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Honda · NHTSA safety record

2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

73

Complaints

4

Crashes

0

Fires

3

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid have filed 73 safety complaints with NHTSA between June 2020 and July 2026. The most complained-about system is the engine, named in 17 of them (23%). The typical failure was reported at 16,680 miles, the median across the 18 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Complaints halved year on year: 9 in the twelve months to 2026-Q1, against 36 in the twelve before.

NHTSA has issued 5 recalls covering this vehicle. A further 2 defect investigations are open and unresolved.

Recalls (5)

AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER

26V332000 · May 21, 2026

The defect
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2021, 2023 Acura TLX, 2019-2024 RDX, 2017-2020, 2022-2026 MDX, 2017-2021, 2023, 2025 Honda Ridgeline, 2017-2022 Pilot, 2019-2021 Passport, 2018-2026 Odyssey, 2019-2022 Insight, 2019-2021 HR-V, 2018-2020 Fit, 2020-2022 CR-V Hybrid, 2017-2022 CR-V, 2017-2018, 2021 Civic Type R, 2017-2021 Civic hatchback, 2016-2020 Civic coupe, 2016-2022 Civic, 2017-2022 Accord Hybrid, and 2016-2022 Accord vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, which can cause the air bags to deploy unintentionally during a crash.
The risk
Air bags that deploy unintentionally during a crash increase the risk of injury.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 7, 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are BOL, WO9, OOA, WOM, XOH, NOC, POD, BOE, UOF, POB, EOG, AOI, QO8, TOJ, DO7, and SOK. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 24V064. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning May 29, 2026.

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) · up to 98,892 vehicles across all model years covered

AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER

24V064000 · February 1, 2024

The defect
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Pilot, Accord, Civic sedan, HR-V, Odyssey, 2020 Civic coupe, Fit, 2021-2022 Civic hatchback, 2021 Civic Type R, Insight, 2020-2021 CR-V, CR-V Hybrid, Passport, Ridgeline, Accord Hybrid, 2020 Acura MDX, 2022 Acura MDX, 2020-2022 Acura RDX, and 2020-2021 Acura TLX vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, failing to suppress the air bag as intended.
The risk
An air bag that deploys unintentionally during a crash can increase the risk of injury.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 28, 2024. This is a phased recall. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for these recalls are XHP and VHQ.

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) · up to 750,114 vehicles across all model years covered

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

23V858000 · December 18, 2023

The defect
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline, Odyssey, Acura ILX, MDX, MDX Hybrid, RDX, RLX, TLX, 2019-2022 Honda Insight, Passport, 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Clarity PHEV, Fit, and 2015-2020 Honda Accord Hybrid, Pilot, Acura NSX vehicles. The fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
The risk
Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 6, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are KGC and KGD. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall numbers 21V-215 and 20V-314.

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) · up to 2,490,460 vehicles across all model years covered

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY:CABLES

23V844000 · December 13, 2023

The defect
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2020-2022 CR-V Hybrid vehicles. The 12-Volt battery cable routed outside of the body frame is missing a fuse on the power circuit, which can allow the battery cable to short circuit or overheat during a crash.
The risk
An overheated battery cable or short circuit can increase the risk of a fire or injury in a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the battery cable, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 29, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is FGB.

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) · up to 106,030 vehicles across all model years covered

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:DC/DC CONVERTER

20V798000 · December 17, 2020

The defect
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2020 CR-V Hybrid, Accord Hybrid, and 2020-2021 Insight vehicles. The DC-DC converter may shut down and prevent the 12-volt battery from recharging, possibly resulting in a loss of drive power.
The risk
A loss of drive power can increase the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Honda will notify owners, and dealers will update the power converter unit (PCU) software, free of charge. The recall began February 12, 2021. Owners can contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is K9E.

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) · up to 27,838 vehicles across all model years covered

Defect investigations (3)

An investigation means NHTSA has decided a pattern is worth examining. A preliminary evaluation is often closed with no action; an engineering analysis is the stage that usually precedes a recall.

Loss of Motive Power

PE25016

Still open preliminary evaluation · opened October 28, 2025

the engine

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received 48 Vehicle Owner Questionnaire (VOQ) reports and some Early Warning Reporting (EWR) field reports alleging intermittent loss of motive power in Model Year (MY) 2020–2022 Honda CR-V Hybrid vehicles.  These incidents are alleged to occur without warning at highway speeds and are accompanied by 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.  The fault’s intermittent nature, combined with the lack of fault codes, often results in many visits to repair facilities yielding no repairs. Honda indicated it was unaware of any related complaint or repair trends. ODI is opening this Preliminary Evaluation (PE) to determine the scope and severity of the alleged fault and to fully assess the possible safety consequences. To review the ODI reports cited in the Opening Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.

Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking

EA24002

Still open engineering analysis · opened April 15, 2024

forward collision avoidance

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.

Pedestrian alert sounds

DP22005

Closed defect petition · opened January 27, 2023 · closed August 7, 2023 · led to recall 22V063000

the electrical system

NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified NHTSA he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by NHTSA regarding the subject matter of the petition.

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 73.

ENGINE 17 23%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 12 16%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 12 16%
SERVICE BRAKES 11 15%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 11 15%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 7 10%
POWER TRAIN 5 7%
AIR BAGS 4 5%
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC 3 4%
STEERING 3 4%
STRUCTURE 3 4%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 2 3%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2024 at 32.

2020 2024 2026
2020 to 2026, the last of them a part year

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

AIR BAGS

1 injured · crash · towed

I was pulling into a parking space and to stop but suddenly the vehicle just accelerated forward jumped the curve, straight through some bushes and crashed into a tree. The airbag deployed caused injuries to my right arm, head, chest contusion. Mostly passenger side front and front damages on the vehicle. Police, ambulance, and firefighter came to investigate and to help with my injuries.

NHTSA complaint 11602347. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

1 injured · crash · towed · 42,332 miles

The contact owns a 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid. The contact stated that while his wife was driving up the driveway, at a slow speed, the brake pedal was depressed. The vehicle then accelerated independently. The auto stop feature failed. The contact's wife veered to avoid hitting a parked vehicle. However, the vehicle hit the side of the garage and hit a small tree, where it came to a stop. The contact advised that a branch went under the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The driver-side and passenger-side air bags did not deploy. The contact's wife suffered injuries to the front part of her head. The contact was occupying the front passenger's side seat at the time of the incident.

NHTSA complaint 11675750, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

1 injured

Back hatch closes on me when I am putting stuff in the back. This has happened at least 6 times. The very last time on March 10, 2024, it the hatch door came down on my head & arm. It almost hit my eye. I got bruised on above my eye & my arm. The sensor thinks I am setting it off.

NHTSA complaint 11577297. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING

crash · towed · 60 miles

I LEASED A BRAND NEW CR-V AND 12 HOURS AFTER I LEFT THE DEALERSHIP IT MALFUNCTIONED. WHILE DRIVING 7 MPH IN MY APARTMENT COMPLEX MY BRAKES AND STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP CAUSING ME TO BUMP INTO A CONCRETE SIDEWALK BARRIER. MY COMPUTER SYSTEM ALERTED ME TO SYSTEM FAILURES FOR POWER STEERING, BRAKING, AWD, ETC. THE ONLY DAMAGE WAS SCUFFED UP TIRES AND HUBCAPS. AFTER HAVING IT TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP THEY SAID I WRECKED THE VEHICLE AND THERE WAS NO MALFUNCTION. THEY ALSO SAID THE WHEEL ROD WAS BENT TO A 90 DEGREE ANGLE. I FIND IT VERY CONCERNING THAT THE WHEEL ROD COULD BE BENT THAT MUCH WHILE ONLY GOING 7MPH. THE DEALERSHIP DOES NOT BELIEVE THAT THE VEHICLE MALFUNCTIONED CAUSING ME TO WRECK AN

NHTSA complaint 11398006, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
On four separate occasions while driving anywhere from 35 to 55 mph the engine light begins to flash and I lose all power. I am given just enough time to pull to the side of the road. I turn off the engine, wait a few minutes, and turn the engine back on, which seems to remedy the problem. At that point, I am able to drive off like nothing happened. I am on a CRV forum and I’m seeing more and more people discuss the same issue! Because there’s no code that comes up, and I am not able to replicate the scenario at the mechanics… There is nothing that can be done. It’s quite scary to be going 55 miles an hour and have to pull over on the side of the freeway. One time there was not a shoulder

NHTSA complaint 11750885, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
Description of event: I was driving approximately 35 mph when the check engine light began flashing, the engine began shuddering, and acceleration began decreasing. I was able to safely pull over and turn off the vehicle. After approx. 10 minutes, I turned on the car and plugged in a code reader but no codes were available to view. I restarted the car and it functioned normally and the check engine light has not returned. Safety: If there had been more traffic, if I had been on a highway, or some other circumstance, it could have been difficult to safely pull over with a loss of power. The car has not been inspected by a third party but there are numerous anecdotal accounts of this same

NHTSA complaint 11734944, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
Vehicle: 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, 2.0L engine VIN: [XXX] Mileage at failure: ~73,000 miles Dealer: AutoNation Honda Fremont, California Estimated repair cost: ~$4,200 Issue: Blown head gasket Summary of Complaint: At approximately 73,000 miles, my 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid suffered a blown head gasket. The vehicle began showing symptoms of overheating and coolant loss, and a dealer diagnostic confirmed head gasket failure. The repair estimate from AutoNation Honda Fremont is approximately $4,200. A head gasket failure at this mileage is abnormal and indicates a potential design defect. I am aware of an ongoing class-action lawsuit concerning premature head gasket and engine failures in

NHTSA complaint 11685914, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

crash · towed

The contact owns a 2020 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while making a turn into a parking space, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated, drove up the curb, hit and drove over the metallic Bank sign pole, which damaged the undercarriage of the vehicle. The vehicle then crashed into the sides of two unoccupied vehicles that were parked perpendicularly to the contact's vehicle. The vehicle then stopped. The contact stated that one of the vehicles that the vehicle had crashed into was pushed a third of a block away. The contact stated that the brake pedal was depressed during the failure, but the vehicle failed to respond. The message "Brake Failure" was displayed, and several unknown

NHTSA complaint 11680090, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

towed · 122,000 miles

The contact owns a 2020 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the message that the engine was reaching the max engine temperature and to pull over was displayed. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was towed to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the EV water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired three times. The contact stated that the failure had occurred on four times. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and opened a case. The approximate failure mileage was 122,000.

NHTSA complaint 11678795. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

33,000 miles

The contact owns a 2020 Honda CR-V. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the brake pedal stopped the vehicle the independently without the contact depressing the brake pedal. The brake warning light illuminated. a dealer or independent mechanic was not contacted. The vehicle was not the dealer or independent mechanic for diagnoses. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 33,000.

NHTSA complaint 11678535. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Honda CR-V Hybrid

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2025 27 4
2024 85 3
2023 109 5
2022 74 4
2021 100 3

Other 2020 Honda models

Every Honda on this site — 187 vehicles, 362 recall campaigns and 10 open investigation s.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst