22 complaints reported

2020 Honda Accord Engine

Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.

Reports
22
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0

Complaint Timeline

Chronological view of owner reports

Dec 2025

I would like to report a known issue with the Honda Accord Sport 1.5t. My head gasket went out Aug. 2024 with about 100,000 miles on the dashboard. The cost to change it was about $4100. My Turbo Charger is now out Dec. 2025, and they are quoting me about $2100 before taxes. The dealership did advise that there is a known issue with the head gasket going out prematurely due to a default with the engine. They also advised that the turbo charger normally goes out after the head gasket is replaced. Please work on having the engine recalled. This is awful. After researching this issue, I see thousands of others are having the same issue. Best regards, Yvette J.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 HONDA ACCORD, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Dec 2025
Dec 2025

DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AND THE CAR STARTED TO LOSE POWER AND DE-CELLERATE, EVENTUALLY STOPPING. AFTER LEAVING IT OVERNIGHT, I RETURNED AND THE CAR STARTED. I SLOWLY DROVE IT TO A DEALERSHIP WITHIN 3 MILES. THE DEALER SAID THEY COULD NOT REPLICATE THE ISSUE. THEY DID FIND A "LABOR DIAG FOUND IN HISTORY CODE P0304" .

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 HONDA ACCORD, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Apr 2025
Nov 2025

Blown head gasket at 98.5K miles.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 HONDA ACCORD, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Oct 2025
Sep 2025

I had just left my job in Albany and was headed to the Latham area, while merging into traffic on I-90 West my 2020 Honda Accord EX-L started to rattle and slow down, numerous lights illuminated simultaneously on my dashboard. I immediately pulled off the north shoulder and restarted my vehicle to no avail, the dashboard lights were still lit and my vehicles speed and steering were compromised. My safety was put at risk due to the immediate issues as previously described while in heavy traffic, I could have easily been involved in an accident due this issue. The system Keeler Honda advised me that had failed was allegedly the head gasket leaking coolant into the engine by means of cylinder four. I was later informed by Keeler that this is a common issue with the accord 1.5 L turbo engines. The problem has been verified by Keeler Honda. There was no prior warning light on my dash that would have indicated there was an issue with my vehicle, the lights only all appeared once the incident had occurred.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 HONDA ACCORD, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: May 2025
Aug 2025

When I turned my car on after work every warning light on the dashboard was on. A few of the warning messages read: Collision Mitigation Braking System Problem, Adaptive Cruise Control System Problem, Hill Start Assist Problem, Electric Power Steering System Problem. I first took it to Oreilly's to have the diagnostics ran. They told me the ignition coils needed to be replaces. We replaced the ignition coils and the spark plugs. The lights stayed off for about 3-4 days and then the same thing happened again. I took it to the dealership to be checked out and they told me that the head gasket had failed and coolant was leaking into the cylinder and causing the engine to overheat.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 HONDA ACCORD, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Jul 2025
Aug 2025

Car has only 73k miles , fails to accelerate unless it’s left to run for an hr . All lights on dash . Replaced spark plugs, coils and battery to no avail and Took to get diagnosed and was told head gasket and quoted 7k to fix. When car does drive it immediately accelerates to 40 on dash which could cause collision leaving me to feel unsafe to drive .

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 HONDA ACCORD, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Jan 2025
Apr 2025

Car reached 113,000 miles and started having misfires in cylinders 1&2. After being told it needed new coil packs and spark plugs, and replacing those it is still misfiring. Paid for diagnostic again and was told cylinder 1&2 were wet and most likely it was the head gasket failing.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 HONDA ACCORD, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Mar 2025
Apr 2025

•Alleged Defect:
The defect is described as the engines' inability to handle the increased heat and compression of a turbocharger, causing coolant leakage and damage to the engine's head gasket. 




Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 HONDA ACCORD, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Jul 2025
Apr 2025

Subject: Turbocharger Underboost – Safety Concern on 2020 Honda Accord EX-L I am reporting a serious safety issue with the turbocharger system on my 2020 Honda Accord EX-L with the 1.5L turbocharged engine. The vehicle has repeatedly triggered Diagnostic Trouble Code P0299 (Turbocharger Underboost), indicating the turbocharger is failing to generate sufficient boost. As a result, the vehicle suffers from sudden loss of power, especially during acceleration and highway merging. This power loss occurs without warning and severely impacts my ability to drive safely in traffic, increasing the risk of accidents. There are currently no recalls or manufacturer advisories addressing this issue, despite numerous online reports from other Honda owners with the same engine and problem. This suggests a possible design flaw or premature component failure in the turbocharging system. Given the frequency of this issue and its impact on vehicle safety, I am requesting that NHTSA investigate this matter and consider whether a recall or manufacturer service campaign is necessary. Symptoms include: •Sudden engine power loss •Error code P0299 •Inability to accelerate safely •Safety risk during lane changes and merges First occurrence: April 20, 2025 Ongoing issue: Yes Mileage at first occurrence: 111, 000 Crash or injury: No Thank you for your attention to this matter

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 HONDA ACCORD, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Apr 2025
Mar 2025

The turbo apparently went out without any warning as I was pulling onto the highway from work 5/22/25. I was almost creamed by the cars flying down the road. My vehicle is very well maintained , no issues ever until this. It upsets me rightly to find that this is not only been reported to you all, but there are people who are having to do class action lawsuit to try to get Honda to be held accountable at the very least since they refuse to recall this engine. There are thousands of people out here I have engine installing. Anytime an engine saws there is a danger whether I actually had an accident or made a report or not. And for the manufacturer to know that they have this issue and do nothing about it blows my mind. We can not allow car makers to put engines and cars that have known issues that lead to the lockdown and therefore stalling out of a brand new vehicle. Not everyone knows they need to come here and file a complaint. There are so many more people with this same issue. I don’t have an incident report because by the grace of God I was able to avoid the incident. How many people have to get hurt before we make Honda accept this critical engine damage is their responsibility to fix. That doesn’t even include the thousands of people who have spent their hard earned money to purchase a car. They’re supposed to be number one and safety only to have to deal with the engine installing. Is my hope that you would look further into any investigations you may already have people should not have to file lawsuits to get Honda to fix this. It is dangerous and it is not acceptable. On top of that it’s extremely pricey a big deal to force your customer to foot when they’ve done nothing wrong.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 HONDA ACCORD, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: May 2025
Jan 2025

The contact owns a 2020 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated on the instrument cluster. The contact stated that the vehicle was vibrating and jerking while the accelerator pedal was depressed. The contact was able to pull over when the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to restart the vehicle, but the vehicle was sputtering and vibrating as if the vehicle was going to stall. The contact pumped the accelerator pedal, and the vehicle responded as needed. The contact stated that the vehicle was unable to exceed 15 MPH. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to the residence. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 67,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 HONDA ACCORD, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Sep 2025
Dec 2024

Nothing happened, I just want to know if my engine is a 1.5 or 2.0

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 HONDA ACCORD, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Dec 2024
Aug 2024

Rough start then temperature fluctuates. Coolant is disappearing cause a head gasket problem. This has been known for the 2018-2020 yrs Accord.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 HONDA ACCORD, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Aug 2024
Aug 2024

During medium acceleration the vehicle engine lost power and all the instrument panel warnings went off. Dealership said a blow head gasket. There are many threads online saying that there needs to be something done because the Honda 1.5 turbo motors are blowing head gaskets prematurely under 100k miles. Mine 2020 Accord has 108k and has been driven with care as I’m a middle aged male commuting to and from work with the car. Some sort of investigation needs to be done to show there is either a design flaw or a gasket flaw.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 HONDA ACCORD, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Apr 2024
Feb 2024

My car is less than 4 years old and only has 6623 miles. Already its leaking refringent from the condenser and Discharge Hose. Force Honda to fix the problem and reimburse car owners. Invoice cost is $10066.62 + tax

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 HONDA ACCORD, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Feb 2024
Nov 2022

The contact owns a 2020 Honda Accord. The contact stated while entering a parking lot at 10 MPH, he started to hear an abnormal noise. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact continued driving the vehicle but shortly after the drive shaft fractured. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the driveshaft to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 39,000.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 HONDA ACCORD, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Apr 2022
Jun 2022

I brought my vehicle into the dealer for a recall software problem and to fix an oil leak coming from the valve cover. They replace the valve cover gasket and performed the software recall. As of now it still shows that my vehicle still needs the software recall. One week later after the oil leak repair, a massive oil leak formed at the valve cover causing oil to cover my engine bay and exhaust causing a burning smell and possible fire risk. Every weekend we drive out of state to tournaments and I was unaware of the leak. I brought it back to the dealer and they said it was residual oil from the previous repair. I was skeptical but believed them. One week later the same massive oil leak and problem occurred in my engine bay and driveway. Having no confidence in the dealer and being an ASE certified master mechanic, I decided to fix the problem myself by replacing the plastic valve cover assembly. I remove the old valve cover and found it to be extremely warped not providing a proper seal. The first time I brought my car into the dealer the service advisor said this is the second one this week that we’ve seen. I have a hard time believing that my vehicle is the only problem with this. I am extremely dissatisfied with the service from the dealership and the lack of concern that my life and my sons life was put in danger with a fire risk. I am currently seeking reimbursement for the part that I paid out-of-pocket. About US$150.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 HONDA ACCORD, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Oct 2022
Dec 2021

DRIVING ON I95 NEAR LUMBERTON NC AT 78MPH IN ECON MODE WITH CRUISE ON, WENT TO PASS VEHICLE AFTER CRUISE SLOWED ME DOWN, STEPPED ON GAS AND RESPONSE FELT DIFFERENT, REALIZED I WAS SLOWING DOWN WHILE STEPPING ON THE GAS. NOTICED CEL LIGHT AND CONTINUED TO SLOW DOWN. I THOUGHT CAR WAS DRIFTING BUT THE RPMS STILL SHOWED ENGINE ON. GOT TO SAFETY APRON AND REALIZED CAR WAS IN LIMP MODE. MANAGED TO GET TO EXIT RAMP. SITTING ON RAMP NOTICED THAT THE ENGINE, WHEN YOU TAPPED THE GAS PEDAL, WAS ROUGH BUT SEEMED TO IDLE OK. TOWED TO NEARBY DEALER. THEY SAID IT HAD A P0300 HISTORY CODE BUT NO CURRENT CODE. THEY CLEARED IT, TEST DROVE AND GAVE IT BACK TO ME. CONTINUED BY TRIP TO VIRGINIA WITH NO PROBLEMS. CAR HAD 7251 MILES. NO PROBLEMS BEFORE THIS. PREVIOUS NIGHT (31ST) WE GASSED UP AND DROVE AN HOUR+ TO FLORENCE IN RAIN. STAYED THE NIGHT AND STARTED NEXT DAY. WE HAD DRIVEN ANOTHER HOUR+ WHEN THIS HAPPENED. IT WAS IN THE 30'S THAT DAY IN SC BUT NOT RAINING.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 HONDA ACCORD, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Jan 2021
Jul 2021

While travelling at highway speeds, rainy weather, the engine completely shut down. Engine light illuminated. Did not want to pull over on shoulder so glided to exit ramp. Turned vehicle off and then restarted with no issues. Drove approximately 150 miles to nearest Honda dealer. They inspected and said 'no diagnostic code' was registered. I took to my dealer and they tried to recreate but could not. They also found no codes. Had my family in car when full power loss. Very dangerous situation. I immediately activated the flashers. Drove in the right lane of interstate highway rest of way to dealer and home.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 HONDA ACCORD, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Jan 2021
Jun 2021

The contact owns a 2020 Honda Accord. The contact stated while driving 70 mph while attempting to pass another vehicle, the check engine warning light was illuminated and the vehicle went into limp mode. The contact was able to exit the highway and park safely. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to the local dealer where it was diagnosed with a misfire on cylinders 1 and 4. The local dealer reset the code. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 13,762.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 HONDA ACCORD, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Jun 2021
Jan 2020

AC IS NOT WORKING AT SECOND AFTER I PICK UP THE CAR. IT ONLY 50 MILES. TURN THE TEMPERATURE TO 'LO', THE FAN BLOWS WARM AIR.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 HONDA ACCORD, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Jan 2020
Jan 2020

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 HONDA ACCORD. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50-70 MPH IN THE RAIN, THE VEHICLE LOSS MOTIVE POWER AND STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED. THE CONTACT NOTICED THERE WAS ABNORMAL ODOR OF FUEL IN THE OIL. THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT CALLED SOUTHEASTERN HONDA (3125 US-1, PALM BAY, FL 32905 (321) 270-8341) AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE SENSOR MAY HAVE GOTTEN WET CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO SWITCH TO LIMP MODE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 300.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2020 HONDA ACCORD, Manufacturer: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)
Incident: Aug 2020

Trend Over Time

Complaints by year

Quick Summary

The 2020 Honda Accord has 22 Engine complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.