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

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.

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.

The automatic emergency braking system malfunctioned on 7/18/24. I was driving approx. 20 mph on a local road and there was no vehicle, pedestrian, or other object in front of the car when unexpectedly the orange warning to brake came on and an instant later the car braked on its own and came to a complete stop in the middle of the road. Given the sudden and forceful stop, I went forward into the seat belt. Fortunately, there was not a vehicle behind me as I would have been rear ended putting both me and the people in the other vehicle in danger. I reported the incident to the dealer using their online system (I wanted to do it in writing, but could not find a direct email address), but have not heard back from them yet.

The collision mitigation braking system periodically activates when traveling on interstate highway when there is nothing in the roadway to cause this function to activate, causing the vehicle to stop suddenly then release which have caused potential rear-end accidents and possible injury to the driver r passenger due to the sudden stopping motion which propel the driver and passenger forward quickly without any warnings. Recently an warning error appeared to verify this malfunction. Which before 6/30 the warning error never appeared.

I was driving on a road that the car has been on hundreds of times. Flat, straight, dry road with no other cars around. The car all of a sudden braked very hard and the "brake" light started flashing and beeping for about 3-4 seconds and then went off and then the brake fully released. It was like hitting an invisible wall and fighting to maintain control of the car at the same time. It came out of nowhere and was so shocking. There was nothing around me and no reason for the aeb system to be used. I can't tell you if my foot was pressing on the gas or had lifted to maintain speed. I do know that my foot was on or lifted above the gas pedal and nowhere near the brake. I am shocked it didn't cause an accident but I am guessing that is because I held tight to the steering wheel and possibly because there were no other cars around. I have severe whiplash, a major headache, backache and am very scared driving the car should it happen again. I have not gone to receive medical treatment yet but it is highly likely that I will need it. I will be contacting the dealership as well to discuss.

I've owned the car for over a year now, bought it for my daughter. 3 times the emergency braking system has gone off while driving for no reason. The last event happened while driving on a hwy at 55 mph with no in front of her. The car slammed on the brakes, and the brake warning light went off, thankfully no one was behind her.

Car emergency braking system activates with nothing in front of me this has happend to me 3 times today it slowed me down to a complete stop on the interstate and took a few seconds to disengage with cars swerving around me to avoid collision this is a major issue.

This car brakes while we are driving while there is nothing in front. Was reported to the dealer, they can not find the issue unless the carb does it, or I can turn off the program, but that is not a safe move.

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? the automatic emergency braking system engaged without any vehicle or person in front of my car. I was driving at about 40 mph and the brakes slammed on and then after a few seconds released how was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? if a vehicle was directly behind me, they could have slammed into my car. No car was at the time this happened. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? no, I haven't taken it in yet. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? not yet. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? the brake light came on on the dashboard when it occurred.

The hand/emergency brakes activated without me doing it while driving and had stayed on ever since. I had my mechanic look into it and he mentioned may be due to a defective sensor and advised to have the dealer look into it for recalls. I saw that the NHTSA is actually reporting on a similar issue. The car still has good brakes (pads and rotor) however the issue continues as it will randomly activate the emergency brakes.

At least once a month with lane keep assist on, and a vehicle in the lane to my right, an emergency braking maneuver happens automatically. I have to disconnect the system.

On 1/10/24 I took my elderly mother to physical therapy and the car began to randomly brake although there were no vehicles in front of me. The braking light flashed and then car brakes on its own. A week later I was driving approximately 55 mph on a major highway and the car started braking again but without the warning light. Again, there were no cars anywhere around me. The next day I went to the Honda dealership in covington, la because I am very concerned this will happen again unexpectedly when there are cars around me and it will result in a bad accident injuring myself or others. I was told he can keep my car all day but he said they probably could not recreate the issue so its just a waste of time. He said nothing he can do about it. That's just how it is and maybe it was from a bug passing the sensor. I know have to remember to turn off the feature every time I drive because I am terrified that it will randomly brake again and it may cause a serious accident.

Vehicle was being driven at 38 mph on a road with no other vehicles, bicyclists, pedestrians or other obstructions in sight when the "brake" warning flashed on the dashboard and the brakes were immediately engaged, causing a hard stop. Had there been a vehicle following, it is likely that a rear end collision would have occurred.

As I was driving down the main road at 45 mph, no cars, animals or people anywhere around me, my 2020 Honda Accord sport automatic braking system hard braked out of nowhere for no apparent reason! thankfully there were no cars behind me or there would have been a crash!.

Automatic 45mph to zero breaking with no cars or objects in sight. Almost caused a rear end collision due to faulty and unnecessary automatic breaking.

Three times in one day the emergency braking system has gone on automatically for no apparent reason. We were not at risk but are concerned we will be put at risk. There was no warning. We have not taken it in but will do so ASAP.

I was driving on the freeway when the car started to break on its own and also indicting to brake as if there was something in front of me too close. But there was no car in front of me or beside me. The car breaking on its own was a major safety hazard since I was on freeway and driving about 65 mph. If a car would have been right behind me I would have been rear ended. I did take car to the dealership and let them know what had happened. And they told me I would have to take car in for a diagnostic appointment and the problem would have to happen while tech is driving car so they could look into it. This has happened to me a total of 3 times.

Without driver intervention, the vehicle engaged the brakes. Threw both passengers forward until the seat belt restraints engaged. Bruising both passengers shoulders. The vehicle would not respond to either pedal - brake or gas for a few seconds. There was no visible traffic in front of us. The day was clear. And no construction or overpasses. The vehicle was taken into a certified Honda dealer and inspected. No “flags” or diagnostic issues found. The car was driven by the dealer. The issue wouldn’t reproduce. The dealer stated that they did find a large “smashed” bug on one sensor and wondered if it could have caused the issue. Prior to the vehicle initiating the panic stop, no indications of a event were posted on any device in the vehicle.

When I am driving, there is no car in front of my car. Brake warning flash and randomly slam on the brakes without the I touching the brake pedal.

This has happened more than one time. The first time it happened I was going down a 2 lane road no one in front or back of me and I was going 65 with my cruise set and the car slams on break and stays blink break on the dash. The second time it happened I was going down a 2 lane road at 45 no one around and it slams on breaks really hard and blinked break across the dash.

The contact owns a 2020 Honda Accord. The contact stated while driving 30 mph and accelerating, the vehicle experienced phantom braking and abruptly stopped. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the failure was experienced several times within a two-month period. The contact was able to continue driving the vehicle. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer nor an independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. Neither the manufacturer nor the dealer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 14,000.