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

I was driving on the highway, 65 mph using cruise control, in the right lane. There was one car in my relative vicinity, already halfway through it's exit off the freeway, with my car still about 6 or 7 car lengths away. The automatic braking system suddenly engaged hard. I quickly disengaged cruise control, which mitigated the problem. In the moment of unexpected braking, I was thankful there was no one around me, because my hard, sharp braking could have caused me a rear end accident and someone else, a front end accident. No one has confirmed my experience. The car is currently being inspected by my local mechanic. There were no warning messages or lamps prior to the 'short stop'. Unknown if warning message came on in the midst of the short stop.

See all problems of the 2018 Honda CR-V 🔎.

The vehicle is a 2024 Honda Cr-v ex-l with approximately 13,000 miles, purchased at gillman Honda in houston, TX on may 29, 2024. The issue involves the collision mitigation braking system (cmbs) activating without any obstacle present. The first incident occurred in February 2025 at around 11,000 miles while driving on a feeder road at ~25 mph. The vehicle suddenly braked to a complete stop even though the road was clear. There were cars behind me, and although they stopped in time, it created a serious risk of rear-end collision. Had I been traveling at a higher speed and the car braked completely, this could have caused the vehicle to flip or lose control. The second incident occurred on September 4, 2025 at ~13,000 miles while driving on a busy street at approximately 40 mph. The vehicle suddenly braked very hard for no reason, but did not fully stop — instead, it resumed immediately. It felt as if the car “took a screenshot,” braking sharply then continuing. This was especially dangerous since I was traveling at a higher speed, and vehicles behind me could have easily collided with mine. Both incidents put my safety and the safety of other drivers at risk. The vehicle was brought to gillman Honda on September 16, 2025. The dealer acknowledged the safety concern and kept the car for inspection. On September 19, 2025, the service representative confirmed they had contacted Honda corporate and opened a case because of the seriousness of the issue. The car is still being held at the dealership pending corporate guidance. No warning lights, error messages, or prior alerts appeared before either incident. This appears consistent with a known problem that has been reported by many Honda owners in recent years involving unintended braking by the cmbs system. The defect makes the vehicle unsafe to operate, and at this point we no longer feel safe driving it.

See all problems of the 2024 Honda CR-V 🔎.

Facing the sun, driving through an intersection with a green light. No cars ahead or behind me, and no pedestrians in sight. As I passed under the light, the car slammed on the brakes once, let up a little, and then slammed on the brakes again. It flashed the brake indicator on the dash. Then driving resumed as normal. If there had been a vehicle behind me, it would have rear ended me, no question.

See all problems of the 2020 Honda CR-V 🔎.

Car has, on more then one occasion, applied the emergency stopping breaks at times that may have caused an accident by themselves. Most often in heavier city traffic that can be unpredictable. Ie cars merging in quickly where they generally shouldn't.

See all problems of the 2023 Honda CR-V 🔎.

Occasionally, for no reason, automatically brakes and issues the brake warning notification despite no traffic in front of the vehicle. When a vehicle brakes for no reason in traffic, the risk is that you will be hit from behind.

See all problems of the 2017 Honda CR-V 🔎.

To whom it may concern: ?I am writing to file a formal complaint regarding a serious and recurring safety defect in my 2018 Honda Cr-v ex, VIN# [xxx] . I have experienced at least four incidents within the last two months involving both sudden, unintended braking and intermittent steering lock-ups. These are not isolated events and pose a significant risk to the safety of myself and other motorists. ?the sudden braking issue, often referred to as "phantom braking," occurs when the vehicle's collision mitigation braking system (cmbs) activates without any obstacle or danger present. The car abruptly comes to a full stop, without warning, on a clear road. This is extremely dangerous and has nearly caused multiple rear-end collisions. ?in addition to the braking problem, the steering has also become intermittently stuck. This happens without warning and makes it difficult to turn the wheel, which could lead to a loss of control, especially at higher speeds or on curves. ?I have already reported these issues to two authorized Honda dealerships: ?curry Honda in atlanta, georgia ?Honda autonation in columbus, georgia ?on each occasion, the dealerships have been unable to replicate the problem and have told me they cannot find anything wrong. Despite their inability to diagnose the issue, the problems are very real and continue to happen. ?these defects are not just an inconvenience; they are serious safety hazards that could lead to a crash. I am concerned that if this problem is happening to my vehicle, it may be affecting other 2018 Honda Cr-v owners as well. I urge the NHTSA to investigate this matter thoroughly to prevent potential accidents and injuries. ?please contact me if you require any additional information. ?thank you for your attention to this critical matter. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Driving at 60mph. No car in front, behind or to the side. Out of the blue slammed on brake fully. My foot was on the gas the whole time. Slowed rapidly to 20mph before I could continue on. If someone had been behind me they would have hit me. I'm now frightened of my own car. Took it to the dealer service department and they said that it's very sensitive and that even an empty plastic grocery bag blowing around could set it off.

Driving along a city road, and the cmbs (collision mitigation braking system) engaged. The brakes were slammed on, out of nowhere for no good reason. The closest car in front was several car lengths away, but there was a car closely following behind. That car (and the car behind it) had to brake hard to avoid collision. No injuries occurred in our vehicle. We were, however, pretty fucking scared and pissed.

High pressure fuel pump failed , could smell gas in air vents. Honda claims it’s separate from its other recall for a fuel pump. Car had been working fine, sudden issue, all lights came on , car started to stutter on acceleration. Had to be towed. No issues prior.

In the past 2 weeks my 2025 Honda crv has automatically braked four times while driving on the road at about 45 miles an hour. Nothing else was around me - no vehicles, no animals, etc.

I was driving at 10am today on a local road, about 35mph, with no car in front of me, nor behind me. I was the only car in the area. Suddenly both the automatic emergency braking (aeb) system and the collision mitigation braking system (cmbs) were activated. I was concerned when it happened, not knowing if the car would come to a stop. I called my local Honda dealer service department, asking if they could check it out. He said they could take it for a test drive to see if it would happen again. Since this was the only time it happened we agreed to wait to see if it happens again before bringing it in. Once home I searched the NHTSA database and discovered similar instances, and an open investigation, ea24002. I wanted to be sure to add my incident to the others to help in finding a resolution.

See all problems of the 2022 Honda CR-V 🔎.

About a year ago, I was driving at speeds of approximately 10-15 mph when my car braked and immediately brought me to a dead stop despite no obstacles being present in the roadway. It appears the automatic emergency braking system malfunctioned. Had there been a car behind me, it likely would have caused an accident. On August 15, 2025, I was driving on the freeway using the adaptive cruise control when traffic in front of me slowed, engaging the automatic emergency braking. Traffic in front of me cleared almost immediately but my car was still very rapidly decelerating. I pressed the gas pedal, but the vehicle continued to bring me to almost a complete, immediate stop on the freeway (I had been traveling at 70-80 mph prior to the stop). I feel incredibly fortunate that I did not end up in an accident due to the traffic behind me and that no one was injured or killed. I pulled off onto the shoulder when it became clear that I was not going to be able to quickly regain control of my vehicle. Driving a vehicle without being able to properly control it was an absolutely terrifying experience. I was bracing myself for impact from behind as I desperately tried to regain control and accelerate back up to the flow of traffic. I am certain that this malfunction will result in deaths if not addressed. On August 23rd, 2025, I was driving on a highway at approximately 60 mph when the car in front of me slowed in preparation for a right turn off the road. I had disabled the cmbs feature at the beginning of my drive, yet the car still braked without me hitting the brake pedal. It was not an immediate, abrupt brake as I had experienced in the other two previously described incidents, but it was still highly unnerving to feel another loss of control of the vehicle, especially since the system was supposedly disabled.

See all problems of the 2021 Honda CR-V 🔎.

On 8/14, as I was pulling away from a gas pump and into a parking space (going 5 mph or less), the automatic braking system alarms went off, and the brakes applied, causing the car to seize up completely. My foot was already on the brake and I was at least 5 feet away from the barrier at the end of the parking spot. In addition to this experience, the emergency braking alarms tend to go off in unexpected/unneeded situations, such as when I'm coasting to a red light with my foot already on the brake. And it does not go off in other situations where I would expect it, such as when a car stops short in front of me. These situations happen approximately once every two months or so. The automatic/emergency braking is unreliable, unpredictable and when it engages unnecessarily, could be dangerous.

See all problems of the 2015 Honda CR-V 🔎.

While traveling northwest at 37 mph, the automatic brake system engaged jolting the driver. The camera shows no objects in front of but there were two vehicles traveling southeast in the opposite lane prior to the brakes applying. There were shadows from trees. If there was a vehicle behind, and the driver did not react fast enough, this would have been a rearend collision. This is the third time that the automatic brake system engaged for no reason since we have owned this vehicle (Dec 2021) and each time it has been reported to the ntsb. In the past two cases, there were no vehicles or shadows from trees, since we were in the desert. The previous two times, the vehicle was inspected by the dealership with no defect noted (under warranty). There were no dashboard warning notices indicating an issue. The vehicle will be resubmitted to a dealership for inspection for this third incident (not under warranty).

On [xxx] around 5 pm, when driving below 30 miles per hour within a residential community, automatic braking was activated without any obstruction in front of the vehicle, leading to sudden decrease in speed. Vehicle is in baton rouge, la and all service/maintenance were done according to recommended schedule by Honda at the authorized dealership where the vehicle was purchased. Through online search, I found NHTSA opened an investigation for the same problem. If possible, I would appreciate an update about the status of NHTSA investigation and what action I should take. Thank you [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

I had 2 occasions in one day where my car did a phantom brake. It was unexpected and got me concerned and nervous. No orher car in front of me to cause this issue.

Today: the vehicle flashed the brake warning light and suddenly decelerated/braked. There were no vehicles in front of the car for as far as the eye could see, it is a sunny day with dry conditions, and it was on an open highway that was flat, middle of the day, and the car was traveling 50 mph. Fortunately, no vehicles were behind me. The brake warning light has flashed on multiple occasions prior, without any trigger whatsoever, but it has only decelerated/braked a couple of times, and today’s was the worst and most jarring.

See all problems of the 2019 Honda CR-V 🔎.

Driving under speed limit crossing through a green light at intersection automatic breaking system engaged. This caused rapid slowing throwing driver and things on passenger seat forward. No obstacles, cars or anything were visible or causing any possible accident or problem. The abs system engaged flashing break warning on dash. This happened a year and a half earlier and on 7/23/2025.

Was driving on a main road in the afternoon. There was a car ahead of us, but not directly ahead, and did not have its break lights go on. My car suddenly flashed the "break now" sign and put on the breaks without warning. Fortunately, there was no one behind us, and I was able to continue without incident. This has never happened before, but it really shook me, as it could have been a very dangerous situation. Had there been another car right behind us, we would have been rear ended. It makes me nervous to drive my car, as I don't know if this could happen again.

• during the short time I have owned this vehicle the automatic emergency braking system has engaged 3-4 times when there was no object in front of the vehicle. The vehicle can be made available upon request. • all incidents happened when driving on the freeway. Fortunately no one was following me which could have resulted in my being rear ended for a sudden stop. • I took the vehicle into the dealership service center today (8/8/25) where they told me it is normal and I should just be a good driver, keeping my distance from vehicle to the front of me. They stated that if they were to replace it the same thing would occur. The problem has not been reproduced by the service center. • when these issues have occurred on one occasion the braking alert sounded ( beeping noise) and then the car started braking. On the other occurrences I do not recall the alert. The car just started braking. Other than that there were no warnings it was going to happen.

This braking issue happened on 4 occasions. While in stop and go traffic I would be braking, nursing the brakes the car would take over and slam me to a complete stop. It would not go again until I hit the gas. On two of those occasions the car behind me had to move into the nxt lane or over to the shoulder. The last time the seatbelt caught me so hard I had shoulder and neck pain for about 3 weeks (I work in rehab so my CO workers worked on my neck and shoulders)I did take it to Honda after the first two incidences and they said there was nothing wrong, that’s just how the sensors are. I asked if the sensors could be turned off and they replied no. After the last incident where my shoulder and neck got hurt and the poor guy behind me almost hit the wall on the shoulder, I went the next day and traded it in. I lost my 5k that I put down and the car depreciated by several thousand in 4mos but it was not worth driving it and ending up in a major accident with major injuries to myself or another driver.

The contact owned a 2019 Honda Cr-v. The contact stated while driving approximately 48-50 mph, the collision mitigation braking system engaged while there was no other vehicles nearby and the contact sustained whiplash. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was informed that the failure could be related to a crack on the passenger's side of the windshield. The vehicle was not repaired and was traded in. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000.

While driving on the freeway the brake light flashed and slowed down when nothing was on the road but cars, luckily there was no traffic behind me , I don’t like that the car did this itself in the middle of traffic, could of caused an accident.

On 4 seperate occasions I have had my collision avoidance system activate suddenly, with no warning. Immediately initiating braking with no danger, no car, nothing in front of me. Twice going thru an intersection, twice crossing a security barrier at work. My dash gives the brake warning and within 5 seconds immediately brakes for nothing in front of me. It almost caused an accident with the car behind me twice. It has not been troubleshot by the dealer or mechanic. The dealer hasn't been responsive to past concerns about other problems with the infotainment system/display so im not expecting them to take this seriously. It also doesnt duplicate easily.

While driving along in a normal manner the anti collision braking system applies the brakes causing a violent DE acceleration of the vehicle, throwing the occupants in the car forward in a very disconcerting manner along with throwing articles in the car forward violently towards the occupants and windshield. There was no discernible reason why the vehicle should have done this as there was nothing in front of the car that was subject to an uncontrollable collision. This has happened to me and my wife a total of three time and we haven’t owned the vehicle for even a year yet. The first time this happened the problem was brought to the attention of the selling dealer who in their dealership shop said their technicians had gone over the car electronics and sensors and found nothing wrong. They moved our “easy pass” transponder and said it may have caused the mishap. I don’t think so as it was not within the “eyesight “ of the forward looking camera.

The vehicle has occasionally hard decelerated (braked) for no apparent reason. The term seems to be "phantom braking". This has been going on for a while for my wife and me when either of us is driving. My wife doesn't usually use cruise control and I use it most of the time.

The contact owns a 2021 Honda Cr-v. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the collision mitigation braking system (cmbs) independently activated, causing the vehicle to suddenly come to a stop, and the front driver’s and front passenger’s side seat belts to independently lock. The contact stated that the brake warning light was illuminated. An appointment was scheduled with the dealer to inspect the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA action number: ea24002 (forward collision avoidance). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.

6/14/25 - automatic emergency braking system engaged twice without any impediments in road while driving 40 miles of non-freeway driving. Mileage of vehicle is 30460 miles. Aebs engaged at 45 mph and 50 mph. Scary incidents but no accident or injury today. Concerned about continued driving and future incidents. Will contact Honda dealership. Need to issue a recall.

This is to report an activation of the collision mitigation braking system on my Honda 2018 crv despite there being no collision danger. While driving approximately 30 mph on a 2 lane suburban residential street, my car suddenly slowed when the cmbs system engaged despite my car being at an ample following distance from the car ahead. There were no pedestrians or any obstructions in the road. I believe my safety was at risk because there was no reason for my car to reduce speed and luckily the car behind me did not hit me. My car slowed considerably but did not stop. I have not had the car inspected or serviced with regard to this problem. There were no other warning lamps or messages prior to the system engaging.

I am reporting a serious safety issue with my 2021 Honda Cr-v involving the collision mitigation braking system (cmbs). On multiple occasions, the vehicle has applied the brakes suddenly and forcefully without any obstacle or vehicle in front of me. This had happened over 20 times since I bought the car on March 10 2024. The most recent incident occurred while I was driving at highway speed on a clear, dry day. The cmbs system engaged abruptly, causing the car to decelerate rapidly and slamed breaks automatically. There were no vehicles, pedestrians, or obstructions ahead. This unexpected braking could have easily resulted in a rear-end collision, endangering me and other drivers. I have kids in the back sit and the car behind us almost hit my car. I am afraid the result might have been much worse if there was truck behind my car. I took the vehicle to the Honda dealership, but they were unable to replicate the issue and did not offer a fix. They also mentioned that unless the problem could be duplicated, any diagnostic or repair fees would not be covered, despite this being a known issue under investigation by the NHTSA. I am aware that the NHTSA has an open engineering analysis (ea24-002) into this very issue affecting millions of Honda vehicles. I’m deeply concerned that this problem continues to put drivers and passengers at risk and believe a formal recall is necessary. I request that this issue be escalated and that Honda be held accountable for a fix before someone gets seriously injured or killed. Please contact me if additional details or documentation are needed.

Automatic emergency braking system suddenly activated without any objects or vehicles in front of me. I was going 40 mph. The system beeped and the car decelerated with no braking by me.

Date of incident: [xxx] location: nyc, [xxx]. Mileage: 95,000 description of incident: on [xxx] while driving my 2017 Honda Cr-v at approximately [xxx] at 20 mph I experienced a sudden brake system failure. When I pressed the brake pedal fully to stop the vehicle, the pedal felt extremely hard and resistant, and the vehicle continued moving, failing to slow or stop as expected and hitting the vehicle in front. While no major accident happened due to how slow I was going, this occurred as I was approaching a traffic light. I did not apply the electronic parking brake (epb) during the incident. No warning lights were illuminated on the dashboard at the time of the failure. Immediately after the incident, the brakes began functioning normally again, suggesting an intermittent issue. I am concerned about the reliability of the brake system, especially given reports of brake issues in 2017–2019 Cr-vs. I have not yet had the vehicle inspected but plan to tow it to a Honda dealership or mechanic for diagnosis. I am reporting this to ensure the NHTSA is aware of this potential safety defect, which may be related to the ongoing investigation into 2017–2019 Honda Cr-v brake systems. Please contact me for additional information if needed. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

While I’m driving the car suddenly breakes.

Driving 25 mph on a straight road, the automatic braking system engaged with beep sound only but not on the dash display as it should. The car was suddenly braked to a stop. Nothing was near or in front of the car.

I was parking in our apartment's parking lot when I attempted a left turn to pull in front-facing toward the wall. Within seconds, and without understanding how or why, the car continued forward and hit the wall. Initially, I reported to the insurance company that I either didn’t brake or found the brake too late. However, the truth is—I do not clearly remember what happened. My mph had to be low. When the car hit the wall, several emergency systems were triggered: an automatic emergency call was made, collision alerts sounded, and the brakes activated. During the collision, my left arm was burned by the steering wheel where the Honda logo is located. The burn left a visible imprint of the Honda logo on my skin. Only some of the airbags deployed: the steering wheel and right-side window airbags were activated. However, the driver's side window airbags did not deploy. My concerns and complaints include: 1. The failure of the driver’s window airbag to deploy 2. The burn on my arm caused by the steering wheel’s Honda emblem 3. The inconsistent performance of the emergency braking system, which only works sometimes.