What 1,812 owners told NHTSA about the 2018 Honda Accord Plug In Hybrid

Vehicle: 2018 Honda Accord On [XXX], at approximately [XXX] PM, I was driving on [XXX] [XXX] at approximately 35 mph. The weather was clear and the road was dry. A vehicle ahead of me began turning into [XXX] N. My vehicle’s Collision Mitigation Braking System / automatic emergency braking system activated suddenly. The system made an audible warning sound, displayed a warning icon, and applied braking even though I did not believe there was a crash-imminent situation. There were vehicles behind me at the time, so the unexpected braking created a potential rear-end collision risk. The braking event also caused back pain, and I later experienced some stomach discomfort. I am concerned this was a false activation of the automatic emergency braking / Collision Mitigation Braking System. I am also concerned because the system reactivates after the vehicle is restarted, meaning I cannot reliably prevent another unexpected braking event from occurring. I am requesting that this be documented as a vehicle safety concern involving possible false activation of the automatic emergency braking system. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11739724

I was on a hill my car stalled I hit the gas pedal it wouldn't accelerate so I let off the padel and went to try to accelerate for the second time but as I did it took off and I hit a pole

NHTSA ODI 11533379

Braking system caused my daughter to have an accident. My 2018 Honda Accord sport has been braking on its own for quite some time now. I attempted to turn off all safety features but somehow missed the braking system feature. The car will brake on its own with nothing in front of it. It will give beeping noises and flash “brake” on the dashboard. On 10/12/2022 my daughter was on the interstate, the roads were wet with heavy traffic. She called me saying that she had an accident. The officer stated that speeding played a part in causing the accident. My daughter said the car just started beeping and she noticed she was going to slow in traffic so she preceded to get in the right lane. Upon doing so she said that my car just started spinning and she took her foot off the gas and never applied pressure to the brakes. She ended up on the other side of the road hitting a guard rail. I feel like the braking system played a huge part in this accident.

NHTSA ODI 11489072

Car accident head on emergency break didn’t work bad injuries.

NHTSA ODI 11461835

MY 2018 HONDA ACCORD BRAKED SPONTANEOUSLY FOR NO REASON. THE WORD BRAKE APPEARS ON THE CONSOLE AND THE CAR ENGAGES THE BRAKES SUDDENLY AND FORCEFULLY. I'VE HAD SEVERAL INCIDENTS AND THERE WERE NO VEHICLES OR OBJECTS IN FRONT OF MY VEHICLE. DURING TWO EPISODES, I WAS DRIVING 40 MPH WHEN MY CAR BRAKED SPONTANEOUSLY- IT CAUSED MY HEAD/NECK TO JERK FORWARD. FORTUNATELY, THE VEHICLES BEHIND ME DID NOT TEAR END ME. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP. THEY SAID THE BRAKE MITIGATION SYSTEM ENGAGES WHEN DRIVING THROUGH CONSTRUCTION ZONES AND TOLD ME TO TURN OFF THE SYSTEM IN CONSTRUCTION ZONES. HE SAID 'THAT'S HOW THE SYSTEM IS DESIGNED TO WORK'. I WAS NOT IN A CONSTRUCTION ZONE. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. IT APPEARS HONDA IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND IS NOT TAKING STEPS TO CORRECT IT.

NHTSA ODI 11252640

TODAY I WAS DRIVING HOME, DOING 45 MILES PER HOUR. THIS IS A TWO LANE ROAD, THERE WERE NO CARS NEAR ME. SUDDENLY, THE CAR BEEPED TWICE, THE BRAKE SIGN CAME ON THE DASHBOARD AND THE CAR STOPPED VIOLENTLY. THE SEAT BEAT LOCKED DOWN ACROSS ME. THANKFULLY THERE WAS NO ONE BEHIND ME. MY NECK AND RIGHT SHOULDER ARE NOW HURTING. THE INCIDENT HAPPENED A MILE FROM MY HOME. MY HUSBAND CALLED THE HONDA DEALER WHEN I GOT HOME TO REPORT THE INCIDENT. THIS IS THE THIRD INCIDENT SINCE WE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE, BUT THIS TIME WAS A MORE VIOLENT STOP. EACH TIME THERE WAS NOTHING IN FRONT OR BESIDE THE CAR. THANKFULLY, EACH TIME NO OTHER CAR WAS DIRECTLY BEHIND ME.

NHTSA ODI 11228392

DURING STOP AND GO TRAFFIC, CAR BRAKED CAUSING THE PERSON BEHIND ME TO REAR-END ME. THIS HAD HAPPENED ONE OTHER TIME BEFORE, LUCKILY THE CAR BEHIND ME WASN'T FOLLOWING TOO CLOSELY AND I WAS GOING LESS THAN 30MPH. A COUPLE WEEKS AFTER THAT WHILE GOING HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND WET ROAD CONDITIONS, A WARNING LIGHT CAME ON STATING THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE COLLISION MITIGATION BRAKING SYSTEM AND TO SEE DEALER. ONCE THAT WARNING COMES ON CRUISE CONTROL ALSO DISENGAGES. THIS WARNING LIGHT HAS COME ON ONE OTHER TIME, WHILE DRIVING HIGHWAY SPEEDS WITH DRY ROAD CONDITIONS. IF THE CAR IS RESTARTED THE WARNING RESETS AND ALL SYSTEMS ARE UP AND FUNCTIONING AGAIN.

NHTSA ODI 11222554

THREE TIMES NOW I HAVE HAD THE EMERGENCY BREAKS ACTIVATE FOR NO REASON. NO ONE WAS INJURED THE FIRST TIME AS THE VEHICLE WAS MOVING VERY SLOW. THE SECOND TIME THIS HAPPENED THOUGH, I WAS INJURED. I WAS DRIVING APPROX. 45 MPH DOWN A BUSY STREET WHEN THE CAR STOPPED WITHOUT WARNING AND FOR NO APPARENT REASON. I WAS NEARLY REAR-ENDED. NOT ONLY DID THIS SCARE ME, BUT I WAS IN EXTREME PAIN AFTERWARDS. WHEN THE PAIN GOT WORSE AND I DEVELOPED BRUISING ON MY NECK I WENT TO SEE A SPECIALIST AND HE CONFIRMED THAT I HAVE WHIPLASH. WHEN I SPOKE TO THE MECHANIC AT THE DEALERSHIP I WAS TOLD THAT THE SENSOR IS JUST SENSITIVE. THEY CHECKED IT OUT BUT OFFERED NO SOLUTION. I HAVE KEPT THE FEATURE TURNED OFF SINCE THIS HAPPENED. THE THIRD TIME IT HAPPENED WITH THE FEATURE DISABLED. MY SON WAS IN THE CAR WITH ME. WE WERE BOTH SHAKEN UP PRETTY BADLY. I AM NOW SCARED TO DRIVE THIS CAR. EVERY TIME THE DASH LIGHTS UP FOR ANY REASON, I FLINCH. I HAVE HAD TO MISS WORK DUE TO THE INJURIES THAT I RECEIVED. I AM A SINGLE MOM TO FIVE KIDS, I CANNOT AFFORD TO MISS WORK DUE TO POOR DESIGN AND ENGINEERING OF THIS VEHICLE. I BOUGHT THIS CAR THINKING THAT THIS FEATURE WAS A SAFETY FEATURE. IT HAS CERTAINLY PROVEN TO BE THE OPPOSITE!

NHTSA ODI 11208040

I PURCHASED MY CARS ABOUT 4 MONTHS AGO AND NOTICED SOME ISSUES AS SOON AS I LEFT THE DEALERSHIP. FIRST THERE'S NO MILEAGE DIGITAL SPEEDOMETER, ONLY KILOMETER. AS SOON AS YOU SWITCH TO MILES IT DISAPPEARS. SECOND, THE CAR PLAY SYSTEM OFTEN TIMES RESETS ITSELF WHILE IN DRIVING MODE , ALSO HAPPENS A LOT WHEN GEAR IS SHIFTED. THIRD, LANE SENSOR SYSTEM IS COMPLETELY DEFECTED AS WELL AND CANNOT BE TRUSTED FOR A SECOND, THE WORST IS THE CAR POOL LANE, IN CALIFORNIA IS A YELLOW LANE AND THE CAR AUTOMATICALLY PULLS TOWARDS IT. IT OBVIOUSLY CANNOT DETECT YELLOW LINES. TODAY SOMETHING NEW HAPPENED AND COMPLETELY CHANGED THE GAME FOR ME : THE CAR EMERGENCY BREAKS WERE ACTIVATED BY NOTHING AND OUT OF NOWHERE WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON 90 MPH !!!!!!! ALL MY STUFF WERE THROWN FROM THE BACK SEAT TO THE FRONT AND I GOT SERIOUSLY INJURED BY THE SEAT-BELT THAT WAS PUSHED AGAINST ME! LET ME MAKE IT CLEAR...THERE WERE ZERO CARS BEFORE ME OR AROUND ME ! THANK GOD FOR NO CARS BEHIND ME OR THIS CITATION COULD HAVE ENDED DIFFERENTLY. I DROVE THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP AND LEFT THE KEYS OVER THERE TILL THEY FIGURE IT OUR OR GIVE ME A DIFFERENT CAR. I'M SCARED TO GO BACK DRIVING IT.

NHTSA ODI 11192797

ON 2 SEPARATE OCCASIONS MY CAR'S AUTOMATIC COLLISION MITIGATION SYSTEM HAS ENGAGED WITHOUT NOTICE AND ANY REASON. THERE WAS NOTHING IN FRONT OF MY CAR AND THE CAR BRAKED SUDDENLY WHILE I WAS DRIVING 45 MPH. THE LAST TIME THIS HAPPENED I WAS THROWN FORWARD AND BACK WITH A JERK. SINCE THEN I'VE BEEN EXPERIENCING LOWER NECK AND SHOULDER PAIN. I DISENGAGED THE COLLISION MITIGATION SYSTEM AND WILL TAKE THE CAR INTO THE DEALERSHIP FOR DIAGNOSIS.

NHTSA ODI 11192497

ON 2/14/19, I WAS DRIVING ON A CITY STREET IN A STRAIGHT LINE AT APPROXIMATELY 40MPH. THE CAR AHEAD OF ME STOPPED. I STEPPED ON THE BRAKE AND INSTANTLY THE DASHBOARD WARNINGS LIT UP - ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, COLLISION MITIGATION BRAKING SYSTEM, ROAD DEPARTURE MITIGATION SYSTEM, AND THE BRAKE - AND THE BRAKE DID NOT WORK SO I COULD NOT STOP. I REAR-ENDED THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME DOING SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO THE FRONT OF MY CAR. THE WARNINGS WERE STILL VISIBLE AFTER THE CRASH AND I TOOK PICTURES OF THE DASHBOARD AS BEST AS POSSIBLE. THE WARNINGS SAY SOMETHING ABOUT SYSTEM NOT WORKING AND TO SEE A DEALER. THE SAME WARNINGS APPEARED ON 2/13/19 IN THE AFTERNOON BUT DISAPPEARED ON 2/14/19 IN THE MORNING. OTHER WARNINGS OF SAFETY SYSTEMS NOT ACTIVE HAVE APPEARED DUE TO ICE/SLUSH BUT THEN CLEARED WHEN THE SENSORS WERE CLEARED, BUT THESE NEW WARNINGS ARE DIFFERENT. AT LEAST TWICE, MAYBE THREE TIMES IN THE PAST FEW MONTHS, THE CAR WOULD SUDDENLY BRAKE AND SLOW DOWN WITH NOTHING IN THE ROAD OR IN FRONT OF THE CAR. MY BLUETOOTH CONNECTIVITY WORKED FINE FOR FIRST 2-3 MONTHS BUT THEN STOPPED AND I COULDN'T RECONNECT THE PHONE OVER THE PAST TWO MONTHS. IT SEEMS LIKE MORE THAN ONE SYSTEM/ELECTRONICS PROBLEM AND SEEMS LIKE THE WARNINGS APPEARED AT THE SAME TIME AS THE BRAKE NOT WORKING AS IF IT WAS MORE THAN AN ALERT BUT A SYSTEM (SYSTEMS) NO LONGER FUNCTIONING AT ALL. THE BRAKE WORKED AFTER THE ACCIDENT WHEN THE CAR WAS RESTARTED.

NHTSA ODI 11180339

MAY 13TH, 2018 DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY DOING 50-55 GOING EASTBOUND ON THE BAY BRIDGE IN SAN FRANCISCO -'OUT OF NO WHERE' THE ELECTRIC PARKING BRAKE CAME ON! AND I DIDN'T PUSH NO BUTTONS! NOT QUITE SURE OF THE MALFUNCTIONING, BUT IT COST AN ACCIDENT' CAUSE SOMEONE HIT ME FROM BEHIND! ALSO MY AIRBAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY, BUT WHEN HONDA LINK ASSISTANT CALLED AND WE WAS TOLD- 'THEY SENSE AN ACCIDENT CAUSE OF DEPLOYED AIRBAGS.' I'M AFRAID TO DRIVE A CAR THAT NEARLY KILLED US.

NHTSA ODI 11096885