Automatic Emergency Braking Problems of Honda CR-V - part 1

Second time in the last two months, while traveling on a 55mph roadway, vehicle started auto braking with no vehicles ahead of me or any obstacles. Scared the daylights out of me, I cant imagine what the outcome would have been if this happened on a highway.

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The contact owns a 2022 Honda Cr-v. The contact stated that while driving at a very slow speed in heavy traffic, the vehicle suddenly experienced "phantom braking" causing the vehicle to abruptly stop in the middle of the road, causing a second vehicle to almost crash into the rear end of the vehicle. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 18,540.

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Multiple lights and warnings on dashboard of 2019 Honda crv. Warnings were sudden and all at once and included, emissions system problem, braking problem, power steering problem, collision mitigation system problem, electric parking brake problem and many others. Honda service centers stated this is a very known problem with 2019 crv and it’s the fuel injectors and head gasket.

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We were pulling into a parking space and were almost completely stopped. Suddenly the gas engine revved and we jumped the curb and crashed through the glass front of the restaurant we had ordered food from. As it lurched forward my wife was pressing on the brake yelling it won't stop! the engined revved without any pedal usage. The automatic braking system did not function. Called the dealer and of course they have never heard of such a thing. I talked with the dealer adn they recommended going ahead with the body repairs and then take it to a Honda dealer to run a diagnostic to see if any abnormalities show up. There were no warning signals at all. It happened so quickly. The car ended up going completely through the glass fron and when it stopped it had hit the cashier counter and was completely inside the restuarant. We are so thankful there were no patrons eating in the restaurant at the time.

I was exiting the freeway driving south about 110-115pm in [xxx] when suddenly my car seemed to stall or stop and brake orange light came on. It all happened very quickly and without any warning. The nearest vehicle ahead of me was very far away, at the stop turning left and I was entering the exit. Initially I thought the engine cut out but it didn't it was that the car had braked. It was very jarring and thankful no one was tailgaiting me because it could have caused an accident. I don't believe the car came to a complete stop but it reduced speed considerably. Later that day I went to an auto shop to use their digital check to see if there were any error codes etc. Nothing came up as flagged. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

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On the morning on 7/10/26 I was driving 30mph around a gentle turn and the brakes activated briefly. I also received a dashboard notification to brake. The weather conditions were sunny and probably around 80 degrees. There was no one in front of me and the closest car, in oncoming traffic was around 40 feet away. The safety risk was my car temporarily applied the brakes but did not stop completely. Luckily, the closet car behind me was ~30 feet behind me. Over the past 2 years I have received occasional dashboard notifications to brake, but the situation/driving conditions did not warrant the need to brake. This was the first time that the braking system actually applied the brake and slowed the car down.

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While driving at about the speed of 45 miles/hr. The car abruptly braked in the middle of the road without any vehicle or object in front of me. It was a scary situation because if there had been a car behind me, my car would have been rear-ended. This problem has neither been reproduced nor investigated by anyone. I have, in the past, noticed that occasionally the brake light on the dashboard would flash for a second and go off but did not affect motion or speed. I have not received any warning messages regarding the vehicle's brakes.

Vehicle information: 2026 Honda Cr-v sport hybridcomponent: power train / hydraulic brakes / electronic stability controldescription of incident:on [date], my 2026 Honda Cr-v sport hybrid was parked facing uphill on a steep incline. I started the vehicle, depressed the brake pedal, released the electronic parking brake, and shifted into drive. Upon transitioning to the accelerator, the vehicle failed to hold its position. It immediately and rapidly rolled backward down the incline, completely overriding the hill start assist (hsa) mechanism. Despite accelerator input, the hybrid powertrain failed to deliver the instantaneous forward torque required to counter gravity. The vehicle gained rearward momentum and collided with a closed gate. Safety justification:this un-commanded rollback presents a severe, systemic safety hazard. Research into hybrid consumer data reveals a documented pattern of drivers being blindsided by the lack of traditional automatic transmission "idle-creep" torque on inclines, combined with counter-intuitive electronic hsa deactivation thresholds. The vehicle’s software logic fails to safely manage dual-pedal inputs during hill starts, creating an unreasonable risk of rollback collisions.

I experienced an dangerous incident yesterday while driving my 2017 Honda crv at highway speed in minneapolis, mn area. The collision mitigation braking system activated suddenly and without warning. An extremely abrupt/harsh employment of the braking system was experienced without any warning. The unexpected and extremely sudden activation of the braking system caused myself and the car’s contents to be thrown forward into the front of the vehicle, and causing me to nearly loose control of the vehicle. It felt like this 'safety' system took control of the vehicle for an eternity, but likely was no more than a few seconds before power returned to the accelerator and I was safely able to navigate to the far right lane. The onset and braking was so abrupt and extreme, that I could have been easily rear-ended if someone was directly behind me. There was nothing immediately in front of me that should have caused this system to activate. I had no idea at the time as to what was going on, thinking my car was having some sort of mechanical issues. I drove home on ‘pins and needles’ hoping I would make it to baxter, mn where I live. I later learned that this was likely the cmbs, as other consumers had described exactly what I experienced. Even though I now intend to disable the system, I am now extremely apprehensive to drive the vehicle for fear this will activate unexpectedly again, causing an abrupt and dangerous (potentially life-threatening) while in traffic. This is a shame as I’ve really enjoyed the crv, but now feel like it is a ‘deathtrap’ and have lost all confidence in driving it for fear of my safety. I brought this to the attention of the dealership in burnsville, mn where the car was purchased (walser). I was told they’d make a note of it, but that I needed to call Honda directly with any reports. I informed them that I would be filing a report with nhstb. I have not had the vehicle evaluated, but can make available for inspection if helpful.

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Automatic emergency braking and forward collision warning malfunctioned. I started to drive after sitting at a red light and was driving at approximately 35 mph. The automatic emergency braking and forward collision warning engaged, and the car suddenly braked. Luckily there wasn’t anyone directly behind me, or else I would have been rear-ended. This malfunction has happened on three separate occasions in the past 4 years. There were no warnings prior to the malfunction. The car has not been inspected yet for this malfunction.

This is the third time this vehicle has experienced wheel lock-up during braking. The first occurrence was over three months ago, while one driver was driving alone. The second occurrence was about one month ago, with a different driver, and a passenger was present who also witnessed the wheels locking; no collision resulted those two times. Both involved the wheels locking during braking and a loss of steering control. On the third occurrence, on June 25, while driving on the freeway, the vehicle ahead braked suddenly. The driver applied the brakes and they initially responded, allowing the driver to slow and avoid hitting the vehicle in front. Immediately afterward, the wheels locked up and the driver lost the ability to steer or maneuver. The anti-lock braking system did not prevent the wheels from locking. Because the vehicle could not be controlled, it was struck from behind by a following vehicle. This defect has now occurred three times over approximately three months, with two different drivers, and has resulted in a collision. It is a recurring, dangerous loss of vehicle control.

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Power and began running rough. The check engine light illuminated, and the vehicle did not perform normally. I previously had the vehicle diagnosed and repaired at a Honda dealership for this same issue. The repair was completed less than two months ago. After only a few thousand miles since the repair, the exact same symptoms returned, including the check engine light, rough engine operation, and loss of power while driving. The recurrence of this issue raises concerns about the reliability and safety of the vehicle, particularly when operating in traffic or at highway speeds, as sudden loss of power could increase the risk of a crash. The problem appears to be the same issue that was previously repaired, but it reoccurred shortly after the repair was completed.

2023 Honda Cr-v, purchased new in Mar 2023 from friendly Honda, poughkeepsie, NY. All regular service completed at lia Honda, brewster, NY. On [xxx], car was driven without incident and parked inside a garage. On [xxx] upon ignition, car immediately displayed a “christmas tree” of warnings for every major system, including but not limited electric power steering, awd, adaptive cruise control, collision mitigation, hill descent, automatic emergency braking, lane keeping assistance. Behavior has continued every time the car is started. Car remains drivable, but all safety and driver assistance systems are disabled. In addition, on [xxx] and [xxx], after stopping at a stop sign, car had very limited power and could only accelerate to 30 mph on a flat road and 20 mph on an incline. Problem was resolved only by coming to a complete stop then accelerating again. This is a significant safety concern, as if this were to happen in stop-and-go traffic on a highway, the car would be unable to accelerate to highway speeds. On 6/20/26, I took the car to lia Honda in brewster, NY for diagnosis. They reported a failed electric power steering control unit/steering rack (trouble code u0420-68). They explained that this single electrical component failure also caused all other components to report failures because they are connected in a ring. Estimated repair cost $4,595. 98. I have filed a complaint with Honda to request out-of-warranty coverage. Car is ?3 years old, 3 months out of warranty, and only lightly used at 17,484 miles. Note that this car falls under NHTSA recall 24v-744, which pertains to a manufacturing defect in the worm gear of the electric power steering. We had the recall service completed on 12/26/24, but it seems possible that continued friction in the worm gear may result in overloading of the eps control unit. Other Honda Cr-v owners have reported similar issues online, so this does not appear to be an isolated incident. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.

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In the past two weeks, the automatic brake light came on when there was nothing in front of me. Then this past Thursday, I was in the middle lane approaching a stoplight that was about 500 ft. Ahead of me, nothing was in front of me and the brake light came on and the car made a quick and hard stop. If anyone was behind me, they would not have been able to stop. Now I am very leery of driving my car, and I disable this feature so I feel safe transporting myself and my family.

While driving on a straight, flat road with no other vehicles close in the front or to my rear the brakes came on without warning. I pulled over to the side of the road because it was really scary. Once I calmed down I continued driving without further incident. When I got to my grandsons school parking lot I called the Honda dealership that I purchased the car from and asked the service person if they had any issues like this. She stated that "the phantom breaking happened at times" and that it "was not a big deal". After looking on line one suggestion was to clean around the sensor in the Honda emblem and the windshield around the rear view mirror. I've owned the car since 2019 (original owner) and have 72k miles on the vehicle. The only recent problem was I had to replace the original battery on 05/31/26 which was done by a aaa representative. I've had no other issues to date, but this breaking issue if it persists seems like it could be very dangerous.

I have experienced four instances of my vehicle braking (two very extreme) when nothing was nearby or in front of my vehicle. Two of these happened when passing through an intersection, but no other vehicles were nearby. Fortunately, no one was following close behind during two occasions, or I would have been rear ended. I mentioned this today while having my car serviced at the dealership(white’s auto mall in hopkinsville, ky) but they wanted to charge me 207. 00 for an inspection, which I didn’t think I should be responsible for paying. I have researched and found “phantom braking” to be a problem in my vehicle make and model.

2018 Honda Cr-v had another phantom braking event this morning. While traveling on a local 4-lane road with 45-mph speed limit, the collision mitigation braking system activated with an actual hazard present and brought the vehicle to a complete stop, nearly resulting in a series read-end collision from the traffic behind the car. This created an immediate safety hazard and could have easily resulted in injuries or fatalities. The vehicle has experienced recurring phantom braking events and false activations of the emergency braking system. Because this has happened multiple times, we no longer have confidence that the system will behave predictably in normal driving conditions.

There doesn't have to be a vehicle or obstacle in front of the vehicle and the brake system will automatically apply. This is extremely dangerous as vehicles behind the crv have no warning the brakes are being instantly applied on the highway and/or street roads. Practically slams on the brakes.

On several occasions, while driving down the road at 55 mph, the car will flash the "brake" indicator on the dash for a brief second and immediately slam on the brakes either to a stop or for a shorter amount of time. This is the third event that happened today just before reporting this problem. Our safety was at risk because there could've been someone behind us that may not have reacted fast enough and could've hit us. After the issue, there were no warning lights of any kind. There was no hazard in the road and no other obscure conditions. Middle of the day, clear skies. It is not possible to reproduce the problem in a timely manner because this has happened randomly three times over the course of two years.

While driving at speed of 50mph automatic braking system activated causing car to stop suddenly there was no car or object in front of my vehicle.

The steering wheel is slightly sticking while driving/steering on interstates and highways where mostly noticed, but also noticing on curved backroads. When navigating a curve the steering wheel has slightly stuck and the automatic brake light flashes on very briefly. This has happened several times now and both main drivers of the car have noticed the issue. We are reporting now out of fear that it may become a bigger issue if not addressed, that affects both steering and braking that puts occupants at risk. We are reporting this as of today, which is the most recent incident on may 25, 2026, but this has happens about 4 or 5 times in the last month. We checked to see if this was a known recall issue, but the recall only applies to 2023 - 2025 crvs for some reason. This sounds like the exact issue/recall that our 2021 crv is having. Thank you!.

I was driving on the freeway on Saturday 5/23/26 when a helium balloon flew into my lane. The vehicle suddenly applied maximum braking on its own without any dashboard warning, alert sound, or driver notification. It was so severe the tires were screeching. The accelerator was unresponsive for several seconds before I was able to accelerate again. This created a dangerous situation because I could have been rear-ended by another car.

Multiple times when driving on the freeway, there will be no obstruction whatsoever on a clear road, with a clean car — it will emergency break, or attempt to. I have had it diagnosed and nothing related to break system etc was ever found. This happens often and has almost caused a couple crashes.

Automatic braking system engaged without any warning and without any impending danger in front of me at night on pulaski skyway, bringing the vehicle to a complete halt.

I was driving at 33 mph on 5/17 at 11:33 and the cars automatic brakes suddenly when on full blast out of no where with nothing around me on a clear day!.

While driving at 60 mph, automatic braking feature activated slamming on brakes unexpectedly. There was no car in front of me when this occurred. This has occurred several times. In this instance, we were driving on a 4 lane hwy in the right lane. A car passed me in the left lane and just after passing me the braking system slammed on the brakes. The other vehicle was still in the left lane while we were in the right lane.

While driving to store for errands today, 09may26, I came to a stop at a red light with intent to turn right next. I turned on my right blinker and turned a bit to the right and rolled forward to gain visibility to my left as I came to a complete stop. There was a car coming from the left that was preparing to turn left. I observed that car turn on its left blinker, and slow down while entering its turn. I confirmed the intersection was clear and there was nothing in front of me. I applied the gas, then looked left to confirm the other car was completing its left turn. While I was slowly accelerating, but before my eyes returned to the road ahead of me, the accident avoidance system sounded an audible alarm, I think I recall seeing an orange dash warning, and the system seemed to simultaneously trigger a hard brake apply. This was akin to a panic stop. I knew there was a truck approaching behind me. Although a bit stunned and dazed, I recovered as quickly as I could, and continued to complete my right turn to make sure that vehicle did not collide with me. The hard brake apply was so sudden, my head and body pitched forward (as much as permitted by the seat belt). After returning home, I realized my right shoulder was sore, presumably from the brake apply. I worry that this system could trigger the brakes like this at a much higher speed, in a turn, or with my children driving the car (they are just [xxx] and [xxx] old). I have since reached out to the dealership that I purchased the car from for assistance (lafontaine Honda in dearborn, mi). I just bought the car (used) last Friday, 5/1. I am a technical project manager that has supported automotive brake development projects for multiple companies and customers for 26 years. I know how these systems are supposed to work, and this one seems flawed, and potentially dangerous in my opinion. I would be happy to discuss further if NHTSA has questions. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

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I was driving down the road with no cars around me at all going 40 mph when my car started braking saying "brake" and automatically braked to almost a full stop int he middle of the busy road. If there was a car behind me we most definitely would have been rear ended at a very fast pace. We could've been seriously injured and I have little children in the car and a baby. There wasn't rain or fog or anything out of the ordinary. We are taking it to the dealer later this week. No warning light on before the incident.

On may 2nd, 2026, while driving my 2026 Honda crv ex, which I purchased less than 3 months ago, I got a warning on my dashboard saying "brake system problem: brake performance may be reduced. See your dealer. " I tried push the break but it wouldn't budge, it was as if the brakes locked. I took my foot off the accelerator and steered myself to the shoulder and pulled on the emergency brake. I kept pulling the brake up until the car stopped. I then immediately moved the gear shift from "drive" to "park". Multiple alarms came on showing system problems. The following warning lights came brake system problem, electric brake system problem, tpms system problem, transmission system problem, auto idle stop system problem, electric power steering system problem, brake hold system problem, vehicle stability assist system problem, hill start assist problem, hill descent control system problem, adaptive cruise control system problem, lane keeping assist system problem, collision mitigation brake system problem, road departure mitigation system problem, blind spot information system problem, auto high-bream problem. At the time that the warnings appeared, I was about half a mile away from a signalized intersection. The brake pedal was difficult to depress and unresponsive. I lost meaning braking ability while the vehicle was in motion. Had the traffic signal at the intersection been red at the moment of failure, I would not have been able to stop the vehicle in time and a collision with cross-traffic or a vehicle stopped at the light would have been likely. After stopping, I turned off the vehicle and then turned it back on. Again all the alarms appeared, I was unable to push down on the brake pedal and the gear shift was locked. The vehicle was then towed to a Honda dealer and is awaiting diagnosis.

The vehicle is activating emergency brake assist with no object in front of it causing the brakes to slam on while driving. Lane departure warning is trying to correct/move vehicle into a different lane.

I was driving into the city and crossing an intersection with train tracks. There was no obstacle and the car warned me by flashing the sign to brake, beeped, and then it automatically slammed on the brake and stopped my car in the middle of the intersection on the tracks. I was goin probably 40 mph. It was terrifying. Thankfully no one else was around me. All of my items in the car flew off the seat and hit the ground. Will be calling Honda about taking it in to repair shop.

Since April 2026 my Honda crv 2021 had been having issues with all the warning lights on my dashboard turning on and off. When all the lights turn on the sensors don’t function the way they supposed to and won’t alert me when I’m getting close to a car or need to make a sudden break. I took it to autozone to get the codes from the warning lights and also to Honda and both said that I needed to replace, the fuel injectors. I replaced the fuel injectors and the problem still there. It was inspected by autozone, Honda and also an independent auto shop.

A known common issues that Honda are not addressing: car going limp randomly, oil dilution, head gasket failure causing fuel injector issues, dashboard lighting up which causes the safety features to also cease from operating. I have multiple times now with my 4 year old in the car been in traffic and my car has just stopped going unprovoked. This limp mode issue a huge safety issue and has almost caused me to wreck multiple times. This started around 70k miles.

Windshield wipers don’t have the same amount of travel each stroke. Sometimes the driver wiper will contact the a pillar and sometimes it will be several inches shy of the pillar. It seems it depends on how wet the windshield is. On several occasions, independent of wiper issue, the vehicle has significantly decreased speed or come to a complete stop for no apparent reason.

The automatic emergency brakes deployed for no reason while I was driving through traffic. There was nothing in the road and nothing that should have triggered the emergency brakes. It could have caused an accident.