Phantom braking caused by Honda’s Automatic Emergency Braking systems have prompted an investigation into more than 250,000 Honda Passport and Honda Insight vehicles.
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) received 106 complaints and 475 field reports alleging that the Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) system activated at random in 2019-2022 Honda Passport SUVs and 2019-2022 Honda Insight cars.1 According to the ODI Resume, the AEB system will activate even when there is no obstruction in the vehicle’s path.2 This causes vehicle deceleration and phantom braking that can increase the risk of an injury-causing collision. Often, these incidents happen without warning. NHTSA estimates that the investigation involves a population of 250,712 Honda Passport SUVs and Honda Insight cars.
This isn’t the first time Honda’s phantom braking issue has prompted action. Honda’s Collision Mitigation Braking system defects resulted in class action lawsuits alleging that recent model year Honda Accord, Honda CR-V and Honda Pilot vehicles brake at random and detect obstacles that aren’t actually there.
The Office of Defects Investigation previously opened the Preliminary Evaluation in March 2024 to determine the scope and severity of Honda’s AEB problems in 2019-2022 Passport and Insight cars. In January 2025, ODI upgraded the investigation to an Engineering Analysis and included 2023 Honda Passport SUVs in its vehicle list. The Engineering Analysis will assess the frequency and safety-related consequences of the Honda AEB issues.
The results of the broader investigation can determine if a recall is needed.
2020-2022 Honda Passport AEB Complaints
At the start of the investigation, the ODI received 46 complaints on Honda’s automatic emergency braking issues in the affected Honda Passport and Honda Insight vehicles. By the initial investigation’s conclusion, the number of complaints reached 106 and included 2023 Honda Passport SUVs in its population. We have compiled a sample of these Honda Passport and Insight complaints available on NHTSA’s website. Please note that the complaints on the Honda AEB issues have been edited for grammar and clarity.
“This has been happening from the beginning of ownership. There was a recent recall but it DID NOT fix the problem. I come to a stop, and then start to go and my car stalls out for a second and then restart. Every time I took it into the service center, they said they can’t recreate it and there’s nothing wrong. As it stalls, the ‘collision mitigation system’ warning light comes on. I have almost been rear-ended many times and it’s really scary. You can see all the complaints online for this same problem but Honda is not acknowledging the problem. Someone is going to get seriously hurt. The contact stated that Honda told them to get a video of the failure happening but the failure occurs unexpectedly and while driving.”
“My Honda Passport will trigger false forward collision alarms randomly, and for no reason. As the BRAKE warning appears, the steering wheel vibrates. This happens for no apparent reason. It is distracting and if the brakes apply, very dangerous. My dealership says this is normal. It is not normal or safe.”
“Forward Collision Warning (FCW): At random intervals, the FCW will give a false positive warning of an imminent collision with a car approaching from the opposite direction. This has occurred at various times over the past 2+ years. Comments to this effect to the Honda service representatives have indicated that this anomaly has been reported previously. They have not provided a fix or software update to correct this issue. The event is a safety issue because of the distraction from focusing on the road ahead. Although the automatic braking system has not been employed, the driver may in response to the false warning apply the brakes and cause an accident inadvertently.”
“Vehicle intermittently applies front collision system braking on curves and on highway. It is very unsafe and have almost been rear ended multiple times due to front collisions system engaging and applying brakes. Vehicle front collision system applies brakes randomly and with no vehicles or obstacles in site. This happens during various speeds anywhere from 30- 50mph in city and 60-75mph on highways (car is unpredictable and unsafe).”
“I was driving down the street and a car slowed down way in front of me. While I was braking my automatic braking system turned on and brought me to a complete stop. This caused my car to get hit from the back. The automatic braking does not slow down the car, it brings the car to a complete stop. Another incident, I was driving on the highway with nothing was in front of me and the brake signal started flashing and slowing the car down.”
“I have had 2 occasions when I experienced inadvertent spontaneous braking. Both times there was no vehicle in front of me. Both times the car stopped completely while driving in the city between 25 to 35 mph. Fortunately there was no vehicle behind me either time and I did not sustain any injuries.”
“I have had 6 times where the collision warning has slammed on the brakes when there is no vehicles on the road in front of me. This is very dangerous when vehicles are behind you. I’m afraid that this car is going to cause a wreck and get me and my wife hurt. A device that is supposed to help you has the ability to get you hurt. The dealer said that they were unable to get it to do it, and that if I was afraid of it that I could turn it off. Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of getting it in the first place. I think Honda is just trying to sweep it under the table. Who knows how many other vehicles they have out there with this problem.”
“I was driving 45 mph on a straight 4 lane undivided road with no cars in front of me or in the oncoming lanes. I was maintaining speed and the vehicle engaged the emergency braking system. The visual and audible alerts went off and with extreme braking force slowed the vehicle down to 10 mph with no obstacles in the roadway. There were no road hazards that would necessitate the system to engage. The trailing vehicles, at highway speed, had to swerve into oncoming traffic to avoid rear ending me and I was unable to override the system to maintain speed. I’ve taken the vehicle to a Honda dealer and they were unable to find any fault codes in the system.”
“I was traveling on a visible highway, no weather conditions and my vehicle snatched me into the other lane almost striking the vehicle next to me. I waited to see if it would happen again and then my AEB started just randomly slamming on breaks when vehicles in the oncoming lane were approaching. I contacted my local Honda Dealership. They inspected the vehicle and found no issues. The advisor stated this issue has been reported before and there is nothing they can do because the system ‘it’s not a human and can’t detect if the car is in another lane just the sensor bouncing off of the other car.’ I have since had more issues with the LKAS snatching me in and out of my lane and the AEB partially slamming on the breaks for no reason. I have had multiple cars and never experienced this with any other brands safety systems except the 2 Honda’s I have owned.”
Have Honda AEB or Phantom Braking Problems?
If your Honda dealership is unable to repair your vehicle’s braking issues within a reasonable number of repair attempts, you may be able to seek legal compensation for your vehicle. If the investigation results in a safety recall for the affected population, the recall may affect your potential case against the auto manufacturer. Learn how recalls affect lemon law cases.
You do not need to wait for the end of the investigation to pursue a case. If unfixable issues point to a manufacturing defect in your Honda vehicle, you may be eligible to receive cash compensation, a vehicle replacement or a lemon law buyback (a refund for your vehicle’s price).
Contact our Honda lemon law attorneys for a free consultation by calling us at 833-208-8181 or filling out the consultation form below.
References
- (2025, January 17). ODI Resume: Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/inv/2025/INOA-EA25002-10006.pdf
- ODI RESUME OFFICE OF DEFECTS INVESTIGATION Investigation: PE24008 Prompted By: VOQ and Early Warning Reporting Field Report Review. (2024). https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/inv/2024/INOA-PE24008-10868.pdf
