2020 Honda Accord
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Forward collision avoidance is the leading concern among 362 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 20th highest complaint count among 25 Accord model years with reports.
Of the 2020 reports, 14 involved a crash and 2 involved a fire. 11 people were injured and 1 person died.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Air bags, sensor, occupant classification, front passengerMay 21, 2026
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.
Air bags that deploy unintentionally during a crash increase the risk of injury.
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.
Campaign 26V332000 on NHTSA.gov
Air bags, sensor, occupant classification, front passengerFeb 1, 2024
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.
An air bag that deploys unintentionally during a crash can increase the risk of injury.
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.
Campaign 24V064000 on NHTSA.gov
Fuel system, gasoline, delivery, fuel pumpDec 18, 2023
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.
Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
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.
Campaign 23V858000 on NHTSA.gov
Fuel system, gasoline, delivery, fuel pumpMar 25, 2021
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Acura MDX, MDX Sport Hybrid, RDX, TLX, Honda Accord, Civic Hatchback, Insight, 2019 Acura ILX, Honda Accord Hybrid, Civic Coupe, Civic Coupe Si, Civic Sedan, Civic Sedan Si, Civic Type R, Fit, HR-V, Odyssey, Passport, Pilot and Ridgeline, and 2018-2019 CR-V vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump assembly, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed May 18, 2021. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Note: This recall is an expansion of recall 20V-314.
Campaign 21V215000 on NHTSA.gov
Electrical system, body control module, softwareDec 10, 2020
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2020 Accord Sedan, Accord Hybrid, and 2019-2020 Insight vehicles. A software error may cause intermittent or continuous disruptions in communication between the Body Control Module (BCM) and other components. This may result in malfunctions of various systems such as the windshield wipers and defroster, rearview camera, exterior lights, audible warning of a stopped vehicle, and power window operation. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 103, "Windshield Defrosting and Defogging Systems" and number 111, "Rear Visibility" as well as FMVSS numbers 104, 108, 114, 118, and 305.
Various system malfunctions such as inoperative windshield wipers, defroster, rearview camera, or exterior lighting can increase the risk of a crash.
Honda will notify owners, and dealers will update the BCM software, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin February 22, 2021. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is X95.
Campaign 20V771000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints
362 reports, newest first.
Chest clip, Buckle, Harness, Jun 15, 2022
The harness isn’t secured. It doesn’t click or fasten. We’ve had this car seat for about two months
Other or unspecified, Jun 10, 2022
The ANC (active noise cancellation) software is not up to date. It's causing a loud, uncomfortable booming or humming noise from speakers while driving. 2018-2021 models are having the same issue. Many honda accord sport 1.5 or 2.0 owners I talk to are experiencing the same problem. And are being told by local Honda dealerships they don't see any issue.
Forward collision avoidance, Jun 3, 2022
The contact owns a 2020 Honda Accord. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH and accelerating, the vehicle experienced phantom braking and abruptly stopped. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was experienced several times within a two-month period. The contact was able to continue driving the vehicle. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer nor an independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. Neither the manufacturer nor the dealer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 14,000.
Vehicle speed control, Jun 2, 2022, crash
Purchased new 2020 Honda Accord on September 28, 2020. On October 13, 2020 I was pulling into a parking space at a retail store. Going 2 or 3 miles per hour with foot on brake turning into space on my right with steering wheel turned to the right. Suddenly engine roared and car would not stop even with my foot firmly on the brake until it hit a pole. I have since learned it is called unintended acceleration. After crash I drove car to another parking spot. Car was in park and I was on the phone and all of a sudden engine roared - same sound when crash occurred. Honda sent their investigator out and told me all car functions were ok. Car was repaired for $7000.00 On June 1, 2022 the same exact thing occurred as I was pulling into a parking spot on my right with steering wheel turned to the right. As the first incident engine suddenly roared and with my foot firmly on the brake car would not stop until it crashed into the store concrete wall. This car has something wrong with it. There are other stories out there with same story as people are parking the car. The car was towed to a collision shop and I am going to the Honda Dealer I purchased it from to insist this car is a danger to me and others and I cannot drive this any longer. I first wanted to report this before I did anything else.
Forward collision avoidance, May 27, 2022
Today I was driving my Honda (Accord 2020) about 30 to 40 miles an hour and suddenly the car decided to brake for i guess a fraction of a second. It is hard to describe but literally felt that someone slam on the brakes. I also got the brake alarm and the sign on the dashboard "BRAKE" (orange sign). I was taken by surprise, even my wife asked me, what was I doing?. It was only a moment, but it was totally unexpected, lucky for me, there was no one in front or behind me. If you have questions please contact me at [XXX] or [XXX]. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Service brakes, May 26, 2022
Since purchased I’ve had to replace the rear break pads 3 times and the vehicle only had 79,000 miles. Front break pads have not been replaced. It seems to be going through break pads too quickly especially for the back breaks.
Service brakes, May 20, 2022
My front brake rotors needed to be re-turned at 22.6K miles. Based on my light-footed driving habits and general ownership experience, I think this is a very premature failure. I asked Honda Customer Service if they would consider this as a warranty repair, but they denied my request, saying it was normal wear-and-tear. In my opinion, Honda has used a substandard component or design that causes rotors to fail prematurely. This is supported by other reports of similar failure in the NHTSA database. I think that this failure could eventually present itself as a serious safety-related defect if left uninvestigated. I would urge NHTSA to look into the matter.
Service brakes, May 16, 2022
Purchased as a new vehicle. Brakes went from operating normally to grinding and worn without warning around 20K miles. Pads replaced but no relief. Car was taken to dealership for service and rotors were turned. Vehicle operated fine after rotors were turned for approximately 2K miles then the same issue again. There is definitely a design issue with the braking system or rotor material. I have never had this many brake issues with any vehicle - new or used. The issue has caused increased braking distance and uncertainty around the reliability of the Accord braking system.
Forward collision avoidance, May 13, 2022
The vehicle automatically turned on the forward collision mitigation system when there was nothing to avoid. Vehicle went from 55mph to 20mph in about 2 seconds. Fortunately there was no vehicle approaching from behind. I had no control over trying to override the braking system. Had vehicle checked at Honda dealership & was informed there was nothing they could do other than make a note of the issue.
Vehicle speed control, Forward collision avoidance, May 2, 2022
CMS - collision mitigation system stops working completely. 2 warning lamps on dash. Cruise control completely inoperative. Vehicle was initially inspected by dealer on 11/19/21with DTC U0401-92 - Temporary stop of integrated driver support system (rejected control request), also found U0416-68 VSA system malfunction. This issue happens every 1-3 thousand miles. Also with the CMS/braking system, it will alert "brake" on dash and brake hard if encountering repetitive shadows from objects that are cast onto the road. My safety and others safety were compromised due to hard braking and cars behind me that then had to brake, nearly rear-ending my car.
Other or unspecified, Service brakes, Forward collision avoidance, Apr 29, 2022
Driving on a two lane highway suburban area - 40 miles per hour in a 40 mph speed limit. No cars in front of me for at lease 1/2 mile - totally blank and clear road. A pick up truck behind me. Very little traffic. Suddenly without warning and knowing my foot is on the accelerator, the car brakes to a complete stop with no foot on the brake pedal! Complete random braking for no reason. Luckily the vehicle behind me was far enough and not too close which allowed him to swerve and avoid colliding into me. He passed me and probably thought I was crazy. I called Honda and they told me to bring it in which I did. They performed many tests in all areas and advised they could not locate anything wrong. I know there is an ongoing investigation with Honda Accords and dangerous random breaking, thus the reason for this incident to be documented. The general manager of the dealership was in touch with me and advised he would be doing some research. I could easily have been killed if not for quick thinking of the vehicle behind me, and also luckily no car in front of me. What do you advise? This is extremely disconcerting to know it could happen again.
Steering, Apr 17, 2022
At approximately 9,000 miles I noticed a steering problem with my accord. It started very subtle over a few weeks. Driving at a speed over 50 mph, the steering wheel felt as if it was sticking when trying to turn slightly to the right or left. It became more and more noticeable to a point where I did not feel safe driving it on the interstate at high speeds. When it would stick, I had to pull the wheel harder to the right or left to release it, making me feel I would over correct and run off the road or into another car. The problem was very noticeable after about 30 minutes of driving when the car was warmed up, and at a speed greater than 50 mph. The steering was normal at low speeds during slower traffic in town. The dealership duplicated the problem and replaced the car steering rack. This corrected the problem.
Lane departure, Forward collision avoidance, Apr 15, 2022
If I have the lane keeping assistance on and go through an intersection the car beeps BREAK!!
Electrical system, Service brakes, Forward collision avoidance, Apr 9, 2022
Several times my car has slammed the brakes on its own when I have not touched the brakes and also when there is no car in front of me for it to detect the need to brake. The most recent time on 4/8 on the freeway.
Steering, Service brakes, Forward collision avoidance, Apr 4, 2022
The contact owns a 2020 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the tire pressure warning light and brake system warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the driver assists cruise control system, emergency brakes system, collision prevention system, and electrical steering assist all failed at the same time. The contact stated that the safety assist features became disabled but returned after the vehicle was restarted; however, the failure recurred. The contact stated that the failure occurred more frequently. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 68,000.
Forward collision avoidance, Mar 27, 2022
I was driving at a slow speed (10-15mph) when my brakes automatically engaged. After the car stopped I began to accelerate and the brakes engaged again. There wasn’t any reason for the brakes to engage.
Forward collision avoidance, Mar 24, 2022
On 3/24/22 while driving on the freeway at 65mph my car stopped suddenly. The ABS alert appeared on the dashboard and it made me swerve my car, also in the afternoon when getting off the freeway the ABS system alert appeared and my car braked suddenly there was no car or person in front of me at that time either it stopped so hard the car behind me had to swerve.
Forward collision avoidance, Mar 6, 2022
I experienced phantom breaking while driving to work on 03/02/2022. I was driving on the right most lane before entering into north bound 101 highway when my 2020 Honda Accord Sport 2.0T abruptly stopped, there was no car or object in front of the car, and luckily there was no car behind me, otherwise I would have been hit and injured. A few days later, I brought the car to Capitol Honda dealer for checkout, but dealer could not find any problem. I have not driven my Honda Accord much during the past two years as I mostly work from home due to Covid-19 and my car has only 2800 miles when this incident happened. Since this is the 1st time I encountered phantom breaking, I would like to report the incident as I am concerned that it might happen again in the future.
Steering, Mar 2, 2022
Hi, Monday I bought a 2020 used certified Honda accord with approx 19k miles that is presenting problems with the electric steering box. considering the vehicle that I traded in for this, an 2019 honda civic had the same part replaced under warranty at approx 28k miles and my accord has similarities to that problem. today 03/02/22, I took my car to the dealer but the technician said couldn't see the problem. the problem is: in an intermittent way while driving, the steering wheel tends to do micro jumps instead of smooth moving. also, today driving at highway speeds (70, but it happens at different speeds) I noticed while making a very smooth right curve it got "stick" in the position it was forcing me to apply a little more strength to have it centered again instead of just letting it go by itself. I have mechanical knowledge and I can affirm there's something wrong with it once I already checked alignment and suspension parts and everything seems good. now, the problem is, the dealership doesn't see it and I'm concerned about having an accident or something. I work as a delivery driver in this car and I need it for making my living. Intermittent problems are complicated especially to be noticed/caught. but not less important, I fear for my life and other people's life on the road. I'm also contacting honda about this because there are other cars out there with similar problems. It's my second honda and I'm very disappointed. They need to add a heat shield or something similar between the steering box and the exhaust on their turbo-charged engines. Turbo engines produce great power and also heat. that might be damaging their car's steering system over time. I saw reports where people say they have it replaced 3 times already. anyways, I hope someone can help me with this issue. I'll also leave a link where people are discussing the same problem: https://www.accordxclub.com/threads/steering-issue-jumps-from-center.2144/ if you search. there is even more. Thank you.
Service brakes, Forward collision avoidance, Feb 24, 2022
Multiple times while driving the emergency braking has engaged briefly. At first I thought it was detecting something in the road or a vehicle to the side of my car. That is not the case. It will apply this brake no matter what is in front of or around me. I have not noticed it doing it on secondary roads but it does it on highways and the interstate. This has created an unsafe situation many times.
Forward collision avoidance, Feb 16, 2022
Five times over two years, the collision mitigation system has activated while the car was in motion but no object was in front of the car. Three minor activations, meaning a brief yellow glow on the dash, have occurred. Two more significant activations have also occurred with a yellow rectangle on the dash with the word BRAKE visible. The most serious activation was at highway speeds. I was concerned that the car was going to automatically brake on the highway. I have returned this two year old car to the dealership multiple times for evaluation and have found little motivation on the part of the dealership to deal with this problem and other more minor problems the car is demonstrating. I consider the above complaint to be potentially life-threatening. I will not drive in this car unless the collision mitigation is turned off.
Engine, Feb 11, 2022
The contact owns a 2020 Honda Accord. The contact stated while entering a parking lot at 10 MPH, he started to hear an abnormal noise. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact continued driving the vehicle but shortly after the drive shaft fractured. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the driveshaft to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 39,000.
Forward collision avoidance, Feb 11, 2022
With seemingly no impediments ahead of it our 2020 Honda Accord will suddenly brake forcefully when changing lanes or exiting the freeway. it is not constant, but it is scary since there is no reason to brake at this point. this could cause us to be rear-ended the thing this system is supposed to keep us from doing. the dealer says unless it occurs when they drive it, unless, unless. The 'advisor' said he had heard of a few examples. they are all over the internet. What is being done to address this issue? oh, and he mentioned that we could always turn it off. we bought this car because being in our sixties and reflexes not necessarily being what they once were we wanted to avoid hitting someone from behind. this has happened on dozens of occasions. the listed date was the last.
Visibility, Feb 9, 2022
The contact owns a 2020 Honda Accord. The contact stated the passenger’s side front windshield was distorted and replaced by dealer. The replacement windshield is worse than the original. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed that the windshield needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was contacted but, no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 3,731. On January of 2021 I called again and was told that my case had been closed. I asked that the case be reopened. On February 9, 2022, dealer said that Honda refuses to replace the windshield and that I have no recourse.
Electrical system, Vehicle speed control, Service brakes, Jan 12, 2022
While early driving in early December 2021 in my almost new car (7000+ miles) most all the lighted problems that could occur with an old vehicle lit up like a Christmas tree on the dashboard. Most of the items may or may not have actually quit working but their problem lights stayed on. Still it is no fun driving without cruise when your wife has breast cancer and you have have to drive 3 hours each way to Gainesville, Florida for treatment. I assume all the warning lights functions still worked, but it is hard to tell if things like the brakes were pr were not working when driving as they seemed to work fine. So I soon afterwards took the car into the dealer on December 11, 2021 in Leesburg, Florida. But by this time all the dash lights remained off as they are supposed to. So all they did was change the oil and did non-compliance recall BMC software update 20-039 and BGCM software update. The reason I brought the car in was not specified on my invoice. However, The dealer did say that my transponder for the EZ highway system was blocking the camera on the mirror. I believed them. Since then, however, today all the cash lights again said they were crashing again just before a 2-hour drive to the Gainesville cancer hospital. Upon return the lights went back to normal. I don't believe Honda dealers know what the problem is or why it continues in many millions of similar Hondas. My research on the Internet found at different complaints about said dashboard lights crashing causing similar problems. Most of these complaints had the dealers fix "the problem" and charging fees but again the customers reported do-over same problems.