2019 Honda Passport Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2019 Passport most often describe electrical and infotainment complaints: crackling from the speakers followed by the center screen and sometimes the instrument panel going dark, often triggered by bumps or during motion. A second frequent theme is the collision-mitigation system flashing brake warnings or applying the brakes when no obstacle is present, and owners frequently report that dealers could not duplicate the conditions. Many complaints were filed at low mileage, within the first few thousand miles.

1. 1
   Electrical system

   Infotainment and instrument panel shutting off

   • 43 complaints (15%)
   • median 3,760 mi at 1.3 yrs old (28 state mileage)
   • filed 2019–2026

   Owners describe crackling or popping from the speakers, followed by the audio and center display going black, sometimes with 'Network Communication Lost' or 'No Audio Connection' messages. In several complaints the instrument cluster behind the steering wheel also blanks while driving, and the backup camera stops working. Dealers reportedly replaced connectors or could not reproduce the fault; some owners say the problem returned after repairs. Mostly reported in the first few thousand miles, often triggered by bumps or rough pavement.

   Recall 23V431000Recall 20V440000Recall 20V4390003 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the communication-cable and central-network software recalls were completed, and test the audio, screen and camera on a rough-road test drive to see if the display resets.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The radio displays an error message of 'network communication lost' before the screen blacks out. This happens over and over every time I drive the vehicle. In addition, the screen for the odometer blacks out and I cannot see the traveling speed of my vehicle. I cannot use the federally mandated backup camera as well as the parking sensors. I cannot see the parking sensors. The vehicle also shows 'brake' continually when driving as another car approaches from the opposite direction. There is no need to brake at these times. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11307944, filed 2020-02, 2,800 miles

   “Infotainment system malfunctions causing backup camera and navigation systems to not function and sends loud crackling noises through speakers. Also causes instrument panel to fail for minutes at a time. Connections to infotainment and dashboard displays fail while in motion after minor bumps in road.”

   NHTSA complaint #11325758, filed 2020-05, 8,000 miles
2. 2
   Forward collision avoidance

   False collision warnings and unrequested braking

   • 97 complaints (34%)
   • median 5,000 mi at 1.7 yrs old (28 state mileage)
   • 4 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $1,900 (median of 8 quotes)
   • filed 2019–2026

   Complaints describe the collision-mitigation system flashing a brake warning, shaking the steering wheel or briefly applying the brakes when no vehicle or object is in the path, including on curves near oncoming traffic and at highway speed with cruise set. Owners say dealers could not duplicate the complaint or cleaned a sensor without changing the behavior, and several report turning the system off each time they drive. Reported from very low mileage, typically under about 15,000 miles, in varied weather and road conditions.

   What to check: Drive a two-lane road with oncoming traffic and a curve or two and see whether the brake warning triggers; ask the seller if any dealer has looked at the forward camera and radar alignment.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The automatic collision braking system activates on the highway on its own with no traffic in front of my vehicle and no reason to apply the brakes. It flashes the brake warning and then abruptly applies the brakes. This cause vehicles behind to abruptly apply their brakes. This is going to cause collision and loss of life. My wife brought the vehicle to the Honda dealer who cleaned the sensor and the vehicle did the same thing on the drive home.”

   NHTSA complaint #11331397, filed 2020-06, 12,800 miles

   “The collision detection system frequently lights up the flashing brake notice under conditions that should not require a braking notification. It is too sensitive and I'm very concerned it will activate the brakes when not necessary and cause a rear end collision. This happens regularly and has occurred numerous times over the year we've had vehicle. The most noticeable is when when going around a curve and a car is in the other lane directly in front of you. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11342667, filed 2020-08, 12,000 miles
3. 3
   Engine

   Stalls or no-restart at stops (idle stop)

   Mentioned in 8 of 60 sampled complaints

   Owners describe the engine shutting off at a stoplight or with the idle-stop feature engaged and failing to restart, or losing power and shifting into neutral; in most cases they could restart it manually. Complaints also describe stalling or rough running on 2019-2020 vehicles covered by the low-pressure fuel pump recall, where the parts were not yet available when owners asked. Dealers in many cases could not find a cause. Mostly reported between roughly 30,000 and 60,000 miles, often at stoplights or low-speed stops.

   Recall 23V858000Recall 21V2150003 related service bulletins

   What to check: Confirm whether the fuel pump recall and any idle-stop product update were performed, and ask whether the vehicle has ever stalled or failed to restart at a stop.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The contact owns a 2019 Honda Passport. The contact stated that on several occasions while coming to a stop at a stop light, the vehicle lost motive power and the transmission shifted into neutral(N) as the crash mitigation warning light illuminated. The contact stated that she was able to restart the vehicle after turning off the vehicle. The contact shifted into park(P) and then back to drive(D). …”

   NHTSA complaint #11489292, filed 2022-10, 47,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 2019 Honda Passport. The contact stated that while at a stop light, the fuel saving feature activated; however, the vehicle would not restart after releasing the brake pedal. The contact manually restarted the vehicle and continued driving. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 32,400.”

   NHTSA complaint #11519411, filed 2023-04, 32,400 miles
4. 4
   Other or unknown

   Backup camera displays unusable image

   • 42 complaints (15%)
   • median 6,000 mi at 1.7 yrs old (15 state mileage)
   • owner-quoted repair $2,000 (median of 8 quotes)
   • filed 2020–2026

   Owners state that when reverse is selected the screen shows a rainbow-colored or distorted image instead of the camera view, or the display goes blank altogether. Some complaints tie the blank screen to the infotainment outage described above, while others say the camera alone is affected and no diagnosis or repair was made. Reported from low mileage up to about 98,000 miles; often intermittent.

   Recall 23V431000Recall 20V440000

   What to check: Put the vehicle in reverse and check the camera image on several attempts, and ask whether the rearview camera recalls were completed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The vehicle infotainment system locks up sporadically while the vehicle is in motion. As a result, the backup camera is inoperable until a fuse is removed from under the hood. This first happened shortly after purchasing the vehicle and has happened over five times since. This has not been addressed by the local dealer or Honda corporation despite multiple visits to the dealer to determine the problem.”

   NHTSA complaint #11311550, filed 2020-02, 700 miles

   “The contact owns a 2019 Honda Passport. The contact stated that when the vehicle was shifted into reverse, the back-up camera displayed a rainbow screen, preventing the rearview camera image from being properly displayed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000.”

   NHTSA complaint #11546675, filed 2023-09, 25,000 miles

Buying note. Prioritize a car whose infotainment, camera and safety-system recalls were completed and whose screen and audio behave on a rough-road test drive. Because many of these complaints were filed at low mileage, a short test drive may not surface them, so ask the seller directly about past stalls, false braking events and display outages.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.