2020 HONDA PILOT Forward Collision Avoidance Warnings Problems
30 NHTSA complaints on file
Forward Collision Avoidance Warnings Issues in the 2020 HONDA PILOT
30 forward collision avoidance warnings complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2020 HONDA PILOT. Of these, 0 involved a crash, 0 involved a fire, and 1 resulted in injury.
30
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
1
Injuries
0
Deaths
All Forward Collision Avoidance Warnings Complaints
On or about January 7, 2026, we were driving through town and the dash cluster lit up with five separate warnings for safety features no longer operational. These are adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist, collision mitigation, road departure mitigation, and automatic high beams. We cleaned the windshield and radar housing. Then the battery was replaced. None corrected the problem. An appointment was then scheduled at the dealership for 1/9/2026. It was determined the multi-purpose camera had an internal short. The only fix is a new camera ($1284) and re-aim process. The total repair cost, not including the $165 diagnostic fee, is $1727. In the meantime, the driver safety features are mostly unavailable, including the traditional cruise control. I say mostly because the system randomly works for a few minutes before overheating/shorting. I worry about fire and sudden emergency braking due to the short. I must note this system has...
My wife drives this vehicle daily with our 3 children all of sudden these warning lights come up: Trailer stability assist problem Road departure mitigation system problem Power steering system problem Emission system problem Vehicle stability assist problem Hill start assist problem The last time this happen was 1/28/2026 Took it to the dealer 1/31/2026 showed the association the video he said he has not heard of this but mostly caused by the battery. They looked at the battery all is well. If it happens again to bring it in he said. This was the 3rd time this happens the warning lights will go off. Took it to auto zone and they could not find the caused. This is dangerous to happen and unacceptable. Based on social media multiple people have this issue and causinga safety concern. What would it take for HONDA TO FIX THIS. PLEASE MAKE A RECALL!!
Since I purchased the vehicle it has had a miss, lunging forward, a lag and stall. Appears to be transmission related. Also, all lights related to the CMS suddenly came on. Car only has 59,000 miles and 5 years old and shouldn’t have these kinds of issues. The transmission problem has been from the start…. Two years now. Probably why original owner traded. From what dealer said these are common problems with this vehicle, should definitely be part of a recall. Wanted 3000. to correct issues. Below date is estimate since problems started soon after purchase and have continued. Ongoing issue.
Lane Assist Camera Failure (Part #36160-TG7-A63) Vehicle Information: Make/Model/Year: 2020 Honda Pilot EX-L Failed Component: Lane Assist Camera, Part #36160-TG7-A63 Safety Issue Description: The lane assist camera has failed, disabling multiple critical safety systems, including: Adaptive Cruise Control Lane Keeping Assist Collision Mitigation Braking System Road Departure Mitigation Auto High-Beam System Concern: This camera component is not subject to normal wear and tear, being housed within the vehicle's protected interior near the rearview mirror. The failure of this part represents a potential manufacturing defect that compromises essential safety features designed to prevent accidents and save lives. The simultaneous loss of multiple Honda Sensing safety systems creates a significant safety hazard, particularly given that drivers rely on these systems for collision avoidance and lane departure prevention. This premature failure suggests a systemic defect that may affect other 2020 Honda Pilot vehicles. Request: I request that NHTSA investigate this matter for potential...
I own a 2020 Honda Pilot EX with approximately 58,000 miles. Every time I drive on two-lane roads, I receive a bright orange “Brake” warning from the Automatic Emergency Braking system when vehicles in the opposite lane are passing by. The system falsely detects an imminent collision, even though the oncoming vehicles are safely in their lane. The system then applies the brakes unnecessarily. Most of the time it brakes mildly, but on at least two occasions it has braked very hard, causing the vehicle behind me to nearly rear-end my car. This creates a significant and dangerous situation, as it could easily cause an accident. I now have to disable the automatic braking system every time I drive. During my last drive, after disabling the system, I received a warning message stating: “ABS Failure — Take to Dealer.” I have also experienced dangerous behavior from the Lane Departure Warning/Assist...
The dashboard looks like a christmas tree all the brake lights are on, I googled this and its supposedly a known issues. I'm not sure if the brakes are safe or not.
Several system failures relates to a faulty multipurpose camera used by the Honda Sensing system from collision avoidance, adaptive cruise control and land keeping assist. Multipurpose camera premature failure leads to loss of several safety features.
Upon startup I frequently get the following warnings: -Collision Mitigation System Problem -Road Departure Mitigation System Problem -Adaptive Cruise Control Problem -Lane Keeping Assist Problem -Braking System Error All mechanical systems work fine but cruise control and all of the “smart” safety features don’t work. A simple google search will show hundreds of owners experiencing the same problem with this generation as well as Odysseys that likely use the same system. Dealers want $1700-$2000 to replace the forward facing camera. However, this is clearly a defective part from Honda and they need to recall and fix it.
I am a retired car dealer and have driven hundreds of different cars but have never had this happen before and Honda tells me it is normal which I know is not the case! when I am driving on any kind of road flat or hilly when opposing traffic is on coming, the yellow light flashes and beeps and occasionally the steering wheel also vibrates. this false warning light indicating an impending head on collision is unsafe and not how the car is designed to work. my belief as a a retired honda dealer ( 1982- 2020) is that Honda does not know how to fix it and says that it is normal so they do not have to fix. please make them fix this serious flaw so that we can drive our 2020 Honda's with out this false warning light. Honda knows they have a problem! sincerely [XXX] [XXX]...
Collision Mitigation System proble
CMBS activates for no reason whatsoever. I can't even count how many times this vehicle has locked the brakes up and no cars anywhere near me at all. Like miles down the road. Honda said they can't replicate the issue. Well, it's going to be hard to replicate something that happens 4 or 5 times in a week by driving it 10 min down the road. This vehicle is going to get my family killed.
My vehicle activates CMBS randomly. There doesn't even have to be cars around me and it'll just lock me up in the middle of the road. I have almost been rear-ended several times now. The dealers won't do anything about it.
The car's front and back sensors will trigger for no reason. In a drive-thru it'll tell me that I am going to run into something after I've been sitting there for three minutes and not moving. The brakes slam on consistently, this happens at least three times every time I drive the car, as I'm driving down a road not about to run into anything or anyone. It's quite scary, and luckily, I haven't been rear-ended yet, I honked a few times but was not rear-ended. The low tire sensor goes off even though there's no low tire. I checked at several different service places, and all of them say the tire is fine. After It's checked, the light goes off, but it comes back on within a few weeks. There is a bad smell inside the car as if a diesel truck is passing us. it is so bad...
The recurring malfunctions in my vehicle's front screen system have repeatedly endangered me, especially when it suddenly blacks out while navigating unfamiliar roads or during backing maneuvers. Additionally, the faulty front vehicle sensor has caused my vehicle to halt abruptly, even when no obstacles are present. Despite numerous visits to the dealer, the issues persist, and their repeated requests to bring it in have yielded no solutions. Since purchasing the vehicle new in 2020, these persistent safety concerns have become increasingly dangerous as they are getting worse. I have attempted to contact Honda with no resolution
In late December of 2023, our 2020 Honda Pilot began showing a "brake system" warning light, as well as numerous dashboard warnings indicating that automatic cruise control, lane keeping assist, collision mitigation, automatic high beam, and lane departure were not functioning properly. Our local Honda dealer diagnosed the vehicle as having a multipurpose camera failure. There were no accidents or damage of any sort that preceded this incident, and replacement of this camera cost us nearly $2000 out of pocket (invoice attached). There appear to be numerous similar reports on Honda internet forums, such as this one [XXX] ). Given the proven benefit of advanced safety systems, this failure absolutely increased the risk of collision. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Phantom braking from the CMBS collision avoidance system. It occurs randomly and applies brakes when the road is clear. The amount of braking varies from a partial second to more severe. This will cause an accident.
I was driving at low highway speeds when the Collision Mitigation Breaking System had a malfunction and became disabled while driving in traffic. There was an audible alert and visual alerts which popped up and became a distraction while driving as it was sudden unknown what was happening and if the car was safe to drive. I was able to continue to drive home. The next morning I took the car to the dealer. The dealer scanned and checked out the car, but was not able to replicate the problem. The warning disappeared prior to arriving at the dealer. There were no other warnings prior to the issue.
The sensors alerted me to Brake in an emergent flash and then slammed the brakes - when there was nothing in front of me. It happens when the car is going faster than 45 mph. It has happened on three separate occasions and the third time almost caused an accident on a two lane road traveling 55 mph
The infotainment system that controls all audio and backup cameras to the car has been malfunctioning for years. The problem is the system will shut it self off and remain non functional for long periods of time then will turn itself back on at anytime. The dealer (with aid from Honda Field service tech) have evaluated the car multiple times and addressed the issue. Each time the same issue return. There has been multiple recalls for the issue and they have all been addressed but then the problems always return. While the system is down no audio feature of the car is available such as audible backup warning, audible collision warnings etc.
Events happened about 5 times in 3weeks , car will flash brake , brake brake and steering wheel will shake for no reason
I just bought this vehicle yesterday. While driving it home the front collision breaking system came on twice. There were no other vehicles, pedestrians, animals, or objects on the road. On both occasions it was only momentary. One time the instance was on a curve, the other was on a straight-a-way. This happened on a 2 lane (one in each direction) road. I will be reaching out to the Ford dealership where it was purchased along with Honda.
The radio and other components of the "mostbus network" fail constantly (radio, rear entertainment and Blu-ray drive, in dash meter, amplifier). The rear view camera frequently fails to activate when switched to reverse gear. The car will also frequently give a forward collision warning and occasionally slam on the brakes even where there are no other cars in sight. Honda has been unable to fix these issues, and says that even after 2.5 years of owning the vehicle and 2.5 years of attempting to have it repaired, that they haven't exhausted all of their options yet.
Auto start/stop feature failed to restart vehicle and shifted to Neutral when foot was taken off the brake. Collision Mitigation Warning lights came on after vehicle power was shut off and turned back on to restart the motor.
Our Honda Pilot displays and shakes the wheel for Forward Collision Warnings a minimum of 30 times a day over approximately 32 miles daily. The vehicle has on more than one occasion engaged the Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS) as well in situations where no vehicle was on the road ahead or beside us, nearly causing us to be rear ended at high speeds. This has also happened when pulling out into intersections where the closest vehicles are approximately 75 feet. This has happened while travelling at anywhere from 15 mph to 55 mph, and has occurred every 1 to 2 months since owning the vehicle. We have been nearly rear-ended at least 5 times since owning the vehicle. Honda has told us that the collision warning "can't be adjusted" to fix this, and that our "best option is to disable the alert or the system". Being told to disable...
This has happened since I bought this vehicle brand new. whenever I am on a 2 lane road, the brake warning light and brake warning chime activate fairly often but intermittent when traffic coming from the opposite direction. if I am on a 4 lane road and in the lane that is closest to the oncoming traffic , it will send a false brake warning and brake warning chime. I have video taped this and sent to waltrip Honda in Franklin, TN. their technician verified the problem and replaced the radar unit on the vehicle, but it is still doing this even after the new part has been replaced. feel free to call me [XXX] or email [XXX]. thank you [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
The automatic collision avoidance system continually gives false warnings, shaking the steering wheel and beeping, while flashing a brake warning. This occurs even if there is no other traffic on the road, which could cause an accident by startling the driver when it unexpectedly activates. The automatic brakes are also overly aggressive, which could cause a rear end collision.
My Honda often displays the brakes warning and on rear occasion apply brake in response to oncoming traffic on two-lane roads. I already went with onboard camera recalibration at one of the safe glass location but this problem persist on narrow two-lane roads.
MY 2020 PILOT HAS SEVERAL ISSUES. 1. THE DASHBOARD AND INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM BLACKOUT. IN SEPT 2020, HONDA REPLACED THE MOST MODULE AND SAID THIS WOULD FIX THE PROBLEM. SEVERAL WEEKS AGO, MY INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM AGAIN WENT BLANK (3/6/2021), I HAD NO BACK UP CAMERA OR INFORMATION. THIS FIX OBVIOUSLY DID NOT WORK. I TOOK VIDEO ON MY PHONE. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO HONDA, THEY WOULD NOT LOOK AT MY VIDEO AND SAID THAT THEY NEEDED TO RECREATE IT (3/26/21). THEY DID NOTHING. I ALSO GOT THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE SEVERAL DAYS LATER (3/12/21), "UNFORTUNATELY, COM.HONDA.TELEPHONYSERVICE HAS STOPPED." I ALSO SHOWED THIS TO THE HONDA SERVICE CENTER, THEY SAID INTERESTING, WE HAVE NEVER SEEN THAT. THEY DID NOT WANT MY PICTURE, AND COULD NOT RECREATE, SO THEY DID NOTHING. THE CRACKLING/POPPING NOISE IS ALSO BACK AFTER IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE FIXED, WITH THE HONDA REPAIR. THEY COULD NOT RECREATE THIS...
THIS VEHICLE HAS BEEN NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS SINCE DAY 1. IT BEGAN WITH THE SUNROOF LEAKING AND CAUSING PUDDLES IN THE FRONT AND REAR PASSENGER FLOORS. THAT ISSUE REQUIRED 4 TRIPS TO THE DEALER. THE SPEAKERS THEN BEGAN POPPING AND THE RADIO AND DASH WOULD COMPLETELY SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING. FIXING THAT HAS BEEN ATTEMPTED 5 TIMES AND THE RADIO STILL CONTINUES TO HAVE PROBLEMS. I HAVE ALSO EXPERIENCED FALSE CRASH SENSING AND ONCE, THE AUTO BRAKING SYSTEM MADE ME COME TO ALMOST A COMPLETE STOP WHILE GOING ABOUT 45MPH AND NO ONE WAS EVEN AROUND ME. THIS CAR HAS BEEN A PROBLEM AND IS NOW BECOMING A HUGE SAFETY CONCERN AS MY WIFE WHO REGULARLY DRIVES IT IS NOW PREGNANT. SHE IS SCARED TO DRIVE IT AND HONDA IS UNWILLING TO HELP SOLVE THE ISSUES.
FALSE COLLISION WARNINGS AND FAILS TO ALERT TO ACTUAL POTENTIAL COLLISIONS. ALERTS AND REACTS TO NON-EXISTENT COLLISIONS CAUSING UNNECESSARY ANXIETY AND REACTIONS BY DRIVER. SPEEDS VARY FROM 35 MPH TO 60+. FAILURE TO REACT WAS ON HIGHWAY AT A SPEED IN EXCESS 55 MPH. OCCURS ON CITY AND HIGHWAY. MULTIPLE INCIDENTS PER MONTH,
Other 2020 HONDA PILOT Problem Areas
Electrical System
194 complaints
Unknown Or Other
89 complaints
Engine
88 complaints
Forward Collision Avoidance Automatic Emergency Braking
34 complaints
Power Train
32 complaints
Fuelpropulsion System
26 complaints
Service Brakes
22 complaints
Fuel System Gasoline
21 complaints
Forward Collision Avoidance Adaptive Cruise Control
19 complaints
Vehicle Speed Control
16 complaints
Lane Departure Warning
15 complaints
Lane Departure Assist
12 complaints
Electronic Stability Control Esc
10 complaints
Exterior Lighting
7 complaints
Equipmentelectricalinfotainment
6 complaints
Steering
6 complaints
Back Over Prevention Rearview System Braking
4 complaints
Back Over Prevention Warnings
4 complaints
Lane Departure Blind Spot Detection
4 complaints
Structurebody
4 complaints
Visibilitywiper
4 complaints
Wheels
4 complaints
Air Bags
3 complaints
Seats
3 complaints
Suspension
3 complaints
Tires
3 complaints
Back Over Prevention
2 complaints
Back Over Prevention Sensing System Camera
2 complaints
Equipment
2 complaints
Seat Belts
2 complaints
Electrical System Instrument Clusterpanel
1 complaint
Electrical Systemignition
1 complaint
Electrical Systemwiring Rear Compartmenttrunk
1 complaint
Engine And Engine Cooling
1 complaint
Engine And Engine Coolingexhaust Systememission Controlcatalytic Convertor
1 complaint
Equipmentelectricalradiotape Deckcd Etc
1 complaint
Forward Collision Avoidance
1 complaint
Forward Collision Avoidance Sensing System Camera
1 complaint
Fuel System Gasolinedeliveryfuel Pump
1 complaint
Latcheslockslinkageshatchbackliftgatelock
1 complaint
Service Brakes Airantilockwheel Speed Sensor
1 complaint
Service Brakes Hydraulic
1 complaint
Visibility
1 complaint
Visibilityrearview Mirrorsdevicesexterior
1 complaint
Visibilitysunmoon Roof Assembly
1 complaint