2020 Honda Passport

On June 3, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE22005 after the agency received VOQs and several field reports concerning the Auto Idle Stop (AIS) feature on 2016-2019MY Honda Pilot vehicles. The complaints allege that the engine fails to restart on its own from a complete stop at a traffic light or road intersection with the AIS function engaged. The subject vehicles are equipped with a 3.5L engine with a 9-speed automatic transmission. On January 6, 2023, Honda released service bulletins 23-008 and 23-009. These service bulletins address the failure to restart issue in the 2016-2019MY Honda Pilot vehicles, as well as the 2015-2020 Acura TLX, 2016-2020 Acura MDX, 2019-2022 Honda Passport, and 2020-2023 Honda Ridgeline vehicles. The repair outlined in the service bulletins is a two-stage countermeasure to remedy the issue. The first stage is a Programmed Fuel Injection (“PGM-FI”) software update. The second stage is only deployed if the software update fails to remedy the issue. The second stage, depending on the model and model year, consists of replacement of the starter assembly, starter relays, and a valve adjustment. Additionally, Honda extended the warranty coverage to 10 years with unlimited mileage for vehicles requiring the second stage component replacement. ODI continues to receive complaints of the AIS failure to restart, with many complainants alleging the campaign countermeasures had been completed.NHTSA has reviewed Honda's Information Request Letter responses involving warranty claims, lawsuits, and consumer complaints in addition to ODI's own data. This Engineering Analysis is being opened to further consider the potential safety defect, including gathering additional data regarding Honda’s service campaign efficacy. ODI is additionally expanding the scope to encompass all vehicles addressed in Honda’s service bulletins 23-008 and 23-009 as well as newer model year vehicles, which are substantially similar to the vehicles covered by the service campaign. To review the ODI reports cited in the Opening Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.

On March 7, 2024, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE24008) to assess reports of inadvertent activation of the Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) system in model year 2019-2022 Honda Insight and 2019-2022 Honda Passport vehicles. The complainants allege activation of the AEB system with no apparent obstruction in the vehicle's path, resulting in rapid vehicle deceleration. Honda indicated that it is aware of a total of 412 reports that may relate to the alleged defect. Honda provided analysis of the alleged defect and stated that some customers possibly had an inadequate understanding of the AEB system and its limitations. However, many consumer complaints received by ODI allege that Honda dealerships were unable to reproduce the condition or state that Honda dealerships informed the consumer that this is considered normal AEB operation. To date, ODI has received a total of 106 consumer complaints of inadvertent activation of AEB in the subject vehicles.In total, ODI reviewed 475 reports involving vehicles with unique VINs that may relate to the alleged defect. Of the reports reviewed by ODI, three (3) allege a crash caused by the inadvertent activation of AEB and two (2) allege injury. This Engineering Analysis is being opened to further assess the scope, frequency, and potential safety related consequences of the inadvertent AEB activations. Further, the scope of the investigation is being expanded to include assessment of model year 2023 Honda Passport vehicles. To review the ODI reports cited in the Opening Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.

On March 7, 2024, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened a Preliminary Evaluation (PE24008) to assess reports of inadvertent activation of the Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) system in model year 2019-2022 Honda Insight and 2019-2022 Honda Passport vehicles. The complainants allege activation of the AEB system with no apparent obstruction in the vehicle's path, resulting in rapid vehicle deceleration. Honda indicated that it is aware of a total of 412 reports that may relate to the alleged defect. Honda provided analysis of the alleged defect and stated that some customers possibly had an inadequate understanding of the AEB system and its limitations. However, many consumer complaints received by ODI allege that Honda dealerships were unable to reproduce the condition or state that Honda dealerships informed the consumer that this is considered normal AEB operation. To date, ODI has received a total of 106 consumer complaints of inadvertent activation of AEB in the subject vehicles.In total, ODI reviewed 475 reports involving vehicles with unique VINs that may relate to the alleged defect. Of the reports reviewed by ODI, three (3) allege a crash caused by the inadvertent activation of AEB and two (2) allege injury. This Preliminary Evaluation is being upgraded to an Engineering Analysis (EA25002) to further assess the scope, frequency, and potential safety related consequences of the inadvertent AEB activations. Further, the scope of the Engineering Analysis is being expanded to include assessment of model year 2023 Honda Passport vehicles. To review the ODI reports cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.

The front multipurpose camera system failed, triggering multiple safety warning lights simultaneously, including ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control), LKAS (Lane Keeping Assist System), and related camera-dependent safety systems, along with a "Multipurpose Camera Unit" fault code U3000-49. The failure pattern has been intermittent and inconsistent: on some drives, warning lights are absent at startup and appear after several minutes of driving; on other occasions the warnings appear immediately at startup; duration before onset varies from trip to trip. This vehicle falls within the range covered by a prior Honda recall (Recall 19-020 / NHTSA Campaign for 2019-2020 Passport) addressing software programming errors in the front control module causing improper display of instrument panel and delayed or missing rearview camera images. The current failure presents similar camera-related safety system symptoms. A dealership inspection recommended replacement of the multipurpose camera unit at an estimated cost of approximately $2,000, without confirming the root cause of the failure. Safety concern: Loss of ACC, LKAS, and related driver-assist camera systems while driving, with warnings appearing unpredictably during operation, some minutes into a drive rather than at startup, suggesting a fault that may not always be evident during a pre-drive check.

NHTSA ID

11756246

Incident

Aug 3, 2026

In April 2024 on a road trip to [XXX], the engine suffered a catastrophic failure without warning near [XXX]. The connecting rod or rods broke, and one of them exited the engine. State Police and Local Fire Department responded because a passer-by saw smoke from the expired engine and reported a fire - there was no fire, but the engine oil was leaking down onto the exhaust pipes, causing smoke. The local Honda dealership in Bloomington, IL and Honda itself were not very cooperative, claiming the engine was not maintained properly. I submitted our mechanic's records as proof twice to Honda, yet they still resisted. Finally I contacted the original Honda of Naperville dealership where we bought the vehicle, and that got Honda to partially refund the money (under extended warranty) that we spent to repair the motor. In the end, the motor was replaced with a used 25,000 mile unit, which was the only option under the warranty. That did not sit well with us, so we capitulated, accepted the used engine, then sold the Passport back to the Bloomington Honda. Overall, we had to pay for towing 35 miles, the expense of renting a vehicle for about 1 week, and other extra costs plus the time and hassle associated with multiple phone calls to Honda. The total expenses incurred was $1,738 for towing and a rental vehicle to complete the trip. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11754332

Incident

Apr 4, 2024

Multipurpose camera stopped working and most of the safety systems alerts are on now and don’t work

NHTSA ID

11752644

Incident

Jul 1, 2026

I was at a red light and all of a sudden my car switched to neutral. I could not get out of neutral and tried unsuccessfully to get my car into drive. I finally was able to shut the car off (not sure if opening the door helped reset the system) and start it again. I now turn off the idle option

NHTSA ID

11746675

Incident

Jun 25, 2026

It's a sunny day in Florida and approximately at [XXX] while traveling straight on a public roadway, the vehicle directly in front of me moved into the left-turn lane, completely clearing my lane of travel. As I actively accelerated to pass the turning vehicle, my Honda’s Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS) inadvertently activated despite my lane being completely clear and unobstructed. The emergency automatic braking engaged forcefully just after I passed the vehicle in the left-turn lane. This unexpected, false-positive braking event caused a severe, rapid deceleration that nearly resulted in a rear-end collision by the vehicle traveling behind me. This exact situation has occurred on 3 other separate occasions. I'm in fear of being rear-ended, especially with my kids in the car, because my vehicle body language prior to the forceful braking has been acceleration. The drivers behind me are likely to see my acceleration and proceed with their own acceleration just to be blind-sided with my vehicles sudden and hard braking. It's a disaster waiting to happen, especially on busy roadways. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11744941

Incident

Jun 18, 2026

The contact owns a 2020 Honda Passport. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle with the Push-To-Start feature, the Adaptive Cruise Control, Road Departure Mitigation, Collision Mitigation Brake System, and Lane Keeping assist system, and the high beam messages were displayed on the instrument panel. An audible alarm sounded while the messages were displayed. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the multipurpose camera needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost, and because the parts were on back order. Upon further investigation, the contact stated that the windshield heat exposure might have caused the failure in the hotter weatehr. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 94,078.

NHTSA ID

11744752

Incident

Jun 14, 2026

Mileage

94,078 mi

Car tried to start on its own, set off the alarm multiple times and killed a new battery after 6 months. Would not allow me to enter car by remote had to unplug battery. issue with Start/stop idle system, it is know issue with Honda ridgeline but having same issue with passport.

NHTSA ID

11743870

Incident

Jun 8, 2026

1. Component/System: Multipurpose Camera Unit (IDAS/ADAS system) — U3000-49 "Internal Electronic Failure" + cascading CAN communication faults. The vehicle and diagnostic data (May 15, 2026 scan) are available for inspection upon request. 2. Safety Risk: Warning lights for LKAS (Lane Keeping) and ACC (Adaptive Cruise) disabled those systems. No crash or loss-of-control occurred; the issue was discovered post-service before driving. 3. Reproduction/Confirmation: Confirmed by dealer lights absent at drop-off (their photo, Exhibit A), present after oil change. Diagnostic scan at dealer (2:26 PM May 15) verified U3000-49 + codes. Not independently reproduced. 4. Inspections: Scanned by Germain Honda dealer only. No manufacturer (Honda Corporate), police, or insurance inspection yet. This complaint package is being submitted to Honda Customer Relations. 5. Warnings/Symptoms: None prior. Vehicle had no ADAS issues or lights at drop-off (dealer photo + advisor confirmation). Lights appeared during/after the May 15, 2026 oil change

NHTSA ID

11738769

Incident

May 15, 2026

Service Bulletin - The wireless charger starts charging the phone and then stops charging, even when the phone remains in the correct position on the charger due to software specifications that can cause some phones to have issues charging.

Service Bulletin - One or more accessory running board lights are flickering or not working due to a faulty running board light assembly.

Service Bulletin - Under certain circumstances, after coming to a stop and engaging idle stop, the vehicle may not restart automatically due to excessive cylinder pressure and/or low cranking torque. Typically, the customer can immediately restart the vehicle by selecting Park and pressing the ENGINE START/STOP button.

Service Bulletin - The AWD warning light is on potentially due to water intrusion into the rear differential pump motor connector area that corrodes the terminals.

Service Bulletin - The wireless charger starts charging the phone and then stops charging, even when the phone remains in the correct position on the charger.

Service Bulletin - The wireless charger starts charging the phone and then stops charging, even when the phone remains in the correct position on the charger.