VehicleVerdict

2020 Honda Accord problems

Verdict · NHTSA data

One of the years to avoid

The 2020 Honda Accord carries two red flags at once: 533 consumer complaints filed with NHTSA and an open NHTSA defect investigation (subject: Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking). It is one of the Accord years to avoid. Reports tied to this model year include one death and 18 injuries, per the complaint records themselves.

Driver Assistance leads the complaint categories with 148 reports (28% of the total). In government crash testing it earned 5 of 5 NCAP stars overall.

533

NHTSA complaints

5

Recalls

1

Investigations · 1 open

25

Crash-involved

2

Fires reported

18

Injuries

1

Deaths

5

NCAP overall · of 5 stars

How does 2020 compare to other Accord years?

Accord NHTSA complaints by model year, 2020 highlighted2,803 complaints1976: 0 complaints1977: 0 complaints1978: 0 complaints1979: 3 complaints1980: 2 complaints1981: 8 complaints1982: 26 complaints1983: 7 complaints1984: 25 complaints1985: 19 complaints1986: 63 complaints1987: 131 complaints1988: 102 complaints1989: 114 complaints1990: 229 complaints1991: 242 complaints1992: 249 complaints1993: 222 complaints1994: 476 complaints1995: 673 complaints1996: 579 complaints1997: 546 complaints1998: 1,429 complaints1999: 1,345 complaints2000: 1,506 complaints2001: 1,160 complaints2002: 1,267 complaints2003: 2,384 complaints2004: 1,307 complaints2005: 880 complaints2006: 541 complaints2007: 700 complaints2008: 1,854 complaints2009: 858 complaints2010: 703 complaints2011: 357 complaints2012: 506 complaints2013: 1,882 complaints2014: 1,428 complaints2015: 815 complaints2016: 812 complaints2017: 754 complaints2018: 2,803 complaints2019: 1,027 complaints2020: 533 complaints2021: 314 complaints2022: 339 complaints2023: 139 complaints2024: 200 complaints2025: 105 complaints2026: 3 complaints
Accord NHTSA complaints by model year, 2020 highlighted. Red bars are years to avoid.

See all Accord years to avoid →

What are the most common 2020 Honda Accord problems?

ComponentComplaintsShare
Driver Assistance14828%
Engine6612%
Brakes5611%
Fuel System5410%
Electrical System499%
Other387%
Airbags346%
Steering204%
Transmission143%
Speed Control122%
Seats82%
Seat Belts71%
Body & Structure71%
Suspension61%
Visibility & Wipers51%
Tires & Wheels41%
Lighting41%
Latches & Locks10%

Does the 2020 Honda Accord have recalls?

5 NHTSA recall campaigns on file. Recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.

26V332000AirbagsMay 21, 2026 · 98,892 units

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.

Consequence

Air bags that deploy unintentionally during a crash increase the risk of injury.

Remedy

Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed July 6, 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.

24V064000AirbagsFebruary 1, 2024 · 750,114 units

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.

Consequence

An air bag that deploys unintentionally during a crash can increase the risk of injury.

Remedy

Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 28, 2024, October 18, 2024, and August 2025. 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.

23V858000Fuel SystemDecember 18, 2023 · 2,490,460 units

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.

Consequence

Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.

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.

21V215000Fuel SystemMarch 25, 2021 · 624,552 units

Defect

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.

Consequence

Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

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.

20V771000Electrical SystemDecember 10, 2020 · 737,233 units

Defect

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.

Consequence

Various system malfunctions such as inoperative windshield wipers, defroster, rearview camera, or exterior lighting can increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy

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.

Open NHTSA investigations

EA24002

Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking

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.

Consumer complaints filed with NHTSA

Representative excerpts, cleaned of personal information. These are consumer statements, not verified defects.

“Check engine, right mirror, door, alignment. My safety is not good, the car jerks and merging into another lane. Yes it has been inspected by insurance representative. It appeared when I was hit on 02/13/2024”

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Driver Assistance · February 13, 2024 · crash

“Car has only 73k miles , fails to accelerate unless it’s left to run for an hr . All lights on dash . Replaced spark plugs, coils and battery to no avail and Took to get diagnosed and was told head gasket and quoted 7k to fix. When car does drive it immediately accelerates to 40 on dash which…”

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Engine · July 1, 2025

“I [XXX] AM WRITING THIS LETTER ABOUT MY 2020 HONDA ACCORD. VIN NUMBER [XXX]. I LEASED THIS CAR IN JANUARY OF 2019 FROM TAMPA HONDA. MY BROTHER'S NAME IS ON THE LEASE AND HIS NAME IS [XXX]. HE HAS BEEN LEASING CARS FOR ME OVER 5 YEARS, FROM HONDA. ON FEBRUARY 10, 2020, I WAS OUTSIDE CLEANING MY CAR,…”

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Brakes · February 10, 2020 · crash

“My car shut off on the road. I tried to accelerate but all my lights on the dashboard came on. I wasn’t able to accelerate more than 20mph. I was about to make it back home. Today I tried to take it out on a test drive, it’s drivable but I was not able to accelerate. Every time I pressed the…”

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Fuel System · January 21, 2026

“A MESSAGE CAME OVER THE DASHBOARD "TPMS TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM MALFUNCTION, SEE DEALERSHIP". THERE WAS A TEXT MESSAGE THEN APPEARED ON THE MUSIC SCREEN. I WAS ON MY WAY TO THE DEALERSHIP ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN THE CAR WAS PULLING TO THE RIGHT LANE TOWARDS TRAFFIC AND I WAS PULLING TO THE LEFT…”

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Electrical System · September 7, 2020 · crash

2020 Honda Accord — common questions

Is the 2020 Honda Accord reliable?

NHTSA data argues against it: 533 complaints put the 2020 model at #24 of 51 Accord years, and a defect investigation remains open. It is one of the Accord years to avoid.

What are the most common 2020 Accord problems?

According to NHTSA complaint data, the leading problem areas are driver assistance (148 complaints), engine (66 complaints), brakes (56 complaints).

Does the 2020 Honda Accord have recalls?

Yes — NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns affecting the 2020 Honda Accord. Recall repairs are free at franchised dealers; check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to confirm the work was done.

Is the 2020 Honda Accord under NHTSA investigation?

Yes — an investigation remains open (Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking). An open ODI action means NHTSA is actively assessing a possible defect.

Which Honda Accord years should you avoid?

Based on complaint rates and open investigations, the Accord years to avoid are 2018, 2003, 2013, 2008, 2000, 1998, 2014, 1999, 2004, 2002, 2001, 2019, 2005, 2009, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2007, 2006, 2020, 2022, 2021. The cleanest record among Accord years belongs to 1978.

How safe is the 2020 Honda Accord?

In NHTSA's NCAP crash testing, the 2020 Honda Accord earned an overall rating of 5 out of 5 stars.

Related

Based on NHTSA ODI data through June 2026. Complaints are consumer-reported and unverified. Updated July 5, 2026.

Compiled by Sharon Ben-Moshe, Founder.