2020 Honda Civic problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Steering (29) · Power Train (27) · Air Bags (23)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Honda Civic model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
53 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (5)
Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification:front Passenger 2026-05-21 · campaign 26V332000 · 98,892 vehicles
Defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2021, 2023 Acura TLX, 2019-2024 RDX, 2017-2020, 2022-2026 MDX, 2017-2021, 2023, 2025 Honda Ridgeline, 2017-2022 Pilot, 2019-2021 Passport, 2018-2026 Odyssey, 2019-2022 Insight, 2019-2021 HR-V, 2018-2020 Fit, 2020-2022 CR-V Hybrid, 2017-2022 CR-V, 2017-2018, 2021 Civic Type R, 2017-2021 Civic hatchback, 2016-2020 Civic coupe, 2016-2022 Civic, 2017-2022 Accord Hybrid, and 2016-2022 Accord vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor ma
Risk: Air bags that deploy unintentionally during a crash increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 7, 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are BOL, WO9, OOA, WOM, XOH, NOC, POD, BOE, UOF, POB, EOG, AOI, QO8, TOJ, DO7, and SOK. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 24V064. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning May 29, 2026.
Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification:front Passenger 2024-02-01 · campaign 24V064000 · 750,114 vehicles
Defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Pilot, Accord, Civic sedan, HR-V, Odyssey, 2020 Civic coupe, Fit, 2021-2022 Civic hatchback, 2021 Civic Type R, Insight, 2020-2021 CR-V, CR-V Hybrid, Passport, Ridgeline, Accord Hybrid, 2020 Acura MDX, 2022 Acura MDX, 2020-2022 Acura RDX, and 2020-2021 Acura TLX vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, failing to suppress the air bag as intended.
Risk: An air bag that deploys unintentionally during a crash can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 28, 2024. This is a phased recall. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for these recalls are XHP and VHQ.
Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump 2023-12-18 · campaign 23V858000 · 2,490,460 vehicles
Defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline, Odyssey, Acura ILX, MDX, MDX Hybrid, RDX, RLX, TLX, 2019-2022 Honda Insight, Passport, 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Clarity PHEV, Fit, and 2015-2020 Honda Accord Hybrid, Pilot, Acura NSX vehicles. The fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
Risk: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 6, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are KGC and KGD. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall numbers 21V-215 and 20V-314.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:master Cylinder 2023-06-29 · campaign 23V458000 · 124,077 vehicles
Defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Civic, 2020-2023 Ridgeline, 2021-2023 Passport, 2021-2022 Pilot, and 2020 Acura MDX vehicles. The tie rod fastener that connects the brake booster and the brake master cylinder may have been improperly assembled during manufacturing, which can cause the brake master cylinder to separate from the booster assembly.
Risk: Brake master cylinder separation can cause a loss of brake function and increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and repair the brake booster assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 7, 2023. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are VEU, AEV, and ZET.
Fuel System, Gasoline:delivery:fuel Pump 2021-03-25 · campaign 21V215000 · 624,552 vehicles
Defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Acura MDX, MDX Sport Hybrid, RDX, TLX, Honda Accord, Civic Hatchback, Insight, 2019 Acura ILX, Honda Accord Hybrid, Civic Coupe, Civic Coupe Si, Civic Sedan, Civic Sedan Si, Civic Type R, Fit, HR-V, Odyssey, Passport, Pilot and Ridgeline, and 2018-2019 CR-V vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
Risk: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump assembly, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed May 18, 2021. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Note: This recall is an expansion of recall 20V-314.
Service bulletins (165)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Engine 2026-09-25 · A26-009 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
service bulletin - under certain conditions, the cylinder head gasket effectiveness may be reduced which may cause vehicles to experience overheating, coolant loss, and/or misfire. in some cases, dtcs p0300 through p0304 may also be stored (dtcs are not required for repair).
Engine 2026-09-25 · A26-008 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
service bulletin - under certain conditions, the cylinder head gasket effectiveness may be reduced which may cause vehicles to experience overheating, coolant loss, and/or misfire. in some cases, dtcs p0300 through p0304 may also be stored (dtcs are not required for repair).
Engine 2026-08-26 · AEBM08262026901 · Other
dealer message - under certain conditions, the cylinder head gasket effectiveness may be reduced which may cause vehicles to experience overheating, coolant loss, misfire, and/or dtcs p0300 through p0304 stored.
Engine 2026-08-26 · A26-009 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
service bulletin - under certain conditions, the cylinder head gasket effectiveness may be reduced which may cause vehicles to experience overheating, coolant loss, misfire and/or dtcs p0300 thru p0304 stored.
Engine 2026-08-26 · A26-008 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
service bulletin - under certain conditions, the cylinder head gasket effectiveness may be reduced which may cause vehicles to experience overheating, coolant loss, misfire and/or dtcs p0300 thru p0304 stored.
Engine 2025-07-29 · A25-076 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
service bulletin - oil leak at timing chain tensioner inspection cover due to possible insufficient sealant adhesion on inspection cover.
Showing the 6 most recent of 165 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-28 · Seat Belts“ "the dealer invoice for my 2020 honda civic explicitly diagnosed a seatbelt 'internal failure.' honda corporate verbally denied coverage by claiming an undocumented seat cover obstruction. i was forced to pay $482.32 out-of-pocket for a safety component covered under honda's 15-year/150,000-mile safety warranty."…”
2026-10-26 · Unknown Or Other“ac compressor failure. this is a known defect in all 10th generation honda vehicles. my 2020 honda civic sport at 44k miles ac compressor has failed. the extended warranty that honda issued will not cover a new compressor that honda has diagnosed it needs. i have been fighting very hard with honda corporate to goodwill a compressor replacement whic…”
2026-10-26 · Power Train“i own a 2020 civic si. at about 29,000 the clutch started slipping in higher heats and going up hills. once i noticed this the clutch degraded very quickly to the point it was unsafe to drive. by very quickly i mean in about 100 miles worth of travel. i notified honda corporate and opened a case with them. there is a tsb 22-017 out about the faulty…”
2026-10-21 · Steering“the wheel becomes sticky/ jerky when driving at speeds over 40 mph and causes overcorrecting. it is worse around bends and makes holding the wheel straight difficult. the stickness is consistently present when on the highways making it incredibly dangerous to drive at these higher speeds as i am constantly having to overcorrect the wheel. the dea…”
2026-10-18 · Engine“my 2020 honda civic experienced engine overheating and a cylinder 3 misfire (p0303). two independent mechanics diagnosed a blown head gasket with coolant leaking into cylinder 3. the vehicle underwent a head gasket repair under honda’s extended warranty. less than a week after the repair, the engine overheated again while i was driving. i pulled ov…”
2026-10-15 · Steering“my car 2020 honda civic has an issue with the steering wheel. i have noticed in the past 6 months that the steering wheel has become increasingly stiff and gets stuck during turns. this is a concern of mine because at times it becomes difficult to keep in traffic lanes. the car has not been inspected by anyone.…”
2026-10-09 · Electrical System“on september 27, 2026, at approximately 90,800 miles, the body control module (bcm) in my 2020 honda civic hatchback failed. symptoms included the alarm sounding on its own, warning lights illuminating on the dash, the vehicle turning its accessories on unprompted while parked (key fob was present), the battery draining, and the key fob intermitten…”
2026-10-07 · Visibility/Wiper“the air conditioning condenser failed prematurely due to a known manufacturing defect covered under honda's 10-year warranty extension (tsb 19-091), but the dealership, stokes honda north and american honda motor co.’s refused to honor the coverage. i reside in charleston, south carolina, where summer temperatures and humidity levels are extreme. …”
2026-10-01 · Steering“steering rack malfunction which is a major safety issue. it was said to be only in 2022-2025 civics but it is very clear this is happening in the 2020s as well …”
2026-09-23 · Steering“when driving, especially at highway speeds where only minor tracking adjustments are needed, the steering wheel can feel like it is momentarily sticking or catching. having to exert sudden, extra physical effort to "break" the wheel free from this sticky point. this often leads to momentary overcorrection, significantly increasing the risk of a cra…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.