118 of the
2,438 complaints filed about the Honda Hr-V
are about the braking system —
5% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2016.
The contact owned a 2016 Honda HR-V. The contact stated that while driving at 12 MPH, the vehicle experienced a brake failure, resulting in a frontal collision with a utility vehicle. The airbag deployed. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a private salvage auto auction yard. The contact stated that the vehicle was deemed a total loss by the insurance company. There was no property damage. A police report was filed. The contact was transported by ambulance to the ER, and the contact was moved to a level 1 trauma unit, where she was treated for multiple injuries, including hematomas on the abdomen, fractured ribs, and several body bruises and lacerations. The failure mileage was approximately 64,612.
NHTSA complaint #11743317 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Components of concern: collision mitigation braking system - while driving with no car in front of vehicle, car slammed on brakes - could have caused an accident. Yes, available for inspection. Also, lights went off and said to see dealer (have picture that I'm having issues attaching). Lights that went off were : collision mitigation braking system, road departure mitigation system, auto high beam, adaptive cruise control, some driver assist systems cannot operate (clear front windshield or poor viewing distraction) - all at the same time, even when it's no visible windshield issues. Yes, available for inspection. Want to take to Honda dealership but I'm being charged $80 for a diagnostic when this is a system issue. Not yet
NHTSA complaint #11743239 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
All of my braking/abs lights intermittently go on and off. My 2019 Honda HRV runs fine but when dealer looked at it they said it was the VSA and to replace would be over $4k. Dealer said eventually my vehicle may shut down if not taken care of. I am wondering if this is a common problem and if will be a recall?
NHTSA complaint #11735985 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2023 Honda HR-V. The contact stated that all the warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle stalled upon starting. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the fuse was replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. While depressing the start button, the look in the rear mirror was displayed. The vehicle failed to start. The brake pedal was kicking back. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who was unable to determine the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 28,000.
NHTSA complaint #11736027 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
We had an accident with my Honda HRV where we rear-ended another vehicle. Right before the crash, a message showed on the dashboard that the brakes system isn't working. Also the airbag didn't deploy. We suspect a technical failure that caused the accident. The Car was towed and then totaled. We had to go to the ER twice. The problem hasn't been confirmed by a dealer yet, and I opened a case with Honda US. It's been a week now and no response yet from Honda US. There was a light snow on that day.
NHTSA complaint #11728262 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I WAS GOING UP A STEEP NARROW ROAD, A BIG TRUCK WAS COMING DOWN SO I STOPPED AND HONKED SO HE WOULD BACK UP. WHEN HE DID, I WAS UNABLE TO MOVE MY SUV. IT FROOZE ENTIRELY, WOULDNT GO UP, WOULDNT GO IN REVERSE, JUST STAYED ON BUT WOULD NOT MOVE. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS I WAS ABLE TO GO BACK A LITTLE AND MOVE TO A SIDE AND THEN I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE UP THE ROAD. THIS WAS THE 2ND TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED SO I ASKED THE SERVICE SHOP AT THE DEALER TO CHECK IN DRIVING THE SAME ROAD. THE SITUATION DID NOT REPLICATE, THEREFORE THEY SAY THERES NOTHING THEY CAN DO OR CHECK, ALTHOUGH I HAVE READ THAT THIS VEHICLE HAS BEEN KNOW TO DO THIS, BUT THEY DID NOT EVEN LOOK AT THE PRINTED EVIDENCE I TOOK TO THEM.. THERE WERE SUGGESTIONS ON WHAT HAD TO BE CHECKED BUT THE MANAGER REFUSED TO EVEN READ THE INFORMATION. THE MECHANIC SUGGESTED I STEP ON THE GAS UP TO THE END, ALTHOUGH THE MANUAL SAYS YOU SHOULD HIT GAS SLOWLY WHEN STOPING ON A HILL. EITHER WAY I TRIED BOTH WAYS....IT STILL FREEZES.
NHTSA complaint #11725353 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Honda hrv 2025 malfunctioning when brake hold system is activated. Brake hold system lets individuals use the brake whenever needed without your foot having to be on the pedal the entire time. You can come to a red light, step on the pedal and take your foot off the pedal and the car will remain stopped until you press on the gas. Over the course of leasing this vehicle sometimes the brake system problem message would show but it would disappear right away. I let the dealership know of this issue when I got my first oil change but since the message wasn’t currently displayed on the dashboard they did not attend to it. Earlier this week the car suddenly glitches when brake hold is activated and deactivates itself followed by All kinds of messages on the dash. I will upload them here to see. From brake system,TPMS, hill start assist all malfunction and when you turn the car off it doesn’t start back up automatically. This is a serious safety concern as the brake system malfunction and car not turning on can happen suddenly when driving causing injury to myself and those around me. A simple google search shows that this is common for this vehicle make, model and year however no recall has been filled.
NHTSA complaint #11725267 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC; AUTOHOLD BRAKE SYSTEM/BRAKE HOLD:SOFTWARE
The contact owns a 2025 Honda HR-V. The contact stated that after activating the "BRAKE Hold" system and removing the foot off the brake pedal, the BRAKE Hold system deactivated, causing the vehicle to move forward. During the failure, several messages were displayed, including "Brake Hold System Failure" and "Hill Descent" failures. The vehicle was parked, and the BRAKE Hold system was manually reset; however, the failure later reoccurred. The contact stated that on one occasion, the vehicle failed to immediately restart. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 8,931.
NHTSA complaint #11724853 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2016 Honda HR-V. The contact stated that while stopped, the ABS, Brake, traction control, and several other warning lights flashed on the instrument panel. The contact called the dealer and was informed that the vehicle was safe to drive to the residence, but not for regular daily use. Once the contact was at the residence, the contact repeatedly restarted the vehicle after the warning lights turned off; however, the warning light returned after additional restarts. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to the dealer, where the mechanic discovered DTC: 3211, which was related to the ABS solenoid valve malfunction. The contact was informed that the failure did not need immediate service, and the vehicle could be driven for short-range trips; the vehicle was reset, and the warning lights were cleared. The contact stated that upon driving to the residence, the warning lights flashed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was driven back to the dealer where a reset was attempted but failed. The contact was informed that the solenoid valve needed to be replaced; however, the part for the repair was on backorder. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 195,000.
NHTSA complaint #11723568 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:POWER ASSIST:ELECTRIC:SOLENOID/ACTUATOR
The contact owns a 2016 Honda HR-V. The contact stated that while stopped, the ABS, Brake, traction control, and several other warning lights flashed on the instrument panel. The contact called the dealer and was informed that the vehicle was safe to drive to the residence, but not for regular daily use. Once the contact was at the residence, the contact repeatedly restarted the vehicle after the warning lights turned off; however, the warning light returned after additional restarts. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to the dealer, where the mechanic discovered DTC: 3211, which was related to the ABS solenoid valve malfunction. The contact was informed that the failure did not need immediate service, and the vehicle could be driven for short-range trips; the vehicle was reset, and the warning lights were cleared. The contact stated that upon driving to the residence, the warning lights flashed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was driven back to the dealer where a reset was attempted but failed. The contact was informed that the solenoid valve needed to be replaced; however, the part for the repair was on backorder. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 195,000.
NHTSA complaint #11723568 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
On September 17. 2025 I was at a red light on Normandie Avenue and Exposition Blvd the light turned green and as I was entering the intersection going southbound my doors on the vehicle started locking and un locking, my dashboard went black and the car shut off, The Braking system malfunction, the airbag did not deploy, my knees hit the bottom part of the dashboard and my mouth hit the steering wheel knocking out several teeth. The dashboard only had an airbag code, a brake code and a vehicle with the doors opened on the screen. I had the car towed to my home and informed my insurance company of the incident, they referred me to a body shop who held my vehicle for 5 months after doing the body work, they labeled my vehicle unsafe to drive because the codes are still on the vehicle, not knowing that this body shop doesn't do electrical work. I reached out to Honda several times because they were the last ones to work on my vehicle for the fuel pump recall, but they noted VSA\ABS for the last couple of weeks I finally talked with Service Manager Marvin Cabrera and he directed me to American Honda Motors and after reaching out to them since the 3rd of February, they keep telling me about appointing an investigation inspection with the FTS (field technical specialist) and I have not received any updates about my vehicle. These are the codes that came up while using the scan tool U0416 Invalid Data Received from vehicle Dynamics Control Module, B00D5 Occupant Classification System Sensor Fault, B0090 Left Frontal Restraints Sensor Incorrect Component Installed
NHTSA complaint #11722863 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
2019 Honda HRV with 14,539 miles has been showing on the instrumentation brake failure; this warning only lasts 1/2 to 1 second with a chirp warning . Took to vehicle Honda dealership twice under warranty and could not be replicated. August 2025 took the vehicle to a local repair garage; replaced the two rear caliber motors and the electric power parking brake after the local garage conducted research on this problem on the internet. All replaced equipment are OEM equipment manufactured by Honda Motors. Solve the brake failure warning for 6 months before the brake failure warning appears on the instrumentation counsel.
NHTSA complaint #11721167 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2024 Honda HR-V. The contact stated that while the contact's daughter was driving at 42 mph with the cruise control engaged, the collision mitigation sensor independently activated. The contact's daughter noticed that the steering wheel had almost seized, and the vehicle's speed abruptly decreased. The vehicle stopped in the middle of the road. Another vehicle was making a turn and crashed into the contact's vehicle. In addition, the "Brake" message was illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The contact mentioned that the failure was a known failure with the vehicle. The contact's daughter was taken to the local medical center. The contact's daughter sustained muscle pain in the back, neck, both shoulders, both jaws, and severe headaches. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 61,000.
NHTSA complaint #11720393 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While driving on highway under 40mph, the brakes and steering wheel locked simultaneously. I was unable to control the car—pressing the foot brake and emergency brake did not stop the car and I could not steer as the wheel was locked. I ended up on the side of the road alongside a wall of snow. The dashboard was lighting up throughout this time with rotating emergency messaging—TPMS, transmission, brake system, flat tire, etc. There were no warning messages displayed and complete control of the car was taken away without warning. It was 530am so I was lucky there was no one else on the road or else this could have led to a fatal accident. The car was towed to the dealer and they said it was an electronic brake booster that went bad, but are unsure if this caused both the brake and steering failure. The dealer has not been transparent or helpful. They initially said there was nothing wrong with the car and that it was safe to drive. I reported it to Honda corporate and they have not gotten back—triaged as level 1 incident due to severity.
NHTSA complaint #11719550 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2022 Honda HR-V. The contact stated that while driving in the snow or icy conditions, the brakes failed to function as intended. The contact stated that while depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle failed to respond as intended. The vehicle continued rolling forward before coming to a stop. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired due to the cost. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 9,000.
NHTSA complaint #11717043 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The car after a while drives sluggish & brakes very badly even after replacing the brake pads & the roater. I have replacement everything that could affect any of these issues.
NHTSA complaint #11714889 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
12/7/2025 at about 7:20pm and about 17518 miles: grandparent were driving home and brakes failed as grandpa was parking in the driveway. He said after applying the brakes the car keep rolling forward and hit the garage door then rolled backwards, brake did not stop backward movement for over a minute. No injuries. Inspection from insurance and collisions repair center found no cause for brake failure. 01/4/2026 at about 8:16pm and approximately 18122 miles: as my mom was approaching a main road with 55 mph traffic to turn left the brakes failed to bring the car to a complete stop at the intersection causing the car to roll into on coming traffic. She said when she applied the brakes they seem to engage at the start and slowed the vehicle a little bit but did not seem to apply “full braking” to actually stop the car. Oncoming traffic did manage to swerve around car as mom maneuvered it into the middle lane, while it continued to coast down the road for a short distance the brakes failed did come back enough to drive home. Will be sending to Honda deal for though inspection.
NHTSA complaint #11708714 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
On March 11, 2025 I took my car to Gardena Honda for a fuel pump recall for my 2018 Honda HR-v ex. On September 17, 2025 I had a system malfunction where the doors were locking and unlocking the dashboard went black and a car symbol with doors opened appear on the dash, the car shut off and I tried to brake but they did not work, I hit a car in front of me and when the airbags did not deploy I hit my mouth on the steering wheel and knock out 3 of 4 teeth that I had work done on. A scan tool was put on my vehicle when I got it home and there was two codes showing B00D5 occupant classification sensor fault and U0416 invalid data received from vehicle dynamic control module. I came to this website because i wanted to know was there any other recalls and found out there was 3 on the make model and year of my vehicle. # 135 Vehicle Brake System, low pressure fuel pump, and the fuel pump inside the fuel tank
NHTSA complaint #11701628 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Driving at night on rural interstate with clear weather. Car driving at ~75 mph when the emergency breaking engaged. There was no traffic in front and thankfully none behind. The brakes locked in and the transmission downshifted to stop. Again nothing in front. IF someone would had been behind me, they could not have stopped time with combination of braking and downshifting. Approximately 2 hours latter, this emergency braking system locked again for no apparent reason. The car has <10k miles and again the weather was clear with no rain, fog, etc., pavement dry and no wind. There was limited traffic and no obvious bright street lighting to interfer.
NHTSA complaint #11695838 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Metal shards from the belt are breaking off into the fluid and damaging the transmission. This led to issues with the dashboard and issues with the braking system as well.
NHTSA complaint #11693148 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.