I was at my workplace’s parking garage today and was attempting to park my 2019 Honda HR-V. While I was slowly attempting to park, the vehicle suddenly accelerated without my intention, and the brakes became unresponsive. The vehicle continued to accelerate uncontrollably despite my attempt to stop it. The vehicle crashed through/into the metal barrier cable at the edge of the parking garage. The barrier cable ultimately prevented the vehicle from going over the edge of the garage. If the barrier had not stopped the vehicle, I could have fallen several levels from the parking garage and potentially died. The vehicle eventually came to a stop after making contact with a neighboring parked vehicle. That vehicle was damaged during the incident. I am extremely fortunate that no one else was injured. I also did not sustain any major injuries, although my left knee is currently aching because my seat slid completely forward during the sudden acceleration. The vehicle is currently at a towing facility. Immediately following the incident, I was extremely shaken and was not in a condition to take the vehicle to a Honda dealership or independent mechanic. As of the time of this report, the vehicle has not been inspected by a Honda dealership, mechanic, or independent service center, so the cause of the incident has not yet been determined. Prior to the incident, the vehicle had been operating normally. There were no warning lights or other warnings displayed on the dashboard, and there was no indication of a problem with the vehicle before the incident. The vehicle appeared to be functioning normally as it had on previous days. I am reporting this incident because of the serious safety concern involving the sudden acceleration and apparent loss of braking effectiveness. I believe it is important for the federal safety agency to have a record of this incident, particularly because the consequences could have been fatal if the parking garage barrier had not stopped the vehicle.
2019 Honda HR-V brakes problems
19 complaints (8% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 4,302. 6 crashes reported.
- owner complaints
- 19
- of this car's complaints
- 8%
- typical mileage
- 4,302
- crashes
- 6
- recalls
- 1
Which part fails
Owners did not name a specific part.
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Honda HR-V brakes problems in other years
Related recalls
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: disc: caliper
- What is wrong
- Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2017-2019 Acura MDX, 2017-2018 Acura MDX Sport Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda HR-V and Honda Odyssey, and 2016 Honda HR-V vehicles. The rear brake caliper pistons may have an insufficient coating, causing gas pockets to form, reducing brake performance. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems."
- Risk
- A reduction of braking performance increases the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Owners will be notified, and Honda or Acura dealers will bleed the brakes, free of charge. The recall began December 11, 2018. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1‑888‑234‑2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are C31 and L30.
Recall number 18V777000 · Recall details
What 2019 Honda HR-V owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
All of my braking/abs lights intermittently go on and off. My 2019 Honda HRV runs fine but when dealer looked at it they said it was the VSA and to replace would be over $4k. Dealer said eventually my vehicle may shut down if not taken care of. I am wondering if this is a common problem and if will be a recall?
2019 Honda HRV with 14,539 miles has been showing on the instrumentation brake failure; this warning only lasts 1/2 to 1 second with a chirp warning . Took to vehicle Honda dealership twice under warranty and could not be replicated. August 2025 took the vehicle to a local repair garage; replaced the two rear caliber motors and the electric power parking brake after the local garage conducted research on this problem on the internet. All replaced equipment are OEM equipment manufactured by Honda Motors. Solve the brake failure warning for 6 months before the brake failure warning appears on the instrumentation counsel.
The Multipurpose camera that controls all advanced driver assistance fuctions malfunctions causing these systems to intermittenently not work properly or at all. It has caused the vehicle to fail to brake, and brake on its own without cause. Upon doing my own research I found numerous reports online of other owners of this make/model having the same issue. The problem first occured when my vehicle reached about 50,000 miles. It has been ongoing since. It caused damage to my vehicle when the automatic collision assist failed to brake for a vehicle that stopped abruptly in front of me. The alerts that these systems are not working do not always show up when the vehicle starts. Sometimes they stop working in the middle of the route. I have been in correspondence with the dealership who informed me the cost to fix this issue is $1968 (this does not include the $150 diagnostic fee while the vehicle was being serviced for a recall related to the fuel pump - I already paid to the dealer that fee and for which I've attached my receipt.) There is clearly some issue with the part that was installed by the manufacturer. It makes the vehicle unsafe to drive not knowing if these systems will fail or malfunction at any given moment. I do not feel as the customer this should be my responsibility to have repaired, as many others report the same issue with this part. There is clearly a widespread issue that needs to be addressed in a recall in order to replace the faulty part.
Driving and car suddenly will stop completely then accelerate. Has happened many times. Most recently last Sunday while passing a slowing car that was making a right hand turn into a driveway.
Car doesn’t seem to accelerate normally or seems to lack proper acceleration. Also the brakes feel funny when braking.
Vehicle gives false brake alert with no obstacle ahead causing car to suddenly brake. This happens multiple times and regularly.
Issues: Sunroof leaks heavily: during the rain and in car washes, into the backseat, which is ruined now from the constant leaking this past winter 2022-23 *Sunroof replaced 3/2023 Continues to leak heavily Weather Strips: Doors lacking weather strips, or the weather strips are so loose and loosely connected, it serves very little purpose, i.e., the seal attaches loosely to widely spread intermittent hooks, these are not attached securely and leak significantly. Brought to Honda: Never repaired Steering: Severe instability when both turning and accelleration!! Very dangerous when making a left hand turn from a stopped position!! This happens daily! Body Parts: Cheaply made, put together incorrectly by the manufacturer Honda in Mexico, e.g., Honda is completely aware of the plethora of body defects, including the sunroof. According to Honda Service Manager Ukiah CA. Brake System: Very poor, I would caution the need to slam on the brakes as they take much to long to engage.
I had three warning lights come on: brake system, electronic break, and E brake. I was told at the dealership that the factory warranty ended less then two weeks ago and thus neither the diagnostics nor any of the repairs would be covered by the warranty. Even though it is obviously a factory defect. Also after a little research it became very obvious that it is a very common occurrence among HRV’s that seems to be happening anywhere from weeks to years after purchase.
I was driving into my very short driveway tonight. I have a class B (van sized RV) parked in front. As I drove in and started to brake, the car accelerated rapidly. I tried pumping the brake, but the car accelerated and hit the back of the RV, causing significant damage to both vehicles. The air bags did not deploy, but the seat belt became very tight. I took the car into a dealer in Utah 4 weeks previously and they did recall work on the brakes and fuel line. The problem with the brakes was excess air in the brake lines that they had to bleed, from what I read about the recall. I don't know if this is still the problem, but something caused the brakes to fail. I am now unsure if this car will be safe to drive, even after repairs. I live in a very remote area where the nearest community of any size is 2 hours in either north or south directions. There is open livestock grazing (horses and cattle) on the two lane highway and without the ability to brake as needed, this could be deadly for me, my passengers and the livestock. Please look into this. I have NEVER had this happen!
Questions about the 2019 Honda HR-V brakes
Does the 2019 Honda HR-V have brakes problems?
Owners have filed 19 complaints about the brakes of the 2019 Honda HR-V, 8% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2019 Honda HR-V brakes problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 4,302 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2019 Honda HR-V brakes?
Yes, 1 recall: 18V777000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Honda HR-V have bad brakes?
The Honda HR-V model years with the most brakes complaints are 2016 (25 complaints), 2019 (19 complaints) and 2018 (15 complaints).
Other 2019 Honda HR-V problems
Electrical 67Fuel system 65Driver assistance 38Engine 17Transmission 17Airbags 14Body 12Acceleration 10Steering 8Seats 3Visibility 3Lights 2Suspension 2Seat belts 1Wheels 1
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