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

While I was driving my kids home my 2021 Honda crv had every warning light turn on my dash and the car started jerking and braking and nearly caused me to get in accident with my [xxx] and [xxx] in the car. My husband took the car into the shop and the shop said it was the fuel pumps. They are trying to charge us over 1000 for something that is a Honda issue. Many Honda cars have had this issue and there should have been a recall for this. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

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Spouse parked the car in the garage, turned off motor. It was left in reverse gear, but car was off. She exited vehicle, went out to driveway, and the car was slowly rolling out of the garage. She had to jump in, apply the brakes. Then started vehicle and placed in park. Shut vehicle off. I was able to replicate the same event. Lucky that our grandkids were not in or behind the car. As I understand the process, an electrical and/or programming failed to place car in auto park.

I was driving about 20-25 mph. There was absolutely nothing in front of me and my car came to a dead stop, the brake warning light came up on the screen and I hit my head off the steering wheel. Then the warning went away and I drove the last 2 minutes home.

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[xxx] <[xxx]> 12:38?am (0 minutes ago) to me 2017 Honda Cr-v ex-l awd, approximately 111,000 miles. While driving, my vehicle suddenly displayed multiple warnings and repeated beeping, including hill start assist, adaptive cruise control, and collision mitigation system problems. The vehicle appeared to slow down and the brakes seemed to grab or engage unexpectedly, creating a risk of losing control or causing a collision with surrounding traffic. Startup stuttering has also occurred. The failed component is unknown. Possible causes include a malfunction in the abs/vsa brake-control system, electronic parking brake, sensors, wiring, or electrical controls. A fuel-delivery or engine issue may explain the startup stuttering. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. The problem has not been confirmed or reproduced by a dealer or repair facility to my knowledge. An auto-parts store tested the battery, starter, and alternator, which reportedly passed. Honda advised that my VIN is not covered by a fuel-pump recall. A manufacturer inspection specifically addressing the braking issue is unknown. No police or insurance inspection is known to have occurred. The warning messages appeared suddenly during the driving incident. The exact date was xxx going a speed of 60 and dropped down to 20 due to automatic braking, and road conditions were good, not wet or bumpy. The root cause according to Honda seems to be a fuel pump failure. I am reporting this incident because unexpected braking and multiple safety-system warnings may indicate a serious malfunction that could endanger me, my passengers, and other road users. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

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Car slammed on breaks without need and no warning light came on before or after incident. I have a video but was unable to upload it.

The contact owns a 2026 Honda Cr-v. The contact stated that while the contact's wife was driving at 50 mph, the collision mitigation braking system erroneously engaged. The failure was persistent. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the failure could not be duplicated. The failure mileage was approximately 16,650.

I have experienced this 2 times once in late August early September of this year 2026 and on [xxx] I was making a left turn onto a street in long beach, CA in-between [xxx]. I was going under 25 miles and did not have cruise control or the driver assist for lane steering on and as soon as I started to make a left the vehicle abruptly stopped causing the upper half of my body to jerk forward hurting my lower back again and now I have slight headaches waking up in the morning again since then. Its like the vehicle sensed there was a vehicle in front of me, parked cars on the street or passing by me going in the opposite direction, and the automatic break came on as if I was going to be in a collision which I wasn't. Again, I didn't use the steering assistance in the vehicle, because I stopped using it after the first incident occurred. The second time, [xxx] I was going to slow for cruise control to be on, so I'm not sure why this mechanism even was active unless it's just a built-in feature. Nevertheless, built-in or not, it malfunctioned injuring me. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

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Sometimes when driving the automatic brakes will turn on and the car will suddenly brake hard. This has happened a few times now. I had a few close calls with drivers almost rear ending me because of this. This seems to happen randomly as it always happens in different areas. There were a few times there was nobody else on the road other than me and the automatic brakes would kick in. I put in the date of the last time this occurred to me. This is a reoccurring issue that compromises my safety.

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I was driving on a main street when I was about to drive over some metal plates. I slowed down and then my car suddenly completely braked to a stop. I did not try to brake to a complete stop.

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Felt like the gas petal got stuck and caused a crash all air bags depoyed no forward collision warning or breaking activated.

Fantom break. While driving at crusing speed around 50mph the car all of a sudden applied breaks. Coming to what seamed like 15mph. There was no shadow on the road, no rain, perfect visibility around noon, window was clean.

Car automatically hit the brakes for no apparent reason while going at 45 mph. There was no vehicle or any kind of obstacle ahead of behind. Also resulted in tightening of driver seat belt. No injuries. Vehicle was being operated by an authorized and licensed driver.

I was driving on a clear mid-day with very little traffic. There were no cars in front of or beside me. There were no people or animals anywhere in sight. I was traveling west at 45mpr when suddenly the car slammed on the brakes. The warning light and beeping came on. I was panicked thinking I hit something but there was nothing/no one in sight. This happened in August 2026. I am not sure of the exact date. I just thought it must have been a fluke (bird flew by or some other random event) about a week-2 later on August 30th, I was traveling with a friend on the highway going 70mph at the time when once again the brakes slammed on. It was so sudden and without warning that we both screamed wondering what had happened. Again - no cars, people, animals in sight. Fortunately both times, no one was behind me or I likely would have been hit. The automatic braking mitigation system is malfunctioning and is a very serious safety concern. On September 2, I took my car to roush Honda to have it checked out. After keeping my car for 5 hours, running it through the computer evaluation and taking it for a drive at different speeds, they could not duplicate the problem and told me there was nothing they could do. I informed them I wanted the system turned off as it is unsafe to drive my car as is. They told me I could turn it off each and every time I started up my car. I do not feel that I should have to to this. I paid for a safety feature that is clearly malfunctioning but having it on is like playing russian roulette with my safety and the safety of my passengers. No one other than the dealership has inspected the vehicle. The brakes slammed on hard at the same time that the warning sound and orange warning came on. It is truly terrifying to drive the car with this problem so I have forfeited this safety feature by turning it off each time I start up my car afraid that it could malfunction again causing potential injury.

While driving my 2019 Honda Cr-v across railroad tracks, the vehicle displayed a brake warning and automatically applied the brakes even though there was no vehicle, person, train, or other obstruction in front of me. The braking occurred while I was crossing the railroad tracks and caused the vehicle to slow unexpectedly. I did not intentionally apply the brakes. I am concerned that the collision mitigation braking system/automatic emergency braking activated falsely and could create a safety hazard, especially at a railroad crossing.

Car automatically applies brakes for no reason. Happens at least once a month. Beside the startle factor, I am going to cause an accident by someone rear ending me because brakes are being applied for no reason.

I was driving 35 mph and my car automatically braked suddenly despite no object in the road. Afterwards I checked the front of my vehicle and there was no obvious dirt/bugs/etc on the front radar or camera. I now turn off the collision mitigating braking system each time I start the car as I'm afraid it will brake again without cause.

I am writing to formally log a product quality and safety complaint regarding my 2026 Honda Cr-v hybrid. The low-speed braking control system frequently triggers severe, abrupt false-positive braking events in common driving environments, such as steep driveways, when recreational bike rack is attached and areas with minor vegetation. While the software allows the driver to disable this feature within the driver information interface, the vehicle overrides driver autonomy by automatically resetting the system to "on" every time the ignition is cycled. Forcing a driver to navigate multiple digital menus before every single trip to disable a system prone to false-positives is an ergonomic hazard. Unexpected, automated slam-braking while trying to merge or back into live traffic creates a distinct risk of a rear-end collision. Other major manufacturers (such as Toyota with pksb) successfully balance safety compliance and driver utility by allowing user settings to persist after a restart, using a standard dashboard warning light instead. I request that Honda release a future software update to allow the low-speed braking control system configuration to remain in the user's last selected state (on or off) between drive cycles. Please log this issue under my VIN in your corporate quality tracking database. This has reached a level of safety concern for me to consider trading in for a vehicle that allows safe functionality in a practical manner. This is not a feature for outdoor user on a vehicle marketed as a sport model. Previous models of Honda had the option to switch this feature off and on as needed instead of the automatic reset during the start cycle.

The cmbs, auto braking system is engaging and braking my car for no reason. For example, driving 70mph on turnpike, it engaged on a dry road, clear day with no other cars or items in front of me. Very dangerous. Vehicles behind me could have crashed into me. Happened at least 2 more times on 35/40mph with nothing on road. The only thing I can do is disengage it every single time I start the engine. Took to my moon township dealer who said it can happen and sent me home. This is unacceptable.

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

See attached document for complaint.

I am a senior citizen who bought a brand new 2021 Honda crv hybrid in 2022. I used the vehicle mainly for driving around town in city driving. I ensured that my vehicle received all the necessary scheduled maintenance at either the dealership I bought the vehicle,(pacific Honda, [xxx];phone [xxx]) or a certified Honda dealership. I have complete maintenance records at the Honda dealership for the entire life onf the vehicle. In early xxx I received a warning light on my dash concerning the engine and immediately took the vehicle into the Honda dealership to have it looked at. I was told I had a blown headgasket and the repairs would be approximately $7,000. 00 dollars. The mechanic then told me that this was a common problem with this vehicle due to the engine Honda put in the car. The mechanic advised me to contacthonda to see if they would assist me with the cost due to the fact that this was a manufacturing problem and I did nothing to cause the issue and there is nothing I could have done differently to have avoided this issue. I called and Honda told me there was nothing they could do for me since the car was out of warranty. I bought the vehicle in August of 2021 and repair was done xxx. I was treated very poorly at the Honda dealership and lost trust in their tech team. On xxx I received another warning light on my dash. I took my vehicle to mossy Honda in [xxx] to have it looked at due to the fact I did not trust pacific Honda. They did a multi point inspection and told me that my rear differential was bad and had to be replaced for approximately $5,500. 00 dollars. I had the work done. When I picked up the vehicle after the repair the tech told me that the rear differential was completely bad and that there were metal flakes throughout the rear differential. He told me that if I had not brought it in when I did the car could have had a catastrophic lockup or seizure! information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

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.

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.

All the safety lights came on on the dashboard suddenly the brake assist did not work. Honda tells me the brake servo is bad. This is a known defect as other 2020 crv hybrids were recalled for the same reason. It is a dangerous safety hazard.

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.

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.