2020 Honda Accord: problems, recalls and reliability
6 recalls and 385 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is forward collision avoidance (22% of complaints).
Data updated weekly · 15 new complaints in the last 90 days · latest recall May 2026
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 385 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“I was driving on Route 42 today at around 3:45 and my brake light flashed across my dashboard like I needed to step on my break because there was something in front of me but there was nothing in front of me. This has been going on for over a year now I have reported it multiple times and I'm just trying to see if you guys are going to fix it or inspect it I've cleaned off my radar also to make sure that wasn't the problem and it still does it”Owner report · Forward Collision Avoidance · Aug 2026
“I was driving on the hwy going about 75 mph which is the posted speed when all of a sudden my car went into limp mode almost causing a 18 wheeler to run over top of my car with me and my child in it no warning or anything and the car would only go about 20 miles per hour after of that and now all the lights are on in the dash only have a 115000 miles on the car at this time very unsafe and gonna cause someone to get killed because of something falling on this car”Owner report · Engine · Jul 2026
“Blown Head Gasket. This caused major cost in repairs and going without a vehicle, This was a known failure issue with Honda 2020 Accord Sport. I have requested a "goodwill claim" with my nearest Honda dealer and not have gotten a phone call nor email. I have all my repair documents and a well maintenance log on my vehicle. With this being a known issue, it should be covered in the lifetime warranty that I received from the dealership when purchased but it excluded seals and gaskets on my paperwork.”Owner report · Engine · Jul 2026
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“UNKNOWN. I've had an issue with all of the lights on my dash coming on for a few days to a week & going off for a couple days then coming back on. I've seen numerous of people with the same issue, spend thousands of dollars after a diagnostic text at a Honda dealership and still experiencing the same issue with no solution.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Jun 2026
“The car has had the code p0045 turbocharger. Honda was supposed to had repaired it but then the next week it had the same code and problem and they had it for 5 days. I got it back and less than 48 hours the same code came on.”Owner report · Forward Collision Avoidance · Jun 2026
“The plastic cover on the bottom is to low to the ground. Multiple times over the years it's been torn or stuck on parking space separators or when I have to get my car towed it falls down. By this point half of it is gone and all the things under the car are exposed. Right now I barely have any plastic left. I pulled into a parking spot and it caught after it had been repairs and clipped back up there and almost ripped the whole bumper off. That part is too low or not built properly to even allow someone to park in a parking space properly. It's very dangerous for multiple reasons. The way this was built is not even functional in real life”Owner report · Structure · Jun 2026
“2018 - 2022 models of the Honda Accord Sport are known to have a issue with the Head Gasket overheating and cracking causing cylinder miss fires and engine issue. Honda has refused to acknowledge the issue as a recall and my car recently suffered the same issue.”Owner report · Engine · Jun 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.”Owner report · Engine · Jun 2026
“Engine began running rough and warning lights came on the dash indicating multiple issues and the engine light. Brought it to Honda and the tech diagnosed a head gasket failure. Honda recommended a head gasket repair. Car only has 137,000 miles on it.”Owner report · Engine · May 2026
“I take my car for updates (Recall) and now i am being told that the head gasket is blown and damaged the injectors The powertrain might pay for the blown head gasket but not the injectors (which were damaged due to the head gasket blowing) no coolant but the car never ran hot. Honda is trying to stick to me to pay out almost $7000.00 which is wrong when it went to them for a recall”Owner report · Engine · May 2026
When filing, owners marked a crash in 16 of these complaints and injuries in 12 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 6 campaigns
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.
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.
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.
Remedy: 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 malfunctions of various systems such as the windshield wipers and defroster, rearview camera, exterior lights, audible warning of a stopped vehicle, and power window operation. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 103, "Windshield Defrosting and Defogging Systems" and number 111, "Rear Visibility" as well as FMVSS numbers 104, 108, 114, 118, and 305.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will update the BCM software, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin February 22, 2021. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is X95.
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2020 CR-V Hybrid, Accord Hybrid, and 2020-2021 Insight vehicles. The DC-DC converter may shut down and prevent the 12-volt battery from recharging, possibly resulting in a loss of drive power.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will update the power converter unit (PCU) software, free of charge. The recall began February 12, 2021. Owners can contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is K9E.
Trouble codes owners mention
OBD-II codes that appear in NHTSA complaints about this car.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 2020 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Check your exact Accord by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2020 Honda Accord reliable?
NHTSA has 385 owner complaints and 6 recall campaigns on record for the 2020 Honda Accord. The most complained-about area is forward collision avoidance (22% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2020 Honda Accord problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 14,763 miles or less.
Does the 2020 Honda Accord have open recalls?
6 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning air bags:sensor:occupant classification:front passenger. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.