Honda · CR-V · 2020
2020 Honda CR-V: problems & reliability
NHTSA has logged 360 owner complaints and 7 safety recalls for the 2020 Honda CR-V. The most-reported problem area is the forward collision avoidance (21% of complaints), followed by fuel system and airbags. Make sure every open recall has been fixed by a dealer before you buy.
Common 2020 Honda CR-V problems
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Forward collision avoidance problems
74 owner complaints to NHTSA (21% of all complaints for this model year) involve the forward collision avoidance, including 4 crashes, 2 injuries. One owner reported: “I was in an accident this morning on the freeway where they are doing road construction. The lanes are VERY narrow due to cement wall placed for construction. The vehicle in front of me slammed on their brakes suddenly so when i did the…”
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Fuel system problems
49 owner complaints to NHTSA (14% of all complaints for this model year) involve the fuel system, including 1 injury. One owner reported: “1 Week Ago the lights from the dashboard turned on. Next the light of the emission system came on, in which i went to Honda Autonation Hollywood FL and they did an evaluation in the computer. They tested the car and found P0172 Fuel System…”
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Airbags problems
47 owner complaints to NHTSA (13% of all complaints for this model year) involve the airbags, including 8 crashes, 8 injuries. One owner reported: “The contact owned a 2020 Honda CR-V. The contact stated while driving approximately 15 MPH and crossing an intersection to enter a school parking lot, the contact did not see that a vehicle had merged into the opposite lane heading…”
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Electrical system problems
44 owner complaints to NHTSA (12% of all complaints for this model year) involve the electrical system, including 3 crashes, 2 fires, 3 injuries. One owner reported: “While operating a 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, the vehicle suddenly caught fire with flames originating from the rear seat/rear passenger compartment area. There was no crash involved. Smoke and flames rapidly spread inside the vehicle…”
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Steering problems
43 owner complaints to NHTSA (12% of all complaints for this model year) involve the steering, including 1 crash, 2 injuries. One owner reported: “While travelling home from Champaign, IL on [XXX] towards Springfield, IL, we had been on the road for approximately an hour, when there was a loud metallic bang & I lost all steering control. The CR-V violently jerked to the right and…”
Owner complaints by area
| Area | Complaints | Share | Chart |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forward collision avoidance | 74 | 21% | |
| Fuel system | 49 | 14% | |
| Airbags | 47 | 13% | |
| Electrical system | 44 | 12% | |
| Steering | 43 | 12% | |
| Engine | 39 | 11% | |
| Brakes | 32 | 9% | |
| Transmission & powertrain | 21 | 6% |
360 complaints filed with NHTSA in total, reporting 22 crashes, 2 fires, 17 injuries. A complaint can involve more than one area.
2020 Honda CR-V recalls
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Air bags › Sensor › Occupant classification › Front passenger
Risk: 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 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.
Full recall summary
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.
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Air bags › Sensor › Occupant classification › Front passenger
Risk: 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. 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.
Full recall summary
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.
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Fuel system, gasoline › Delivery › Fuel pump
Risk: 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.
Full recall summary
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.
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Equipment › Other › Labels
Risk: An incorrectly sized tire may cause premature tread wear, or a tire blow out, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: 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.
Full recall summary
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."
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Seat belts › Front › Buckle assembly
Risk: An unlatched seat belt cannot properly restrain the seat occupant during a crash, increasing their risk of injury.
Remedy: 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.
Full recall summary
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.
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Fuel system, gasoline › Storage › Tank assembly
Risk: An inaccurate fuel gauge may result in the vehicle unexpectedly running out of fuel and stalling, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: 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.
Full recall summary
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.
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Structure › Frame and members
Risk: A separated rear subframe reduces vehicle handling and can suddenly disable the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: 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.
Full recall summary
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.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. To check whether a specific car’s recalls have been repaired, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
2020 Honda CR-V crash-test ratings
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2020 Honda CR-V SUV AWD. Ratings can differ between body styles and drivetrains (2 versions tested or listed).
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Specifications
- Drivetrains
- AWD, FWD
- Body styles
- SUV
Other Honda CR-V years
About this data
Problems, complaint counts, recalls and crash-test ratings come from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) public databases, last checked 2026-11-03. Complaints are reports from owners and have not all been verified by NHTSA.
How we score reliability: every model year starts at 100. Points come off for the number of owner complaints (on a log scale, up to 40 points), for each safety recall (2 points each, up to 15) and for complaints involving crashes, fires, injuries or deaths (up to 15). Popular vehicles get more complaints simply because more are on the road, so compare scores between similar vehicles. More about our method.
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