where a new concrete roadway changed to new asphalt.
The contact owns a 2021 Honda CR-V. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the roadway surface changed and the Forward Collision Avoidance feature activated and the vehicle independently started braking. The vehicle then started driving normally after the failure. The dealer was contacted and an appointment was scheduled.
I was driving at approximately 35 MPH on a straight, flat road. There were no cars in front of me, behind me, or oncoming. Without warning or any action on my part, the vehicle wheels locked up, the vehicle jerked to an abrupt stop, and the display went black.
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 CR-V
Source: the same files- engine problems 70 complaints
- electrical problems 58 complaints
Common questions
Source: NHTSA complaint database, recalls and manufacturer communicationsAre automatic emergency braking problems common on the 2021 Honda CR-V?
They are documented: NHTSA holds 138 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 CR-V?
No recall campaign is filed under this heading for this model year (there are 5 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 CR-V?
Owners who gave an odometer reading reported it at a median of 40,000 miles; half of them between 12,000 and 56,000. That is when reports cluster, not the life of a part.
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.