2021 Honda Passport automatic emergency braking problems
64 of the 142 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the 2021 Honda Passport 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: 2 NHTSA investigations. 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 database8 of the 64 reports a crash · 0 a fire · 3 injuries. Self-reported, unverified.
Filed per year: 2021: 1 · 2022: 8 · 2023: 9 · 2024: 25 · 2025: 8 · 2026: 13
Too few of these complaints carry an odometer reading to say when the problem shows up.
142 complaints in all about the 2021 Honda Passport, 13 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 Passport 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.
When driving my vehicle the emergency braking system alerts and initiates the brakes at inappropriate time. While driving on a straight road with a curve ahead if there is a car coming the opposite direction around the curve the braking system will engage.
Driving 65mph on 3 lane highway in l=far left lane in light snow with anti-collision on. Then instantly car auto braked, car slowed dramatically very fast and despite me stepping on gas pedal, car continued at a crawl on major highway. Fortunately no car was close behind or it would have hot me with such rapid decent.
We drove about 100 miles yesterday. It all happened. False Brake light flash and brake applied because of oncoming traffic. Heavy brake application because of car in the left lane making a turn.
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Passport. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the Forward Collision Avoidance system erroneously activated. The contact stated the brake warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure.
On October 29, 2022, the CMBS emergency braking system slammed the brakes on for no obvious reason. This happened at least four or five times while traveling eastbound on I-40 in AZ. There were no cars in front of or changing into my lane.
What is on file about the automatic emergency braking
Source: NHTSA recalls, investigations and manufacturer communicationsNHTSA investigations
- EA25002 Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Brakingopened Jan 17, 2025 · open
- On March 7, 2024, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE24008) to assess reports of inadvertent activation of the Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) system in model year 2019-2022 Honda Insight and 2019-2022 Honda Passport vehicles. The complainants allege activation of the AEB system with no apparent obstruction in the vehicle's path, resulting in rapid vehic…
- PE24008 Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Brakingopened Mar 7, 2024 · closed Jan 17, 2025
- On March 7, 2024, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE24008) to assess reports of inadvertent activation of the Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) system in model year 2019-2022 Honda Insight and 2019-2022 Honda Passport vehicles. The complainants allege activation of the AEB system with no apparent obstruction in the vehicle's path, resulting in rapid vehic…
Common questions
Source: NHTSA complaint database, recalls and manufacturer communicationsAre automatic emergency braking problems common on the 2021 Honda Passport?
They are documented: NHTSA holds 64 owner complaints naming the automatic emergency braking on this model year (45% of everything owners filed about it), and 2 NHTSA investigations are 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 Passport?
No recall campaign is filed under this heading for this model year (there are 7 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 Passport?
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.