Automatic Emergency Braking Problems of Honda CR-V - part 2

I’m writing to report a recurring and increasingly dangerous issue with the cmbs (collision mitigation braking system) in my vehicle. The problem began shortly after I purchased the car. The system would intermittently flash the word “brake” and apply the brakes without any apparent reason. Initially, this was more of an annoyance, but it has since escalated into a serious safety concern. Most recently, while driving through an intersection with no vehicles in front or behind me, the system suddenly applied the brakes with significant force. This caused everything in the front seat to be thrown to the floor and forced me into the steering wheel. The weather was clear—no rain or sun glare—and there were no visible obstructions. Had there been a vehicle behind me, I believe a rear-end collision would have been likely due to the abrupt deceleration. I have brought the car to the dealership where I purchased it multiple times, but they were unable to replicate the issue and eventually asked me to stop bringing the vehicle in. I then tried a different dealership, but they also refused to investigate further since they couldn’t duplicate the problem. Even after disabling the cmbs system about a year after purchase, the issue has persisted. I’ve since learned that this issue is under investigation, and I want to formally express that I no longer feel safe driving this vehicle. I am requesting a resolution to this matter as soon as possible. Please let me know the next steps or if any additional information is needed. Sincerely, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

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My 2021 Honda Cr-v has experienced incidents where it suddenly and unexpectedly applied the brakes while I was driving, despite: - no vehicle, pedestrian, or object is present in front of me - no driver input on the brake pedal - not using cruise control at the time my car occasionally jerks or shows warning lights before stopping, sometimes without any warning. I suspect an issue with the collision mitigation braking system (cmbs) or related driver-assistance components. These braking incidents occurred under normal driving conditions and pose a high risk of being rear-ended. My car's issues remain unresolved, and I feel unsafe while driving my vehicle. Two dealerships conducted four diagnostic tests (on 18, 19, 21, and 24 may 2025) to evaluate the Honda collision mitigation braking system (cmbs) and the associated driver-assistance components. But no issues were identified during these evaluations. - 23 may 2025, I discussed my car’s issues with a Honda case manager (in California). He did not accept any responsibility for the reported Honda braking issues. - 27 may 2025, I filed a formal complaint with Honda customer service. Honda has not taken any action to address my car’s issues.

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Phantom braking problem. On a sunny day, I was driving 25:mph on a street that was being repaired. A steel plate was covering a hole. The system activated emergency braking, slamming on the brakes and flashing "brake" and beeping.

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With 700 miles on our 2025 Cr-v ex-l owned for only a month, we had just exited from a 100-mile highway trip onto city streets near our home when the driver display suddenly started flashing warnings of failures for all driver safety systems, one after another, causing us to immediately stop in the middle lane filled with traffic and not knowing what to do or how to proceed. We pulled over at the next stoplight & quickly put the car in park, which stopped the endless warnings. When the stoplight turned green, we proceeded on the half mile trip home without further warnings. We have not moved the vehicle since the incident so have no idea if &/or when this might happen again. I have since found multiple online reports of the same type of event happening to other crv owners, with dealer repair shops "guessing" what is causing the problem & "fixing" everything from fuel injectors & sensors to engine harnesses and battery replacements to vehicle computer updates and cylinder misfires, often with the problem recurring anyway. See: 1. [xxx] 2. [xxx] a number of Cr-v owners reporting this issue say their vehicle immediately slowed to "limp mode" down to 35mph on the freeway, which was very scary and dangerous! since we were driving at city speed we cannot know if our car also experienced limp mode. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

I was driving down a main road and with no cars in front of me, my automatic emergency breaking came on, flashed brake and then brought my car to an immediate stop. I made an appointment at my dealership. The dealership said there were no recalls and said they would charge me $50 to try to recreate the issue but they didn't think they would be able to recreate it.

While driving down the road at about 45 mph, my 2024 crv automatically applied the brakes while there was not anything in front of me. I’m [xxx] and honestly it scared me. I’m just wanting to report this because I don’t want anyone to get hurt. I have not taken it to the dealer as this was the first time. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

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I had 2 unrelated issues in the past 2 days: 1) rear door actuator malfunction. The door won't lock or unlock as part of the central locking system 2) the "break" alert went off without any cars around. Happened once, breaks weren't activated by the car.

2019 Honda crv brake system problem. Cannot start my car.

Similar to the open investigation on these crvs, we have had at least 3 occurrences of the vehicle activating automatic emergency breaking with nothing obstructing the vehicles path. There were, however, metal plates in the roadway to cover utility trenches. These are designed for vehicles to drive over them all day, every day, so the vehicle should not emergency stop. Although there were luckily no rear end collisions as a result of this, it was certainly possible given how abrupt the stop was.

The aeb system is falsely being triggered, causing a sudden stop or drastic slow down of my crv when there's nothing present to trigger the system. My car would drastically slow down, nearly causing a rear end collision from another vehicle. I've experience the problem on multiple occasions, in different locations, while going different speeds. The car has not experienced any other electronic or mechanical issue. The warning message did show on the dash as the car came to a halt.

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I am filing a formal complaint regarding the safety systems on my 2025 Honda Cr-v ex-l, particularly the overly aggressive collision mitigation braking system (cmbs) and intrusive lane keep assist. While driving my children to school, my Cr-v violently slammed the brakes because a scooter was creeping toward an intersection — clearly not entering traffic. The rider and I made eye contact, fully aware of each other, and there was an open left lane for evasive action if needed (it wasn't). Despite my clear judgment, the cmbs intervened, causing a violent deceleration that launched objects inside the vehicle, scared everyone, and increased the risk of a rear-end collision. I am shocked that Honda eliminated the hardware button to quickly disable cmbs. Now drivers must perform a multi-step procedure every time the vehicle starts — an unreasonable and unsafe burden. I previously owned a 2014 accord and was a loyal, satisfied customer. I love nearly everything else about the Cr-v, but these flawed "safety" systems are a potential deal-breaker. Sudden deceleration can cause concussions and greatly increase the chance of secondary accidents. Lane keep assist has created additional dangers. When I move slightly within my lane to create space from a semi-truck, the system unnecessarily corrects my steering. This is distracting and unsafe. Good drivers adjust dynamically, but these systems undermine good judgment rather than enhancing safety. Technology that overrides competent drivers is reckless, not "intelligent. " I request two changes: (1) reinstate a hardware button to easily disable automatic emergency braking, and (2) allow cmbs and lane keep assist settings to persist across drives. Honda must redesign these systems with real-world driving in mind. Features that destroy driver trust are dangerous, not protective. I am deeply disappointed, frustrated, and have lost trust in my Cr-v — a serious failure for a brand I once admired.

Driving on the highway going 55 mph when the car in front of me in the left lane more than 5 car lengths began to break, recognizing this I put my blinker on and tried to switch to the right lane when suddenly the automatic breaking kicked in and slowed the car down to a near stop. I was unable to deactivate with the break or the gas for a few seconds and by that time I was stuck between the lanes nearly getting t-boned in the right lane before the car swerved to avoid my vehicle. Had there been someone behind me in the left lane I would have surely been in a terrible and fatal accident. I was in complete control of the car and received no more than a one second warning (in the form of a short beep) that the automatic breaks would kick in suddenly. This put myself and my passenger in serious danger. This is not the first time this has happened and has happened as I have approached an exit on the highway as well. Again, fortunately no one was driving behind me that time as well. There is something seriously wrong and I no longer trust the safety of my vehicle. There is also no way for me to turn this feature off until there is a formal recall issued. The dealership says there is no active recall therefore I will need to pay $175 to get the issue checked out.

Last week, the collision avoidance braking system activated without being triggered by an actual hazard. I was traveling btw 30 and 40 mph on a straight road, overcast conditions, no pedestrian or oncoming traffic or vehicle in front of me, nor any shadows, or roadworks that could be perceived as a problem. My car flashed the brake sign and immediately braked very hard, car coming to a full stop. Luckily no one was behind me, or I'm sure I would have been rear-ended. I was able to continue driving normally right away, but it was very alarming and unsettling to happen with no provocation. This has been reported by others. I disabled the avoidance braking system for the next few days until I could get the car into my local dealer which happened today, 4/29/25. They ran complete diagnostics, could not replicate the problem, confirming the camera and forward radar sensor were working properly. I have never had any warning lights or messages come on prior or since, and the car has otherwise performed very well. Needless to say, I have less confidence in this car now. I was advised to not disable the warning/braking system as without it, I could not be protected by it should it be truly needed. This makes me very uncomfortable, but I don't feel there is another choice at this time.

Vehicle emergency braked with nothing in the path while driving 80mph on the highway. Car behind me had to swerve into the shoulder to avoid rear ending my vehicle.

Driving in downtown area, decelerating for stop sign, maybe going 20 mph, when "brake!" illuminated on dash and vehicle abruptly came to a complete stop. It seems the automatic emergency braking system engaged and stopped the vehicle. Seat belt locked and items on seats were thrown to floor. Nothing was in the roadway other than driving over a flat metal road construction plate that was placed in the lane, covering trench work done to the road. Fortunately car behind me had enough room to stop before hitting me. Have driven this route many times including driving over this plate for the last several weeks with no issues until today. I have a sore shoulder and neck from seat belt and jerking motion when car stopped unexpectedly.

Car was not able to shift into lower gears. Car would not accelerate when put in drive and drive did not illuminate on the dash. Gearshift was slipping between neutral and drive. Mechanic got code of u3003–16. And u 04168. On a separate couple of occasions, the emergency brake system was activated when nothing was in the road.

3 times now the automatic breaks have activated for no reason. The last time (last thurdsay) was a severe brake and thank god no one was near us cause it would have been a severe accident. We took our car to local Honda dealership today and they said they could find nothing wrong). We are very nervous to drive the car as this is a real saftey issue, the car only started doing this recently and we have owned car since 2020.

The contact owns a 2022 Honda Cr-v. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 mph, the collision mitigation braking system (cmbs) independently activated the brakes without another vehicle being nearby. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal and continue driving. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

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As I was driving about 20 mph on a two lane road through a neighborhood, I went through an area with cones on either side of the road where the road narrowed some because of construction. There were large metal or steel plates covering the road for about 4 feet or so over the asphalt, but nothing that impeded driving forward. As I approached that area, my car’s brake message flashed a few times and beeped before my car abruptly slammed to a stop in the middle of the road, shortly before the metal plates. This happened so quickly that I was unable to react when I first saw the flashing “brake” message and heard the beeping. No one was behind me so I didn’t get hit, but I would have if someone had been following.

While driving down a main road, with no other vehicles or obstacles around/in front of me, the collision mitigation braking system (cmbs) beeped/flashed and my car came to almost a dead stop in the middle of the road. This happened without warning, or any previous warning/issues. Luckily no accident happened, as I don't believe a vehicle was behind me (but this could've gone horribly wrong had there been). It was a very windy day. I took it to a Honda dealership the same week, they found no issues and also could not reproduce this. I called Honda customer service, who was apologetic, but really no help, and only filed a complaint for me. I see this as being a high potential safety hazard for accidents, etc. , and it makes me nervous now driving my vehicle, especially since this is something I cannot turn off. I wanted to file a report here as well, in hopes that investigations are happening for this issue.

We have had this problem more than once but this morning it nearly caused an accident. My husband was driving to work and all of a sudden the car's automatic breaking system caused the car to stop dead, causing the car behind him to have to swerve up on the sidewalk to avoid hitting him. He was not going over a metal plate, there wadss no car stopped in front of him. This has happened at least ten times in the time we have owned the car and we have been incredibly lucky that it has not caused an accident, but it's still clearly a problem. We have complained about this to the dealership when we bring it in but they just shrug since they can't reproduce it and it seems to happen randomly. Just all of a sudden driving along brake will flash on the dashboard and the car will stop abruptly.

Vehicle is currently in the shop due to safety sensors and cameras. The car has less than 70k miles and is excellent condition. But when I started my car all the sensors did not work.

Multiple times when driving the vehicle will slam on the brakes without warning when there is nothing in front of the vehicle. I have taken it to Honda multiple times and they cannot fix it due to being unable to recreate the spontaneous issue. Also, they did try to recalibrate the sensor, and it still did not work. I don't feel safe driving this car and can't sell it knowing it is dangerous.

On 3/25/2025, at 2:45 pm, my car stopped itself completely while driving at 35 mph on transit rd. Near sheridan dr. , under clear, dry conditions. No obstacles, no brake input—items on passenger seat flew off, my head jerked forward. Suspect automatic emergency braking (aeb) malfunction, per NHTSA ea22-003 (2017-2022 Cr-vs, 278 complaints, 47 crashes, 112 injuries). Vehicle is at lia Honda for $285 diagnostic, completed 3/26/2025; they found no issues, recommend radar sensor recalibration (~$300 more) but say it ‘cannot guarantee the issue won’t recur’—I told them to wait. Available for inspection. Safety risk: sudden stop risked rear-end collision and jerked my head —matches ea22-003 crashes. Not reproduced. Prior inspection with oil change at lia Honda on 3/21/25—no issues. No manufacturer, police, or insurance inspections. No warning lamps before failure—sudden onset. Honda corporate assigned a case manager on 3/26/2025, contacting me in 24-48 hrs. Request: investigate—dealer’s inaction and costs are unacceptable.

On [xxx] and [xxx], I was driving in the right lane in a construction zone on [xxx] in detroit, mi when my 2024 Cr-v slammed on the breaks while flashing the forward collision “break” warning on my dash. There were no cars at least 500 yards in front of me and, luckily, no one behind me. This happened by itself and no cruise control was engaged at the time. I have had this car since October 2023 and this is the first time this has happened. This was a sunny morning with temps in the low 30s. No rain and no snow. I have yet to be able to reproduce this issue and it’s unlikely that I could, since this happened under normal driving conditions. I have also not had the car inspected yet, but I will when I have the oil changed in a few weeks. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Fuel injector malfunction in 2017 Honda crv ex. Getting all the warning lights. Mostly it shows emission system problems.

As I pulled from a stop, into an intersection, the car slammed on the brakes with no warning. Did not see the normal "brake" message as usually appears if you follow to closely for example and there was no car in front of me. It was a quick slam of the brakes, which threw my head forward and down suddenly, then released. I continued driving and saw no warning lights or indication of a problem on the dashboard. However, when I parked the car and turned the engine off, it would not restart. Only clicked and displayed a continuous series of error messages on the dash including "electronic break system failure" and others. The car would not start. I tried to start it multiple times until the battery eventually ran down. Called tow service and they jump started the car. All error messages reset and did not reappear. I only drove it short distance home and have not driven it since.

I was traveling on highway going posted speed of 70mph. There were no cars anywhere close to front of vehicle. Car automatically braked hard, locking the seatbelt and throwing everything in car forward. It was not a "warning" brake it was a ridiculously hard brake to attempt to stop car. I am shocked and amazed it did not cause accident or flip. As a result of this sudden hard stop, I have having back and neck pain as well as chest and shoulder pain. There was no reason for this to occur, there was nothing in front of the vehicle at all. There were however cars behind that nearly hit me. I may seek medical if back, neck and shoulder continue to hurt.

This morning, March 5, 2025, while driving to work, my 2018 Cr-v abruptly stopped in the middle of an intersection with no need and little warning. Thank god nobody was behind me at the time. Everything not bolted or belted down came forward immediately. After the incident I pulled into a convenience store to regroup, calm down and turn off my automatic braking system which I no longer trust. I have a short, 15 second video (mp4) from my dash cam but was unable to attach it for this report.

There have been several times where my forward collision warning goes off when I am just driving along an open highway with no other vehicles nearby and no precipitation. In broad daylight. Another time, a car in front of me slammed on their brakes. There wasn't enough time for me to come to a complete stop, so I navigated my car to the shoulder (I was only going about 30 mph to begin with). However, while I was turning the steering wheel, the automatic emergency braking system engaged, making it impossible for me to turn the steering wheel further. I missed the car in front of me by only and inch or two. If I would have hit that car, it would have been because the aeb system locked up my steering wheel and made it impossible to control my vehicle.

I was driving on a country road and shortly following acceleration after a left turn, the cars forward collision warning went off, but in an unusual way. It will generally beep and flash the brake signal a few times if the forward collision warning activates. This time I heard one loud beep, saw a flash of the brake signal, and then the car slammed on the brakes to a complete stop. Luckily, there was no one and no other cars around me as I was on a small road without much traffic. The car is currently at the dealership being evaluated. I have sent a request to the general manager to investigate this situation further than just a basic code run or recreation of the malfunction. I do not feel comfortable driving this car without a clear diagnoses and repair.

On several occasions, the auto braking system has engaged when not required. When driving / approaching and overhead highway sign, the alert will trigger, warning me to press my brakes. Other past events include occasionally when passing beneath an overpass, the braking system will alert and engage the brakes. This has nearly caused a rearend accident. Braking alerts also occur for some forks in the road, seemingly alerting for the barrier that is in place.

This is regarding an incident with my 2019 Honda crv, on 2/12/2025. Conditions were dry, clean and dark with street lighting at approximately 6:15 pm pacific time. I was driving northward uphill on a paved street and approximately half way up the hill, my car came to an abrupt stop and shut down. My body was jolted forward and I felt an immediate discomfort in my lower back. There was a car behind me with lights on that did not hit me, but had veered left mid-street, possibly to avoid hitting my car, or may have been in the process of making a parking maneuver. I saw nothing in the roadway that would cause my car to stop. There was no occurrence of a warning light or audible notification of a hazard to me. There were two cars stopped at a stop sign ahead at the top of the street, one was in the right turn lane and the one next to it was headed straight south. My car would not proceed. I had to press the start button to restart the car. I drove up to the top of the hill to the limit line of the stop sign. Both of the cars ahead at the top of the hill across the intersection were still stopped, but proceeded once my car came up the hill to the limit line of the stop sign.

Driving on a regular paved road following the speed limit (35 miles per hour) when the automatic emergency braking system engaged randomly; the car speed went from 35 miles to a near and sudden stop and almost caused a rear-end collision. Phantom braking. This is the second time this has happened with no visible reason in terms of road conditions or flying birds, blowing trash, etc. That could explain this. I am afraid to drive the car out of fear that phantom braking will cause an accident/potential injuries. I cannot imagine this happening on a freeway at higher speed—distater. I was driving on a viaduct (on the top level with car traffic below and on the first occasion, with a river running below). Could it be that the safety features such as camera sensors are misfiring and putting people in real danger. It makes no sense for safety features such as are making driving more dangerous than without them. I am going to have to spend $250 for Honda mechanic to diagnose and who knows how much to repair it, but it is clearly an engineering/mechanical problem created by Honda. This vehicle also fewer than 40k miles on it despite being a 2018 model. Please, please require Honda to issue a recall before something tragic happens.

On several occasions since I’ve owned the vehicle, it has come to a complete stop while driving at highway speeds without any apparent reason, accompanied by a warning of a possible collision. On one such occasion, the vehicle stopped so abruptly that I initially thought I had been rear-ended, though thankfully no cars were near me at the time. If other vehicles had been nearby during any of these incidents, I believe it could have resulted in a serious accident. While I am grateful for the technology, as it has also helped me avoid an accident on two separate occasions (different from the above referenced instances), I believe the system needs improvement to prevent these unexpected stops from occurring.