HONDA ACCORD · model year

2020 HONDA ACCORD

487 NHTSA complaints, 25 crash reports, and 4 active recalls for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

5 / 5 ★

New Car Assessment Program

The 2020HONDAACCORD carries 487 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 25 crashes, 2 fires, 17 injuries, and 1 fatality. For crash performance, NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gave this cohort an overall 5/5 rating, with 5/5 front crash, 5/5 side crash, and 5/5 rollover scores derived from standardized barrier and dynamic tests.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2020 ACCORD is forward collision avoidance: automatic emergency braking with 71 filings, followed by service brakes (54) and engine (52). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability. This model year has 4 active recall campaigns, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.

NHTSA currently has 11 investigation files overlapping the 2020 ACCORD, and 2 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

487
Complaints
25
Crashes
2
Fires
17
Injuries
1
Deaths
2020 HONDA ACCORD — NHTSA crash-test profile NHTSA NCAP crash-test star ratings for the 2020 HONDA ACCORD. Overall composite: 5.0 of 5 stars across 3 safety dimensions. Front CrashSide CrashRollover 5.0 NHTSA NCAP of 5 stars
  • Front Crash 5.0 ★
  • Side Crash 5.0 ★
  • Rollover 5.0 ★
NHTSA overall 5.0/5 stars, with front-crash, side-crash and rollover ratings from standardized NCAP barrier and dynamic tests.

Total Complaints

487 filings

Crashes Reported

25 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

Above median complaint volume — review patterns below.

NHTSA NCAP overall: 5/5 — Top NCAP rating · Front: 5/5 · Side: 5/5 · Rollover: 5/5

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING71
SERVICE BRAKES54
ENGINE52
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM42
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM39
UNKNOWN OR OTHER34
AIR BAGS30
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS30
STEERING19
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL16
POWER TRAIN11
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL10
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE9
SEATS8
SEAT BELTS7

Recalls (4)

21V21500025/03/2021

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

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 Ridgelin

23V85800018/12/2023

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

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, F

20V77100010/12/2020

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:BODY CONTROL MODULE:SOFTWARE

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 malfunction

24V06400001/02/2024

AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER

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 RD

Recent Complaints

20260214FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

February 13th at 1256am my emergency break light flashed on my dashboard and beep for me to break but there was nothing in front of me. I was going 60mph on route 42. Roads were clear and there was no traffic.

20260210FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

On Thursday February 5th 2026 I was driving on route 42 at 1014pm going 60mph and my automatic break light came on and beeped as I was driving down the highway. There was nothing in front of me.

20260209STEERING

The steering is sticky, and jerky. It's hard for me to maintain a safe driving experience. I'm going to get pulled over. There is a recall on this problem but I have no recalls for my car!!!! The dealership will not acknowledge. And ot is getting so much worse. 52233 miles.

20260202ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

9 warnings lights turned on on my dashboard and when going slow and accelerating it brakes by it self also brakes on freeway going 70 mph and then recovers

20260202SERVICE BRAKES

9 warnings lights turned on on my dashboard and when going slow and accelerating it brakes by it self also brakes on freeway going 70 mph and then recovers

20260202FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

9 warnings lights turned on on my dashboard and when going slow and accelerating it brakes by it self also brakes on freeway going 70 mph and then recovers

20260129SERVICE BRAKES

Driving on the white horse pike in Berlin New Jersey at 1:39pm on January 21st and my BREAK light warning light came on. There was nothing in front of me, I was doing 40mph. The roads were dry, There were no cars near me, and no traffic. It happened again on the same day January 21st, on the White Horse Pike in Lindenwold New Jersey. This one happened at 520pm, I was doing 45mph and my BREAK warning light came on. The road was dry, there was no traffic on the road, and no cars or debris in the road either.

20260129FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

Driving on the white horse pike in Berlin New Jersey at 1:39pm on January 21st and my BREAK light warning light came on. There was nothing in front of me, I was doing 40mph. The roads were dry, There were no cars near me, and no traffic. It happened again on the same day January 21st, on the White Horse Pike in Lindenwold New Jersey. This one happened at 520pm, I was doing 45mph and my BREAK warning light came on. The road was dry, there was no traffic on the road, and no cars or debris in the road either.

20260127FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

I was driving on the freeway and all of a sudden my vehicle didn’t want to accelerate. It began to jerk violently when I would press the gas to accelerate, but my car couldn’t go the speed limit & vehicles behind me almost collided with my car. I then took my car to service and told them what happened and they said my fuel injectors needed to be replaced. The service advisor at the Honda service department that the fuel injectors fail early on the type of Honda accord I have. That it is a known issue for those model for the injectors to fail. I even took it to an independent shop and he also confirmed the injectors are bad. The first time it happened was in December & I got a flashing check engine light, but after that the light didn’t appear. Until 12-31-2025 the check engine light fully came on. Prior to the failure there were no warning lights. If Honda knows there is a known problem on the fuel injectors why don’t they have a recall. It put mine & the lives of others in dan

20260123ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The contact owns a 2020 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, several unknown warning lights illuminated, and the Forward Collision Avoidance message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The contact was informed that the radar sensor, located on the front bumper, indicated that the vehicle was involved in a crash. The contact stated that the vehicle was not involved in a crash. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced phantom braking twice. After several minutes, the vehicle returned to normal functionality. The “BRAKE” message was displayed. The contact stated that the failure had occurred while driving on the expressway. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic to be repaired. Most recently, while driving at an undisclosed speed, several warning lights were illuminated and remained illuminated. Additionally

Mileage: 35,000

20260123FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE

The contact owns a 2020 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, several unknown warning lights illuminated, and the Forward Collision Avoidance message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The contact was informed that the radar sensor, located on the front bumper, indicated that the vehicle was involved in a crash. The contact stated that the vehicle was not involved in a crash. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced phantom braking twice. After several minutes, the vehicle returned to normal functionality. The “BRAKE” message was displayed. The contact stated that the failure had occurred while driving on the expressway. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic to be repaired. Most recently, while driving at an undisclosed speed, several warning lights were illuminated and remained illuminated. Additionally

Mileage: 35,000

20260122ENGINE

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 gas, my car would stall. This is the 4th time it happened.

20260122FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

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 gas, my car would stall. This is the 4th time it happened.

20260122ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

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 gas, my car would stall. This is the 4th time it happened.

20260116ENGINE

Honda accords have a 1.5 L engine, which all have an issue with the head gaskets either overheating or mixing coolant into the cylinders. They’re all doing it eventually because there is a design flaw Honda doesn’t want to honor it and the car will just stop on you on the freeway because coolant touches the spark plugs. Honda is denying the issue when there’s a whole Facebook page and Internet, page of people saying the same thing they’re quoting and unreasonable amount to fix it almost the cost of the car. It is a very dangerous safety issue and eventually someone could die and needs to make a recall immediately before that happens. Most shops don’t even want to touch the car because it’s a safety issue. If we can get this past ASAP for anybody who has that car or anybody that’s gonna buy that car the safety for them in their family.

20260116UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Honda accords have a 1.5 L engine, which all have an issue with the head gaskets either overheating or mixing coolant into the cylinders. They’re all doing it eventually because there is a design flaw Honda doesn’t want to honor it and the car will just stop on you on the freeway because coolant touches the spark plugs. Honda is denying the issue when there’s a whole Facebook page and Internet, page of people saying the same thing they’re quoting and unreasonable amount to fix it almost the cost of the car. It is a very dangerous safety issue and eventually someone could die and needs to make a recall immediately before that happens. Most shops don’t even want to touch the car because it’s a safety issue. If we can get this past ASAP for anybody who has that car or anybody that’s gonna buy that car the safety for them in their family.

20260116FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

The contact owns a 2020 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while the vehicle was started, there was an abnormal cranking sound coming from the engine with several unknown warning lights illuminated. While driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. There was an abnormal fuel-burning odor coming from the rear of the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle was almost involved in a crash due to the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but was not inspected or diagnosed. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle with fuel pump failure. The contact was made aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V858000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was taken to another dealer to be diagnosed; however, the vehicle remained at the dealer unrepaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. A case manager was assigned, and the

Mileage: 76,000

20260114STEERING

Steering wheel sticking or no response at all at highway speeds going around 60-80 miles per hour.

20260113ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I have constantly had to replace spark plugs within the last year — all lights are on dashboard. Finally took it and got a P0372 code, rough idling and misfiring, and stalling. Car once cut off on me while driving. Took it to the Honda dealership and it is indeed my fuel injectors and gasket. I have tried to get in touch about a possible recall but the Honda Manufacturer are failing to release a recall. With all lights on dashboard, NO features of the car can be used (cruise control, road departure, lane keep assist, collision mitigation, hill start assist, traction control, brake hold, and tpms) I’m looking forward to a recall coming as soon as possible. I have done my research and thousands of people are having the SAME issue, it is frustrating especially with the cost of work having to be done. Nobody should have to purchase a new car because of a defect of the manufacturer or too lazy to investigate the issue. HONDA Salesmen and mechanics all say the same thing about the 1.5L S

20260113ENGINE

I have constantly had to replace spark plugs within the last year — all lights are on dashboard. Finally took it and got a P0372 code, rough idling and misfiring, and stalling. Car once cut off on me while driving. Took it to the Honda dealership and it is indeed my fuel injectors and gasket. I have tried to get in touch about a possible recall but the Honda Manufacturer are failing to release a recall. With all lights on dashboard, NO features of the car can be used (cruise control, road departure, lane keep assist, collision mitigation, hill start assist, traction control, brake hold, and tpms) I’m looking forward to a recall coming as soon as possible. I have done my research and thousands of people are having the SAME issue, it is frustrating especially with the cost of work having to be done. Nobody should have to purchase a new car because of a defect of the manufacturer or too lazy to investigate the issue. HONDA Salesmen and mechanics all say the same thing about the 1.5L S

Compare 2020HONDAACCORD to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 2 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2020 HONDA ACCORD have?
The 2020 HONDA ACCORD has 487 NHTSA complaints, 25 crashes, 2 fires, 17 injuries, and 1 deaths reported.
What is the safety rating for the 2020 HONDA ACCORD?
The 2020 HONDA ACCORD received an overall NHTSA safety rating of 5/5, front crash rating of 5/5, side crash rating of 5/5, and rollover rating of 5/5.
Are there any recalls for the 2020 HONDA ACCORD?
Yes, the 2020 HONDA ACCORD has 4 recall(s). The most common affected component is FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2020 HONDA ACCORD?
The most-complained component for the 2020 HONDA ACCORD is FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING with 71 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include SERVICE BRAKES and ENGINE.
Is the 2020 HONDA ACCORD safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. The 2020 HONDA ACCORD has an NHTSA safety rating of 5/5. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.