2020 Honda CIVIC

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Avoid This Year

Quick Summary

The 2020 Honda CIVIC has 288 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 3.6x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is other problems (14% of all complaints), specifically: my car was broken into while parked in a public parking lot. the 2020 civic has a feature where all windows roll down if you put the key into the driver's door lock and turn it to the right. according to honda of oakland service center, someone used a screwdriver to activate this feature, which in t. ⚠️ 2 fire reports filed.

2 fire reports 19 crash reports 16 injuries

288

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

3.6x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

OTHER

39 complaints

14%

• MY CAR WAS BROKEN INTO WHILE PARKED IN A PUBLIC PARKING LOT. THE 2020 CIVIC HAS A FEATURE WHERE ALL WINDOWS ROLL DOWN IF YOU PUT THE KEY INTO THE DRIVER'S DOOR LOCK AND TURN IT TO THE RIGHT. ACCORDING TO HONDA OF OAKLAND SERVICE CENTER, SOMEONE USED A SCREWDRIVER TO ACTIVATE THIS FEATURE, WHICH IN T
• (SUN) MOON ROOF SPONTANEOUSLY EXPLODED WITHOUT CONTACT FROM A FOREIGN OBJECT WHILE TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEED. ADDITIONAL DAMAGE CAUSED TO ROOF & TRUNK EXTERIOR PAINT. NO POLICE OR ACCIDENT REPORT WAS FILED. CONTACTED DEALERSHIP FOR WARRANTY CLAIM AND THEY DIRECTED ME TO MY AUTO INSURANCE PROVIDER.
• TRAVELING ALONG A FREEWAY ON A CLEAR DAY, IN FREE FLOWING TRAFFIC, THE ROAD DEPARTURE MITIGATION SYSTEM ENGAGED APPLYING THE BRAKES UNNECESSARILY, LIKELY DUE TO OLD LANE MARKINGS. MY DASHCAM RECORDING SHOWS THE VEHICLE WAS IN NOT IN ANYWAY AT RISK OF DEPARTING THE LANE, OR THE ROAD AND THE SYSTEM

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports💥 3 crashes

“MY CAR WAS BROKEN INTO WHILE PARKED IN A PUBLIC PARKING LOT. THE 2020 CIVIC HAS A FEATURE WHERE ALL WINDOWS ROLL DOWN IF YOU PUT THE KEY INTO THE DRIVER'S DOOR LOCK AND TURN IT TO THE RIGHT. ACCORDING TO HONDA OF OAKLAND SERVICE CENTER, SOMEONE USED A SCREWDRIVER TO ACTIVATE THIS FEATURE, WHICH IN T”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ELECTRICAL

34 complaints

12%

• OVER 4 WEEKS AGO, 2 WEEKS AFTER LEASING THE 2020 CAR, THE DASHBOARD STARTED TO DISPLAY NUMEROUS ERROR MESSAGES. THE CAR WAS EVALUATED AT THE DEALER, HONDA OF FREEHOLD, NJ, AND I WAS TOLD THAT A CERTAIN MODULE FAILED. SOON THEREAFTER A TIRE WARNING LIGHT ALSO STARTED TO DISPLAY AND ONCE AGAIN THE DEA
• MY CAR WAS BROKEN INTO WHILE PARKED IN A PUBLIC PARKING LOT. THE 2020 CIVIC HAS A FEATURE WHERE ALL WINDOWS ROLL DOWN IF YOU PUT THE KEY INTO THE DRIVER'S DOOR LOCK AND TURN IT TO THE RIGHT. ACCORDING TO HONDA OF OAKLAND SERVICE CENTER, SOMEONE USED A SCREWDRIVER TO ACTIVATE THIS FEATURE, WHICH IN T
• WE WERE TRAVELING EAST ON HWY 63 GOING HOME. THE LANE DEPARTURE ASSIST CAME ON BUT WE WERE NOT OUT OF LANE. WE KEPT TRAVELING A LITTLE FURTHER AND THE STEERING WAS STIFF. WE WERE TRAVELING ABOUT 53 MPH AND THE CAR ALL OF A SUDDEN JERKED VERY SHARP TO THE RIGHT AND WE WENT OFF THE ROAD HITTING PAR

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 3 crashes

“OVER 4 WEEKS AGO, 2 WEEKS AFTER LEASING THE 2020 CAR, THE DASHBOARD STARTED TO DISPLAY NUMEROUS ERROR MESSAGES. THE CAR WAS EVALUATED AT THE DEALER, HONDA OF FREEHOLD, NJ, AND I WAS TOLD THAT A CERTAIN MODULE FAILED. SOON THEREAFTER A TIRE WARNING LIGHT ALSO STARTED TO DISPLAY AND ONCE AGAIN THE DEA”

— NHTSA complaint filing

TRANSMISSION

31 complaints

11%

• TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 HONDA CIVIC. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH AND ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE, THE VEHICLE SURGED FORWARD. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE OCCURRED TWICE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO ATLANTIC HONDA (1375 SUNRISE HWY, BAY SHORE, NY 11706) WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE F
• TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 HONDA CIVIC. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO SHIFT FROM SECOND GEAR INTO THIRD GEAR. THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO DECELERATE AND WAS SHIFTED TO NEUTRAL UNTIL HE WAS ABLE TO PARK ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE CONTACT STATED NO
• HAS NOT BEEN TAKEN IN YET. HOWEVER THIS IS THE SECOND TIME I EXPERIENCED THIS... DRIVING HOME FROM WORK AT 7AM IN NYS, DOWN SHIFTED FROM 6TH TO 2ND GEARS IN REVERSE SEQUENTIAL ORDER TO USE ENGINE BRAKING. NOTICED AS I WAS GETTING OFF THE EXIT RAMP OF THE HIGHWAY, THAT MY CAR WOULD SHOOT UP TO 6K RPM

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 1 crashes

“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 HONDA CIVIC. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH AND ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE, THE VEHICLE SURGED FORWARD. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE OCCURRED TWICE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO ATLANTIC HONDA (1375 SUNRISE HWY, BAY SHORE, NY 11706) WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE F”

— NHTSA complaint filing

FUEL SYSTEM

31 complaints

11%

• I WAS DRIVING MY CAR FROM BENICIA,CALIFORNIA TO SACRAMENTO AND 20 MINS AWAY FROM MY DESTINATION MY CAR WARNING LIGHTS ALL TURNED ON AND I WENT FROM GOING 70 TO ONLY BEING ABLE TO GO NO MORE THAN 15. GOT IT TOWED TO HONDA AND FOUND OUT MY HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP WAS BAD. LOOK IT UP AND SEEN THAT MANY
• The contact owns a 2020 Honda Civic. The contact stated while inspecting and changing the oil, he noticed an excessive gasoline smell within the oil. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed, the dealer stated gas in the oil is normal and to bring the car back after driving around
• The contact owns a 2020 Honda Civic equipped with a manual transmission. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle started losing motive power and was also shaking. Additionally, the clutch pedal was going to the floorboard. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact was able t

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500

“I WAS DRIVING MY CAR FROM BENICIA,CALIFORNIA TO SACRAMENTO AND 20 MINS AWAY FROM MY DESTINATION MY CAR WARNING LIGHTS ALL TURNED ON AND I WENT FROM GOING 70 TO ONLY BEING ABLE TO GO NO MORE THAN 15. GOT IT TOWED TO HONDA AND FOUND OUT MY HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP WAS BAD. LOOK IT UP AND SEEN THAT MANY”

— NHTSA complaint filing

DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS

30 complaints

10%

• THIS 2020 HONDA CIVIC SI HAS BEEN NOTHING BUT TROUBLE. FROM THE START I HAD THE WINDSHIELD CRACK ON ME FROM WHAT HONDA SAID WAS A TINY CHIP. I WENT IN TO WORK WITH MY WINDSHIELD SEEMINGLY FINE ONLY TO COME OUT TO A SPIDER WEB SPLIT ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE WINDSHIELD. HONDA WOULD NOT COVER CITING I
• Breaking mitigation or control system was defective, seat belt didn't work properly and involuntary breaking led to incident in which face hit the steering wheel, leading to injury. The problems were evaluated by the dealership but they denied there were problems, and there were not other parties th
• The contact owns a 2020 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the lane departure assist steered the vehicle into traffic or over the lines randomly due to a possible object being in the roadway. The beeping sound, visual detection, and lane departure message were displayed

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 1 crashes

“THIS 2020 HONDA CIVIC SI HAS BEEN NOTHING BUT TROUBLE. FROM THE START I HAD THE WINDSHIELD CRACK ON ME FROM WHAT HONDA SAID WAS A TINY CHIP. I WENT IN TO WORK WITH MY WINDSHIELD SEEMINGLY FINE ONLY TO COME OUT TO A SPIDER WEB SPLIT ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE WINDSHIELD. HONDA WOULD NOT COVER CITING I”

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

OTHER(~50K mi)

$500

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

TRANSMISSION(~50K mi)

$500

FUEL SYSTEM(~50K mi)

$500

DRIVER ASSIST/CAMERAS(~50K mi)

$500

Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 288 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
OTHER: MY CAR WAS BROKEN INTO WHILE PARKED IN A PUBLIC PARKING LOT. THE 2020 CIVIC HAS A FEATURE WHERE ALL WINDOWS ROLL DOWN IF YOU PUT THE KEY INTO THE DRIVER'S DOOR LOCK AND TURN IT TO THE RIGHT. ACCORDING TO HONDA OF OAKLAND SERVICE CENTER, SOMEONE USED A SCREWDRIVER TO ACTIVATE THIS FEATURE, WHICH IN T
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ELECTRICAL: OVER 4 WEEKS AGO, 2 WEEKS AFTER LEASING THE 2020 CAR, THE DASHBOARD STARTED TO DISPLAY NUMEROUS ERROR MESSAGES. THE CAR WAS EVALUATED AT THE DEALER, HONDA OF FREEHOLD, NJ, AND I WAS TOLD THAT A CERTAIN MODULE FAILED. SOON THEREAFTER A TIRE WARNING LIGHT ALSO STARTED TO DISPLAY AND ONCE AGAIN THE DEA
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
TRANSMISSION: TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 HONDA CIVIC. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH AND ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE, THE VEHICLE SURGED FORWARD. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE OCCURRED TWICE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO ATLANTIC HONDA (1375 SUNRISE HWY, BAY SHORE, NY 11706) WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE F
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
FUEL SYSTEM: I WAS DRIVING MY CAR FROM BENICIA,CALIFORNIA TO SACRAMENTO AND 20 MINS AWAY FROM MY DESTINATION MY CAR WARNING LIGHTS ALL TURNED ON AND I WENT FROM GOING 70 TO ONLY BEING ABLE TO GO NO MORE THAN 15. GOT IT TOWED TO HONDA AND FOUND OUT MY HIGH PRESSURE FUEL PUMP WAS BAD. LOOK IT UP AND SEEN THAT MANY
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)