AI Damage2020 Honda Civic: common problems
Owners of the 2020 Honda Civic filed 231 complaints with NHTSA, most often about electrical system and steering. The maker issued 161 service bulletins for this year. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 231
- involving a crash
- 15
- Technical service bulletins (TSB)
- 161
What fails most often
- 1 Electrical system 16% of all complaints
- 2 Steering 14% of all complaints
- 3 Powertrain 13% of all complaints
- 4 Air bags 13% of all complaints
- 5 Forward collision avoidance 10% of all complaints
- 6 Fuel/propulsion system 10% of all complaints
- 7 Visibility 6% of all complaints
- 8 Service brakes 6% of all complaints
- Electrical system: 37 complaints (16% of all), 3 of them with a crash reported by the owner; manufacturer bulletins for this component: 52.
- Steering: 32 complaints (14% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Powertrain: 31 complaints (13% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner; manufacturer bulletins for this component: 4.
- Air bags: 29 complaints (13% of all), 5 of them with a crash reported by the owner; manufacturer bulletins for this component: 3.
- Forward collision avoidance: 24 complaints (10% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner; manufacturer bulletins for this component: 10.
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 1.5 L · petrol · turbo · 4 cyl
- 2 L · petrol · 4 cyl
- 2 L · petrol · turbo · 4 cyl
- CVTnamed in 1 complaints
- manual, 6-speednamed in 7 complaints
Drive: FWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 231 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical system | 37 | 3 | 52 |
| Steering | 32 | 2 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 31 | 1 | 4 |
| Air bags | 29 | 5 | 3 |
| Forward collision avoidance | 24 | 1 | 10 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 24 | 0 | 5 |
| Visibility | 14 | 0 | 30 |
| Service brakes | 14 | 4 | 12 |
| Engine | 13 | 0 | 8 |
| Fuel system | 7 | 0 | 12 |
| Wheels | 7 | 2 | 2 |
| Suspension | 6 | 0 | 2 |
| Structure | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| Vehicle speed control | 4 | 0 | 8 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
On passenger side, 4 of 5 wheel hub bolts (lug bolts) broke off during driving. The lug nuts did not come loose. The bolts actually broke off with lug nuts attached. This caused the wheel to separate from the car while driving. This caused an accident and $5,500 damage to the car.
The driver’s and passenger’s side air bags did not deploy. The contact was unsure whether there was a warning light illuminated. The contact was not injured. The vehicle was driven to a gas station, inspected, and then driven back to the residence. However, the vehicle failed to accelerate above 40 MPH.
There were no ruts from tire, spinning from the front end at all in the ditch or the grass above the ditch… There is a recall of some 2020 civics for brake failure, parking brake failure….
The contact stated no warning light was illuminated or warning chime sounded. The contact crashed into a truck and bounced off the side of the truck and the vehicle hit the highway divider at the front end of her vehicle and came to a stop. The contact stated that only one side air bag had been deployed.
I hit a cow going 55mph on a state highway, and my airbags did not deploy.
The driver seat was in a reclining position after impact, I was sitting up when hit and wound up laying almost to the back seat after impact but the airbag never deployed causing my stomach to hit the steering wheel.
The contact stated that while the vehicle was in park in the driveway idling and unattended with the emergency brake engaged, the vehicle rolled down the driveway and crashed into a tree. There were no reported injuries, no police report, fire or air bag deployment. The vehicle was towed to an independent repair shop.
The contact stated while driving at 75 MPH, the rear passenger side tire blew out suddenly which the vehicle started to drift to the right of the road and go over and crash into a medium near oncoming traffic.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 279 of 2,102 model years in the NHTSA data (top 13% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Civic has 324 complaints (12 years in the data). This year has 231, below average.
What to check before buying
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Steering. Steering play, power assist, rack and tie rods after a wheel impact.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
Manufacturer service bulletins
Bulletin titles as filed with NHTSA.
- Service Bulletin - Under certain conditions, the cylinder head gasket effectiveness may be reduced which…
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…
- Dealer Message - Under certain conditions, the cylinder head gasket effectiveness may be reduced which may…
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.
- Service Bulletin - Under certain conditions, the cylinder head gasket effectiveness may be reduced which…
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.
- Service Bulletin - Oil leak at timing chain tensioner inspection cover due to possible insufficient…
Service Bulletin - Oil leak at timing chain tensioner inspection cover due to possible insufficient sealant adhesion on inspection cover.
- Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc
(AHM) is searching for certain 2020-2021 Civics, 2020-2022 CR-Vs, 2022-2023 Pilots & Passports with a customer complaint of the center display flickering, flashing, or frozen (Civics and CR-Vs only). To better…
- Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc
(AHM) is searching for certain 2018-2020 Accords, 2016-2020 Civics, 2017-2020 CR-Vs, & 2018-2020 Odysseys that have been diagnosed to be in need of the low-pressure fuel pump, fuel strainer, fuel meter or fuel tank…
- Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc
(AHM) is searching for certain 2018-2020 Accords, 2016-2020 Civics, 2017-2020 CR-Vs, & 2018-2020 Odysseys that have been diagnosed to be in need of the low-pressure fuel pump, fuel strainer, fuel meter or fuel tank…
- Dealer Message - Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc
(AHM) is searching for certain 2018-2020 Accords, 2016-2020 Civics, 2017-2020 CR-Vs, & 2018-2020 Odysseys that have been diagnosed to be in need of the low-pressure fuel pump, fuel strainer, fuel meter or fuel tank…
- Service Bulletin - Due to a new North America regulation which introduces a new refrigerant and oil…
Service Bulletin - Due to a new North America regulation which introduces a new refrigerant and oil requirement, the compressor shaft seal may leak. American Honda is extending the warranty on the A/C compressor shaft…
- Service Bulletin - American Honda is extending the warranty on the A/C condenser to 10 years from the…
Service Bulletin - American Honda is extending the warranty on the A/C condenser to 10 years from the original date of purchase with unlimited miles. This warranty extension only covers vehicles that have a defective…
- Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc
(AHM) is searching for certain 2020-2021 Civics & 2020-2022 CR-Vs with a customer complaint of the center display flickering, flashing, or frozen. To better understand the cause of this condition, AHM would like to…
- Service Bulletin - The ACC system error message comes on while driving when outside temperatures are…
Service Bulletin - The ACC system error message comes on while driving when outside temperatures are low/near freezing due to snow and ice getting stuck to the front of the millimeter wave radar. This can cause DTC…
NHTSA lists 161 bulletins for this year; the 12 newest are shown here.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2020 Honda Civic?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: electrical system, steering, powertrain. Total complaints: 231. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: warning lights, check engine (18%), fuel system, fuel smell (8%), A/C or heater (7%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2020 Honda Civic?
NHTSA lists 161 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2020 Honda Civic from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2020 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-04.