2021 Honda Civic
The Verdict
The 2021 Honda Civic has 131 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. The most reported issues are body (88 complaints) and electrical (20 complaints). With a Klunk Score of 68/100, it earns a "Solid Pick" rating.
This is the cleanest year on record. Nice pick.
Klunk Score: Solid Pick
Fewer complaints than most vehicles. Generally dependable, but check the top problems below.
How is this calculated?
The Klunk Score ranks this vehicle year against all others in our database based on total owner complaints filed with NHTSA. 100 = fewest complaints (top tier), 0 = most complained-about. Scores above 60 are better than average; below 40 means more problems than most.
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Under the Hood
Each number is a complaint. Darker = bigger problem.
| Year | Body | Brakes | Electrical | Engine | Transmission |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 85 | 14 | 118 | 57 | 25 |
| 2001 | 153 | 40 | 393 | 129 | 387 |
| 2002 | 146 | 24 | 306 | 59 | 181 |
| 2003 | 147 | 36 | 180 | 64 | 96 |
| 2004 | 78 | 9 | 167 | 44 | 52 |
| 2005 | 85 | 16 | 140 | 41 | 31 |
| 2006 | 651 | 52 | 243 | 392 | 61 |
| 2007 | 603 | 41 | 206 | 259 | 88 |
| 2008 | 408 | 38 | 206 | 216 | 39 |
| 2009 | 160 | 46 | 122 | 47 | 18 |
| 2010 | 157 | 90 | 108 | 31 | 7 |
| 2011 | 58 | 29 | 61 | 16 | 4 |
| 2012 | 141 | 31 | 184 | 57 | 39 |
| 2013 | 98 | 31 | 127 | 37 | 17 |
| 2014 | 68 | 11 | 83 | 36 | 91 |
| 2015 | 93 | 10 | 72 | 39 | 163 |
| 2016 | 710 | 88 | 113 | 122 | 26 |
| 2017 | 354 | 27 | 87 | 87 | 19 |
| 2018 | 321 | 17 | 59 | 184 | 7 |
| 2019 | 154 | 23 | 26 | 135 | 7 |
| 2020 | 82 | 16 | 55 | 34 | 29 |
| 2021 | 88 | 14 | 20 | 7 | 2 |
| 2022 | 788 | 18 | 42 | 16 | 10 |
By Category
By Severity
Worst Problems
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Complaints
Spontaneous rear window shattering while parked. Problem not confirmed or reproduced Insurance claim filed for repair No warning lamps, messages or symptoms of impending problem.
Cruise control does not disengage upon electronic parking brake being engaged while moving, causing the car to accelerate aggressively after the brake is released. While it does disengage after enough speed is lost, it should disengage immediately as it does when the brake pedal is tapped
A/C System completely failed. During a diagnostic they found three components with refrigerant leaks. 1) Compressor Shaft Seal 2) A/C Condenser 3) Evaporator Core A certified Honda Service center completed the diagnostic. The issue first appeared in late 2025. During the winter I rarely use Air Conditioning but now in Spring/Summer it does not cool at all. Honda knows there is an issue with the Air Conditioning system on this generation of Honda Civic, they cover the Compressor shaft seal but not the other components, on an extended warranty. My main issue is that Honda covers replacement of the A/C Condenser for 2016-2020 Honda Civics, the last year of the generation is 2021 and it is not on the Extended Warranty bulletin. 2021 cars should be covered, it is the same exact generation. Not only that, the Evaporator core and any other Air Conditioning component should be cover as well. This is not normal wear and tear, my vehicle only has 40,000 miles.
High pressure fuel pump issue diagnosed by mechanic. The models prior to mine up to and some 2021 vehicles were included in the recall but my VIN is not considered within the recall. My vehicle is a very early 2021 bought in 202 that likely has the same fuel filter as 2020sz
Vehicle: 2021 Honda Civic Mileage: Approximately 58,000 miles Over the past couple of months, I have experienced a steering issue that appears to be worsening. While driving at highway speeds, the steering wheel intermittently feels as though it “sticks” or catches near center, requiring constant small corrections to maintain a straight path. The steering does not feel smooth or normal and creates difficulty maintaining lane position comfortably. I have also noticed similar catching/resistance during sharper turns at moderate speeds. To attempt to resolve the issue, I have: * Replaced a flat tire * Had two separate wheel alignments performed *opened case with Honda directly Neither repair corrected the issue. The symptoms appear similar to “sticky steering” complaints and steering investigations reported on newer Honda Civic models. Because this issue affects steering control and highway driving, I believe it may present a potential safety concern. The problem occurs intermittently but repeatedly during normal driving conditions and is most noticeable at higher speeds.
Steering rack binds and requires extra effort to return to center. Specifically for me, when proceeding on a long curve that requires me to turn my steering wheel left more than like 40 degrees the steering will "stick" in place and won't automatically return to center when releasing the wheel requiring me manually start returning the wheel to center before it will auto center. It happens after having driven for about 20 or more minutes. It happens at smaller degrees when driving at highway speeds trying to keep the car centered in the lane. (Adjusting the wheel to the left more then 5 degrees will cause the steering wheel to stick left requiring manually effort to return to center.) I informed my dealership (Metro Honda of Jersey City) of the steering feeling sticky but they couldn't replicate it at the time.
At speeds between 40 and 70 my 2021 Honda Civic EX Hatchback steering feels sticky when making small adjustments. There is a slight resistant in steering when a slight correction is needed. Once that resistant is overcome, the steering wheel jerks in the direction of the correction potentially causing an over correction. This is a safety problem and can cause an accident. I am not seeing any warning lights or warning noises.
The steering wheel gets stuck in lock position making the steering wheel feel sticky. Issue happens at highway speeds of around 40-60mph causing to overcorrect while driving.
The clutch began slipping while driving vehicle. Lost power and could not accelerate while on highway.
While driving the car began to smoke from under hood and engine stopped. Interior and under hood flooded with smoke and fire under hood. This was a major fire, fire company put it out. No repairs were made or needed on car since purchase October 2024.
The Steering Gearbox, Electronic Power Steering failed. The steering was resistant and sticks on the highway, causing jerking and overcorrection to control the vehicle. This was with both manual driving and Lane Assist. Took the vehicle to the local Honda dealership, they confirmed the problem, and replaced the steering gearbox, EPS, because it was still under warranty. However, this is the same exact part and this problem will occur again. The car did not display any warnings.
There’s a sticky notch in my steering that becomes noticeable at highway speeds. I see later models (2022-) already have been recalled by the exact issue is happening on my relatively new 2021 Civic
I went to my dealership for the recall on November seventh of 2025 and the service crew notified me that my car did not have the lug nuts Honda was worried about.
My steering wheel becomes "sticky" when I am accelerating 40mph and up. It is hard to make minor corrections without potentially over correcting due to the stickiness.
Steering wheel seems to "stick" when positioned in the center and "unsticking" it requires extra effort causing the wheel to jerk free and making you overcorrect for what would be a minor lane adjustment. It causes you to zig zag back and forth in your lane as you try to correct each time the steering wheel stick. It has happened to me multiple times on multi hour drives on the highway and persists until the end of the drive. The vehicle has not been inspected yet by any professionals and the first signs of the sticking issue appeared several weeks ago beginning this winter.
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the Lane Keep Steering Assist failed to function as intended. In addition, the contact stated that the steering wheel was sticking. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to two dealers, and the vehicle was diagnosed with steering rack assembly failure. The contact was informed that the steering rack assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. In addition, the contact stated that the failure was a known failure with the vehicle. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 36,200.
Vehicle is experiencing sticky steering. Same as discovered in recall report 24V-744. A ton of 10th generation owners are experiencing the same exact problems. You have over 1,200 reports on record for the 10th generation years. Please do something about this, it would be easy to add additional years into the report and get Honda to fix these cars before more people get hurt.
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving approximately 37 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The check engine, master cylinder, and adaptive cruise control warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the brake master cylinder, fuel pump, and ignition coils needed to be replaced. The contact researched and was made aware of an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 108,000.
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 to straighten it out after a turn and when making adjustments on the highway, the wheel jerks back and forth. Honda has refused to fix the issue since I am 9k miles out of warranty. The dealer diagnosed my issue as an internal failure of Honda's part and wants to charge me $5400 to replace their faulty steering rack. They refuse to cover this because I am out of warranty even though this is a safety issue and is the result of their faulty part.
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.
131 total