Reliable Auto DB

2020 Honda Civic reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 224 complaints with NHTSA about the 2020 Honda Civic over 7 years — 24 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most Civic years here — under the median of the other years, which is 38. NHTSA has 5 recalls on file, including Front passenger seat weight sensor, Fuel pump, and Brake master cylinder.

Honda Civic sedan, 2016–2021 body
Photo by Dinkun Chen, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
Complaints

224

Per year

24

Recalls

5

Years on the road

7

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (36 of 224), then Powertrain (31) and Air bags (29). Complaints that include an odometer have a median of 15,400 miles, and the middle half falls between 4,500 and 49,000 miles. Those filings include 15 that report a crash, 1 that reports a fire, and 10 that report an injury.

Next to 2019 and 2021

The 2019 Civic has 429 complaints, 30 per year, and the 2021 has 144 complaints, 14 per year. The 2020 has fewer complaints per year than the 2019. The 2020 has more complaints per year than the 2021.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2020 Honda Civic. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (5)

Recall Front passenger seat weight sensor 2026-05-21 · NHTSA campaign 26V332000
Summary Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2021, 2023 Acura TLX, 2019-2024 RDX, 2017-2020, 2022-2026 MDX, 2017-2021, 2023, 2025 Honda Ridgeline, 2017-2022 Pilot, 2019-2021 Passport, 2018-2026 Odyssey, 2019-2022 Insight, 2019-2021 HR-V, 2018-2020 Fit, 2020-2022 CR-V Hybrid, 2017-2022 CR-V, 2017-2018, 2021 Civic Type R, 2017-2021 Civic hatchback, 2016-2020 Civic coupe, 2016-2022 Civic, 2017-2022 Accord Hybrid, and 2016-2022 Accord vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, which can cause the air bags to deploy unintentionally during a crash.
Remedy Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 7, 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are BOL, WO9, OOA, WOM, XOH, NOC, POD, BOE, UOF, POB, EOG, AOI, QO8, TOJ, DO7, and SOK. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 24V064. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning May 29, 2026.
Vehicles affected 98,892
Recall Front passenger seat weight sensor 2024-02-01 · NHTSA campaign 24V064000
Summary Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Pilot, Accord, Civic sedan, HR-V, Odyssey, 2020 Civic coupe, Fit, 2021-2022 Civic hatchback, 2021 Civic Type R, Insight, 2020-2021 CR-V, CR-V Hybrid, Passport, Ridgeline, Accord Hybrid, 2020 Acura MDX, 2022 Acura MDX, 2020-2022 Acura RDX, and 2020-2021 Acura TLX vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, failing to suppress the air bag as intended.
Remedy Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 28, 2024. This is a phased recall. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for these recalls are XHP and VHQ.
Vehicles affected 750,114
Recall Fuel pump 2023-12-18 · NHTSA campaign 23V858000
Summary Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline, Odyssey, Acura ILX, MDX, MDX Hybrid, RDX, RLX, TLX, 2019-2022 Honda Insight, Passport, 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Clarity PHEV, Fit, and 2015-2020 Honda Accord Hybrid, Pilot, Acura NSX vehicles. The fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
Remedy Dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 6, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are KGC and KGD. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall numbers 21V-215 and 20V-314.
Vehicles affected 2,490,460
Recall Brake master cylinder 2023-06-29 · NHTSA campaign 23V458000
Summary Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Civic, 2020-2023 Ridgeline, 2021-2023 Passport, 2021-2022 Pilot, and 2020 Acura MDX vehicles. The tie rod fastener that connects the brake booster and the brake master cylinder may have been improperly assembled during manufacturing, which can cause the brake master cylinder to separate from the booster assembly.
Remedy Dealers will inspect and repair the brake booster assembly as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 7, 2023. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are VEU, AEV, and ZET.
Vehicles affected 124,077
Recall Fuel pump 2021-03-25 · NHTSA campaign 21V215000
Summary Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Acura MDX, MDX Sport Hybrid, RDX, TLX, Honda Accord, Civic Hatchback, Insight, 2019 Acura ILX, Honda Accord Hybrid, Civic Coupe, Civic Coupe Si, Civic Sedan, Civic Sedan Si, Civic Type R, Fit, HR-V, Odyssey, Passport, Pilot and Ridgeline, and 2018-2019 CR-V vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
Remedy Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the fuel pump assembly, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed May 18, 2021. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Note: This recall is an expansion of recall 20V-314.
Vehicles affected 624,552

NHTSA's count is every vehicle in that campaign. A campaign can cover other model years and other models.

Complaints by component (224 total)

Electrical system
36
Powertrain
31
Air bags
29
Steering
28
Forward collision avoidance
24
Fuel and propulsion system
24
Service brakes
13
Engine
12
Fuel system, gasoline
7
Visibility
7
Wheels
7
Structure
6
Suspension
6
Visibility and wipers
6
Speed control
4
Lane departure
3
Parking brake
3
Equipment
2
Exterior lighting
2
Seats
2
Tires
2
Adaptive and mobility equipment
1
Back-over prevention
1
Electronic stability control (ESC)
1
Hydraulic brakes
1
Latches, locks, and linkages
1
Seat belts
1
Show 19 more Show less
Crash-flagged

15

Fire-flagged

1

Injury reports

10

Death reports

0

Of the 53 complaints that include an odometer reading, the median is 15,400 miles. The middle half fall between 4,500 and 49,000 miles.

Complaints filed per year

12019132020292021282022302023482024482025272026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "I am writing to file a complaint regarding the air conditioning system failure in my 2020 Honda Civic Sport. The air conditioner in my vehicle began blowing hot air instead of cold air starting in January 2024. I took…"
    Equipment · filed 2026-09-10
  • "Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2020 Honda Civic. It was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the mileage was 87,000. At the time of…"
    Electrical system · filed 2026-09-04
  • "The turbocharger bypass control solenoid valve circuit on my 2020 Civic Si has developed an intermittent open, setting DTC P0035. I diagnosed it myself: the solenoid coil measures 45 ohms and functions when commanded…"
    Electrical system, Engine · filed 2026-08-30
  • "The contact owns a 2020 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the compressor shaft failed, and the shaft seal caused further damage to the compressor and caused an additional…"
    Visibility · filed 2026-08-20
  • "The contact owns a 2020 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and making a turn, the headlights failed to operate properly and failed to provide adequate illumination while driving.…"
    Exterior lighting · filed 2026-08-14

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2020 Honda CIVIC 2 DR FWD 5 stars 4 stars 5 stars 5 stars
2020 Honda CIVIC 4 DR FWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars
2020 Honda CIVIC HATCH 5 HB FWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars
2020 Honda CIVIC HATCH Type-R 5 HB FWD Not rated Not rated 5 stars 5 stars
2020 Honda CIVIC Si 2 DR FWD 5 stars 4 stars 5 stars 5 stars
2020 Honda CIVIC Si 4 DR FWD 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars 5 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Civic 2-door 1.5L, 4-cyl Automatic (variable gear ratios) Front-wheel drive 31 40 35 MPG $1850
Civic 2-door 2L, 4-cyl Manual 6-speed Front-wheel drive 25 35 29 MPG $2250
Civic 2-door 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (AV-S7) Front-wheel drive 29 36 32 MPG $2050
Civic 2-door 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (variable gear ratios) Front-wheel drive 30 38 33 MPG $1950
Civic 2-door 1.5L, 4-cyl Manual 6-speed Front-wheel drive 26 36 30 MPG $2650
Civic 2-door 1.5L, 4-cyl Automatic (AV-S7) Front-wheel drive 30 37 33 MPG $1950
Civic 4-door 1.5L, 4-cyl Automatic (variable gear ratios) Front-wheel drive 32 42 36 MPG $1800
Civic 4-door 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (AV-S7) Front-wheel drive 29 37 32 MPG $2050
Civic 4-door 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (variable gear ratios) Front-wheel drive 30 38 33 MPG $1950
Civic 4-door 1.5L, 4-cyl Manual 6-speed Front-wheel drive 26 36 30 MPG $2650
Civic 4-door 1.5L, 4-cyl Automatic (AV-S7) Front-wheel drive 30 38 33 MPG $1950
Civic 4-door 2L, 4-cyl Manual 6-speed Front-wheel drive 25 36 29 MPG $2250
Civic 5-door 2L, 4-cyl Manual 6-speed Front-wheel drive 22 28 25 MPG $3200
Civic 5-door 1.5L, 4-cyl Automatic (variable gear ratios) Front-wheel drive 31 40 34 MPG $1900
Civic 5-door 1.5L, 4-cyl Automatic (AV-S7) Front-wheel drive 29 35 32 MPG $2500
Civic 5-door 1.5L, 4-cyl Manual 6-speed Front-wheel drive 29 37 32 MPG $2500

Specs and fitment

10th generation, 2016–2021
Body styles Sedan, Coupe, Hatchback
Oil 0W-20 , 3.7 qt capacity
Tire size 215/55R16 (LX), 215/50R17 (EX/EX-L), 235/40R18 (Sport/Touring)

Known issues for this generation

The 1.5L turbocharged engine used in 2016-2018 Civics is affected by a well-documented oil dilution issue: unburned fuel from cold-start direct injection washes down the cylinder walls into the crankcase and mixes with the engine oil, most often on short trips in cold weather. Honda responded with engine control software updates (transmission and fuel injection modifications to warm the engine faster), a drain plug washer replacement, and extended the powertrain warranty to six years from original purchase with no mileage limit. Honda Canada issued the campaign as Service Campaign N60 in November 2018, and American Honda extended the update and the six-year warranty coverage nationwide in the US in May 2019.

Compare

Previous year 2019 Honda Civic Next year 2021 Honda Civic See every Honda Civic model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2020 Honda Civic reliable?

Owners have filed 224 complaints with NHTSA about the 2020 Honda Civic over 7 years — 24 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most Civic years here — under the median of the other years, which is 38. NHTSA has 5 recalls on file, including Front passenger seat weight sensor, Fuel pump, and Brake master cylinder.

What are common problems with a 2020 Honda Civic?

The complaints owners file most often name Electrical system (36 of 224), then Powertrain (31) and Air bags (29). Complaints that include an odometer have a median of 15,400 miles, and the middle half falls between 4,500 and 49,000 miles. Those filings include 15 that report a crash, 1 that reports a fire, and 10 that report an injury.

Is the 2020 Honda Civic more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2019 Civic has 429 complaints, 30 per year, and the 2021 has 144 complaints, 14 per year. The 2020 has fewer complaints per year than the 2019. The 2020 has more complaints per year than the 2021.

Has the 2020 Honda Civic been recalled?

The 2020 Honda Civic has 5 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2020 Honda Civic?

Owners have filed 224 complaints about the 2020 Honda Civic with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2020 Honda Civic get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2020 Honda Civic is 31.8 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What generation is the 2020 Honda Civic?

10th generation (2016-2021).

Does the Honda Civic have oil dilution problems?

1.5L turbo engines in 2016-2018 Civics were affected; Honda issued a software fix and extended the powertrain warranty to six years.