2020 Honda Accord

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 apparent obstruction in the vehicle's forward path, resulting in sudden vehicle deceleration. Honda indicated that they were aware of a total of X,XXX reports that may relate to the alleged defect. Honda provided analysis of the alleged defect and alleges that some customers possibly had an inadequate understanding of the CMBS and its limitations.  However, many consumer complaints allege that Honda dealerships were unable to reproduce the condition or state that they were informed that this is considered normal CMBS operation. To date, ODI has received a total of 1,294 consumer complaints of inadvertent activation of CMBS in 2017-2022 Honda CR-V and 2018-2022 Honda Accord vehicles. A total of 31 complaints alleged a crash and 50 alleged an injury.  The Total column in the Failure Report Summary removes duplicate reports and shows the total number of reports with unique VINs from all Manufacturer, ODI, and EWR data sources.  In some cases, there were multiple reports associated with a particular vehicle in which recurring failures were alleged.  In total, there were X,XXX reports, 93 injury incidents and 47 crashes involving vehicles with unique VINs that may relate to the alleged defect. PE22-003 has been upgraded to an Engineering Analysis to further assess the scope, frequency, and potential safety related consequences of the inadvertent AEB activations. The scope has been expanded to include assessment of model year 2020-2022 Honda CR-V and Accord vehicles. To review the ODI reports cited in the Opening Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.

The contact owns a 2020 Honda Accord. The contact stated that after coming to a stop, the vehicle experienced a loss of motive power, accompanied by multiple warning lights illuminating on the instrument cluster and an abnormal coolant odor entering the cabin. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where an inspection determined that the head gasket failed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where diagnostic testing determined that the engine and head gasket required replacement. The dealer informed the contact that coolant leaked into the engine, causing damage to the timing chain guides and timing chain tensioner. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact associated the failure with Technical Service Bulletin: 26-003. The failure mileage was 112,000.

NHTSA ID

11775899

Incident

Oct 8, 2026

Mileage

112,000 mi

A mechanic inspected or evaluated the vehicle and told me that the small fuel filter/strainer inside the fuel pump assembly may be causing the problem. The vehicle has intermittent starting difficulties, rough engine operation, and sudden loss of engine power while driving. The accelerator sometimes becomes unresponsive until I pull over, turn off the engine, and restart the vehicle. I am concerned about a possible fuel delivery system malfunction and the risk of losing power unexpectedly while driving. I am requesting an investigation into the fuel pump assembly and its internal filter.

NHTSA ID

11774951

Incident

Oct 8, 2026

Unknown cause - Heavy Traffic I get all warning lights (idiot) come on. No performance loss but every advisory and caution is illuminated. Tested battery 550amps and regulator was putting out 14 volts so all seemed fine. Check battery terminals and connections, all good. After two days lights go away and everything works fine. When lights and advisory are on, no cruise control, TMPS, lane departure, assisted steering, and anything else in the caution light display doesn't work. Good thing all other aspects of the car work fine. Unable to determine the issue with Why this happens. Seen on line others have had this same issue.

NHTSA ID

11774149

Incident

Oct 28, 2026

The contact owns a 2020 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 30 MPH, the Collision Mitigation Braking System unexpectedly engaged, causing the vehicle to come to an abrupt stop, and the vehicle jerked while there was no other vehicle or obstacle nearby. The local dealer was contacted by phone and advised the contact to bring the vehicle in for a diagnostic test. The failure mileage was approximately 82,605.

NHTSA ID

11773986

Incident

Oct 25, 2026

Mileage

82,605 mi

The contact owns a 2020 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH, several warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the battery was replaced; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to three independent mechanics, where the failure was confirmed, and the battery was replaced; however, the failure persisted. The contact stated that the battery was replaced four times within three and a half years. The contact stated that the warning lights turned off temporarily upon replacing the battery. The contact stated that the failure was a common issue.

NHTSA ID

11773718

Incident

Apr 26, 2023

On 09/18/2026, at 103,000 miles, my vehicle suffered a dangerous powertrain failure where numerous dashboard warning lights illuminated and the car suddenly dropped into "Limp Mode" with an immediate loss of acceleration while in active traffic. I took the vehicle to a certified Honda dealership, where technicians officially diagnosed the issue as a "Fuel System Too Rich" condition (Diagnostic Trouble Code P0172). The dealership confirmed that the factory-installed direct fuel injectors are failing prematurely and leaking raw fuel into the engine cylinders. This manufacturing defect causes severe engine oil dilution, where gasoline contaminates the oil pan, creating an immediate stalling hazard and an extreme risk of a high-speed rear-end collision. Online owner forums and dedicated global social media groups indicate that thousands of other 10th-generation Accord owners are experiencing this identical safety defect. Honda corporate has formally denied goodwill assistance, treating this severe engineering flaw as standard wear and tear. The vehicle and failed components are fully available for inspection upon federal request.

NHTSA ID

11773342

Incident

Sep 18, 2026

The Supplemental Restraint System Problem message along with the airbag light comes and goes on my dash randomly. Anytime I am able to take it to get scanned, it doesn’t show up. Then when I’m driving down the road it will randomly appear. It also appears sometimes when I first start the vehicle. My car has 66,200 miles on it and it first happened at 59,771 miles. The vehicle has never been roughly treated or heavy objects placed in the seats. I believe it is something electrical that is faulty because of failing Honda parts. My car shows there are no recalls for this, but other Accords do have a recall for this issue.

NHTSA ID

11770278

Incident

Sep 1, 2025

I was reversing my 2020 Honda accord and the power steering light came on. The power steering and steering wheel was hard. The steering then locked up. I couldn’t move the car. This could have been dangerous of another vehicle was coming. After shifting it back to drive, it went away. Now I am concerned the car may do this problem on the road.

NHTSA ID

11769001

Incident

Oct 5, 2026

Owner Notification Letter - a programming issue within the Wireless CarPlay and Android Auto software may cause an invalid "License Authentication Error" message to appear on the display audio screen after approximately 1,500 ignition ON/OFF cycles.

Tech Line Summary Article - Customers may report that the center display unit changes screens on its own, registers unintended inputs, or operates erratically without user interaction. The condition may be more noticeable when vehicle interior temperatures are elevated.

Service Bulletin - Under certain conditions, the cylinder head gasket effectiveness may be reduced which may cause vehicles to experience overheating, coolant loss, and/or misfire. In some cases, DTCs P0300 through P0304 may also be stored (DTCs are not required for repair).

Service Bulletin - Under certain conditions, the cylinder head gasket effectiveness may be reduced which may cause vehicles to experience overheating, coolant loss, and/or misfire. In some cases, DTCs P0300 through P0304 may also be stored (DTCs are not required for repair).

Dealer Message - On August 21st, 2026, American Honda issued a Product Update for certain 2018-2022 Accord and Accord Hybrid models that received the accessory Wireless CarPlay and Android Auto upgrade. Refer to Service Bulletin 26-068 for additional information regarding the Product Update.

Owner Notification Letter - Honda has developed software updates to the Honda Sensing system to enhance driver experience by modifying the circumstances when the advanced driver assist system (ADAS) decelerates the vehicle or the extent of deceleration. The software covers Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS), and Road Departure Mitigation (RDM).