2020 Honda Passport Complaint Log

don’t have the exact locations,date or time but this has happened around 5 times where I am driving and comes to a come a complete stop and my engine wouldn’t start,I had to put on my hazard lights turn off the vehicle then restart it

Brakes were being applied when no cars were around me. Now, 5 warnings were given to me as I drove down the highway. The warnings were as follows: Adaptive Cruise Control Problem Collision Mitigation System Problem Road Departure Mitigation System Problem Lane Keeping Assist ProblemAuto High-Beam Problem Brake System Light

Engine failed and now the piston rod is knocking inside the engine. Engine failure while operating a vehicle is extremely dangerous and could cause an accident or death to myself and anyone else around my vehicle while its being operated. This type of issue can even cause a fire in the engine bay. When the issue presented itself I was going 60 down the highway. Yes, the vehicle has been in two independent shops which have both confirmed the engine failure due to premature connecting rod bearing wear which was most likely caused by manufacturer crankshaft issues. No it has not been inspected by manufacturer, police, insurance, or others. No there were not any warning lights, messages, or sysmptoms prior to the failure.

Car shuts down and does not restart. Also goes to neutral and does not allow car to be steered. Also seems to be related to auto restart.

Was at a red light and the car just shut off. NOTHING! After about 5-10 seconds I pushed the start stop button and it hesitated for a few seconds and I let go and then tried it again. It hesitated and then came on. No problem the rest of the day. I have had the car for a year and zeo issues with the. My Mother had it for 3 years previously and she never had the issue. The battery is good (and only 1 year old) because I put it on my tester a few months ago. 70,000 miles. I looked up the symptoms and found that this has been an on going issue for a few years. NOT NEW. I reached out to Honda and they said I have to have it diagnosed and pay for it.

Fuel pump failure mid-traffic in busy two lane road, unable to start vehicle. The engine sputtered and then halted with all warning lights on dashboard lighting up. Full propulsion of the vehicle ceased while in traffic causing car to be dead on the side of the road until police and tow truck could be dispatched. If this occurred on a busier road or in a 65 mile per hour divided highway, this could have caused a major mukti-vehicle accident and placed me in significant danger.

Burnt Oil Smell Inside Cabin (When Heater Is on High) I frequently notice a burnt oil smell inside the cabin, especially during the first hour of driving in the morning with the heater set to high. My local Honda dealership inspected the vehicle but did not find a specific cause, attributing it instead to a “Honda smell.” They demonstrated a similar odor on a new Passport and suggested using a charcoal cabin filter. However, I remain concerned about a potential fire risk. Auto Idle Start-Stop Feature Unavailable The Auto Idle Start-Stop system rarely functions properly—it has worked approximately 10% of the time I’ve owned the vehicle. After each service visit, it temporarily resumes operation, then soon displays the message “Auto Idle Start-Stop Feature Not Available.” Blank Center Display / ‘MOST Net Off’ Message The center display intermittently goes blank or reboots repeatedly, showing a “MOST Net Off” message. This makes it difficult and distracting to navigate while driving. I understand a previous recall was intended to resolve this issue, but the problem persists.

At approx. 5 years of age & 67,500 miles, the engine began to make rattling or ticking noises that were in sync with engine speed (RPM). Within 1 day of noting the noise, I took the first available appointment to bring the vehicle to my local Honda dealership, Napleton Honda in Loves Park, IL. Napleton Honda diagnosed the issue as "rod knock" due to failing connecting rod bearings. The dealership advised that the only recourse is to replace the engine. Honda Motor Corp (manufacturer) was notified by me about the issue, but they declined to make any substantive effort to assist with the repair costs despite the fact that the issue is increasingly known and documented as per NHTSA campaign # RQ24013

My Honda is 3.5 L V6 engine blew up I know there’s a recall for the 3.5 L V6 engine on my Honda. However, the recalls don’t include the passport, which is what I have but the connecting rods blue causing engine failure.

2020 Honda Passport VIN [XXX] engine start stop system fails at stop in a crossroad light. Vehicle becomes inoperable, on screen instructions not executable. After several attempts of turning vehicle off / on it finally starts. Stranded vehicle at light causes traffic to start swerving to avoid stalled vehicle - unsafe condition. No warning lights nor messages were observed in driver information system previous to failure occurrence. Malfunction has happened at least 3 times in last 6 months INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2020 Honda Passport. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle began to shake. The vehicle was steered into a parking lot and the vehicle stalled and failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 65,000.

Car would not start. Jump start immediate remedy, also same as before. Symptoms identical to those that occurred prior to the service work performed by Elmhurst Honda for the Honda Idle Stop Recall (Service Bulletin 23-009)

The brake system is not working properly when stopped on a hill. The vehicle will roll backwards after pushing the brake. If you are stopped on a hill you have to keep the brake engaged while also accelerating to keep from rolling backwards and hitting the car behind you.

The contact owns a 2020 Honda Passport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V064000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted and confirmed that the parts needed for the recall repair were not yet available. The dealer advised the contact not to have a passenger seated in the front passenger’s seat due to the risk associated with the recall. The dealer recommended that the vehicle be inspected to verify if the vehicle was affected by the recall. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and a case was opened. The contact had not experienced a failure.

Component Affected: Engine / Auto Idle Stop (AIS) system Crash: No Fire: No Injuries: No Deaths: No Incident 1 •Date: January 30, 2025 •Time: ~9:45 AM •Location: Dysart Rd & E Van Buren St, Avondale, AZ •Witness: Taylor (passenger) •Speed: 0 mph (stopped at red light) •Weather: 49°F ambient temperature Description: While stopped at a red light, the Auto Idle Stop (AIS) system engaged. When I attempted to accelerate as the light turned green, the engine failed to restart. The car was immobilized in the left-hand lane, hazards on, and shifted itself into Park. Multiple attempts to restart failed. After several minutes and repeated actions (cycling ignition, exiting and re-entering the vehicle), the car finally restarted. Safety Concern: The vehicle was disabled in active traffic, creating a hazardous situation for myself, my passenger, and surrounding drivers. Incident 2 •Date: August 13, 2025 •Time: ~6:37 AM •Location: Off-ramp of N Verrado Way & Papago Fwy, Buckeye, AZ •Speed: 0 mph (stopped at ramp light) •Witness: None •Weather: 86°F ambient temperature Description: While stopped on the freeway off-ramp, the AIS engaged. When I attempted to proceed, the engine failed to restart. The vehicle was stuck on the ramp with hazards on and remained inoperative for several minutes until it finally restarted. Safety Concern: The car was disabled on a freeway off-ramp during morning traffic, creating a serious risk of collision. Incident 3 •Date: August 19, 2025 •Time: ~3:04 PM •Location: 1520 N Verrado Way, Buckeye, AZ (Shell gas station parking lot) •Speed: 0 mph (shifting from Park to Reverse) •Weather: 110°F ambient temperature •Witness: None Description: After completing a quick errand, I entered the vehicle, started it normally, and attempted to back out of a parking space. When I shifted into reverse, the engine stalled due to AIS. This time, the car placd itself into Neutral rather than Park. The restart delay was shorter

Compliance bushing cracked and coming apart which is a known common issue with Honda Passports from the 2020 timeframe. Thank you for your time!

The Nidec OEM part number 36160-TGS-A03-M1 has failed and causing all five of these alerts to appear as warnings: 1.Road departure mitigation problem 2.Collision Mitigation problem 3. Lane keeping assist problem. 4. Auto high beam problem. 5 Adaptive cruise control failure I don't know if the Nidec part is OEM from Honda and I believe the materials used by Nidec are creating the issue. I thought the Honda OEM part for this camera came from Bosch. The German part appears to made from aluminum, the Nidec part might be a plastic or other material. I am researching the failure rate on your part as I don’t believe there is a heat sink as part of the configuration and the part seems to be out of stock everywhere I look.

The first major issue I just started running into at about 90,000 miles is the engine auto start stop feature. I usually disable it when I drive due to the inability for the car to provide adequate start from a stop, but when I don’t, I’ve had the vehicle completely stall on me at a stoplight and won’t let me restart the vehicle for several minutes leaving me stranded and vulnerable sitting in a lane on a highway. I’ve had about a dozen instances of this issue now over the last several months. The second issue is with the adaptive, cruise control or the emergency, stopping on the vehicle where it will jam on the brakes, even though there are no cars in front of me it inaccurately picks up vehicles in the oncoming lane. There are more than 8 feet separated from my vehicle. I have had the system recalibrated and have complained about it at the dealer, but I’ve been told that there’s nothing wrong with it. Just thought I’d report that as well because it’s almost got me into several accidents by jamming on my brakes for no reason and almost being rear-ended.

The auto idle stop failed to restart at a traffic light. This happened at a busy intersection in heavy traffic. The date given below is the most recent incident; it has happened twice now. Usually I try to remember to disable the idle stop feature, but this time I forgot, and it failed. The first time it happened was November 2024.

The Passport is equipped with an auto stop/start engine feature. In the last week, while stopped in traffic in the roadway the engine shut off, but did not turn back on causing the car to stall in traffic for several minutes before I was able to restart it. The vehicle shifted to neutral and wouldn't restart until the power was fully off and the door was opened and closed. Both times I was stuck in a travel lanes for approximately 3-5 minutes.

Numerous times over the past year, the Passports forward collision warning system and automatic braking system have incorrectly alerted and automatically braked the vehicle when it was not warranted in the situation. This occurs most frequently when on a two lane undivided road (with one lane traveling in each direction). While driving on these roads, the vehicle is frequently incorrectly judging a head on collision will occur with oncoming traffic, and start the audible and visual warning system and sometimes also automatic braking. In these instances both vehicles are well within their side of the roadway and no collision is remotely close to occurring. However the automatic hard braking could cause a rear end collision with the vehicle behind me. Seems to be most common on curvy sections of roadway.

On 4-5 occasions, the auto shutoff system will shut the vehicle down at a stop light when the brake is depressed. The vehicle did not restart as normal. In order to get the vehicle to restart, the vehicle has to be turned completely off and allowed to sit for 1 minute. The battery was fully charged and less than 1 yr old. The dealer was asked and did not find any problems and could not determine a cause. As a retired couple, this is quite concerning especially when in a major city, fully stopped and unable to get the car moving. The other drivers get upset and angry, which is scary these days. I am concerned that the auto shutoff might engage in heavy interstate stop and go traffic, which could lead to a major highway crash. Interestingly, I just received a note from a law firm filing a class action suit against Honda, if repairs were made. So, clearly there is a defect in the auto shut off system which need to be addressed.

TODAY, I WAS MERGING OFF [XXX] TO [XXX] WITH NO CARS OR OBSTACLES AROUND AND THE AUTOMATIC BRAKING SYSTEM DEPLOYED AND THE CAR BRIEFLY SLAMMED ON THE BRAKES AND WHEN I PRESSED DOWN ON THE GAS IT RELEASED ITSELF. LUCKY NO CARS WERE BEHIND ME AT THE TIME BUT IT DID SCARE MY WIFE AND I AT THE TIME. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Auto Idle Stop feature fails and I can not get the engine to start for a few minutes. I get stuck in traffic with horns honking behind me and people mad and passing me in an unsafe manner. I have replaced the battery and have had the battery and starter retested; they are OK. I brought it to Easy Honda, in Houston, and they say they can't find anything wrong, since it only happens intermittently. My problem has existed since I bought the vehicle new. I have 55,000 miles on the vehicle. Also, intermittently, the engine will not crank over when it is a hot engine. I live in Houston, so it is hot a lot. I read that this is a problem with millions of Honda and Acura vehicles. When can we get some help on a fix? [XXX] cell [XXX] or [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

While stopped at a busy intersection under a red light our 2020 Honda Passport's 'Auto Idle Stop Function' had automatically stopped the engine with the brakes applied, upon releasing the brakes the engine did not restart as it was supposed to. I reapplied the brakes which were no longer 'powered brakes' and tried ot restart the vehicle but it would not start. A message came up on the dash to put the vehicle in park which I did. At that point when starting the vehicle it did start, put it in 'D' and drove past the interection to the relief of all those behind me. Had this been my wife I doubt she would have been able to do this as quickly as I did. This is a safety hazard and Honda needs to have a recall to fix this issue. Currently we are trying to remember to keep the 'Auto Idle Stop Function' in the 'OFF' position. We bought this vehicle new and have kept it in great condition.

Every time I am on a two lane road and am navigating a right hand curve at any speed and a white car or truck is in oncoming traffic, in their lane, the vehicle alerts me to brake. The system beeps and flashes BRAKE! on the instrument panel. This happens each time as if the cameras are not calibrated correctly. It's incredibly annoying and happens every time even with the system turned down as low as Honda will allow. This could be very distracting to many drivers. I have chosen to just ignore the system which is not a good situation.

On a cold winter day the vehicle would not start. With dangerous windchills this could have been very bad had the vehicle been further away from home. The battery and all systems in the vehicle were good. The Honda dealership diagnosed it as having a frozen starter (see attached doccument). Upon warming up the vehicle inside the dealership garage, it started without issues. The dealership said the starter had froze due to condensation inside the starter and that a new version of the starter is available that prevents this from happening. The new starter cost $1600. As shown in the photos the starters are exactly the same but the new version is better sealed to prevent condensation. I feel this should be a recall due to the original part being defective and not sealed properly which caused failure. I have contacted Honda and they refuse to pay for any portion of this defect.

We are currently experiencing very cold weather in my area. I have a Honda Passport that uses a camera for its braking, LKAS, ACC, and other features. During extreme cold, the camera shorts out causing safety systems to fail. Others report the same issue on Honda cars: [XXX] No accident or injury resulted - merely trying to avoid a future safety issue INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2020 Honda Passport. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the Forward Collision Avoidance system activated and briefly applied the Automatic Emergency Braking system before returning to normal functionality. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. The Forward Collision Avoidance warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 35,000.

When the auto-start stop feature has stopped the engine at a red light, the engine will not start sometimes. The problem occurs at random and leaves me stalled at a red light and I cannot start the vehicle. Traffic behind me is held up; horns are honking. If I wait a couple of minutes I can start the 2020 Honda Passport that I bought new. This has been a problem since I bought it new. I brought the Honda into the dealership and they can not fix it. It is a safety problem that the manufacturer will have to figure out and recall the vehicles. These Honda Passports are stalling in traffic without any warning.

Audio screen reboot issue - the audio screen turns off while driving and takes several minutes to reboot.

On Nov 9, 2024 I was pulling into a parking spot in a public parking garage, after turning 2 tight corners to approach the parking spot. About half way into the parking spot, the car suddenly lurched and accelerated and I crashed into a 90 degree concrete corner wall! It happened SO fast, without any warning sounds or ABS brakes deploying. The entire front passenger corner of my car was badly damaged. Luckily I was not injured, nor were there any other vehicles or persons involved. It is just not possible that I could have personally pulled into a parking spot at such a high speed as to cause such extreme damage to the vehicle! I drove the vehicle to a body shop on 11/11/24, which was one recommended by my insurance company. The vehicle was inspected by the body shop, which was directly in contact with my insurance company. I did ask the shop to make sure the mechanic checked for any safety issues during repair, as I was concerned as to the cause of the accident. I have an impeccable driving record and I cannot explain how such an accident could happen! I had no issues with the car previously. Upon further inspection into the damage, on 1/3/25 it was finally evaluated as a total loss, as there was damage to the frame and other issues! I did receive a statement on 1/3/25 from the body shop that there was a "fault in the system, causing gas pedal lock, which might be cause of accident". I felt I had to report this possible issue that resulted in a total loss and obviously could have injured myself, others or other vehicles!

See attached document for complaint.

The contact owns a 2020 Honda Passport. The contact stated while attempting to stop at a red light, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The vehicle was restarted after the third attempt however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the starter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 31,000.

Front radar camera is broken after 100000 miles. Errors include: adaptive cruise control, lane keeping assist, brake system, road departure mitigation system, auto high beam, collision mitigation.

The contact owns a 2020 Honda Passport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V064000 (Air Bags). The contact called the local dealer, who confirmed that parts were not yet available. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact to continue checking back with the dealer. The contact had not experienced a failure.

The braking alert system frequently engages even though there isn’t any threat or danger. This often happens during turns or on two lane highways. The latest was in a residential neighborhood with bends in the street. There weren’t any cars approaching or parked on the street

Lately the automatic braking system has been applying the brakes unnecessarily when there's nothing in front of me. That is an escalation from the at least 3-4 times a week the brake sign will light up and the steering wheel will shake to let me know to brake but there's no car in front of me but rather a car in the lane going the opposite direction. I love in West Virginia and there's a lot of two lane roads and it happens a lot of those two lane roads. Even ones that are clearly marked with lines. I have not taken it in to the dealer but have been in groups that have complained of the exact same issue. This happens from. Highway speeds to low town speeds as well.

The contact owns a 2020 Honda Passport. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the message "Brake" was displayed, and the steering wheel shuddered significantly. The contact was able to continue driving. Additionally, the contact stated that while her husband was driving 35 MPH, the Automatic Emergency Braking system engaged suddenly, nearly causing the vehicle to be rear-ended, and the incident led to road rage. The driver depressed the accelerator pedal and continued driving. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 17,800.

The contact owns a 2020 Honda Passport. The contact stated that the Forward Collision Avoidance braking system light was flashing. While driving 5–10 MPH, the brake pedal depressed without driver input. The brake light flashed. While driving at 70 MPH, the Forward Collision Avoidance braking system light illuminated and started to flash. The brake pedal engaged without driver input. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 7,000.

The collision mitigation braking system (CMBS) comes on randomly with no vehicles or obstructions in front of it.

Nothing has failed currently, more so the system overreacts to EVERYTHING. Trucks nearby, swerve. Guardrails, center lanes, etc. it’s insanely inconsistent and I’m not surprised it’s caused accidents, the ACC and brake assist need to be fixed on these cars

While driving my brake warning light on the dash will come on for no reason, it will flash, beep and the car will slightly shake (similar to when the car leaves the lane without using your turn signal). This happens every time I drive. It’s not occasional. I have mentioned it to the dealer a couple of times during normal service but they say the sensor is fine. It obviously isn’t. I’m afraid it will lead to an unfortunate accident by not activating when there is a real danger of a crash. I can’t fill in every date below but the most current incident is noted below

The contact owns a 2020 Honda Passport. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 24V064000 (Air Bags); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The local dealer and two other dealers, Buena Park Honda (6411 Beach Blvd, Buena Park, CA 90621) and Norm Reeves Honda Superstore Cerritos (18500 Studebaker Rd, Cerritos, CA 90703), were made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

The engine lost power and shut down while driving on the highway. The vehicle has been at a Honda dealership since this date (so about 8 weeks now). It can be inspected but I am on the verge of replacing the engine at my cost. The loss of power resulted in putting the vehicle on the side of and icy highway at night and at risk of being hit or sideswiped. There was very little cell service which meant that a tow truck couldn't be called right away. There were no warning signs that the engine was experiencing trouble before this engine failure. The problem has not been reproduced by the dealership. They have inspected the vehicle and have only pointed to low oil/leaking oil as the issue. I myself have no evidence of leaking oil or low oil. There again, were no warnings/symptoms prior to the failure. The problem occurred at the moment that the engine supposedly failed completely. The dealership and American Honda have not entertained any failure other than the low oil and my oil change which occured 5300 miles and over three months prior. I cannot understand as a consumer with a PowerTrain warranty and a car with some known recalls (fuel pump/ connecting rod) refuse to be concerned for the safety of their customers and use my vehicle to determine what the real issue was or is.

I was driving on a highway when my car just shut off in the middle lane in the middle of the highway. And I had five errors come up on my screen and my car would not start back up. I had it towed to Honda where they said it was my fuel pump. My safety was put at risk because the car just shut off while driving 75 mph in the middle lane and came to a complete stop. I was not able to roll to the side of the road. Honda released a recall on 2020 passports for the fuel pump in Feb 2024 for this exact reason but my Vin number was not included so I contacted Honda to see if I could get reimbursed since it did happen to my passport in Jan 2024 and they are stating that at this time I cannot be reimbursed because it’s only on select passports, even though it happened to my passport.

On [XXX], I was traveling to Destin Florida, on [XXX], the interstate came to a complete stop. My 2020 Honda Passport shut down do to the engine idle stop being engaged. When traffic started to move the engine would not start. I sat in the fast lane of [XXX] for approximately two minutes before the vehicle would start. Multiple attempts were made to restart the vehicle. Finally it started. This is the second time this has occurred. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Upon many vehicles flashing headlights coming towards me, and the driver in front of me pulling over, I investigated once I reached my destination. It soon was evident that the water inside my driver's side headlamp had frozen and was creating a prismatic effect and reflecting light all over the road. This created significant safety risks to my family and other motorist. Honda investigated and acknowledged a TSB for water in the headlights due to a manufacturing defect. However the cost of replacement and the availability of a replacement lamp are prohibitive.

While at a stoplight with traffic behind me, my Honda quit and couldn't be moved out of road, or restarted for service. No warning on dashboard or lights to let me know what problem was. It went through every error in the system! I had to call police to block traffic and call a wrecker to come tow me to AutoZone for a replacement battery. It was the wrecker service that advised it was not the first time he had seen this happen. My car is only 3 years old and did not give a warning, it just stopped in traffic putting me and others in danger. I had unnecessary cost and repairs that should never had to be made. The local police had to use resources that took time away from them as well. This was on a busy Saturday afternoon on a well traveled road. This is NOT in the best interest of the public! Now I have to take time off work to have it looked at with dealer. All this could have been avoided if this technology was not put on the vehicle. I expect better from Honda! My next vehicle will be something without all this unnecessary technology that puts people in danger!

The Collision Avoidance System is overly sensitive and brakes the car unexpectedly when there is a car slowing down in a left hand lane.