2020 Honda CR-V Engine Problems

On the evening of [XXX], I started my vehicle while it was parked in my garage. Within approximately five minutes, the vehicle suddenly produced a violent and unusually loud mechanical noise, followed by visible smoke billowing from beneath the hood. Recognizing the immediate potential fire and safety hazard to both myself and my property, I immediately shut the vehicle down. The following morning, I took directly to Honda North, an authorized Honda dealership in Clovis, California, for a professional diagnostic inspection. The dealership's certified inspection determined that the A/C compressor had suffered a catastrophic internal mechanical failure and had completely seized. According to the dealership, the compressor's internal failure while the system was operating resulted in metallic debris being circulated throughout and contaminating the A/C system. This catastrophic seizure heavily strained the engine's drive belt system. The failure was a direct result of the factory compressor shaft seal leaking out all system refrigerant and lubricating oil, causing the unit to run dry and seize. As a result, the dealership determined that replacing only the failed compressor would not be sufficient to properly restore the system. The recommended repair requires a complete A/C system overhaul, including replacement of the compressor, condenser, expansion valve, and associated refrigerant lines/components. Honda has openly acknowledged this exact factory defect in Service Bulletin 23-040, extending the shaft seal warranty to 10 years. However, Honda Corporate Customer Service is refusing responsibility for the downstream consequential destruction caused by their own defective component, citing only general vehicle age and mileage, despite the vehicle having 55,782 miles and sitting well within the 10-year extended warranty window. They have refused to provide an engineering justification or written analysis for this safety-related coverage denial. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA),

NHTSA ID

11756507

Incident

Aug 12, 2026

When driving on highway, the engine light came on and the car suddenly slowed down causing me concern about traffic around me still going at highway speed. Not understanding what the issue was and afraid the car would lose all power, I was able to shift lanes quickly to get to the breakdown lane. I was able to get the car to Honda Dealer driving at slow speed using back roads. The Honda Dealer confirmed an engine misfire caused the engine light and slowdown. The cause of the misfire was coolant leaking into engine cylinder and would require replacing the head gasket to fix the problem. The car had 75,000 miles and had been running fine until that point.

NHTSA ID

11753213

Incident

Jun 30, 2026

Faulty head gasket. Car is 2020 honda crv with 113,000 miles on it. Brought it honda because the dashboard lit up and all lights came on. Honda inspected it and stated it was coolant leaking into cylinder 2 and my car has shown no issues if this happening. After doing research, many have mentioned faulty head gaskets in the 10 gen hondas.

NHTSA ID

11751166

Incident

Jul 15, 2026

The contact owns a 2020 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended and failed to exceed 50 MPH while depressing the accelerator pedal. The message "Cooling System Failure" was displayed, and the check engine warning light was illuminated. The dealer was contacted and advised that the vehicle should not be driven to prevent additional damage. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and was diagnosed with a blown head gasket. The head gasket and other unknown parts were replaced at the owner's expense, and the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to report the failure to the NHTSA Hotline. The failure mileage was approximately 112,000.

NHTSA ID

11751000

Incident

Jul 7, 2026

Mileage

112,000 mi

I got onto the free and accelerated to the speed limit. I glanced at my dash and saw the check engine light start flashing. I could feel the car start to lose power and handle differently than normal. I immediately pulled to the shoulder and had the car towed to the dealership. They diagnosed it as having a blown head gasket and that coolant had gotten into 1 of the cylinders. The adviser informed me that 2018-2022 1.5 turbo and hybrid engines have been having issues with blown head gaskets. I had also been seeing complaints of that on social media before this happened to mine. My vehicle has over 100k miles and it isn’t even 6 years old. I have had older Hondas, acuras and Toyotas with similar mileage or more and no issues like this. If so many drivers are having blown head gaskets Honda needs to be looked into for this and have a recall to repair their defect. The service adviser told me it was nothing I had done to my vehicle to cause this. I get oil changes when the maintenance light comes on and I have completed scheduled maintenance on my vehicle. I also use Costco gas 95% of the time and only use other brands when traveling.

NHTSA ID

11748957

Incident

Jul 6, 2026

The contact owns a 2020 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was coasted off to the shoulder of the highway and restarted. The vehicle went into LIMP Mode after restarting. The vehicle was slowly driven to the local dealer. The vehicle was diagnosed, and it was determined that there was a misfire in cylinder #4. The contact was informed that additional diagnostic tests were needed to determine the cause of the failure. The contact inquired several times about the vehicle, but was not given a direct answer or updates on the vehicle. The vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,500.

NHTSA ID

11747248

Incident

Jun 27, 2026

Mileage

50,500 mi

My 2020 CR-v hybrid has suddenly lost power on the freeway a total of 4 times in the 6 years I've owned it. It is always at freeway speeds. The flashing engine light appears and the car loses power. After pulling over, turning off the car, and waiting a few minutes, the car can be turned on and driven with no more flashing engine light and no more problems for months. Each time I've taken it to the dealer and each time they haven't been able to replicate or find the problem. I've been told that error codes were not generated. I purchased my car new in July 2020, and the power-loss incidents were: - Fall 2020 - Summer 2022 - December 2024 - June 2026 A google search shows that many other crv hybrid owner have experienced the same problem, and also have had service technicians unable to find problem. This is a major safety concern.

NHTSA ID

11742237

Incident

Oct 10, 2020

I am the second owner of this vehicle. Upon purchase, i chose to purchase all extended warranties so that I had minimal out of pocket costs to maintain and repair my vehicle. I had the vehicle maintained regularly at LaFontaine Honda in Dearborn. A couple days before my scheduled service in December 2025, several warning lights became lit on the dash. I called the LaFontaine Honda, expressed my concerns and asked if I could bring the vehicle in immediately. I brought the vehicle in on December 3, 2025, and after several hours of diagnostics, it was determined that the engine needed to be replaced. Vehicle mileage was 121,766 and I was informed that the warranty expired at 120,000. Tried to call Honda for assistance and they stated there was no assistance available, I would have to pay for the repairs. This Dealer serviced my vehicle the entire time that I owned it for 2 1/2 years. I purchased all extended warranties, and they would not help me. They only said they would put me in another vehicle put the negative equity in my new car loan. I was then ghosted by the service manager and sales manager. I had to go elsewhere and pay $8,595.76 for a used engine. I paid for the extended warranty and when I really needed it, Honda failed me.

NHTSA ID

11735642

Incident

Dec 3, 2025

For the last two years, our CR-V has had random engine failures where the car will lose power and the ability to accelerate. If you're going uphill it will stop entirely, otherwise you can usually limp along at about 20mph. We've taken the car in to the Honda dealer multiple times with no fix. We've had to abandon the car since Honda won't fix it and it's a complete safety hazard. The final incident happened while I was driving in a tunnel in a 60mph zone. The car died and I had nowhere to pull off so I was forced to slowly crawl through the tunnel as cars flew by me going 70mph. I was finally able to get out of the tunnel and pull over in a remotely safe place. Once you turn the car off, the system resets and you can drive again until the issue happens again. Honda diagnosed the issue, reproduced and confirmed the issue and, despite having an 8-year full warranty we bought when we bought the car new, they refused to fix it stating that they simply aren't able to. Their recommendation was to take the car and monitor the issue, despite confirming the extreme danger the car poses to us. We've asked them to replace the car with anything of similar value that won't be a safety threat, or buy the car back since we can't drive it. It's been sitting at the dealership for the last month and a half. We've now been forced to hire an attorney to help resolve this since Honda is refusing to take accountability for selling a completely unsafe vehicle.

NHTSA ID

11733780

Incident

Jan 20, 2026

On April 13, 20026 while traveling on a divided highway at about 70 mph, the car suddenly experienced rapid de-acceleration, similar to if someone slammed on the brakes. At the same time all dashboard warning lights began flashing. The car had failed and couldn't be driven. The Honda dealer in Rochester Minnesota said the turbocharger had failed. This was a very dangerous situation as it posed a real risk of being hit from behind by others who were still travelling at high speed while the failed car was dramatically slowing and trying to get off the road. This an unreasonable risk of injury and death not only to the driver and occupants but also to the general public and other nearby drivers and occupants. The Honda dealer in Rochester inspected and repaired the failed turbocharger and flushed the system and oil as required. The charge was $5,042.41 to replace the turbocharger and $736.48 to flush and change with fresh oil. This is without tax. Full invoice is available upon request. The Honda dealer inspected the car. No police report was filed. The car was towed back into Rochester by AAA. There was no warning lamps prior to the incident. The cars maintenance was up-to-date and has only about 60,00 miles. For a [XXX] old car, an engine failure that creates a serious risk of injury or death to the driver and public would suggest a recall is necessary to maintain public safety and make owner's whole. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11732224

Incident

Apr 13, 2026

1. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The fuel delivery system and engine power management. The vehicle suffers from sudden "Limp Mode" activation and total loss of acceleration. The vehicle is available for inspection. 2. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? My safety was severely compromised when the vehicle suddenly lost power while traveling at highway speeds. This occurred twice in high-speed traffic, creating an immediate risk of a rear-end collision as the vehicle could no longer maintain the flow of traffic or accelerate away from danger. 3. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? No. The issue was reported to a dealer in 2024, but because the malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) turned off after a restart, the dealer was unable to reproduce the failure or find stored error codes at that time. 4. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Yes, it was inspected by an authorized Honda dealer in 2024, but no repairs or actions were taken as they could not replicate the fault. 5. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No. There were no prior symptoms or early warnings. In both incidents (2024 and yesterday), the engine light illuminated simultaneously with a sudden, localized loss of speed and a total inability to power up or accelerate while on the highway.

NHTSA ID

11729973

Incident

Apr 7, 2026

The contact owns a 2020 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle hesitated while maintaining automotive power. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic, where the mechanic retrieved DTC: P219F, and there were misfires with cylinders #3 and #4. The local dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired due to the costs. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

NHTSA ID

11729870

Incident

Nov 15, 2025

Mileage

50,000 mi

The contact owns a 2020 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle suddenly decelerated with the check engine warning light flashing off and on. The vehicle was slowly driven to a nearby gas station. The vehicle was restarted and operated normally and was immediately driven to the local dealer. The local dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure had occurred once before. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact was informed of the NHTSA Action Number: PE25016 (ENGINE); and associated the failure with the NHTSA Action Number. The failure mileage was 27,327.

NHTSA ID

11728572

Incident

Aug 1, 2024

Mileage

27,327 mi

All warning lights began going off in car as driving. No overheating and search indicated it may be due to battery needing replacement. Drove to Honda dealer/service to have vehicle inspected and was informed Turbo charger failed. Between research done and a call to our local dealer and was told this is a common issue. Diagnostic report and quote for new engine and turbo attached. Please note they did not perform the search to confirm there is metal in the engine.

NHTSA ID

11727658

Incident

Feb 27, 2026

Mileage

100,699 mi

The contact owns a 2020 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle started losing automotive power. The check engine warning light started flashing and then remained illuminated, and the vehicle failed to accelerate above 15 MPH. The contact stated that the battery was drained and showed only one bar of battery charge on the instrument panel. The contact stated that after pulling over and restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal operation. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times; however, the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

NHTSA ID

11727479

Incident

Jan 5, 2026

Mileage

70,000 mi

I am experiencing intermittent loss of motive power. Without warning at highway speeds I get a flashing check engine light immediately before the loss of motive power occurs. Motive power can be restored by turning the ignition off and back on. However, this action also clears the check engine light and any fault codes that were set. I drive with a code reader in the car and have received a P0302 code. This has happened at least five times since May 2024. It is available for inspection. I have brought it into a Honda dealership for repairs, they have changed the fuel injectors and pistons and it is still occurring. I was told this time that they did not know what was wrong so they could not repair anything. The safety of myself, my husband, and my seven month old daughter was out at risk as it occurs when traveling over 55 miles/hour and we lose power. We have to try and navigate to the side of the road to turn on and off the car. This problem was reproduced by a dealer this last time it went into the shop and it is there currently. The vehicle has only been inspected by Keeler Honda in Latham, New York. There were no other warnings prior to this failure. It has occurred multiple times, May 2024, November 2024, Feb 2025, March 2026 I have a video of what happens but I cannot upload it. This is exactly what is happening in NHTSA Action Number: PE25016

NHTSA ID

11727234

Incident

Mar 16, 2026

My issue seems consistent with NHTSA Action Number PE25016. On March 4, 2026, I was driving and my check engine light start flashing. Shortly thereafter, I lost motive power. I was driving approximately 50 mph at the time. I pulled over and turned my car off and then back on, at which point the check engine light turned off and motive power was restored. I brought my car into the dealership later that day and was told there was nothing wrong with my car as they could not find a fault code and did not experience the loss of motive power while test driving my car. On March 10, 2026, I was driving and my check engine started flashing but I did not lose motive power. On March 14, 2026, I was driving and my check engine light started flashing. Shortly thereafter, I lost motive power. I was driving approximately 50 mph at the time. I pulled over and turned my car off and then back on, at which point the check engine light turned off and motive power was restored.

NHTSA ID

11724290

Incident

Mar 4, 2026

The contact's daughter owns a 2020 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that upon taking the vehicle to an independent mechanic for an oil change, the contact was informed that there was a mixture of oil and fuel in the oil pan. The contact stated that while checking the engine compartment later, there was an abnormally strong fuel odor coming from the engine compartment. Several unknown warning lights were temporarily illuminated. Several unknown dealers were contacted and confirmed that the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was unreachable. The failure mileage was 50,399.

NHTSA ID

11720372

Incident

Feb 25, 2026

Mileage

50,399 mi

The same issue has happened twice. I'm driving on the highway, going maybe 60 or 65, and with no warning, the check engine light starts flashing and the car won't respond to the gas pedal. The car immediately starts to rapidly decelerate, and I can only try to get to the breakdown lane before I get rear-ended. I've been lucky (especially since my child was in the backseat both times). But when I stop the car, turn it off, then turn it on again, everything is fine. I can get back on the highway, and no problems occur. The codes are not stored, however, so I can't know what caused the problem. When this happened the first time (last year), I took it to the Honda dealer where I bought it, and they said they had never heard of this happening. When it happened the second time in January, I called Honda, spoke to an agent who gave me a case number (XXX), and said she has heard of something like this from other drivers, but the solutions were all different, so she couldn't say what would fix it for me. I did some internet research, and found other drivers who describe the exact same issue: [XXX] I've switched to premium gasoline ($$) and won't let it get lower than 1/4 full, and have an OBDII scanner in my glove compartment ready to go if it happens again. That said, this is a very dangerous defect, and I feel unsafe in my car. I am disturbed that a problem of with such potentially serious consequences has no solution that anyone can offer me. (Note: When I go to submit this, the final form leaves off the last # of the VIN. I tried to correct, but it happened again. The VIN is [XXX] , 2020 Honda CRV Hybrid. Best VIN ever.) INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11715938

Incident

Jan 16, 2026

Every dashboard light came on. Engine, brake and all the adaptive controls were flashing. The whole dash was lit up and my cruise control and lane assist wouldn’t work. Among other things I’m sure. I want to know if this is going to happen again and what about the head gasket now? Can you do the update/ thermostat on my vehicle since obviously it is defective? The car only has 65,000 miles on it. I always heard Hondas were the best vehicles. This is now very concerning. Please advise.

NHTSA ID

11707866

Incident

Dec 1, 2025

This past year, on 10 occasions, the car misfires and loses power. All but 1 of these occurrences have been on the highway. The check engine light blinks, I pull over, turn the car off, wait a couple minutes, start the car, and the problem disappears. I have had the codes checked by both Honda and my personal mechanic - and neither can find a code that anything is wrong with the car. I have replaced the battery and 4 spark plugs but the issue keeps happening - more so recently as the weather is a little colder now. I am submitting the date of the most recent occurrence - but this has been happening since January of 2025.

NHTSA ID

11707651

Incident

Dec 21, 2025

My car lost roughly half its power while traveling in heavy traffic on the interstate. The engine light in the lower left hand corner of the dash began blinking at the same time. I was able to get off the interstate whereupon I turned the car off and then restarted it. This cured the problem and it has not happened in the week since. No one has inspected the problem, but I have an appointment with the dealer on November 4, 2025.

NHTSA ID

11696944

Incident

Oct 27, 2025

Driving at approx 45mph local road and suddenly the all warning lights (brake, check engine, hill descent, etc) started flashing. The car started to slow down and I immediately pulled over and turned the car off. Drove to local Honda dealership and they stated it was faulty fuel injector. 2020 Honda CRV @96k miles

NHTSA ID

11657742

Incident

Apr 24, 2025

My 2020 Honda CRV’s crankshaft front oil seal failed. Typically not a problem you see in five year old cars.

NHTSA ID

11651484

Incident

Mar 29, 2025

The fuel injectors failed and were leaking. All warning system lights displayed and scrolled thru dash. We took to Honda dealership and are awaiting repairs. A fire hazard was present from leaking fuel and hazardous condition from lose of power as engine running rough and misfiring.

NHTSA ID

11633437

Incident

Dec 30, 2024

Mileage

53,884 mi