VehicleVerdict

2020 Honda Cr-V Hybrid problems

Verdict · NHTSA data

One of the years to avoid

The 2020 Honda Cr-V Hybrid carries two red flags at once: 106 consumer complaints filed with NHTSA and an open NHTSA defect investigation (subject: Loss of Motive Power). It is one of the Cr-V Hybrid years to avoid.

No single system dominates the record — complaints spread across engine (18), driver assistance (18), and brakes (14), which usually points to general build quality rather than one defect. In government crash testing it earned 5 of 5 NCAP stars overall.

106

NHTSA complaints

5

Recalls

3

Investigations · 2 open

7

Crash-involved

0

Fires reported

5

Injuries

0

Deaths

5

NCAP overall · of 5 stars

How does 2020 compare to other Cr-V Hybrid years?

Cr-V Hybrid NHTSA complaints by model year, 2020 highlighted153 complaints2020: 106 complaints2021: 153 complaints2022: 112 complaints2023: 141 complaints2024: 125 complaints2025: 38 complaints2026: 1 complaints
Cr-V Hybrid NHTSA complaints by model year, 2020 highlighted. Red bars are years to avoid.

See all Cr-V Hybrid years to avoid →

What are the most common 2020 Honda Cr-V Hybrid problems?

ComponentComplaintsShare
Engine1817%
Driver Assistance1817%
Brakes1413%
Electrical System1211%
Other1110%
Fuel System88%
Transmission55%
Airbags44%
Steering33%
Body & Structure33%
Tires & Wheels33%
Seat Belts22%
Speed Control22%
Visibility & Wipers11%
Seats11%
Suspension11%

Does the 2020 Honda Cr-V Hybrid 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.

23V844000Electrical SystemDecember 13, 2023 · 106,030 units

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.

Consequence

An overheated battery cable or short circuit can increase the risk of a fire or injury in a crash.

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.

20V798000Electrical SystemDecember 17, 2020 · 27,838 units

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.

Consequence

A loss of drive power can increase the risk of a crash.

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.

Open NHTSA investigations

PE25016

Loss of Motive Power

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.

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.

“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…”

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Driver Assistance · June 21, 2024 · crash

“Car stalled twice on highway going 55 miles to zero.pressing accelaerator wont make any difference. Thw malfunction infmdicator starts blinking when it happanes. Once the car comes to a complete stop and restart the engine then only we can continue to drive. Also malfunction infdcator goes away…”

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Engine · April 8, 2024

“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.…”

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Brakes · July 13, 2025 · crash

“The contact owns a 2020 Honda CR-V. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V844000 (Electrical System) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The…”

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Electrical System · December 13, 2023

“VERY DISTRACTED OPERATION WHEN THE AVAS ACOUSTIC VEHICLE ALERT SYSTEM PRODUCES STRANGE NOISES AT LOW SPEED. THIS HAS NO VALUE IN ANY NORMAL DRIVING SITUATION EXCEPT TO UNNECESSARILY DISTRACT THE DRIVER AND THE VEHICLES NEARBY.. THE SYSTEM CAN NOT BE DISABLED. NO MORE THAN ADDITION NOISE POLLUTION…”

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Other · May 30, 2020

2020 Honda Cr-V Hybrid — common questions

Is the 2020 Honda Cr-V Hybrid reliable?

NHTSA data argues against it: 106 complaints put the 2020 model at #5 of 7 Cr-V Hybrid years, and a defect investigation remains open. It is one of the Cr-V Hybrid years to avoid.

What are the most common 2020 Cr-V Hybrid problems?

According to NHTSA complaint data, the leading problem areas are engine (18 complaints), driver assistance (18 complaints), brakes (14 complaints).

Does the 2020 Honda Cr-V Hybrid have recalls?

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

Is the 2020 Honda Cr-V Hybrid under NHTSA investigation?

Yes — 2 investigations remain open (Loss of Motive Power). An open ODI action means NHTSA is actively assessing a possible defect.

Which Honda Cr-V Hybrid years should you avoid?

Based on complaint rates and open investigations, the Cr-V Hybrid years to avoid are 2021, 2022, 2020. The cleanest record among Cr-V Hybrid years belongs to 2026.

How safe is the 2020 Honda Cr-V Hybrid?

In NHTSA's NCAP crash testing, the 2020 Honda Cr-V Hybrid 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.