2020 Honda Passport Problems & Owner Complaints

Forward Collision Avoidance 31 1 crash

“On Nov 9, 2024 I was pulling into a parking spot in a public parking garage, after turning 2 tight corners to approach the parking spot. About half way into the parking spot, the car suddenly lurched and accelerated and I crashed into a 90 degree concrete corner wall! It happened SO fast, without any warning sounds or ABS brakes deploying. The entire front passenger corner of my car was badly damaged. Luckily I was not injured, nor were there any other vehicles or persons involved. It is just not possible that I could have personally pulled into a parking spot at such a high speed as to cause…”
NHTSA complaint #11639151, 2024 · crash

“Multipurpose camera stopped working and most of the safety systems alerts are on now and don’t work”
NHTSA complaint #11752644, 2026

“It's a sunny day in Florida and approximately at [XXX] while traveling straight on a public roadway, the vehicle directly in front of me moved into the left-turn lane, completely clearing my lane of travel. As I actively accelerated to pass the turning vehicle, my Honda’s Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS) inadvertently activated despite my lane being completely clear and unobstructed. The emergency automatic braking engaged forcefully just after I passed the vehicle in the left-turn lane. This unexpected, false-positive braking event caused a severe, rapid deceleration that nearly res…”
NHTSA complaint #11744941, 2026

Electrical System 26

“The contact owns a 2020 Honda Passport. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle with the Push-To-Start feature, the Adaptive Cruise Control, Road Departure Mitigation, Collision Mitigation Brake System, and Lane Keeping assist system, and the high beam messages were displayed on the instrument panel. An audible alarm sounded while the messages were displayed. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the multipurpose camera needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost, and because the parts were on back order. Upon furt…”
NHTSA complaint #11744752, 2026

“Car tried to start on its own, set off the alarm multiple times and killed a new battery after 6 months. Would not allow me to enter car by remote had to unplug battery. issue with Start/stop idle system, it is know issue with Honda ridgeline but having same issue with passport.”
NHTSA complaint #11743870, 2026

“Car shuts down and does not restart. Also goes to neutral and does not allow car to be steered. Also seems to be related to auto restart.”
NHTSA complaint #11711008, 2026

Engine 16

“Engine failed and now the piston rod is knocking inside the engine. Engine failure while operating a vehicle is extremely dangerous and could cause an accident or death to myself and anyone else around my vehicle while its being operated. This type of issue can even cause a fire in the engine bay. When the issue presented itself I was going 60 down the highway. Yes, the vehicle has been in two independent shops which have both confirmed the engine failure due to premature connecting rod bearing wear which was most likely caused by manufacturer crankshaft issues. No it has not been inspected…”
NHTSA complaint #11714777, 2026

“Car shuts down and does not restart. Also goes to neutral and does not allow car to be steered. Also seems to be related to auto restart.”
NHTSA complaint #11711008, 2026

“At approx. 5 years of age & 67,500 miles, the engine began to make rattling or ticking noises that were in sync with engine speed (RPM). Within 1 day of noting the noise, I took the first available appointment to bring the vehicle to my local Honda dealership, Napleton Honda in Loves Park, IL. Napleton Honda diagnosed the issue as "rod knock" due to failing connecting rod bearings. The dealership advised that the only recourse is to replace the engine. Honda Motor Corp (manufacturer) was notified by me about the issue, but they declined to make any substantive effort to assist with the rep…”
NHTSA complaint #11704578, 2025

Unknown Or Other 10

“I was at a red light and all of a sudden my car switched to neutral. I could not get out of neutral and tried unsuccessfully to get my car into drive. I finally was able to shut the car off (not sure if opening the door helped reset the system) and start it again. I now turn off the idle option”
NHTSA complaint #11746675, 2026

“don’t have the exact locations,date or time but this has happened around 5 times where I am driving and comes to a come a complete stop and my engine wouldn’t start,I had to put on my hazard lights turn off the vehicle then restart it”
NHTSA complaint #11727178, 2026

“Burnt Oil Smell Inside Cabin (When Heater Is on High) I frequently notice a burnt oil smell inside the cabin, especially during the first hour of driving in the morning with the heater set to high. My local Honda dealership inspected the vehicle but did not find a specific cause, attributing it instead to a “Honda smell.” They demonstrated a similar odor on a new Passport and suggested using a charcoal cabin filter. However, I remain concerned about a potential fire risk. Auto Idle Start-Stop Feature Unavailable The Auto Idle Start-Stop system rarely functions properly—it has worked approxima…”
NHTSA complaint #11698869, 2025

Service Brakes 9 1 crash

“On Nov 9, 2024 I was pulling into a parking spot in a public parking garage, after turning 2 tight corners to approach the parking spot. About half way into the parking spot, the car suddenly lurched and accelerated and I crashed into a 90 degree concrete corner wall! It happened SO fast, without any warning sounds or ABS brakes deploying. The entire front passenger corner of my car was badly damaged. Luckily I was not injured, nor were there any other vehicles or persons involved. It is just not possible that I could have personally pulled into a parking spot at such a high speed as to cause…”
NHTSA complaint #11639151, 2024 · crash

“The brake system is not working properly when stopped on a hill. The vehicle will roll backwards after pushing the brake. If you are stopped on a hill you have to keep the brake engaged while also accelerating to keep from rolling backwards and hitting the car behind you.”
NHTSA complaint #11702848, 2025

“We are currently experiencing very cold weather in my area. I have a Honda Passport that uses a camera for its braking, LKAS, ACC, and other features. During extreme cold, the camera shorts out causing safety systems to fail. Others report the same issue on Honda cars: [XXX] No accident or injury resulted - merely trying to avoid a future safety issue INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)”
NHTSA complaint #11637647, 2025

Lane Departure 6

“Multipurpose camera stopped working and most of the safety systems alerts are on now and don’t work”
NHTSA complaint #11752644, 2026

“Brakes were being applied when no cars were around me. Now, 5 warnings were given to me as I drove down the highway. The warnings were as follows: Adaptive Cruise Control Problem Collision Mitigation System Problem Road Departure Mitigation System Problem Lane Keeping Assist ProblemAuto High-Beam Problem Brake System Light”
NHTSA complaint #11717124, 2026

“The Nidec OEM part number 36160-TGS-A03-M1 has failed and causing all five of these alerts to appear as warnings: 1.Road departure mitigation problem 2.Collision Mitigation problem 3. Lane keeping assist problem. 4. Auto high beam problem. 5 Adaptive cruise control failure I don't know if the Nidec part is OEM from Honda and I believe the materials used by Nidec are creating the issue. I thought the Honda OEM part for this camera came from Bosch. The German part appears to made from aluminum, the Nidec part might be a plastic or other material. I am researching the failure rate on your part…”
NHTSA complaint #11690896, 2025

Fuel/Propulsion System 4

“Fuel pump failure mid-traffic in busy two lane road, unable to start vehicle. The engine sputtered and then halted with all warning lights on dashboard lighting up. Full propulsion of the vehicle ceased while in traffic causing car to be dead on the side of the road until police and tow truck could be dispatched. If this occurred on a busier road or in a 65 mile per hour divided highway, this could have caused a major mukti-vehicle accident and placed me in significant danger.”
NHTSA complaint #11703262, 2025

“I was driving on a highway when my car just shut off in the middle lane in the middle of the highway. And I had five errors come up on my screen and my car would not start back up. I had it towed to Honda where they said it was my fuel pump. My safety was put at risk because the car just shut off while driving 75 mph in the middle lane and came to a complete stop. I was not able to roll to the side of the road. Honda released a recall on 2020 passports for the fuel pump in Feb 2024 for this exact reason but my Vin number was not included so I contacted Honda to see if I could get reimbursed si…”
NHTSA complaint #11584951, 2024

“ON JULY 14 2020 A FLYING OBJECT WENT UNDER MY CAR WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON HIGHWAY I73 (CLOSE TO GATE CITY BLVD GREENSBORO NC).THE OBJECT GASHED THE SIDE OF THE FUEL TANK CAUSING FUEL LEAK!THE PLASTIC TANK IS CLOSE TO THE MANIFOLD WHICH COULD OF CAUSED FIRE OR EXPLOSION OF THE VEHICLE!THE FUEL TANK IS SHIELDED FROM THE BOTTOM BUT IT'S NOT SHIELDED FROM THE DRIVER SIDE UNDER THE VEHICLE!I THINK IT'S A MISTAKE AND IT'S A SERIOUS FIRE HAZARD BC IT'S VERY EXPOSED TO ANY ROAD DEBRIS OR RANDOM SMALL OBJECTS WHICH CAN HARM THE THIN TANK SIDE!THE CHASSIS AND THE SUSPENSION DESIGN IS ALSO ALLOWING DEBRIS…”
NHTSA complaint #11341082, 2020

Power Train 4

“2020 Honda Passport VIN [XXX] engine start stop system fails at stop in a crossroad light. Vehicle becomes inoperable, on screen instructions not executable. After several attempts of turning vehicle off / on it finally starts. Stranded vehicle at light causes traffic to start swerving to avoid stalled vehicle - unsafe condition. No warning lights nor messages were observed in driver information system previous to failure occurrence. Malfunction has happened at least 3 times in last 6 months INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)”
NHTSA complaint #11695725, 2025

“The auto idle stop failed to restart at a traffic light. This happened at a busy intersection in heavy traffic. The date given below is the most recent incident; it has happened twice now. Usually I try to remember to disable the idle stop feature, but this time I forgot, and it failed. The first time it happened was November 2024.”
NHTSA complaint #11675755, 2025

“The engine lost power and shut down while driving on the highway. The vehicle has been at a Honda dealership since this date (so about 8 weeks now). It can be inspected but I am on the verge of replacing the engine at my cost. The loss of power resulted in putting the vehicle on the side of and icy highway at night and at risk of being hit or sideswiped. There was very little cell service which meant that a tow truck couldn't be called right away. There were no warning signs that the engine was experiencing trouble before this engine failure. The problem has not been reproduced by the deale…”
NHTSA complaint #11578026, 2024

Air Bags 3

“The contact owns a 2020 Honda Passport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V064000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the parts needed for the recall repair were not yet available. The dealer advised the contact not to have a passenger seated in the front passenger’s seat due to the risk associated with the recall. The dealer recommended that the vehicle be inspected to verify if the vehicle was affected by the recall. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a re…”
NHTSA complaint #11691631, 2025

“The contact owns a 2020 Honda Passport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V064000 (Air Bags). The contact called the local dealer, who confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact to continue checking back with the dealer. The contact had not experienced a failure.”
NHTSA complaint #11690292, 2024

“The contact owns a 2020 Honda Passport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V064000 (Air Bags); 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 local dealer and two other dealers, Buena Park Honda (6411 Beach Blvd, Buena Park, CA 90621) and Norm Reeves Honda Superstore Cerritos (18500 Studebaker Rd, Cerritos, CA 90703), were made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and…”
NHTSA complaint #11623873, 2024

Back Over Prevention 3

“Front radar camera is broken after 100000 miles. Errors include: adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist, brake system, road departure mitigation system, auto high beam, collision mitigation.”
NHTSA complaint #11627676, 2024

“Nothing has failed currently, more so the system overreacts to EVERYTHING. Trucks nearby, swerve. Guardrails, center lanes, etc. it’s insanely inconsistent and I’m not surprised it’s caused accidents, the ACC and brake assist need to be fixed on these cars”
NHTSA complaint #11576848, 2024

“Manufacturer Communication Number: A21-012 Summary Service Bulletin - A loose connection in the MOST bus network is causing a popping or crackling from the speakers or no sound from the audio system. You may also see a Network Loss message and/or display issues. This is a known problem. On my vehicle it caused the rear camera to go out which is required safety equipment. Also the noise is so loud sometimes it startles me and I jerk the steering wheel. I have been to the dealer 2 times and they say it is a known problem but have no parts. This has been going on for over a year now and this p…”
NHTSA complaint #11432023, 2021

Vehicle Speed Control 3 1 crash

“On Nov 9, 2024 I was pulling into a parking spot in a public parking garage, after turning 2 tight corners to approach the parking spot. About half way into the parking spot, the car suddenly lurched and accelerated and I crashed into a 90 degree concrete corner wall! It happened SO fast, without any warning sounds or ABS brakes deploying. The entire front passenger corner of my car was badly damaged. Luckily I was not injured, nor were there any other vehicles or persons involved. It is just not possible that I could have personally pulled into a parking spot at such a high speed as to cause…”
NHTSA complaint #11639151, 2024 · crash

“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 HONDA PASSPORT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT RADAR SYSTEM AND THE COLLISION AVOIDANCE SYSTEM WAS SENSING OTHER OBJECTS AND ABRUPTLY SLOWING THE VEHICLE DOWN ALMOST TO A COMPLETE STOP. THE CONTACT TURNED OFF THE FEATURE SO IT WOULD NOT ENGAGE IN ERROR LIKE BEFORE. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO OVERRIDE WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED THAT THE EVEN THOUGH THE ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL WAS NOT READING AN OBJECT IN FRONT THE VEHICLE, THE SYSTEM MAY SPEED UP THE VEHICLE POSSIBLY CAUSING A COLLISION. ADDITIONALLY, THE INSTRUMENT PANEL DISPLAYED THE INCORR…”
NHTSA complaint #11354238, 2020

“VEHICLE BRAKING HEAVILY AND UNEXPECTEDLY ON HIGHWAY AND INTERSTATE DUE TO DEFECTIVE HONDA SENSING GROUP INPUT DATA (RADAR, CAMERA, ON-BOARD SOFTWARE CREATING DANGEROUS SITUATION) AT HIGH SPEEDS (60-70MPH).”
NHTSA complaint #11340554, 2020

Tires 2

“Driving in neighborhood suddenly Tire pressure light came on. Tire flat with 4 ruptures on sidewall of tire. Continental cross contact LX sport 265/45 R20. This incident happened in Jan 2022 had similar episode in August of 2021 with rupture in sidewall.”
NHTSA complaint #11447968, 2022

“TL* THE CONTACT LEASED A 2020 HONDA PASSPORT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE INFOTAINMENT SYSTEM WOULD GO BLANK AND THE CONTACT COULD HEAR A SPARKING SOUND COMING THROUGH THE SPEAKERS WHILE DRIVING. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TIRE PRESSURE ON THE VEHICLE WOULD CONSISTENTLY DEFLATE ON ALL FOUR TIRES WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT WROTE A LETTER TO THE MANUFACTURER DOCUMENTING THE FAILURE BUT THE CONTACT RECEIVED NO ASSISTANCE. THE CONTACT THEN TOOK THE VEHICLE TO HONDA OF PRINCETON (987 STATE RD, PRINCETON, NJ 08540) WHERE THE VEHICLE REMAINED IN DEALER POSSESSION. THE VEHICLE HAD YET TO BE REPAIRE…”
NHTSA complaint #11398731, 2020

Exterior Lighting 1

“Upon many vehicles flashing headlights coming towards me, and the driver in front of me pulling over, I investigated once I reached my destination. It soon was evident that the water inside my driver's side headlamp had frozen and was creating a prismatic effect and reflecting light all over the road. This created significant safety risks to my family and other motorist. Honda investigated and acknowledged a TSB for water in the headlights due to a manufacturing defect. However the cost of replacement and the availability of a replacement lamp are prohibitive.”
NHTSA complaint #11555655, 2023

Fuel System 1

Steering 1

“Compliance bushing cracked and coming apart which is a known common issue with Honda Passports from the 2020 timeframe. Thank you for your time!”
NHTSA complaint #11680829, 2025

Structure 1

“I JUST BOUGHT THIS 2020 HONDA PASSPORT EXL 4DAYS AGO. I DECIDED TO CLEAN IT AND WENT IN A TOUCH LESS CARWASH (NO BIG BRUSHES ROLLING TO PAINT). AND THEN AFTER, WE WENT HOME. UPON LEAVING THE CAR, I SAW A DARK SPOT BY THE FRONT PASSENGER DOOR AND IT WAS THE PAINT CHIPPING OFF. IT WASN'T THERE SINCE. ITS A BRAND NEW CAR AND ITS JUST DAYS OLD SO I LOOK AT IT AND CHECK LIKE EVERY 2HRS. I MEAN ITS A $40K CAR AND WITH JUST A SIMPLE CARWASH IT CHIPPED OFF? I'VE READ THIS ISSUE TO SOME OTHERS AND ITS CRAZY THAT IT HAPPENED TO ME. ITS JUST 4DAYS OLD.”
NHTSA complaint #11343444, 2020

Visibility 1

“My 2020 Honda Passport was recalled to replace the two side mirrors in May 2023. I took my vehicle to Autonation Honda Dulles, VA to have the recall performed. After the recall was performed I was driving home when the glass on both side mirrors fell out. I take the car in for a safety recall and the work performed by the dealer is substandard in completing this recall. This could have led to a catastrophic incident. I had to return back to Autonation Honda to have the work done properly.”
NHTSA complaint #11540400, 2023

Visibility/Wiper 1

“My 2020 Honda Passport was recalled to replace the two side mirrors in May 2023. I took my vehicle to Autonation Honda Dulles, VA to have the recall performed. After the recall was performed I was driving home when the glass on both side mirrors fell out. I take the car in for a safety recall and the work performed by the dealer is substandard in completing this recall. This could have led to a catastrophic incident. I had to return back to Autonation Honda to have the work done properly.”
NHTSA complaint #11540400, 2023