KnownCarProblems2020 Honda Civic Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 230 complaints with NHTSA about the 2020 Honda Civic, most often about the electrical (16% of complaints, typically around 9,000 miles). It is 22nd of 27 Civic model years by number of complaints and has 5 recalls.
Most common 2020 Honda Civic problems
Electrical
37 complaints · 16%Half of these problems showed up before 9,000 miles. Parts named most often: instrument cluster/panel, instrument panel.
The contact owns a 2020 Honda Civic. The contact stated the information center was slow to respond. While driving at night, the screen went into daytime usage. While utilizing the turn signal, the screen options were not available. The contact stated that the shocks and struts became inoperable. The vehicle was taken…
Tire blew from unknown reason in september 2020. Car purchased in june 2020. Replaced tire in september from brooks huff. Tpm light is now coming on after a scheduled rotation/oil change. Brooks huff checked pressure of all 4 tires and light was reset with calibration. Light came back on same day. Took to Honda dealer…
Other or unspecified
37 complaints · 16%Half of these problems showed up before 7,500 miles.
Traveling along a freeway on a clear day, in free flowing traffic, the road departure mitigation system engaged applying the brakes unnecessarily, likely due to old lane markings. My dashcam recording shows the vehicle was in not in anyway at risk of departing the lane, or the road and the system activating put…
Multiple rock chips causing large starbursts and craters. Lots of other smaller nicks. I have only had the vehicle just over 4 months. Quality and integrity of the windshield is terrible. Yes I live in houston and yes I understand rocks and things will chip windshields but I have had two other hondas for the last 6…
Transmission
31 complaints · 14%Half of these problems showed up before 8,000 miles. Parts named most often: clutch assembly.
The contact owns a 2020 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the manual clutch failed to allow the vehicle to shift above 2nd gear while entering the highway. The contact revved the engine however, the vehicle failed to accelerate. The vehicle was taken to thousand oaks Honda (3925…
The contact owns a 2020 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, he heard an abnormal buzzing and grinding sound coming from underneath the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who informed the contact that they could not duplicate the failure. The contact…
Fuel system
31 complaints · 14%Half of these problems showed up before 41,000 miles.
The contact owns a 2020 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the steering wheel began to independently turn to the right and the left. The contact stated that the âsteeringâ and "lane departure" warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel had become…
The contact owns a 2020 Honda Civic. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 23v858000 (fuel system, gasoline) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle stalled. There was no further information provided. The vehicle was…
Steering
31 complaints · 14%Half of these problems showed up before 30,500 miles.
The contact owns a 2020 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the steering wheel inadvertently seized, causing him to temporarily lose control of the vehicle. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle; however, the failure persisted. Several…
The contact owns a 2020 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the steering wheel began to independently turn to the right and the left. The contact stated that the âsteeringâ and "lane departure" warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the steering wheel had become…
Air bags
29 complaints · 13%Honda dealer and Honda USA tell me that my wife (95lbs) is not heavy enough to activate the passenger air bag and make the dash indicator go out. The owners manual says (pg47) that the weight to activate the air bag is 65lbs. Is this a Honda problem ?
I was in a wreck may 2020. I swerved to miss a deer and hit a concrete colvert, the vehicle launched and my airbags didn't go off. Vehicle caught fire, my motor, transmission, and tires came off. I suffered from spinal injury and nerve damage.
Driver assistance
26 complaints · 11%Parts named most often: automatic emergency braking, warnings, assist, adaptive cruise control.
The contact owns a 2020 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the forward collision-avoidance automatic emergency braking erroneously activated causing the vehicle to abruptly stop. The contact indicated that the failure had occurred on eight separate occasions while driving between 5 and 65…
Brakes
17 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 20,000 miles. Parts named most often: conventional.
Rear electronic parking brake failed while in park. The vehicle had the parking brake engaged, and the vehicle rolled down a hill into trees, damaging the rear bumper and hatch. This parking brake issue was also documented on earlier Civic models from this generation.
The contact owned a 2020 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle was on cruise control, and the vehicle slowed down as if the contact had depressed the brake pedal. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated or warning chime sounded. The contact crashed into a truck and…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2020 Honda Civic recalls
Air bags: front passenger
Risk: Air bags that deploy unintentionally during a crash increase the risk of injury.
Fix: 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 defect 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.
Air bags: front passenger
Risk: An air bag that deploys unintentionally during a crash can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: 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 defect 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.
Fuel system: fuel pump
Risk: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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 defect 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.
Brakes: master cylinder
Risk: Brake master cylinder separation can cause a loss of brake function and increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and repair the brake booster assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed august 7, 2023. Owners may contact honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are veu, aev, and zet.
Full defect summary
Honda (american honda motor co.) is recalling certain 2020-2021 civic, 2020-2023 ridgeline, 2021-2023 passport, 2021-2022 pilot, and 2020 acura mdx vehicles. The tie rod fastener that connects the brake booster and the brake master cylinder may have been improperly assembled during manufacturing, which can cause the brake master cylinder to separate from the booster assembly.
Fuel system: fuel pump
Risk: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
Questions about the 2020 Honda Civic
- What are the most common problems with the 2020 Honda Civic?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: electrical (37 complaints, typically around 9,000 miles); other or unspecified (37 complaints, typically around 7,500 miles); transmission (31 complaints, typically around 8,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2020 Honda Civic have?
- 5 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from May 21, 2026 (air bags). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2020 a bad year for the Honda Civic?
- It is 22nd of 27 Civic model years by number of complaints, with 230 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.