Automatic Emergency Braking problems of the 2020 Honda Accord - part 1

I was driving on the freeway at freeway speed with my mom and daughter in the car and all of a sudden the car decelerated suddenly to almost a stop, sending us all flying forward. I felt like we had to have hit something, but we didn't; it just felt that way because of the sudden, abrupt stop while going freeway speed. Our bodies are sore this morning as a result. Thankfully, no one was directly behind me at the time, and we didn't get rear-ended. This could have definitely caused fatalities. If I were to have been killed, no one would have known it was a vehicle malfunction. They would have thought I braked hard for some unknown reason. Even if I braked hard, it wouldn't have caused such an impact; this felt like we hit a wall because the wheels seemed to just lock. Very frightening. I'll probably have to take my mom to get looked over by a doctor due to the flying forward. Her seat belt flung her back, but for elderly people, it could cause some damage. It took me a moment to realize what happened.

The break light flash on my dashboard when I was driving on route 42 doing 65mph.

I was driving on 42 at 2:05 a. M. And I was heading towards the exit to get off and I started slowing down and after I took my foot off the brake, the brake light illuminated on my dashboard for me to hit the break, like something was in front of me and there wasn’t anything in front of me.

I was driving on route 42 at 11:52 pm and my brake light illuminated on my dashboard indicating me to hit the brake so I stepped on the break so my car wouldn't brake itself. There was nothing directly in front of me for that like to come on but it did. The highway was dry there was a little bit of cars on the highway but in front of me.

I was driving on [xxx] at around 1252am, and my brake light lite up on my dashboard, indicating me to press on the break or the car was going to break its self. The roads were clear and dry, there was barely any traffic. If I didn’t press on the brake when the car told me too it would have stopped it’s self cause me and my passenger to get thrown forward and me to get hit in the rear of my car. This has been going on for quite sometime. I talked to [xxx] from american Honda customer service back in December of 2025 about what was going on with my car. I have removed the license plate holder thinking that was causing it but it wasn’t. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

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.

Driving on rt 42 at 1042pm on March 1st going 60mph my cars break light came on for me to break like there was something in front of me but there wasn’t.

February 13th at 1256am my emergency break light flashed on my dashboard and beep for me to break but there was nothing in front of me. I was going 60mph on route 42. Roads were clear and there was no traffic.

On Thursday February 5th 2026 I was driving on route 42 at 1014pm going 60mph and my automatic break light came on and beeped as I was driving down the highway. There was nothing in front of me.

Driving on the white horse pike in berlin new jersey at 1:39pm on January 21st and my break light warning light came on. There was nothing in front of me, I was doing 40mph. The roads were dry, there were no cars near me, and no traffic. It happened again on the same day January 21st, on the white horse pike in lindenwold new jersey. This one happened at 520pm, I was doing 45mph and my break warning light came on. The road was dry, there was no traffic on the road, and no cars or debris in the road either.

The contact owns a 2020 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brakes independently activated, and the transmission independently shifted into neutral. The contact stated that there were no other vehicles nearby. The brake warning light illuminated. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The contact was advised to clean off the sensors and see if the failure reoccurred. The contact stated that she did not want to see if the failure would recur. The contact was informed that the repair was not covered under the recall. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 59,660.

On December 4 at 8:57pm I was driving on interstate 295 doing 60 miles an hour and my car’s warning light for breaking came up for me to break like something was in front of me even though there wasn’t, this is a continuing thing going on. I reported every time it happens.

While I was driving on the highway, the brakes of my car suddenly were violently activated and I had not touched the brakes. If there had been a car behind me, it would have been a major rear end collision. It was over quickly and I accelerated back to the normal speed. I talked to the Honda service mgr where I purchased the car and he said he was unaware of the problem although I see that that nearly 3 million Hondas have experienced this issue.

The contact owns a 2020 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the automatic emergency braking system erroneously activated, causing the vehicle to abruptly stop in the middle of the road. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure, and the vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure had occurred on several occasions. The manufacturer was not contacted. The contact was informed of NHTSA action number: ea24002 (forward collision avoidance); and related the failure to NHTSA action number. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was not available.

Honda never contacted me about this recall or steps to fixing the problem to make sure my car was safe and running/working correctly. I would like the problem/recall to be fixed ASAP. I looked up my VIN on your website and this is how I even found out about this recall. Please help me get it fixed. Thank you.

Driving on a clear road on a clear day with no car in front of me, the brake warning flashed and then the car braked on its own. There was no reason for the warning or for the car to brake on its own. Automatic breaking isn’t even a feature on this car.

The vehicle keeps braking automatically with nothing in front of me, I see numerous people reporting it so I figured I should aswell, nothing in front or near me when it automatically brakes, it is scary as heck tho!.

I was driving down us route 42 on 10/4/25 at 1:10 am and my car phantom break itself while I was doing 60 miles an hour on the highway.

Good morning, I have new Honda Accord 2020 which always been taken care of regular services and oil changes etc. This morning I tried to start my car going to work but suddenly all brake related warning signs came off. My card still not starting the engine. I researched online and found out many people who have same Honda facing same issues. So I figured it's better to be reported before someone gets really hurts while on road. Please find attached pictured with this incident report please.

On September 2, 2025 at 1004-1005 est, my car phantom braked, when there was nothing in front of me and this time instead of just flashing brake on the dashboard, it actually breaks itself and threw me into the steering wheel thank god my seatbelt caught me, but it really choked me up. This has happened quite a number of times before, but this is the first time that it breaked when I actually stepped on the brake pedal it break itself myself also. The component is the automatic breaking for the collision impact that keeps phantom breaking on me. It has never been looked at by a dealer or anyone otherwise. The lamp that came on was the break lamp where the rpm are at.

There has been multiple times that when I am driving on the highway doing 60 miles an hour, the dashboard will light up to brake the car when there is nothing in front of the car, no other car no trash nothing. It has done this on slower roads where the speed limit is 40 mph and under but it will actually brake the car and I have had cars behind me when this happens. This keeps happening multiply times a week.

The Honda collision mitigation braking system (cmbs) will randomly activate without any obstacles in front of the vehicle. Consequently, increasing the risk for car accidents, loss of control, and bodily harm. The car has not been inspected by a dealer or certified mechanic for this problem. However, the vehicle is available for inspection and repair as needed. While the incident occurs, the cmbs warning system will flash ‘brake’.

When driving my car it will phantom break when there is nothing in front of it going down the highway 5060 miles an hour and it’s done at numerous times. I have not been in an accident yet, but it’s something that keeps occurring on my car.

To whom it may concern, I am writing to formally report a serious safety issue involving the automatic emergency braking (aeb) system on my Honda Accord 2020. The system has been engaging randomly and without cause, abruptly applying the brakes when there is no obstacle or hazard present. On multiple occasions, this malfunction has occurred while driving at normal speeds, including on highways and in moderate traffic. These sudden, unprovoked braking events have created extremely dangerous situations, nearly causing rear-end collisions and putting both myself and other drivers at risk. Despite there being no obstruction in front of the vehicle, the system behaves as though an emergency stop is necessary. This issue not only undermines the purpose of the safety feature but also significantly increases the risk of an accident due to unexpected deceleration. I urge Honda to thoroughly investigate this issue, as it appears to be a potentially widespread and dangerous defect. I am requesting that the company: •address and correct the fault in my vehicle’s aeb system at no cost •provide a clear explanation of the root cause •inform me of any recalls or technical service bulletins (tsbs) related to this problem.

I was driving down the road, on pinewood rd sumter SC 29154, the front camera sensed something in the road but nothing was in the road I didn’t brake because I didn’t see anything in the road the orange brake light flashed on dash, so the car did a hard brake of its own, it jerked me the driver I had a sore neck and upper back area for a day due to the hard brake that jerked me. I continue to have phantom braking but I brake when this occurs to avoid hard jerks. I have not yet taken to the dealership.

Vehicle will randomly slam on brakes to a dead stop, engaging my seatbelt when engine braking behind a vehicle. Usually happens on surface streets when the vehicle in front of me is turning into a driveway/tight right turn. My velocity is decreasing & I am not at risk of colliding with the vehicle every time. System does not seem to register engine braking with a manual transmission as “braking. ” I’ve nearly been rear ended several times due to coming to a dead stop in traffic. I’ve asked Honda how to permanently disable the system, with the only advice to turn it off manually every single time I start the vehicle.

It is uncertain which specific system/systems have failed/malfunctioned at this point. Despite frequent and consistent communication with Honda, no real attempt has been made to uncover the cause of this issue, and no solution has been provided. The vehicle has been, and is, available for inspection upon request. This is the 6th occurrence since the first event on 21 April 2025. This occurred on the interstate. During this event, the vehicle rapidly decelerated from 45 mph to 30 mph without the ability of the driver to intervene or take back control of the vehicle. This led to a very near miss as traffic was rapidly approaching the rear of my vehicle. At the time of the incident (5:52 pm), I was in the left lane. Traffic was moderate. The weather was rainy and wet. Cmbs was off. Acc was off. Problem has not yet been reproduced but dealer has verbally indicated that they get frequent complaints about the system. This includes one employee who has experienced this on his personal vehicle. Many dtcs have been recovered from the vehicle’s log. Manufacturer: yes, vehicle has spent 30 days, to date, in custody of Honda police: not yet. Will do immediately if advised insurance representatives: not yet. Will do immediately if advised others: no. Any work on the vehicle performed outside of Honda east cincinnati will void the warranty no warning or alert (audible or visual) lights were present before, during, or after the event.

It is uncertain which specific system/systems have failed/malfunctioned at this point. Despite frequent and consistent communication with Honda, no real attempt has been made to uncover the cause of this issue, and no solution has been provided. The vehicle has been, and is, available for inspection upon request. This is the 5th occurrence since the first event on 21 April 2025. This occurred on the interstate. During this event, the vehicle rapidly decelerated from 65 mph to 25 mph without the ability of the driver to intervene or take back control of the vehicle. This led to a very near miss as traffic was rapidly approaching the rear of my vehicle. At the time of the incident (8:12 am), I was in the left lane. Traffic was light. The weather was rainy and wet. Cmbs was on. Acc was off. This very nearly resulted in total loss of control of the vehicle. Problem has not yet been reproduced but dealer has verbally indicated that they get frequent complaints about the system. This includes one employee who has experienced this on his personal vehicle. Many dtcs have been recovered from the vehicle’s log. Manufacturer: yes, vehicle has spent 30 days, to date, in custody of Honda police: not yet. Will do immediately if advised insurance representatives: not yet. Will do immediately if advised others: no. Any work on the vehicle performed outside of Honda east cincinnati will void the warranty no warning or alert (audible or visual) lights were present before, during, or after the event.

It is uncertain which specific system/systems have failed/malfunctioned at this point. Despite frequent and consistent communication with Honda, no real attempt has been made to uncover the cause of this issue, and no solution has been provided. The vehicle has been, and is, available for inspection upon request. This is the 2nd occurrence since the first event on 21 April 2025. This occurred on the interstate. During this event, the vehicle's forward collision warning triggered an audible and visual alert that could not be shut off. This led to a very near miss as traffic was rapidly approaching the rear of my vehicle. At the time of the incident, I was in the left lane. Traffic was very light. The weather was dark and dry. Cmbs was on. Acc was off. Lkas was on. Rdm was on. Problem has not yet been reproduced but dealer has verbally indicated that they get frequent complaints about the system. This includes one employee who has experienced this on his personal vehicle. Many dtcs have been recovered from the vehicle’s log. Manufacturer: yes, vehicle has spent 30 days, to date, in custody of Honda police: not yet. Will do immediately if advised insurance representatives: not yet. Will do immediately if advised others: no. Any work on the vehicle performed outside of Honda east cincinnati will void the warranty visual and audible alerts were present before, during, or after the event.

The car brake by itself with no obstacles in the way.

False alarms (several hundred) with audio and visual warnings but no braking. One instance of false alarm with emergency braking from 55mph to under 30mph. I do not recall a false warning happening after sundown, ever. Alarms have occurred on bright days with sharp shadows, and overcast with no shadows. There always seems to be a solid overhead object being approached, overpass, railway trestle, solid bar supporting a traffic light. This is highly intermittent where alarms occurred 3 in a week, to 1 in a span of two months. The two constants I have noted are it happens during daylight hours and a substantial overhead object or structure is being approached. Alarms have been occurring since 2021 when I bought the car new off the lot.

When I was attempting to merge into the turning lane the car slowed down by itself and abruptly stopped in the middle of both lanes while a car was behind me.

While I am driving I have experienced incidents where the (automatic brake system) aeb system engages unexpectedly, causing the car to brake hard without any obstruction or vehicle in front of me. This incident have happened on both highways and main roads. When my car unexpectedly breaks, sometimes I get a warning that says brake then the car beeps and sometimes it won’t give a warning. Today when it happened it only braked once but like I said it happens unexpectedly. (2020 Honda Accord sport 1. 5lt).

The car's automatic emergency breaking activates randomly when there are no objects in front of it. This is very dangerous as the car is often driving full speed when this happens. I have found that this happens most often when I am driving under something, like an overpass.

The collision avoidance system activated twice for no reason. Inspection is available. I and my passenger were jerked by the rapid stop & could have been rear ended if anyone was behind me. The second event was in an intersection when I and the driver behind me were driving slowly. If the car behind wasn't alert, he or she could have collided with me. No one was travelling in front of me and yet the brake suddenly engaged. The dealership rep. Did not confirm the problem after driving it 5 minutes. There were no warning lamps, messages, or symptoms before the brake engaged in both instances.