2020 Honda CR-V automatic emergency braking problems
111 of the 435 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the 2020 Honda CR-V name the automatic emergency braking (NHTSA’s “Forward Collision Avoidance” heading — forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking, including phantom braking). Filed under the same heading: 1 NHTSA investigation. Every figure below is a document in a federal file, linked; none is a failure rate, and none is a verdict on any one car.
What owners filed about the automatic emergency braking
Source: NHTSA complaint database8 of the 111 reports a crash · 0 a fire · 4 injuries. Self-reported, unverified.
Filed per year: 2021: 2 · 2022: 40 · 2023: 21 · 2024: 25 · 2025: 9 · 2026: 14
Half of the 12 owners who gave an odometer reading reported the automatic emergency braking problem between 15,000 and 27,000 miles. A median of reports, not the life of a part.
435 complaints in all about the 2020 Honda CR-V, 14 filed in 2026. The whole picture, every system →
Counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many of these were sold; nothing here is a rate. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so “Forward Collision Avoidance” means the same area of the vehicle, not one fault.
Across model years: Honda CR-V automatic emergency braking problems, every year on file →
In owners’ own words
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseFiled with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, about the automatic emergency braking. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed; unverified reports — what was said, not a finding that it was true.
Brakes being applied with apparent no reason. It gets applied automatically even when there is no obstruction in front
Driving at 35-40 mph the automatic brakes "Panic" stopped. No car, person or animal in front of car. This happened once before but I thought a construction crew on the roadside may have caused it the firs time
Some time in 2021 is the estimated date of occurrence of the event I am describing next. I was cruising on a freeway ), traveling at about 65 miles an hour. It was a clear day with light traffic, around noon. There was no car in front of mine. There were no cars adjacent to mine either.
The contact owns a 2020 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 MPH, the Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking system erroneously activated without a person or other vehicle nearby. The contact was able to immediately release the brake pedal and the vehicle accelerated normally.
Twice, I've been driving down the road, and the emergency braking system has engaged with no car near me. I get thrown against the seatbelt hard enough that it triggers the seatbelt to lock. I'm sure I would have been rear-ended if someone had been behind me. My foot was still on the gas both times it happened.
What is on file about the automatic emergency braking
Source: NHTSA recalls, investigations and manufacturer communicationsNHTSA investigation
- EA24002 Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Brakingopened Apr 15, 2024 · open
- 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 a…
Other systems with a record on the 2020 Honda CR-V
Source: the same files- engine problems 62 complaints
- fuel system problems 58 complaints
- electrical problems 56 complaints
- airbag problems 51 complaints
Common questions
Source: NHTSA complaint database, recalls and manufacturer communicationsAre automatic emergency braking problems common on the 2020 Honda CR-V?
They are documented: NHTSA holds 111 owner complaints naming the automatic emergency braking on this model year (26% of everything owners filed about it), and 1 NHTSA investigation is filed under the same heading. Whether it is a problem on one particular car is a diagnosis, not a count, and a count says nothing about how many were sold.
Is there a recall for the automatic emergency braking on the 2020 Honda CR-V?
No recall campaign is filed under this heading for this model year (there are 9 filed under other headings). A bulletin is not a recall: it carries no federal duty to repair for free.
When do automatic emergency braking problems show up on the 2020 Honda CR-V?
Owners who gave an odometer reading reported it at a median of 25,000 miles; half of them between 15,000 and 27,000. That is when reports cluster, not the life of a part.
What does NHTSA's "Forward Collision Avoidance" heading cover?
Forward collision warning and automatic emergency braking, including phantom braking. Owners choose the heading when they file, so it says which area of the vehicle the complaint is about, not which part failed.