2020 Honda CR-V Electrical System
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
While operating a 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, the vehicle suddenly caught fire with flames originating from the rear seat/rear passenger compartment area. There was no crash involved. Smoke and flames rapidly spread inside the vehicle, creating an immediate safety hazard and risk of serious injury. I evacuated immediately and emergency services were contacted. The fire department responded and extinguished the fire. The vehicle sustained severe fire damage and was declared a total loss. The fire appeared to start from inside the cabin near/under the rear seating area. The incident occurred without warning and there were no prior signs of mechanical issues immediately before the fire. This failure put the safety of the occupants and the public at risk due to the sudden and aggressive nature of the fire. The vehicle is currently in storage and remains available for inspection upon request by the manufacturer, insurer, or investigators.
2020 Honda CR-V EXL would not start past week on two days (12/01/2025 and 12/03/2025). Auto mechanic (C&K Auto Clinic) has the following assessment: Check for key off draw. Found slightly excessive battery drain ranging from 75 milliamps to 150 milliamps. Found back up fuse #18 to be circuit causing draw. Will need additional time to continue tracing back up fuse circuit. Replace faulty battery.
The contact owns a 2020 Honda CR-V. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked next to the home and under the carport. After starting the engine, the husband exited the vehicle, and moments later, flames were present inside the cabin of the vehicle. The fire department was called to the home and extinguished the flames. During the incident, the carport and carport driveway were damaged, the side of the home was damaged, and the home endured smoke inhalation. Also, the contact's personal oxygen tank was located inside the vehicle and was destroyed. The cause of the fire was not determined. A fire report was taken at the scene. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 127,000.
The component(s) may be electrical in nature for fuel pumps don't produce electricity. On 1/9/2024 after the car been locked and off for a few hours noticed something running at the rear of the car. The fuel pump was running. Got the car fob, started and cut off. No fuel pump was running after shutdown. My father was with me, it's his car. For safety sakes, premature failure of the fuel pump or engine will cause a stall, and while driving, potentially cause a crash. (Big picture), This car line in general has major fuel pump failures, and downstream, motor failure (fuel intrusion, known fact). If a fuel injector had a problem (leak by), motor failure. These known problems may originate at the starting switch, computer, or other in-between components. Called this into Vicksburg Miss. Cannon Honda dealership 1/10/24. It was said there was at least one more with the same problem, fuel pump running after shutdown, killing the battery or running it down. This car was bought at this dealership a year and half ago. No one has looked at the car, but if contacted, may by agreement, look at the car if a loaner can be acquired.
The center display consul keeps changing the display. About 6 months ago it appeared to look like water was in the display. By the time I got to the dealer the screen was clear. I was told to take a picture if it happened again. I had approximately 26,000 miles on the car at the time. About a month later the screen went totally dark. I shut off the car and it restarted with a clear screen. About a month after that it went dark again. Restarting the car did not fix the problem but YouTube suggested a restart, which did fix the problem. Nox the A odometer will not reset. The reset option via the stalk or the dashboard computer option will fix the problem. Also, the text voice volume control will not operate. The car now has approximately 30,000 miles on it. I am going to the dealer tomorrow. This problem should not exist in a 4 year old car with 30,000 miles which I purchase new and have maintained meticulously
Failed fuel injections issue caused the electrical system to crash
There was an internal failure in the body control module, causing dysregulation of the internal electronic components and battery drainage. The battery was initially changed without effect, and after observation of the electronic component turned on with the vehicle turned off, the vehicle was driven to the shop, where the diagnosis was made. After diagnosis, the part was ordered and replaced within 2 days for approximately $777.
1. Feb 1st. Vehicle stopped on a major highway while I was in fast lane at 70 mph. 2. I could have died. And most certainly would have caused a major accident if myself and others not been keeping proper distance. 3. No. I'm out of warranty. 4. No. 5. Most of the sensors flashed all random before vehicle stopped. I mean the warning sensors like tpms, mitigation, emergency braking system.
I purchased my Honda CR-V new from a dealer in 2020. It seemed to work fine, but earlier this year strange things started to happen with the electrical systems. The Remote starter would not work, the door locks and various lights would act strangely. The initial three -year warranty was up, but I had purchased an additional 4-year warranty extension. I took it to the dealer for repair and they said it needed a new Body Management System, which was on back order. several weeks later, I had that replaced, but they said they also had to replace the door locks, so I had to come back and have them do that too. On Sep. 1, I needed something from the car, but the fob wouldn't open the door and I had to use the manual key. I made a service appointment for Sep. 5, however on Sep. 3 I tried to use the car and found that it is totally dead. No electrical or electronic systems are working at all. From what I have read, I am concerned that this is an electrical problem that has been exhibited in many other CR-Vs as well.
1) BATTERY SYSTEM 2) IF YOU THINK BEING ABANDONED IN A DARK PARKING LOT FOR 2-3 HRS IS A SAFETY RISK - THE ANSWER IS YES! 3) NO - BUT ITS THE THIRD TIME IT HAPPENED RESULTING IN 2-3 WAITES IN PARKING LOTS AT NITE! . 4) YES. DEALERSHIP IN NAPLES, FL.. 5) NO, NO, NO.
While driving the vehicle on an interstate, the dashboard and infotainment system screens both went completely dark. Pulled the vehicle off the highway; shutting it off and restarting it did not resolve the issue. After using the steering wheel controls and screen brightness rotary control on the dashboard the displays eventually came back on. So far this is a one-time occurrence; however, a friend with the same year and model (2020 CR-V Ex) just experienced a similar problem. In his case the dashboard display continued to work but the infotainment system went dark. I took the vehicle in to a local Honda dealer. They were unable to find any issues with the vehicle displays and said there are no active recalls. Note that a similar problem resulted in a recall for 2017-2019 Honda CR-Vs. Apparently the 2020s have the same or similar issue which to date Honda has not addressed.
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Infotainment display. Yes it is available for inspection. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The display periodically freezes in rear camera view when the vehicle is moving forward. It also freezes in other views and crashes. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? No, dealer could not reproduce. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? No Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No.
I GOT IN TO START THE CAR IN THE PARKING GARAGE AND IT WOULD NOT START BECAUSE THE BATTERY WAS DEAD. I WAS INFORMED THE BATTERY WAS DEAD BECAUSE I DID NOT DRIVE IT ENOUGH BY THE DEALERSHIP. I AM NEARLY 78 YEARS OLD. I DO NOT KNOW HOW MUCH I NEED TO DRIVE THE CAR TO KEEP IT CHARGED. I THINK THIS IS A DESIGN FLAW.
IF MY VEHICLE IS PARKED FOR A WEEK OR MORE, THE BATTERY HAS TO BE JUMP STARTED. THE CAR HAS UNDER 2000 MILES ON IT. THIS CREATES AN UNSAFE ENVIRONMENT WHEN THE CAR WON'T START AFTER THAT SHORT OF A PERIOD. THE DEALERSHIP SAID TO DRIVE IT MORE OFTEN! THIS HAS HAPPENED MORE THAN ONCE.
WHILE IN MOTION, DASHBOARD AND RADIO DISPLAY GO DARK AND BECOME UNREADABLE. SO FAR HAS RECOVERED, BUT CAN TAKE MORE THAN AN HOUR. IN MEANTIME, CAN'T TELL SPEED OF CAR AND LOSE MAP DIRECTIONS. SAME THING HAPPENED ON 2017 HONDA CRV. HONDA HAS NO TECH BULLETINS ON THIS. HARD TO IMAGINE IF IT'S BEEN HAPPENING FOR AT LEAST 4 MODEL YEARS.
There is a wiring harness for automatic mirror dimming that runs out of the front headliner to the back of the rear-view mirror (P/N32155-TLA-A31 32119) that seems to be without sufficient strain relief inside the mirror. On 5/9/2021, I started my CR-V only to have multiple system failure warnings scrolling across the dash. On 5/10/2021, I took the vehicle to the dealership. They found a blown fuse (P/N 38221-SNA-A41) but were not able to determine why it blew. On 5/25/2021, the same problem reoccurred. I took the vehicle that day to the dealership. The only difference was that (at least as I knew at the time) was that both failures happened after I used the remote start function. On 5/26/2021, after many attempts to duplicate the problem using remote start, the dealership contacted me saying they needed to do more troubleshooting. On 5/27/2021, The dealership contacted me saying they had determined the problem was a short in the above-mentioned harness and asked if I had hung anything on it. I mentioned that I occasionally hung my Handicap Placard (net weight 0.7 ounces) on it, but it would also be bumped by the windshield sunshade I use. The service advisor said that the repairs were not covered under the warranty since it was something I did, and not the fault of the vehicle. I asked the dealership to provide me with the damaged harness for my inspection, and the service advisor agreed to that. When the vehicle was returned to me on 6/4/2021, the harness was not in the vehicle, nor, according to the service advisor, in the building. I am an engineer with years of experience in cabling and harnesses, I wanted to see the damage for myself, as well as what physical harness strain relief accommodations were made for it. When the second incident happened, we were near home, and the dealership. It could have happened a week later when we were on our vacation and driving through the middle of the wheat fields of Kansas - stranded.
ALL 4 OF MY WINDOWS AND MY MOONROOF AUTOMATICALLY OPENED WHILE I WAS IN A STORE. IT WAS POURING DOWN RAIN AND ALL OF MY SEATS, CARPET, AND ENTIRE INSIDE OF MY 2030 HONDA CRV ARE COMPLETELY SOAKED. I LOCKED MY DOOR WHEN I PARKED IT AND EVERYTHING WAS CLOSED UP SINCE IT WAS STORMING.
INSTRUMENT DISPLAY WENT DARK AND FAILED WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT. CAR STILL RAN AND WAS DRIVABLE, BUT I HAD NO IDEA ABOUT SPEED OR ENGINE STATUS. WHILE TAKING IT TO THE DEALER LATER THAT DAY, THE DISPLAY BECAME VISIBLE BUT ALL THE WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON IN SEQUENCE REPEATEDLY. THE DEALERSHIP CONTACTED HONDA AND AFTER 2 DAYS IN THE SHOP DETERMINED IT WAS DUE TO AN INSTRUMENT DISPLAY CLUSTER FAILURE. I AM STILL AWAITING A FINAL RESOLUTION/REPAIR. NOTE THAT THE LIGHTS DID NOT FAIL DURING THIS EVENT, BUT IT STILL WAS VERY DISCONCERTING FOR NIGHT DRIVING. I WAS DRIVING ON A CITY STREET AT THE TIME OF THE EVENT AT ABOUT 30 MPH IN A STRAIGHT LINE. AC WAS ON BUT NO RADIO OR WIPERS. *TR
WHILE PARKED AND LOCKED ALL FOUR WINDOWS ROLLED DOWN WITHOUT ANY ONE IN THE SUV
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Quick Summary
The 2020 Honda CR-V has 19 Electrical System complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.