Home · 2020 Honda Civic Si · Complaints

What 220 owners told NHTSA about the 2020 Honda Civic Si

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (220)Crash / fire / injury (19)Electrical system (34)Transmission & drivetrain (32)Airbags (31)Fuel system (31)Steering (27)Driver assistance (23)Brakes (15)Visibility & wipers (12)Engine (11)Wheels (7)

19 of 220 complaints match · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Jul 2, 2026WheelsCrash

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. There were no warnings from the in-car information center.

NHTSA ODI 11748079

Mar 4, 2026AirbagsCrash

The contact owns a 2020 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, a bobcat crossed the road, and the bobcat was struck by the vehicle. The contact stated that there was extensive front-end damage and undercarriage damage to the vehicle. 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. The vehicle was taken to a collision center for repair. The contact received a call from the collision center and was informed that all the air bags in the vehicle had been removed and that the wires were cut and twisted together, which led the sensors to believe the air bags were still connected. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 78,000.

NHTSA ODI 11722099

Oct 8, 2025Airbags1 injury

The vehicle was moving forward at 10 mph and went over a manhole cover that was protruding 4 inches out of the ground that was on the driver’s side. The manhole cover came in contact with the underside of the car and set the front driver’s side airbag off.

NHTSA ODI 11692230

Aug 7, 2024Transmission & drivetrainElectrical systemBrakesCrash

I turn my car on To go to work realized I didn’t have my phone. Car was in park. I hadn’t touch the gearshift at all I get out of the car. Approximate 20 seconds after I walk away from the car, my home security camera shows the car creeping extremely slowly backwards up into my driveway going up across the crown of the road… across the street and falls into a 10 foot deep ditch. I am 100% certain that Car was in Park… There were no sounds when I open the door to alert me that it would be anything other than park.. The back up camera was not engaged, so it was definitely not in Reverse… When the tow truck pulled it out of the ditch, it was Still running It had stopped vertically before it hit the bottom of the ditch, and rear tire got stuck in muddy water…. 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…. I strongly believe my car needs to be part of this recall, because obviously something is wrong… My road is 55 mph and a car had to stop to avoid hitting my car… I have video from my home camera That shows a clear delay between when I get out of my car and shut the door and the car starts crawling. I tested it after he pulled it out of the ditch just to see if I had it in reverse from the same exact spot wouldn’t move and it immediately moved so I’m certain something is wrong… Right now the body shop can’t even duplicated can’t even get it to get caught between Park and reverse. Please investigate And this could’ve easily been a fatality. I need to send more photos and videos, but it won’t allow me to do it but there’s definitely more for me to send If someone can give me an email

NHTSA ODI 11606960

Apr 17, 2024Driver assistance1 injury

Phantom braking, has occurred over a dozen times. Caused me to spill hot coffee all over my face and neck causing mild burns.

NHTSA ODI 11583498

Jan 19, 2024Electrical systemAirbagsDriver assistanceCrash1 injury

Was T bones September 3rd 2023 exiting the freeway by a Ford F-350. Injury to left side of vehicle mainly . Airbags not side airbags deployed. Went through insurance and was told to report it to the manufacturer. Due to this I now need double knee surgery as I have tears and fluid and now have spinal injury .

NHTSA ODI 11566504

Oct 23, 2023BrakesCrash

The contact owned a 2020 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle was on cruise control, and the vehicle slowed down as if the contact had depressed the brake pedal. 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. The contact stated that the police and emergency services arrived but she did not seek medical treatment. The vehicle was towed to an impound lot and later declared a total loss by the contact's insurance provider. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The contact had researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V458000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The failure mileage was approximately 25,000.

NHTSA ODI 11551437

May 9, 2022Airbags1 injury

i have experienced multiple issues with the sensors since I've had this vehicle in December 2020. The sensor issues have caused my vehicle to shut down and slowly stop as I was driving on the freeway. The latest incident caused my airbag to deploy without any reason while I was driving slowly in a residential parking lot. It went off in my face and I suffered from hearing problems. I am fortunate that this incident did not harm anyone as it put others at risk from the airbag unexpectedly blocking my view and distracting me from driving. Although the dealership, Tempe Honda, repaired the other sensor issues, they refuse to repair the airbag issue. They are claiming that I need to have my insurance pay for the repair. I have had two mechanics inspect the vehicle and confirm that this is a defective airbag sensor that caused the airbag to deploy. I have not driven the vehicle since this incident as it is unsafe for me to drive. The vehicle is available for inspection at any time. I have contacted Honda on multiple occasions. They have Case #12968314 is my case number and every time that I call, the representative tells me that a Case Manager will call me but I have not received any calls. I also sent an email to Honda on 02 May 2022 detailing this incident that occurred on 14 April 2022.

NHTSA ODI 11463978

Feb 17, 2022AirbagsCrash

I hit a cow going 55mph on a state highway, and my airbags did not deploy.

NHTSA ODI 11452366

Feb 7, 2022SteeringCrash2 injuries

The contact owned a 2020 Honda Civic. The contact's son was driving the vehicle at 30 mph and while making a right turn, the vehicle failed to turn to cause the driver to crash into a city bus head-on. The air bags on the driver's side and the passenger side did deploy but did not fully inflate. The contact's son and passenger were not taken to the hospital or received medical treatment. The contact's son later went to seek medical attention and was found to have suffered a concussion. The passenger in the front seat hit his head on the windshield and also did seek medical attention. The police were on the scene and filed a report. The vehicle was declared a total loss by the contact's insurance company. The vehicle was towed to an impound lot. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000.

NHTSA ODI 11450791

Dec 23, 2021AirbagsSeatsCrash1 injury

Stopped at a red light, I was rear ended by a car going 30-35 mph and pushed into the car in front of me. 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.

NHTSA ODI 11444790

Nov 24, 2021Parking BrakeCrash

The contact owns a 2020 Honda Civic. 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 local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified however no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11441572

Nov 12, 2021TiresCrash

The contact owned a 2020 Honda Civic equipped with Continental tires, Tire line: Conti Pro Contact, Tire size: 235/40/R18, and DOT number: af2rwd3w. 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. The contact was able to place a spare tire on the vehicle for the contact to continue to drive to their residence. The contact took the vehicle to an auto body shop that inspected the vehicle and declared the vehicle a total loss. The contact was concerned that the failure that occurred with the vehicle was a defect on the tire that had blown out. The tires were the original equipment on the vehicle The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 11,045.

NHTSA ODI 11440209

Aug 5, 2021Driver assistance1 injury

Breaking mitigation or control system was defective, seat belt didn't work properly and involuntary breaking led to incident in which face hit the steering wheel, leading to injury. The problems were evaluated by the dealership but they denied there were problems, and there were not other parties that evaluated the car. There were some warning lights that came on several weeks in advance of the involuntary breaking.

NHTSA ODI 11427919

Jun 2, 2021Parking BrakeCrash

The contact owns a 2020 Honda Civic. The contact stated while stationary, the vehicle rolled backwards and hit a wall. The contact stated that the vehicle was equipped with a manual transmission. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with the parking brakes. The vehicle was towed and diagnosed but not yet repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure but offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 9,000.

NHTSA ODI 11419406

Jan 24, 2021AirbagsWheelsCrashFire1 injury

I WAS IN A WRECK MAY 2020. I SWERVED TO MISS A DEER AND HIT A CONCRETE COLVERT, THE VEHICLE LAUNCHED AND MY AIRBAGS DIDN'T GO OFF. VEHICLE CAUGHT FIRE, MY MOTOR, TRANSMISSION, AND TIRES CAME OFF. I SUFFERED FROM SPINAL INJURY AND NERVE DAMAGE.

NHTSA ODI 11389634

Jan 16, 2021BrakesCrash

REAR ELECTRONIC PARKING BRAKE FAILED WHILE IN PARK. THE VEHICLE HAD THE PARKING BRAKE ENGAGED, AND THE VEHICLE ROLLED DOWN A HILL INTO TREES, DAMAGING THE REAR BUMPER AND HATCH. THIS PARKING BRAKE ISSUE WAS ALSO DOCUMENTED ON EARLIER CIVIC MODELS FROM THIS GENERATION.

NHTSA ODI 11388484

Oct 12, 2020BrakesCrash

I HAD JUST PARKED MY VEHICLE ON A CITY STREET, TURN THE VEHICLE OFF. I APPLIED THE ELECTRICAL EMERGENCY BRAKE. THEN MY PHONE RANG AND I TALKED ON MY PHONE FOR ABOUT FIVE MINUTES. I THEN GOT OUT OF MY VEHICLE GRABBED MY BAG FROM THE TRUNK AND STARTED WALKING TOWARDS MY FRIENDS HOUSE. WHEN MY VEHICLES AUTOMATIC DOOR LOCKWAS AUTOMATED MY CAR STARTED TO ROLL FORWARD, IT STRUCK A VAN.

NHTSA ODI 11364011

Sep 2, 2020SteeringElectrical systemCrash2 injuries

WE WERE TRAVELING EAST ON HWY 63 GOING HOME. THE LANE DEPARTURE ASSIST CAME ON BUT WE WERE NOT OUT OF LANE. WE KEPT TRAVELING A LITTLE FURTHER AND THE STEERING WAS STIFF. WE WERE TRAVELING ABOUT 53 MPH AND THE CAR ALL OF A SUDDEN JERKED VERY SHARP TO THE RIGHT AND WE WENT OFF THE ROAD HITTING PARKED TRUCK AND FLIPPED IT. THE WHEELS JUST TURNED THE RIGHT AND WOULD NOT LET US TURN THE WHEEL

NHTSA ODI 11352742

Working with the data? Download all 220 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 18, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2020 Honda Civic Si verdict →