Owner-reported complaints naming the brake system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2020 Honda CR-V submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 32 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
The 25 most recent of 32, in the owner's own words
All the safety lights came on on the dashboard suddenly the brake assist did not work. Honda tells me the brake servo is bad. This is a known defect as other 2020 crv hybrids were recalled for the same reason. It is a dangerous safety hazard.
I have experienced four instances of my vehicle braking (two very extreme) when nothing was nearby or in front of my vehicle. Two of these happened when passing through an intersection, but no other vehicles were nearby. Fortunately, no one was following close behind during two occasions, or I would have been rear ended. I mentioned this today while having my car serviced at the dealership(White’s Auto Mall in Hopkinsville, KY) but they wanted to charge me 207.00 for an inspection, which I didn’t think I should be responsible for paying. I have researched and found “phantom braking” to be a problem in my vehicle make and model.
On multiple occasions, this vehicle has initiated automated braking with no other vehicles in the immediate proximity. On 2 occasions, the automated braking has resulted in near misses of rear end collisions. This is an intermittently occurring fault that has become more frequent as of late. The vehicle has <100k on the odometer. The vehicle was taken to the local Honda dealer and their investigative procedure included an 8 min test drive of less than 5 miles and reported that there was nothing wrong with the system. No attempt to make any corrections or improvements was attempted.
The contact owns a 2020 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving in a parking lot and depressing the brake pedal, there was a clunking sound coming from the braking system before the brakes became inoperable. The contact forcefully depressed the brake pedal, and the vehicle eventually came to a stop. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with an electrical wiring short. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 13,000.
The contact owns a 2020 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, the brake warning light flashed and illuminated, and the vehicle hesitated while depressing the brake pedal. Neither an independent mechanic nor a dealer was contacted. The failure had occurred four times. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 44,505.
The brake warning light remains illuminated on the dashboard even when the parking brake is fully disengaged and while the vehicle is in motion. Same when the car is on or turned off. The brake warning light remain on continuously. Because this warning light is associated with the braking system, it creates uncertainty about whether the braking system and related safety systems are functioning properly while the vehicle is being driven. This raises safety concerns. The vehicle currently has approximately 50,000 miles and has been regularly maintained. The vehicle was inspected by a Honda dealership. After evaluation, the dealership indicated the issue may be related to the VSA (Vehicle Stability Assist) modulator. However, they stated they cannot confirm with certainty that replacing this component will resolve the issue. This will be an expensive repair with no warranty that’s the issue. All other possible issues with pads brake system, wires…were discarded and no code showed on the initial test. Since this warning involves a critical safety system and the cause has not been clearly identified, I am concerned this may represent a potential defect or premature failure of a braking system component.
I was driving the vehicle when all of a sudden all of the lights appeared on the dashboard.i took it in to the dealership and was told it was due to PO172 code.
Vehicle was parked on a slight incline with transmission in Park and electronic parking brake engaged. Engine was running. While unloading groceries, driver leaned into vehicle and pressed the engine start/stop button to turn the vehicle off. Immediately after engine shutoff, the vehicle began rolling backward. Driver attempted to re-engage Park and electronic parking brake multiple times without effect. Vehicle continued rolling for approximately 20–30 seconds before stopping. Driver’s foot was run over by the vehicle, resulting in injury. No warning messages were observed prior to the incident. Cause unknown. Vehicle remains available for inspection.
Traveling at 70 mph on I-5, Washington State, a warning message telling us the braking system was compromised, referencing "VSA", part so the stability control system. We pulled over and turned the car off, deleting the message. Within two miles of proceeding along the road the display presented a message saying the parking/emergency brake was malfunctioning, at 70 mph. Three days later my wife was backing up in the driveway and the car applied the brakes and would not proceed. When my wife engaged the forward gear the car did drive forward while cycling various error messages. It, via computer interpretation, determines how the brake fluid pressure is applied/distributed to all and any of the braking systems. Some systems are automatically initiated and others are initiated by the driver. These systems include the auto-emergency braking, the application of the electric foot brakes, the parking brake among others. We had the car delivered to the local dealership with the above information. The dealer ran an OBD scan and decided that the electric servo booster. I do not challenge this decision. My concern is that this malfunction has triggered a recall in Japan and that there are worldwide reports of the malfunction. Please have someone look into this system failure with Honda.
I was driving this vehicle (2020 Honda CRV hybrid touring) and the brakes became very hard to stop. It was like standard braking without power assist and required great effort to stop the vehicle. Many warnings appeared on the dash including: 1. Brake system problem 2. Electric parking brake problem 3. Brake hold system problem 4. Hill start assist problem 5. Collision mitigation system problem 6. Vehicle stability assist (VSA) problem 7. Road departure mitigation problem 8. Adaptive cruise control problem The emergency brake light is on and won't go away. Sometimes when you start it, the warnings will clear after pressing the "!" button. Other times they won't clear making it not driveable because of the hard braking. I took it to First Class Halt and they found some code they had never seen. They cleared the code and 2 days later it started up with the same thing. I took it to Hendrick Honda and they also just cleared a code. A few days later it started all over making the car undriveable at least in a safe manner with full control over the brakes. It seems that neither an independent shop nor a Honda dealership can correct this dangerous problem.
The contact owns a 2020 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that approximately four times while driving approximately 35 MPH, the brake warning light flashed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that the vehicle unexpectedly came to a complete stop for several seconds before unintendedly accelerating. The contact expressed concerns about driving the vehicle with his grandchildren inside the vehicle due to the failures. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic; however, the failure was not duplicated. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer who also failed to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 58,000.
The contact owns a 2020 Honda CR-V. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, the brake pedal depressed independently, and the contact heard a beeping sound coming from the instrument panel. The contact stated that the passenger who was asleep inside the vehicle, struck the dashboard with his hands; however, there was no injury reported. The contact also stated that while coming to a stop and depressing the brake pedal, the message “BRAKE” was displayed on the instrument panel. The contact stated that a dealer was contacted. There was warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not taken the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 66,000.
Recently ([XXX]) my wife was left stranded away from home when our 2020 CR-V started but would not go into any gear and had multiple warning messages about system failures including brake system problem (No Working Brakes), electric parking brake problem, tire pressure monitor problem, transmission system problem and auto engine idle stop system problem. If she had removed the [XXX] that cut the wires while driving the brakes would have stopped working. She had to call for a tow truck to take her to the Honda dealer. The Honda Technician found that wires running under the rear view mirror had been cut by the [XXX] she uses causing a short and a malfunction of the computer system. The repair cost was $2451. This is an obvious design flaw by Honda. My wife is a [XXX] and all [XXX] are designed to hang over the rear view mirror. Honda should not have left exposed wires there under the rearview mirror, they should have been enclosed and protected. Anyone using a [XXX] is at risk of cutting these wires which makes the vehicle undriveable. [XXX] people are most at risk of being stranded. Anyone with a 2020 Honda CR-V and using a [XXX] should be warned about this problem immediately. Our vehicle was repaired at Honda of Stevens Creek in San Jose CA and the repair bill was $2451. The technician even did a video showing how the [XXX] cut the wire. We request that Honda reimburse us for our repair cost of $2451 and for Honda to fix this issue before more [XXX] people are left stranded.
This 2020 Honda CR-V has experienced 5 uncommanded automatic braking events so far. All 5 events were in wet conditions, with no apparent obstacle in front of the vehicle. One of these events occurred on I-35 at 70mph, and resulted in a full stop with the car facing oncoming traffic. The Collision Mitigation Braking System frequently provides false warnings in this vehicle.
The break pedal felt stiff and I had hard time coming to a stop. That was going on for a few days until the car was dropped off for service. The reason was a break booster failure. We were told that it never happens. Even though the car only had about 15K miles we were out of warranty so had to pay $2400 to get it fixed. We filed a claim with Honda but were denied in reimbursement. Honda had break booster recalls in multiple models but not this one. However, there's no reason for the break booster failure other than a manufacturer's defect.
My dashboard continues to show the message, “Low Tire Pressure.” Even after air has been filled in the tire. I ran a diagnostic today and the report is pulling up anti-lock brakes issues. The sensor is not stating this on the dashboard.
Brakes lock up intermittently when trying to start the car. Happened once when I was sitting in traffic.
BREAKS STOPPED WORKING AND ALL WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON ON THE DASHBOARD. RAN OFF THE ROAD AND RAN OVER A SIGN CAUSING DAMAGE TO Rf QUARTERPANEL. THE LEALER SIAD THAT MY HABNDICAP PLACKART HAD CUT THROUGH THE WIRING IN THE REAR VIEW MIRROR, SHORTING OUT THE SYSTEM. THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL TO FIX THE PROBLEM. THE PLACKARD WAS BEIG HUNG AS INTENDED. PLACKARDAS ARE HARD PLASTIC AND COULD CUT THROUGH INSULATION.
My wife and family left Evans, Georgia, on 06-Apr-2023 for their first cruise that departed from Miami, Florida. As they traveled down the interstate on 07-Apr-2023, the cruise date, the vehicle's right brake came off. My daughter steered the CR-V to safety without causing a major accident on a major Interstate Highway. They contacted the local Honda, Brickell Honda, 690 S. W. 8th Street, Miami, Florida, who dispatched a tow truck. The Service Representative was [XXX]. She asked whether the brakes had been worked on before; they had never since purchased the CR-V. Also, she confirmed that the damage was not due to road debris. Brickell Honda repaired the CR-V for $1151.31. The communication with Brickell Honda was good while the CR-V was in the shop. However, when we tried to reach out to the Service Advisor after the repairs were completed, it differed from Honda's standards. She failed to respond to our calls, voicemail, and text message. On 23 Apr 2023, I decided to have my local Honda, Gerald Jones Honda, 4022 Washington Road, Martinez, GA, review the work completed by Brickell Honda. They did not know why the brakes would have came-off, but they noticed the right rear brake line tangled up and the bolt left loose. These were things that Brickell Honda left undone, putting my family at risk! According to Gerald Jones Honda, fixing those things would cost an additional $175.00. We paid $201.25 for Gerald Jones Honda Diagnostic. “INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).”
Five separate times when starting the car the brakes shake and a message shows up on the dashboard "Brake System" - "Brake System Problem" - "Electric Parking Brake Problem". The car had less than 25,000 miles when I first saw this message. I am not an expert but seems like an electrical problem.
Brake intermittently does not push down making it impossible to start the car. I have to open the door and close it then the brake will go down. Also, one time I was stopped while driving trying to get out in traffic and the brake came up and was hard as a rock. I quickly opened the door and closed it and the brake went back down. I have had it at the dealership about this 3 times. The third time the service department Forman had it happen to him but he said he didn’t know why. Nothing was done.
The car brakes have a delay to engage. My vehicle rolled forward 5 feet when brakes disengaged. The brake pedal makes a clunking sound after foot is removed. There is a slight delay between brake release and clunking sound. They stick and car slides forward.
On several separate occasions our Honda 2020 CRV has applied braking in circumstances where it should not have. On one occasion the vehicle ahead was maintaining the same speed and distance and our car applied brakes although the vehicle ahead was more car lengths ahead than 1 per 10 MPH. On other occasions there were no vehicles ahead or beside, while we were traveling at highway speeds on open highway and the car abruptly applied brakes. In each instance the braking stopped after a short jerk. In other words, it behaved as if the driver had lightly tapped the brakes, although that was not the case.
We were cruising along Rt 130 in New Jersey when suddenly the Automatic Emergency Braking System "Brake" flashed on my dashboard and my vehicle braked for a while (from 50mph to 30mph) although there were no cars or any obstacles ahead of us. I had to step on the gas pedal to avoid any rear-end collision on me. Luckily, there were no vehicle behind me at that time.
Almost 2 weeks ago I was driving on the Florida Turnpike (about 77mph) and suddenly the gas quit on the car. It slower down to about 50mph as I kept trying to give it gas but to no avail. Meanwhile I was lucky enough to be able to steer it into the right lane. This seemed to last a long time but in. truth it was probably only about 5 - 7 seconds. Then suddenly the gas came back on. This happened two more times during the same trip but these were shorter in duration amounting to a big hiccup on the gas. It has never happened to me again. I took it to the Honda dealer. They said they took it out for a spin and couldn't replicate it and had no idea what was wrong. Now I rarely drive on roads that are high speed so perhaps that is why it has not happened again. I see that you are investigating a similar issue for CRV's that are 2018 -19 but mine is 2020. It sounds as though it's the same problem. Luckily I was never in an accident with the car so the police and insurance was never involved.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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