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2018 Honda Accord Hybrid problems

The most common problem on the 2018 Honda Accord Hybrid is engine and cooling, typically around 12,000 miles. It has 2.6 times the complaints of a typical Accord Hybrid model year.

Year to avoid2.6x the typical complaints
Year score
39/100
Owner complaints
116
Recalls
4
Service bulletins
63
Worst area
Engine
Fuel economy
47mpg

The worst 2018 Honda Accord Hybrid problems

Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.

Problems by type

Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.

Specific symptoms reported on the 2018 Honda Accord Hybrid

Check engine light 11Fuel pump 7Loss of power 7Overheating 7Collision warning 5Jerking 5Stalling 5

Recalls 4

Air bags: sensor: occupant classification: front passengerReported May 21, 2026 · 98,892 vehicles affected
What is wrong
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.
Risk
Air bags that deploy unintentionally during a crash increase the risk of injury.
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 the federal safety agency recall number 24V064. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on beginning May 29, 2026.

Recall number 26V332000 · Recall details

Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pumpReported December 18, 2023 · 2,490,460 vehicles affected
What is wrong
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.
Risk
Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
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 the federal safety agency recall numbers 21V‑215 and 20V‑314.

Recall number 23V858000 · Recall details

Seat belts: front: buckle assemblyReported March 9, 2023 · 448,613 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2017-2020 CR-V, 2018-2019 Accord and Accord Hybrid, 2018-2020 Odyssey, 2019 Insight, and 2019-2020 Acura RDX vehicles. A manufacturing issue with the front seat belts may cause the seat belt buckle channel to interfere with the release button, preventing the seat belt buckle from latching.
Risk
An unlatched seat belt cannot properly restrain the seat occupant during a crash, increasing their risk of injury.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the driver and front passenger seat belt buckle release buttons or the buckle assemblies as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 18, 2023. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1‑888‑234‑2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are NDA, QDB, BDC, MDD, LD9. TDF, FDG, ODH, YDI, ZDE.

Recall number 23V158000 · Recall details

Electrical system: body control module: softwareReported December 10, 2020 · 737,233 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2020 Accord Sedan, Accord Hybrid, and 2019-2020 Insight vehicles. A software error may cause intermittent or continuous disruptions in communication between the Body Control Module (BCM) and other components. This may result in malfunctions of various systems such as the windshield wipers and defroster, rearview camera, exterior lights, audible warning of a stopped vehicle, and power window operation. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 103, "Windshield Defrosting and Defogging Systems" and number 111, "Rear Visibility" as well as FMVSS numbers 104, 108, 114, 118, and 305.
Risk
Various system malfunctions such as inoperative windshield wipers, defroster, rearview camera, or exterior lighting can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Honda will notify owners, and dealers will update the BCM software, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin February 22, 2021. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1‑888‑234‑2138. Honda's number for this recall is X95.

Recall number 20V771000 · Recall details

See all 4 recalls for the 2018 Honda Accord Hybrid

Defect investigations

Inadvertent Automatic Emergency BrakingOpened April 15, 2024, still open

On February 21, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation (PE22003) to assess reports of inadvertent activation of the Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS), an automatic emergency braking (AEB) system, in model year 2017-2019 Honda CR-V and 2018-2019 Honda Accord vehicles. The reports allege that activation of the AEB system occurs while driving with no apparent obstruction in the vehicle's forward path, resulting in sudden vehicle deceleration. Honda indicated that they were aware of a total of X,XXX reports that may relate to the alleged defect. Honda provided analysis of the alleged defect and alleges that some customers possibly had an inadequate understanding of the CMBS and its limitations.  However, many consumer complaints allege that Honda dealerships were unable to reproduce the condition or state that they were informed that this is considered normal CMBS operation. To date, ODI has received a total of 1,294 consumer complaints of inadvertent activation of CMBS in 2017-2022 Honda CR-V and 2018-2022 Honda Accord vehicles. A total of 31 complaints alleged a crash and 50 alleged an injury. The Total column in the Failure Report Summary removes duplicate reports and shows the total number of reports with unique VINs from all Manufacturer, ODI, and EWR data sources. In some cases, there were multiple reports associated with a particular vehicle in which recurring failures were alleged. In total, there were X,XXX reports, 93 injury incidents and 47 crashes involving vehicles with unique VINs that may relate to the alleged defect. PE22-003 has been upgraded to an Engineering Analysis to further assess the scope, frequency, and potential safety related consequences of the inadvertent AEB activations. The scope has been expanded to include assessment of model year 2020-2022 Honda CR-V and Accord vehicles. To review the ODI reports cited in the Opening Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to

EA24002

Pedestrian alert soundsOpened January 27, 2023, closed August 7, 2023

the federal safety agency received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, the federal safety agency opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified the federal safety agency he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by the federal safety agency regarding the subject matter of the petition.

DP22005

Inadvertent Automatic Emergency BrakingOpened February 21, 2022, closed April 18, 2024

On February 21, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation (PE22003) to assess reports of inadvertent activation of the Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS), an automatic emergency braking (AEB) system, in model year 2017-2019 Honda CR-V and 2018-2019 Honda Accord vehicles. The reports allege that activation of the AEB system occurs while driving with no apparent obstruction in the vehicle's forward path, resulting in sudden vehicle deceleration. Honda indicated that they were aware of a total of X,XXX reports that may relate to the alleged defect. Honda provided analysis of the alleged defect and alleges that some customers possibly had an inadequate understanding of the CMBS and its limitations.  However, many consumer complaints allege that Honda dealerships were unable to reproduce the condition or state that they were informed that this is considered normal CMBS operation. To date, ODI has received a total of 1,081 consumer complaints of inadvertent activation of CMBS in the subject vehicles. A total of 24 complaints alleged a crash and 42 alleged an injury. The Total column in the Failure Report Summary removes duplicate reports and shows the total number of reports with unique VINs from all Manufacturer, ODI, and EWR data sources. In some cases, there were multiple reports associated with a particular vehicle in which recurring failures were alleged. In total, there were X,XXX reports, 84 injury incidents and 40 crashes involving vehicles with unique VINs that may relate to the alleged defect. PE22003 has been upgraded to an Engineering Analysis (EA24002) to further assess the scope, frequency, and potential safety related consequences of the inadvertent AEB activations. Further the scope has been expanded to include assessment of model year 2020-2022 Honda CR-V and Accord vehicles. To review the ODI reports cited in the Opening Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to

PE22003

Technical service bulletins for the 2018 Honda Accord Hybrid 63

Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.

See all 63 bulletins for the 2018 Honda Accord Hybrid

2018 Honda Accord Hybrid fuel economy

Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.

EngineDriveCityHighwayCombined
2.0L 4‑cyl HybridFWD474747

What 2018 Honda Accord Hybrid owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Sep 25, 2026 · Engine, Fuel system · MD

Unknown. I was informed that my fuel pump is faulty and as a result my engine needs to be replaced.

Filed Aug 31, 2026 · Electrical, Engine · FL

While driving on a bridge at under 20 mph, the vehicle's head gasket failed, causing the engine to overheat and coolant to leak from within the engine. The vehicle threw diagnostic trouble code P2601 and immediately entered "limp mode," severely cutting engine power and vehicle speed. Because this happened on a bridge with no shoulder to safely pull over, the sudden loss of power created a serious safety hazard — the vehicle could not maintain a safe speed or keep pace with surrounding traffic, increasing the risk of being struck by other vehicles. The vehicle was taken to a Tampa Honda (11000 N Florida Ave), where the failure was confirmed to be a blown head gasket that allowed coolant to leak into the engine cylinders. The head gasket and related components were replaced at a cost of approximately $5,000 to restore the vehicle to safe operating condition. The failed component is no longer available for inspection in its failed state, as replacement was required to make the vehicle drivable. No dealer, manufacturer representative, police officer, or insurance adjuster has inspected the vehicle; only at Tampa Honda facility that performed the repair diagnosed and confirmed the head gasket failure. Prior to this incident, no warning lamps or symptoms were noted — the P2601 code and limp mode activation occurred simultaneously with the sudden overheating and coolant loss, with no advance warning. This failure is consistent with a widely reported defect pattern among Honda vehicles with similar engines, where the head gasket fails prematurely and allows coolant to enter the cylinders. Honda has not issued a recall or acknowledged a manufacturing defect despite numerous consumer reports describing the same failure mode.

Filed Jun 25, 2026 · Acceleration, Engine · CA

On 2-252026 my wife and I were driving on highway I-15 in California when the car started to accelerate, decelerate and jerk and the engine light came on. It was very scary because we were on a major highway driving around 60 MPH and cars were behind us when the deceleration happened. We could have been hit by cars traveling behind us or either we could have caused a major accident. We had to get off the highway and have the car towed to Honda for assessment. There was no engine light warning or service warning from Honda prior to this happening, it just randomly happened. The car was repaired at a Honda dealership and they said there was a leaking head gasket on cylinder number 4. When we looked up information regarding this head gasket failure we saw that other Honda cars have had the same problem and Honda is currently involved in lawsuits regarding this leaking head gasket on cylinder number 4.

Filed Jun 24, 2026 · Engine · CA

While driving on the highway at approximately 65 mph with my child in the vehicle during rush-hour on May 21, 2026, my 2018 Honda Accord Hybrid Touring (105,746 miles) suddenly dropped speed, and began backfiring and stopped responding to the gas pedal. The check engine light flashed and the vehicle ran rough. I activated emergency flashers and drove slowly to the shoulder. Sunnyvale Honda (Sunnyvale, CA) diagnosed coolant intrusion into one of the cylinders and head gasket failure. The vehicle had never overheated and showed no prior warning signs. All maintenance was performed at Honda dealerships per the maintenance minder schedule. The dealership performed a head gasket repair costing $7,500+ out of pocket. On the first highway drive after pickup, again with my children in the vehicle, the identical failure occurred: backfiring, complete loss of throttle response, vehicle unable to exceed 48 mph with the accelerator fully depressed. The repair did not resolve the defect. The vehicle is currently back at the dealership for further investigation. This failure created an immediate safety hazard on both occasions: sudden loss of speed on highway with no warning. Honda Customer Service denied goodwill assistance. I am aware of numerous similar complaints involving coolant leak and head gasket failure on 2018-2022 Accord including complaints documenting the same failure on the Accord Hybrid 2.0L engine. the federal safety agency should investigate this as a potential safety-related defect affecting multiple Honda engine variants.

Filed May 28, 2026 · Engine · CA

I am writing to file a formal complaint regarding my 2018 Honda Accord [VIN# [XXX] ] concerning what I believe to be a defective cylinder head or head gasket — an issue I have since learned is widely reported within the Honda owner community and is currently the subject of active class action litigation. Beginning at approximately 89,000 miles, my vehicle began experiencing episodes of engine rumbling followed by sudden shutoff. These episodes occurred two to three times before I brought the vehicle to an authorized Honda dealership at approximately 99,000–105,000 miles for diagnosis. At the dealership, I paid for a diagnostic inspection. I was informed that the technicians could not identify the root cause without performing a full engine pull and internal inspection, which they estimated would cost several thousand dollars — with an additional cost of $5,000–$8,000 if the diagnosis confirmed a cracked cylinder head or failed head gasket. Unable to absorb this expense, I did not authorize the repair. In an effort to keep the vehicle operational, I worked with independent mechanics and took the following corrective measures: replacement of spark plugs and ignition coils, replacement of the electric water pump, regular oil changes, maintenance of proper coolant levels, and avoidance of high or sudden acceleration. These measures allowed me to operate the vehicle for approximately one additional year without a recurrence of the shutoff events. Last summer, the vehicle failed to start entirely and could not be made operable. I was required to have it towed approximately 60 miles to its destination. The vehicle has not been operable since. Upon opening the hood, I observed coolant splashed across the engine cover consistent with a catastrophic head gasket failure. This failure occurred despite the vehicle being well maintained throughout my ownership. I believe this represents a known and systemic defect in Honda engine design for this model year. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOI

Filed Feb 4, 2026 · Acceleration, Electrical · OH

Over the past several years, there have been multiple instances where I or my wife are driving on the highway and the engine light comes on or starts flashing, and I am unable to go faster than 50 miles an hour, and the engine itself feels to be underpowered. We have taken it to the dealership for repair at least five times over the past five years and in each case they have attempted to do a repair and said the issue has been resolved, but the issue continue. At at least one of those visits, they have diagnosed the issue as an engine misfire issue. The issue has intensified from the initial symptoms, (which were as I described, but resolved by turning the car off, waiting 30 seconds to a minute and then turning the car on again) to how it is now: in addition to the check engine light, every other light and warning system has gone off when driving on the highway and the engine was unable to go faster than 40 miles an hour, and it does not resolve by restarting the car. The dealership and Honda America’s main phone line have as of yet been unable to give me a clear answer as to why this is happening or whether it can be fixed. A sudden drop in speed and power on the highway as we have experienced many times over the last five years is inherently extremely dangerous.

Filed Oct 14, 2025 · Engine, Transmission · OH

The car loses power. It starts as a misfire on cylinder 2 (P0302 code) and the engine starts to shutdown (or goes into a safe mode with no power). The result is loss of speed which creates a safety hazard especially on highways. This has happened multiple times and the car has been in the shop 4 times for this issue. We have to pull off the road, turn the car off, sit for a minute and restart the car. It will then run ok. This has happened during acceleration and when just trying to keep speed on an incline. The dealership has not been able to identify an issue. The head gasket was replaced in April 2025 because they thought there was a pin hole that was causing oil to push into the cylinder. The misfire continued to happen. It was in the shop on October 2025 and they found nothing wrong with the spark plug, induction coils, gas feed. Therefore no understanding of the root cause.

Filed Sep 9, 2025 · Driver assistance · 105,000 miles · IL

The contact owns a 2018 Honda Accord. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, various warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the Lane Departure, Lane Keep Assist, ACC, and Blind Spot Detection warning lights remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the malfunction or warning lights were a result of the camera being faulty and that the camera needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 105,000.

Filed Aug 28, 2025 · Engine · MI

The engine head gasket failed due to design flows. I have to put coolants and oil on a daily basis to keep the car running to avoid overheating.

Filed Aug 11, 2025 · Electrical, Engine · CA

At approximately [XXX]. Pacific, I was traveling southbound in the fastrak lane of the [XXX] departing from Pleasant Hill, California headed to Pleasanton, California. As I began to accelerate, the engine began to sputter. Immediately, the check engine light flashed on, then the dashboard reported a number of issues ranging from brake failure, TPMS failure, power assisted steering failure, vehicle stability assist failure and a number of other issues that I have never encountered since purchasing the vehicle. The sudden deceleration almost resulted in other cars impacting my car as this occurred during the morning commute. I was able to safely navigate off of the freeway. I was on speakerphone with Honda when this occurred. Had I not acted swiftly, a potential high speed rear end collision was likely to have occurred. I immediately took the car to Concord Honda. The team at Concord Honda performed a diagnosis and advised me that my head gasket was leaking water into the combustion chamber which resulted in the sudden loss of power. I was and continue to be dissatisfied with the handling of this issue by Honda as my car has never been handled by another mechanic. My car has a perfect or near perfect maintenance record and should not have a blown head gasket at 80k miles especially since my car is meticulously maintained and serviced by Concord Honda. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Used buying checklistWhat to check on a 2018 Honda Accord Hybrid before you buy

Compare the 2018 Honda Accord Hybrid

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Other model years

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Questions about the 2018 Honda Accord Hybrid

Is the 2018 Honda Accord Hybrid reliable?

Owners have filed 116 complaints about the 2018 Honda Accord Hybrid, 2.6 times a typical Accord Hybrid model year. It is one of the years we flag to avoid.

What is the 2018 Honda Accord Hybrid year score?

The 2018 Honda Accord Hybrid scores 39 out of 100 (poor). The score compares it with the other model years of the Honda Accord Hybrid: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.

What is the most common problem with the 2018 Honda Accord Hybrid?

Engine and cooling, with 25 complaints, typically around 12,000 miles. Next is fuel system (24).

How many recalls does the 2018 Honda Accord Hybrid have?

4 recalls, covering air bags, fuel system, gasoline and seat belts.

What year does the Honda Accord Hybrid have bad engine?

The Honda Accord Hybrid model years with the most engine complaints are 2023 (32 complaints), 2019 (27 complaints) and 2018 (25 complaints).

What gas mileage does the 2018 Honda Accord Hybrid get?

Official estimates for the 2018 Honda Accord Hybrid range from 47 mpg combined. The most efficient version (2.0L 4-cyl hybrid, FWD) gets 47 city and 47 highway.

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