2020 Honda CR-V

Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues

Forward collision avoidance is the leading concern among 353 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 21st highest complaint count among 26 CR-V model years with reports.

Complaints by model year
  1. 353

Of the 2020 reports, 21 involved a crash and 2 involved a fire. 17 people were injured.

Primary concernForward collision avoidance73 reports · 21% of complaints
Owner complaints353Filed with NHTSA
Recall relationship7 safety recallsNHTSA campaign records

What owners report most often

  1. Forward collision avoidance73
  2. Air bags47
  3. Electrical system43
  4. Steering41
  5. Engine39
  6. Fuel/propulsion system38
  7. Other or unspecified36
  8. Service brakes29

Recalls and investigations

  1. 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

  2. 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

  3. 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

  4. Equipment, other, labelsJul 27, 2023

    Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2017, 2020, and 2022 CR-V vehicles. The certification label on the driver's side door states incorrect Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR), Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR), and tire size information. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."

    An incorrectly sized tire may cause premature tread wear, or a tire blow out, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Dealers will install a new corrected label, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 18, 2023. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is CF7.

    Campaign 23V524000 on NHTSA.gov

  5. Seat belts, front, buckle assemblyMar 9, 2023

    Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2017-2020 CR-V, 2018-2019 Accord and Accord Hybrid, 2018-2020 Odyssey, 2019 Insight, and 2019-2020 Acura RDX vehicles. A manufacturing issue with the front seat belts may cause the seat belt buckle channel to interfere with the release button, preventing the seat belt buckle from latching.

    An unlatched seat belt cannot properly restrain the seat occupant during a crash, increasing their risk of injury.

    Dealers will replace the driver and front passenger seat belt buckle release buttons or the buckle assemblies as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 18, 2023. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are NDA, QDB, BDC, MDD, LD9. TDF, FDG, ODH, YDI, ZDE.

    Campaign 23V158000 on NHTSA.gov

  6. Fuel system, gasoline, storage, tank assemblyMay 26, 2022

    Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2020 CR-V vehicles. The clip for the absorber inside the fuel tank was not secured properly and may detach, which can cause an inaccurate fuel gauge reading.

    An inaccurate fuel gauge may result in the vehicle unexpectedly running out of fuel and stalling, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Dealers will replace the fuel tank, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 5, 2022. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is RCB.

    Campaign 22V380000 on NHTSA.gov

  7. Structure, frame and membersDec 5, 2019

    Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2019-2020 CR-V vehicles. The rear subframe bolts were improperly manufactured and may loosen, allowing the rear subframe to separate.

    A separated rear subframe reduces vehicle handling and can suddenly disable the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the rear subframe bolts and retorque them or replace them, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began January 27, 2020. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is R6M.

    Campaign 19V865000 on NHTSA.gov

Representative owner complaints

353 reports, newest first.

  1. Steering, Jul 10, 2026

    The steering rack has failed on the 2020 model and apparently I’m not alone. Other model years have noted this issue with “sticky steering” issues and newer models have recalls. Honda is failing at providing quality parts to this vehicle and causing dangerous situations on the road.

  2. Engine, Jul 8, 2026

    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.

  3. Engine, Jun 29, 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.

  4. Other or unspecified, Jun 29, 2026

    There is a sound that appears to be coming from inside the dash (confirmed by a Honda dealership). It sounds like a ball bearing rolling around in a contained environment. The sound is heard when accelerating, braking, or turning. The sound is not heard when traveling at a constant speed. My concern is that the source is a ball bearing, the ball bearing had a purpose that is no longer being met, eventually leading to an undesirable outcome.

  5. Vehicle speed control, Fuel/propulsion system, Jun 26, 2026

    The fuel injector system failed or malfunctioned. This past Tuesday while going to merge onto the highway the car stalled and would not move beyond 40 mph which nearly led to a collision because I was unable to accelerate to merge with traffic flowing at a high speed. Immediately after this all of the dashboard warning indicatros came on. It was terrifying to say the least because we could have been in a serious auto accident. I was forced to pull into the break down lane and move along at a slow speed until I was able to navigate to a safe location. There were no lights or prior warnings leading up to the event to indicate there was a problem. I also had this same issue two years ago in 2024. Both times I have been told it is related to the fuel injectors and has cost me over $5,000 out of pocket to repair. This does not include having to find alternate transportation and missing work to have the car repaired. I spoke with the mechanic at Colonial Honda of Dartmouth,MA and asked if this was normal for a car to have the same issue with this part or to have it happen within such a short time frame and he said no that it was not common. Both times they have repaired the car.The car is currently running fine but I have fear that it will randomly happen again without warning and I may not be as fortunate to escape a collison.

  6. Electrical system, Visibility/wiper, Jun 22, 2026

    Software problems causing the backup camera to become disabled and the driver to lose their rear visibility. The screen is completely blackened. This occurred without warning. One day it just went dark. On other note - I do not have access to any information appearing on the screen at all. Very inconvenient and frustrating.

  7. Power train, Jun 15, 2026

    Vehicle has only 100,395 miles on it (Hondas are know for being long lasting), vehicle was burning radiator fluid and repair for new head gasket and cylinder head is over $6300! Hondas are known to last a long time, a 2020 model with 100,000 needing a repair that is nearly half the value of the vehicle is shocking - i have seen similar complaints online and want to file my complaint officially.

  8. Electrical system, Forward collision avoidance, Jun 9, 2026

    There is a known Recall for my vehicle and Honda has been negligent in attempting to fix the Recall.

  9. Air bags, Jun 9, 2026

    The contact owns a 2020 Honda CR-V. The contact received a recall notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V064000 (Air Bags). The dealer was contacted, but an appointment was not scheduled. The contact stated that the unrepaired recall repair posed a safety hazard and that the vehicle was unsafe to drive. The manufacturer was not contacted. The contact had not experienced a failure.

  10. Electrical system, Engine, Jun 5, 2026

    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.

  11. Fuel system, Gasoline, May 28, 2026

    The contact owns a 2020 Honda CR-V. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed, however the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. In addition, several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with low fuel pressure. The contact was advised to contact the dealer. In addition, the contact was informed of an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not associated with a recall related to the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline and report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

  12. Lane departure, Forward collision avoidance, May 27, 2026

    Almost all lightsnlitenup on dash and Honda attempted to claim i was in accident and daid the entire radar system had to be replaced at expense of 3300.oo dollars. The fault had to be intheir craftmenship not my handling car.

  13. Air bags, May 18, 2026

    The contact owns a 2020 Honda CR-V. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V064000 (Air Bags) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was contact multiple times. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer confirmed that the remedy parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure.

  14. Service brakes, Forward collision avoidance, May 6, 2026

    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.

  15. Air bags, May 5, 2026

    My dealer won’t make the recall repair with the excuse the factory isn’t sending him the parts. That’s been his excuse for 2 years.

  16. Steering, May 4, 2026

    Every summer, on particularly hot days—typically after driving for about 10 minutes—the steering wheel feels as if it is jammed; turning it becomes extremely stiff and difficult. However, when the weather cools down, the steering becomes perfectly smooth again, with no issues whatsoever. Since my English proficiency is limited, I visited the dealership's service department; unfortunately, because the weather happened to be cool at the time, they were unable to detect any problems during their inspection.

  17. Engine, May 4, 2026

    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.

  18. Lane departure, Forward collision avoidance, May 4, 2026

    tHE VEHICLE IS ACTIVATING EMERGENCY BRAKE ASSIST WITH NO OBJECT IN FRONT OF IT CAUSING THE BRAKES TO SLAM ON WHILE DRIVING. LANE DEPARTURE WARNING IS TRYING TO CORRECT/MOVE VEHICLE INTO A DIFFERENT LANE

  19. Power train, Electrical system, Forward collision avoidance, May 3, 2026

    In November 2025 a new transmission was installed Curry Honda in Atlanta GA on my 2020 Honda CR-V. The new transmission came with a 3 year/36,000 mile warranty. In March 2026 my vehicle broke down and was towed to Tameron Honda in Daphne Al where a speed sensor was replaced at my expense of 388.44. The adaptive cruise control was not working prior to this repair. Within two weeks the vehicle experienced further issues and had to be driven in a compromised condition back to Curry Honda in Atlanta where the transmission wire harness was diagnosed as corroded and replaced at a cost of 1696.99. My vehicle has been garage-kept its entire life except when in the care of a dealership. Corrosion on a recently replaced transmission in a garage-kept vehicle cannot be attributed to environmental exposure or owner neglect. It points directly to a defective part of improper installation at Curry Honda. These failures occurred within months of a new transmission installation with no prior history of issues. I believe this is a safety defect as the vehicle broke down unexpectedly and had to be driven in a compromised condition posing a safety risk.

  20. Other or unspecified, Apr 28, 2026

    While driving the car at the speed limit on a flat, paved road the sunroof spontaineously shattered..

  21. Suspension, Apr 27, 2026

    Last night I turned left out of an ally and heard a loud thunk like noise similar to when you run over a rock and it shoots out from under your tire. Noise was in the front passenger side. Thought nothing of it at the time. Then today I heard it again turning into the gas station. Then while driving I heard it once while just taking off from a stop sign and again pulling out of a parking lot. My husband has taken it for a drive of 12 miles and has been unable to recreate the noise. Sounds almost like the spring on the strut is broke or something in that area needs fixed.

  22. Steering, Apr 26, 2026

    Noticed problems with steering the vehicle. Initially the was not smooth when driving or turning and the steering would go through a very brief but light indecisive bump This problem started a week ago and has become worse. Plan to take car to dealer for diagnostics. Called Honda corporate and it looks like they may assist me with this

  23. Engine, Apr 25, 2026

    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.

  24. Electrical system, Service brakes, Apr 22, 2026

    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.

  25. Fuel/propulsion system, Apr 21, 2026

    Vehicle slow cranks when engine is being turned on. When driving and rpm reaches over 2000, vehicle stalls and puts the owner at risk of crash or injury. All warning lights are turned on. Safety is at risk due to the vehicle stalling It has been confirmed by an independent service center. The Honda dealership has refused service and refused on honoring recall due to VIN not listed on recall number 22V-380 No All warning lights came on along with the symptoms is stalling and slow cranking