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

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? I own a 2018 Honda Accord with approximately 132,000 miles. Shortly after my vehicle was serviced for the fuel pump recall, multiple warning lights and system failure messages appeared simultaneously. The affected systems include Road Departure Mitigation, Emission System, Adaptive Cruise Control, Auto High Beam, Collision Mitigation Braking System, Electric Power Steering, Vehicle Stability Assist, Tire Pressure Monitoring System, Hill Start Assist, and the Air Bag System. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The failure of multiple safety and driver-assistance systems has created a significant safety risk. My vehicle is currently operating in limp mode, resulting in reduced performance and making it difficult to drive safely in traffic. The loss or malfunction of systems such as collision mitigation braking, power steering, vehicle stability assist, adaptive cruise control, and air bag monitoring increases the risk of an accident and could jeopardize the safety of both vehicle occupants and other motorists. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes. I took the vehicle to a Honda dealership for diagnostic testing after the warning lights appeared. The dealer confirmed that multiple systems were reporting faults. I was advised that numerous components would need to be replaced at a substantial cost. Prior to the fuel pump recall service, I had not experienced any of these issues and the vehicle operated normally. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives, or others? The vehicle has been inspected by a Honda dealership for diagnostic purposes. To my knowledge, it has not been inspected by Honda corporate, law enforcement, or insurance representatives. Were there any warning lamps, mes

NHTSA ODI 11751805

I purchased the car in November 2025 from Carvana. By December, all the dashboard lights came on and no one can locate the problem. The car still runs but not to its optimum performance.

NHTSA ODI 11750479

The contact owns a 2018 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the brakes intermittently failed to engage while the brake pedal was depressed. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed; however, the cause of the failure could not be determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 104,000.

NHTSA ODI 11750689

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

While driving vehicle detected both road departure and engaged the emergency automated braking. The vehicle attempted to correct the "road departure" by steering the vehicle away from the perceived problem and engaged the brakes nearly causing a collision as it has done numerous times before. I have reported this to NHTSA and American Honda multiple times and await a repair of this dangerous issue. Honda has opened a case on this but have had 18 months and no response has been issued.

NHTSA ODI 11739622

The dashboard on the vehicle lights up with multiple error notifications. This puts the vehicle in limp mode. Indicates emissions errors, check engine, lane mitigation, brakes, control system. Per different customers this fault is being caused by either faulty fuel injector, miss fire, bad ignition coils, damage head gaskets, or turbo mechanism faulty. My vehicle has 70,000 miles and others in the chat have less miles that are having similar problems. Head gaskets should not fail so soon with proper maintenance. My obd2 scan code is miss fire which could Indicate faulty spark plugs, coil, injector or headgasket. For a vehicle at 70,000 miles this shouldn't happen. Vehicle has been maintained as the manufacturer recommendations

NHTSA ODI 11731333

I have bought this car new in 2018, The issue that I’m having is that ..I’ll be driving on the highway or local my car will brake on its own without any hazards in front of it . It’s very dangerous it almost caused me an accident on the highway .

NHTSA ODI 11730535

I own a 2018 Honda Accord equipped with Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS). The vehicle has experienced multiple instances of false collision warnings and phantom braking. The issue occasionally occurs when approaching overhead interstate signs. In most cases, the system flashes brake warnings briefly and then clears. However, on one occasion during rainy conditions a few years ago, the vehicle unexpectedly applied the brakes at highway speed with no obstacle present. The vehicle has undergone multiple camera calibrations (this may have also included the radar), but the problem persists. This creates a serious safety hazard, particularly at highway speeds where sudden braking could result in a rear-end collision. The issue appears to be related to false object detection by the ADAS system, potentially involving radar or sensor misinterpretation.

NHTSA ODI 11726665

While driving in a busy area with pedestrians and other vehicles, my car hard braked out of nowhere to a complete stop for no reason. I was nearly rear ended. The adaptive cruise control shuts off completely after 15 minutes in use. Says to take it to the nearest dealership. Turning off and restarting the car gets rid of the notification.

NHTSA ODI 11724476

The rear brakes on my 2018 Honda Accord Sport 1.5T (Six Speed Manual Transmission) have failed prematurely. This failure of the pads and rotors was confirmed, at the request of American Honda, by me at my local Honda dealer, and was documented in a response to American Honda. This occurred at 46,150 miles which i believe indicates a defective design in that the brake calipers, pads and rotors as a system were not built to the capacity needed to support Honda's design of this car that greatly increases the workload on the rear brakes. I am a very careful driver and minimize the use of brakes as a result. My calculation is that these brakes have failed at 1/4th the life that it would be reasonable to expect. The result is increased safety risk to car owners and drivers who do not act on this premature failure due to it not being normal or expected or affordable. Honda has effectively, through this brake design, implemented a need for car owners to enact a 750 repair on a frequency close to routine maintenance such as oil changes.

NHTSA ODI 11723529

Car initiated emergency auto break while traveling on the freeway at high speed (70 plus mph) in Phoenix, AZ for no reasons. There were no objects or cars within 500 feet, however I was approaching an overpass. This occurred multiple times on the freeway and on local roads. Reported to Honda, no fix.

NHTSA ODI 11717528

Serval warning lights come on in my vehicle I’ve have seen this happen in other models of this car and nothing has fixed it. Car drives fine.

NHTSA ODI 11714306

Honda needs to recall all the newer vehicles starting with 2018 to 2024. All lights on the dashboard is on and while I’m on highway, the car would apply the brake itself and when I released my foot from the pedal, the car run smoothly again. I took the car to Honda dealership last year and I was charged over 1500 dollars, still the car is having the same issue. This is frustrating. Today, the car is showing the camera like I was trying to back up, even though the car was on drive mode. Unbelievable.

NHTSA ODI 11706651

While driving, the power steering warning came on and the steering wheel became extremely tight, making it very difficult to turn. This has happened more than once, most recently on December 8, 2025. The loss of steering assist occurred while the vehicle was in motion and created a serious safety concern. The dealership retrieved diagnostic code C1250-52, which indicates an internal malfunction of the electric brake booster ECU. The steering issue and warning occurred again after the initial diagnosis. The system appears to fail intermittently and without warning. I have owned multiple Honda Accord vehicles over the years and have never experienced anything like this. Sudden loss of steering assist while driving is a safety defect, and similar issues have been reported by other owners of 2018–2022 Honda Accord models.

NHTSA ODI 11704354

All my warning lights keep coming on in dashboard and my car isn’t accelerating in cold weather after sitting overnight

NHTSA ODI 11703674

The contact owns a 2018 Honda Accord. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started and shifted to drive(D), the traction control and an unknown warning light were illuminated. The contact stated that the "Hill Start Assist Failure – Vehicle Might Roll Upon Brake Release” and “See Dealer Immediately” messages were displayed. The contact turned off and restarted the vehicle, but the warning lights remained illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the head gasket was blown and needed to be replaced, and the fuel pump that was previously replaced was faulty and needed to be replaced. The fuel pump was repaired, but the head gasket was not replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

NHTSA ODI 11703078

The contact owns a 2018 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond as intended. The contact stated that the engine was revving, and the tachometer was showing an elevated RPM level before the vehicle slowly responded. The contact stated that there were several unknown warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel. Additionally, the check engine, traction control, and brake warning lights illuminated and remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed and determined that the turbocharger needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 143,000.

NHTSA ODI 11702669

While trying to accelerate the car loses power. This has happened many times. The Honda dealership has said the system is on back order and they will call me when it’s available. It’s been months. The “jerks”a few times then the check engine light comes on then the car loses power. The dashboard lights are brake system, emission system, electric power steering, hill assist and ACC system problem.

NHTSA ODI 11685803

My car be braking and nothing be in front of me.It detects something in front of me when nothing be there.

NHTSA ODI 11683045

I had been driving down highway and all of a sudden my car put on brakes hard. Thank goodness no one was behind me. I had dealer turn off that feature so it wouldn't happen again. I still experience my brake light flashing when nothing in road to brake for but doesn't brake on its own. Issue having now is issues starting car and once it starts I recieved a collision mediations issue pop-up on display saying see dealer now. Cruise control issue, and on dash has traction control saying ignitionating continue driving. The braking issue started right after purchase in 2018. The starting issue started yesterday 7/25/2025.

NHTSA ODI 11676329

Parking brake suddenly engaged while in traffic car would not move. Car had to be towed brake pads were replaced but mechanic stated parking brake had defect that only the dealer can repair.

NHTSA ODI 11676185

The contact owns a 2018 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed; however, no cause for the failure was identified. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle jerked abnormally. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic, and it was diagnosed and determined that the core pad needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 111,000. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ODI 11674967

Driving down the road, no cars or obstacles in front of me. Out of nowhere the automatic emergency breaking came on. The car slammed on the breaks and very quickly came to a complete stop in the middle of the road. If there happened to be another car behind me they would have rear-ended me. There were no warnings prior to this happening.

NHTSA ODI 11674434

Doesn’t run as it should,all lights and warnings show on the dash

NHTSA ODI 11673194

Dashboard lit up with a lot of lights and stuff

NHTSA ODI 11671394