2020 Honda Accord Hybrid Recalls, Ratings & Complaints

Incident: June 2, 2026 · Filed: July 28, 2026

The engine failed catastrophically. White smoke out of the exhaust at 145,000 miles. Dealer checked out the car and they initially though it was a head gasket failure. After taking the engine head off, it turns out it was a 'structural defect' (verbatim words from the mechanic), which was a divot in the engine block. The head gasket was in great shape. Therefore, I needed a 'new' used engine (at $9K) instead of a head gasket replacement (at $4K). A search on the internet shows that forums (driveaccord.net, facebook groups) shows that many Honda Accord owners have similar head gasket failures. I contacted Honda USA and they said there's no recall so I won't get reimbursed.

Incident: May 31, 2022 · Filed: September 16, 2025

WHEN USE RIGHT TURN SIGNAL, AUDIO [RADIO] CUTS OUT. WE REPORTED IT TO THE DEALER IN [XXX], THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. INTERMITTENT PROBLEM [XXX]- USE RIGHT TURN SIGNAL, RADIO CUTS OUT. HONDA DEALER REPLACED ELECTRICAL HARNESS WHILE STILL UNDER WARRANTY [XXX] - SAME PROBLEM - USE RIGHT TURN SIGNAL, RADIO CUTS OUT. HONDA DEALER REPAIRED ELECTRICAL HARNESS - no longer under warranty. DEALER CHARGE $190 INSPECTION FEE [XXX]- SAME PROBLEM - USE RIGHT TURN SIGNAL, RADIO CUTS OUT. - no longer under warranty. DEALER CHARGE $190 INSPECTION FEE - DEALER WANTED $3212 TO REPAIR 6/13/25- CALLED AMERICAN HONDA CORP. Spoke with [XXX] 800-382-2238, Case#[XXX}. 9/15/25- After MONTHS of emails/ documentation of repair bills/ phone calls , AMERICAN HONDA CORPORATION REFUSES TO PAY FOR ENTIRE $3212 REPAIR BILL. TOLD US TO PAY $1000 TOWARDS THIS REPEATED ELECTRICAL PROBLEM. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Incident: September 4, 2025 · Filed: September 4, 2025

I am reporting a potential safety issue with my 2020 Honda Accord Touring Hybrid. On September 4, 2025, my dealership identified a non-genuine purple quick-splice connector in the driver’s door harness, which they attribute to error codes B1142 (Driver’s Door Lock Knob Switch Circuit), U0199 (Lost Communication with Driver’s Door Module), and U3003-16 (Electric Servo Brake Control Unit Power Source Low Voltage). This connector, not installed by the recent audio installer who put only upgraded speakers and deemed non-Honda, may be an aftermarket modification (possibly an alarm/tracker or anti-theft device) causing electrical faults. While no water was found, the issue could impact brake assist (U3003-16), posing a safety risk. I request NHTSA investigate whether this reflects a widespread manufacturing or modification defect, especially given reports of similar quick-splices at dealerships for repos or fleet locking. A Reddit user said, “ We see these at our dealer frequently. Those are quick-splices, usually used to piggyback off your oem wires to supply voltage/signals to an aftermarket alarm/tracker. Other dealerships install this in the event of repos/auto locking an entire fleet/or additional anti-theft.”

Incident: August 9, 2025 · Filed: August 11, 2025

Five times the past year, while driving on the freeway, the first incident I cannot remember, but I do know that the other four incidents were on a slight incline. The car acted as if it wasn’t getting enough gas and slowed down and was shaking. Giving gas would not help, and it kept slowing down. The check engine light would come on and once I turned off the car and turned it back on, the car acted normal again. Sometimes I had to keep it turned off at least a minute before it would run normal again. I took it to the dealership twice and both times I was told that because the engine light was not on, they did not know what was wrong. I asked if they could check the computer to look for faults, and they said that is a waste of time because not only would I have to pay for the service,but they could guarantee that faults will not be found so it would be a waste of my money. The fact that this has happened so many times., once every a few months, and the fact that there has been similar problems on other models/years, I would like to report that I think it also has to do with my model and year. While filling out this report, it only showed that it was a 2020 Honda Accord and did not include the fact that it is a hybrid if that makes a difference. My car is a 2020 Honda Accord hybrid. Last incident was this past Saturday. August 9, 2025. This was the worst incident due to it took longer to correct itself and took three tries.

Incident: May 14, 2025 · Filed: July 5, 2025

While diving at highway speeds (first at 55mph in may 2025 and then again in July 2025 at 65mph) I got a warning on screen about power loss and a critical failure and that power will be reduced and to stop at the side of the road. Within 30 seconds or a minute of the warning the car power cut out significantly impacting the speed and both times almost causing traffic behind me to hit me from behind. I took it to Honda dealership in dulles, va back in may 2025 and they told me it was the electric water pump which I had replaced. Now in July it happened again and this time I had my wife and child with me in the car as well as a guest. I had to pull over and all the warning lights started to flash (everyone of them). I have taken it back to Honda but having a car that goes from 65mph to 25mph on the highway with no warning to others is a recipe for disaster. Apparently this is a known issue with the hybrid system and the battery needs replaced (from online honda forums) which Honda is not doing unless forced. I am still waiting for my dealer to get back to me but its exactly the same problem as the other notes I saw online. My car only has 46,000 miles.

Incident: December 1, 2024 · Filed: May 28, 2025

When picking up speed, the steering wheel is difficult to turn. And not working line keep Assistance. U0416 code in ecu (eps). No any errors on dashboard.

Incident: August 17, 2024 · Filed: August 31, 2024

The Collision Avoidance system activated twice for no reason. Inspection is available. I and my passenger were jerked by the rapid stop & could have been rear ended if anyone was behind me. The second event was in an intersection when I and the driver behind me were driving slowly. if the car behind wasn't alert, he or she could have collided with me. No one was travelling in front of me and yet the brake suddenly engaged. The dealership rep. did not confirm the problem after driving it 5 minutes. There were no warning lamps, messages, or symptoms before the brake engaged in both instances.

Incident: June 11, 2024 · Filed: June 11, 2024

The contact owns a 2020 Honda Accord. 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 that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

Incident: May 10, 2024 · Filed: May 10, 2024

On several occasions and almost never under similar circumstances, my entire Brake System suddenly shows there is a problem and flashes warnings on my dashboard - parking brake, power steering, vehicle stability assist, hill start assist, adaptive cruise control, collision mitigation, road departure systems - each systems shows there is a problem and says “see your dealer”. The first time it happened, I was driving on the interstate, and my only way of getting to safety was pulling off the road and trying to override the brakes manually to get my car to eventually stop. I had my car towed to the nearest Honda dealership the first and second times this happened. They assured me everything was fine or they would “restart my system”. The problem still exists, and it often leaves me stranded on the side of the road, in random parking lots, or just stuck at home unable to get to work.

Incident: February 5, 2024 · Filed: February 5, 2024

At speeds between 50mph a howling noise begins and gets louder as the speed increases to 55mph. The howling noise is quite loud. It stops after you get above 55pmh or you open a window. The dealer said he was not aware of this problem.