46 of the
697 complaints filed about the Honda Cr-V Hybrid
are about the braking system —
7% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2020.
Sudden loss of braking power on June 29, 2026, with sudden brake warnings. We had the same error after taking delivery of the vehicle in September 2025. The dealership repaired the vehicle (brake sensor). We have another dealer appointment on July 6, 2026 to repair this again. Very concerning from a safety perspective that this is occurring again.
NHTSA complaint #11748395 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My breaks stopped working! Car was in drive and my foot was on the break and the break did not function and drove forward. I was able to stop this before hitting anything and turned the car on, but this could have been catastrophic as I was driving to work at the hospital.
NHTSA complaint #11746640 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2024 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while driving at 30-40 MPH, the brakes became inoperable. The brake light was illuminated. The local dealer was contacted, where it was diagnosed and determined the failure was due to the brake pedal sensor. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was called, but there was no response due to being closed. The failure mileage was approximately 51,500.
NHTSA complaint #11736479 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While driving under normal conditions on a dry road (no snow or ice), the vehicle experienced a sudden loss of braking performance while in motion. The vehicle was traveling approximately 10–15 mph and approaching an intersection with a red traffic light. A warning message appeared stating: “Brake system problem. Brake performance may be reduced. See your dealer.” Immediately after this message, braking performance was significantly reduced. Multiple attempts to slow the vehicle using the brake pedal resulted in minimal deceleration. The stopping distance was much longer than expected for the speed and conditions. The vehicle only came to a stop after the brake pedal was pressed with full force. Shortly after the initial brake warning, multiple additional safety-related systems went offline, including collision avoidance and other braking-related driver assistance systems. Approximately five to six warning messages appeared, indicating a cascading failure of safety systems while the vehicle was still in motion. The driver was able to slowly maneuver the vehicle to the side of the road and park safely. No collision occurred. However, shortly before this incident, the vehicle had been driven on a highway. If the same failure had occurred at higher speeds or in traffic, it could have resulted in a serious crash or injury. The vehicle is relatively new (approximately two years old, low mileage) and has been routinely maintained. There were no prior warning signs before this event. The vehicle is currently available for inspection at a dealership. A preliminary dealer explanation suggested a possible low or discharged battery; however, the cause of the braking failure has not been clearly established. This incident involved loss of braking performance while the vehicle was in motion, presenting a significant safety risk.
NHTSA complaint #11715284 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2025 Honda CR-V Hybrid. The contact stated that while parking in her residence parking lot, the brake pedal was depressed but failed to function as intended. An abnormal rev sound could be heard coming from the engine when the vehicle accelerated independently. The vehicle jumped the parking block and ran over the sidewalk, skidded the road, and crashed into a tree, where it came to a stop. The driver’s and passenger’s side air bags did not deploy. The contact was unsure if there was a warning light illuminated on that occasion. A police report was filed. The contact had a sore left neck and a bruise on the right hip bone due to the seat belt. No medical attention was provided. The vehicle was towed to a towing yard, waiting to be towed to a collision center, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The insurance company was notified. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 12,500.
NHTSA complaint #11687310 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2020 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that while making a turn into a parking space, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated, drove up the curb, hit and drove over the metallic Bank sign pole, which damaged the undercarriage of the vehicle. The vehicle then crashed into the sides of two unoccupied vehicles that were parked perpendicularly to the contact's vehicle. The vehicle then stopped. The contact stated that one of the vehicles that the vehicle had crashed into was pushed a third of a block away. The contact stated that the brake pedal was depressed during the failure, but the vehicle failed to respond. The message "Brake Failure" was displayed, and several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The air bags did not deploy. No police report was filed, and no injury was sustained. The vehicle was towed to an autobody repair shop, where it was repaired for the damage sustained. Additionally, the contact stated that while pulling into a parking space in front of the residence, the brake pedal was depressed, but the failure recurred, causing the vehicle to crash into the rear of another parked and unoccupied vehicle. The other vehicle sustained minor damage. The air bags did not deployed. No police report was filed, and no injury was sustained. The dealer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to call the manufacturer for diagnostic testing to be performed by an engineer with better electrical equipment. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was filed; however, no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was unknown.
NHTSA complaint #11680090 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While traveling northwest at 37 mph, the automatic brake system engaged jolting the driver. The camera shows no objects in front of but there were two vehicles traveling southeast in the opposite lane prior to the brakes applying. There were shadows from trees. If there was a vehicle behind, and the driver did not react fast enough, this would have been a rearend collision. This is the third time that the automatic brake system engaged for no reason since we have owned this vehicle (Dec 2021) and each time it has been reported to the NTSB. In the past two cases, there were no vehicles or shadows from trees, since we were in the desert. The previous two times, the vehicle was inspected by the dealership with no defect noted (under warranty). There were no dashboard warning notices indicating an issue. The vehicle will be resubmitted to a dealership for inspection for this third incident (not under warranty).
NHTSA complaint #11679427 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2020 Honda CR-V. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the brake pedal stopped the vehicle the independently without the contact depressing the brake pedal. The brake warning light illuminated. a dealer or independent mechanic was not contacted. The vehicle was not the dealer or independent mechanic for diagnoses. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 33,000.
NHTSA complaint #11678535 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
on [XXX] around 5 PM, when driving below 30 miles per hour within a residential community, automatic braking was activated without any obstruction in front of the vehicle, leading to sudden decrease in speed. Vehicle is in Baton Rouge, LA and all service/maintenance were done according to recommended schedule by Honda at the authorized dealership where the vehicle was purchased. Through online search, I found NHTSA opened an investigation for the same problem. If possible, I would appreciate an update about the status of NHTSA investigation and what action I should take. Thank you [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11677937 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I had intermittent warning lights about the electronic parking brake and steering assist for lane departure. One day I left my house and warning lights came on about brake failure. There were no power brakes and the little braking available was very not good at all. I had the car towed to a dealer and it was diagnosed with an internal failure of brake control unit code pfe2b oo. I had the unit replaced.
NHTSA complaint #11677656 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid. The contact stated that while his wife was driving up the driveway, at a slow speed, the brake pedal was depressed. The vehicle then accelerated independently. The auto stop feature failed. The contact's wife veered to avoid hitting a parked vehicle. However, the vehicle hit the side of the garage and hit a small tree, where it came to a stop. The contact advised that a branch went under the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The driver-side and passenger-side air bags did not deploy. The contact's wife suffered injuries to the front part of her head. The contact was occupying the front passenger's side seat at the time of the incident. Medical attention was not received. The police were not notified. The vehicle was towed to a collision center but was not diagnosed or repaired. The insurance company was contacted. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The manufacturer advised the contact that a case manager would be assigned. However, the contact was awaiting to hear from the case manager. The failure mileage was 42,332.
NHTSA complaint #11675750 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
There were moments at certain speed like when I try to park at low speed or when I go down the hill at higher speed, the brake just doesn’t work. More specifically, as I try to engage the brake, the brake pedal just loose all the way and the brake just not engage when the brake pedal at maximum. This happens 2-3 times already, and my car is new.
NHTSA complaint #11674485 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the front driver’s seat and the front passenger’s seat felt hard and uneven. The contact checked the bottom of the seat and became aware there was a space between the seat rails and the carpet. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the carpet was shrunk to size. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, while driving at various speeds, when the brake pedal was depressed, the contact’s foot slipped off the pedal, compromising the brake prevention system. The contact stated the brake pedal is higher than the accelerator pedal. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, no cause for the failure was found. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but denied assistance in covering the cost of the repair. The failure mileage was approximately 100.
NHTSA complaint #11665357 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I was parking in our apartment's parking lot when I attempted a left turn to pull in front-facing toward the wall. Within seconds, and without understanding how or why, the car continued forward and hit the wall. Initially, I reported to the insurance company that I either didn’t brake or found the brake too late. However, the truth is—I do not clearly remember what happened. My mph had to be low. When the car hit the wall, several emergency systems were triggered: an automatic emergency call was made, collision alerts sounded, and the brakes activated. During the collision, my left arm was burned by the steering wheel where the Honda logo is located. The burn left a visible imprint of the Honda logo on my skin. Only some of the airbags deployed: the steering wheel and right-side window airbags were activated. However, the driver's side window airbags did not deploy. My concerns and complaints include: 1. The failure of the driver’s window airbag to deploy 2. The burn on my arm caused by the steering wheel’s Honda emblem 3. The inconsistent performance of the emergency braking system, which only works sometimes
NHTSA complaint #11665329 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2025 Honda CR-V Hybrid. The contact stated that while parking at her work parking lot, the brake pedal was depressed but failed to stop the vehicle. The vehicle then violently accelerated independently and crashed into two parked vehicles. One of the parked vehicles spun around from the impact, the contact's vehicle continued to accelerate independently, and drove over a median where it came to a stop. No warning lights were illuminated. None of the air bags deployed. A police report was filed. There were no injuries sustained. However, medical attention was received on-site. The vehicle was towed to the collision center, but was not yet deemed totaled by the insurance company. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 5,600.
NHTSA complaint #11658524 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While stopped at a red light I thought a car was rolling back into me. I took my brain a hot second to realize maybe I was rolling forward into him? But no, I told myself, my foot was on the brake and was pushing as hard as I could once I thought it was me (yep, should have hit the parking brake, but it all happened super-fast). I rolled into him, the light turned green and he pulled ahead, I got aside him rolled window down to ask if his vehicle was standard as I was still convinced he rolled back into me. Needless to say he said no and pretty much ripped me a new asshole for tapping him - I apologized and said "i thought you rolled into me". Brake hold is always on but I was not using the hold, my foot was on the pedal (pushing like a madwoman at one point).
NHTSA complaint #11654017 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2022 Honda CR-V. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle was started, and the brake warning light illuminated. In addition, the contact stated the brake pedal felt spongy. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the failure was not duplicated. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 68,500.
NHTSA complaint #11647727 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I was driving the vehicle on route I287 and all of a sudden the break system got activated without touching any button and the car speed was damped down and as a result the car was pulled aside to see what had happened. The break system completely collapsed with a break sign on the dashboard appearing persistently which could not be deactivated or was not able to remove from the dashboard with several attempts made in restarting the engine. Due to the involuntary break activation on highway driving, my life as well others would have been in extreme danger and jeopardized the whole situation in continuing driving further. The car was towed on a flat bed to the the dealer The Honda Princenton, New Jersey for further investigation and got analyzed for the root cause and they suggested a fix of head gasket replacement, a major repair, asking us to fix the vehicle at the cost of 6000 dollars. Previously, I had driven several Hondas and never experienced break issues on the cars and we had invested in buying this time the Honda CR-V and what we went through this vehicle something like this is not fair for the customer has to go through a major repair on the vehicle at such a low milage of 127,000 put on the car which never was involved in an accident and driving the car on high way every day to the work place. We want a complete restoration of the vehicle at free of cost and get it certified and drivable safely on the road.
NHTSA complaint #11643071 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Brakes failed due to a known issue with the Brake Simulator. The same vehicle has been recalled in Japan for this reason. Brakes became completely non-responsive while driving. Again, this is a known issue. The brakes simply due not work and in Japan they have identified a manufacturing process defect. [XXX] Vehicle was inspected by Team Honda in Baton Rouge. Many lights on the dash are warning that there is a defect. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11638362 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Description of incident: Saturday, [XXX] I was in traffic on I [XXX] near the [XXX] exit in Indiana. It was a stop/go, stop/go event as 6 lanes were going down to 1 lane. I was behind a Kroger semi-truck. I had my foot on the brake. I thought the people next to me had started to move, but then I noticed that I was getting closer to the truck (while my foot was on the brake). I pushed the brakes down further. I felt normal resistance. Nothing happened. I hit the cancel button of the adaptive cruise multiple times on my steering wheel thinking that perhaps my adaptive cruise started my movement. I kept rolling. Kept hitting the brakes wondering why I didn't stop. No beeps went off like they normally do. I rolled into the truck. My adaptive cruise had been set to 70, and I had used it before the incident. It was still on standby, but not green. My odometer was around 9547. This happened around 9:50am. No beeping sounds started or emergency braking happened. I would approximate my speed of hitting around 3-5 mph. I hit the truck. I had tried to switch to neutral and then to park. I could not move the gear shaft. I was hitting the brake hold. Anything to make me stop. Nothing worked, and I hit the truck. I did not move after hitting the truck, maybe one of the things I attempted to do worked. My foot was still on the brake. I pulled over, turned off the car, and restarted it. I have not applied the adaptive cruise since then. I don't know if it had anything to do with the incident, but I'm afraid to use it. If I had been moving at a faster rate, my safety and others would have been at risk. I took the car to the dealership. They provided me with a Honda multi-point vehicle inspection checklist and stated that they couldn't find anything wrong. There is definitely something wrong. If I manually apply the brakes, the car should stop. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11633650 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.