2021 Honda HR-V: What to check before buying

Most of these reports are about a recall repair that dealers cannot finish. Owners got notice of air bag recall 24V064000, then learned the replacement part was not yet available. Many say the wait has gone on far too long. Few describe an actual air bag failure. Two crash reports involve injuries, with deployed bags striking the driver's face and eye. In one, the collision repair also stalled because a replacement driver's seat belt was on national back order.

The right side of the instrument display, which shows the fuel gauge, odometer, and miles to empty, goes blank, flickers, or shows scrambled readings. Most reports link it to cold weather. Some say it comes back only after the car warms up or has run for about 20 minutes. The main worry is running out of fuel with no warning. A dealer mechanic blamed a bad connection, but no confirmed fix appears in these reports. Others describe power locks failing after rain, doors locking on their own while driving, and the battery going dead after the doors were left open.

The CVT transmission fails, and dealers find metal particles or shavings in the fluid. Drivers say the car loses the ability to accelerate on the highway with no warning lights beforehand, which led to near collisions. One owner outside warranty was told to pay for the repair. That owner points out that 2016-2020 HR-Vs got a warranty extension for a similar problem. On a nearly new car, the transmission was slow to engage from reverse to drive on cold mornings and slipped under hard braking. The dealer could not reproduce it.

The car lurches forward unexpectedly at low speed, either while parking or when shifting from neutral into drive with the brake pressed. One of these events ended in a crash into a tree, and the dealer could not reproduce the fault. Another report describes the brakes applying on their own, including while slowing for a light, which raises the risk of being rear-ended. Five dealer visits, a camera adjustment, and a wheel alignment did not fix it.

The car loses power or will not accelerate when the gas pedal is pressed, at low speed and on the interstate, with no warning lights. Dealers told owners the car was working as designed or that the behavior comes from the software. In the most serious report, the car stopped on its own at about 60 mph after a whining noise. The dealer traced that failure to the CVT at about 124,208 miles, and the manufacturer covered the repair as goodwill.

The automatic braking system slams on the brakes at highway speed with nothing ahead. A beep and a grinding noise come with it, and it happens again and again over weeks. Another report describes the opposite problem, with the car creeping forward while stopped at lights unless the driver presses harder on the pedal. A third mentions a scraping sound, as if the parking brake were on. None of these reports mention a warning light.

The wheel stiffens, sticks during turns, or pulls the wrong way. In one report, it pulled against the driver and the car hit concrete sidewalls, leaving the driver with body and neck pain. Another describes the wheel sticking in turns at 30 to 40 mph and not returning to center. On straight roads, it sometimes feels like it locks and unlocks. Both reports describe a loss of control while driving.