2018 Honda Accord Hybrid: sudden loss of power

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 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)

Filed Apr 18, 2025 · Engine · CA

Subject: Safety Complaint – Premature Head Gasket Failure in 2018 Honda Accord Hybrid (VIN: [XXX] ) Representative, I am submitting this letter as a formal complaint regarding a serious and premature mechanical failure in my 2018 Honda Accord Hybrid (VIN: [XXX] ). At approximately 96,000 miles, the head gasket failed, resulting in major engine problems and potentially unsafe vehicle performance. I am the original owner of this vehicle and have maintained it consistently in line with Honda’s recommended service intervals. The engine has never been overheated or misused, yet the head gasket has failed much earlier than expected for a modern vehicle, especially a hybrid model. After researching online, I have found multiple reports of similar issues involving 2018 Honda Accord models experiencing premature head gasket failure, many of them under or near 100,000 miles. I am concerned that this may point to a widespread defect that could compromise the reliability and safety of these vehicles. A sudden head gasket failure can cause the engine to overheat, lose power, or even stall — all of which present potential risks to the driver and passengers, especially at highway speeds. I respectfully request that the federal safety agency investigate this issue further to determine whether a safety-related defect exists and if a recall or manufacturer action should be issued. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Please feel free to contact me if any additional information is needed to support the investigation. Sincerely, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Feb 16, 2025 · Engine · 99,169 miles · NY

About two weeks ago, I could have been killed on the New York State Thruway when my 2018 Honda Accord suddenly lost all power. One moment, I was driving normally—then, without warning, my check engine light came on, I had zero ability to accelerate and was forced to pull over as my car rapidly lost speed. II had my vehicle towed to Morehead Honda where they ran diagnostics and told me my car needed nearly $6,000 in repairs due to coolant leaking into the engine, which caused cylinder misfires and valve damage. But here’s the kicker—this same issue has happened to other Honda Accords of the same model year, yet Honda refuses to recognize it as a widespread problem. Morehead Honda admitted to me that they’ve seen this issue before in other 2018-2020 Honda Accords and 2017-2018 CR-Vs. In fact, they said Honda quietly fixed the problem in newer models (2021+)—but they still won’t acknowledge it as a defect in mine. That means my engine failure is not some one-in-a-million fluke—it’s something that has happened to multiple owners of the same model and year. But Honda refuses to take responsibility, leaving me on the hook for an absurdly expensive repair. Many others have had the same or similar issues. Below are some: 2017-2020 Honda Accord owners who have reported coolant leaks, cylinder head cracks, head gasket failures, or related issues: 2018 Accord 2.0T owner blew a head gasket, with a potential cracked engine block. The dealership diagnosed the issue on cylinder #3, with coolant mixing into the engine oil. A 2018 Accord EX-L 2.0T owner experienced a coolant loss leading to a blown head gasket and coolant leaking into cylinders 2 and 3. A 2018 Accord 1.5T owner had dashboard warnings and the car failed to accelerate. The dealership diagnosed a blown head gasket, with coolant leaking into cylinders 3 and 4. A 2020 Honda Accord owner suffered a blown head gasket at 58,000 miles. The dealership confirmed it was the fourth such case they had seen.

Filed Jan 26, 2025 · Fuel system · CA

Since the recall has been in place, I have attempted to get it fixed. I have reported to Honda lights coming on and off since January 14th. On January 17th took photos and video. On Thursday [XXX], the emissions light came on regarding this issue and losing power. I called Napa Kastner Honda and reported the issue and spoke with Lizette at 330pm she said it was part of the recall, but I could continue to drive the vehicle and they would call me when parts become available. Each time I go in I have to pay for diagnosis testing. I don’t want to continue to wait and want to sell my vehicle now, but no dealer will accept a trade in or offer the actual value of my vehicle given the emission light. No one is helping me remedy this issue. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Mar 7, 2021 · Electrical, Engine · 66,752 miles · CA

Driving southbound on 101 south on sunny clear day 65 degrees with almost full fuel tank and 2 battery bars (almost empty) and climbing up incline on 7 degree grade and check engine light went on and lost all power and car completely slowed down to a stop (luckily was able to pull over with no problem).

Filed Feb 28, 2019 · Acceleration, Electrical · 5,000 miles · NY

Since the vehicle reached approximately 5000 miles, I had a massive safety failure of the "honda sense" system shutting down, hazard & turn signals inoperative, power locks inoperative, brake system warning light on, loss of auto headlights and information screen. Vehicle was taken to the dealrship and they retrieved trouble code which is a "mystery code" that honda does not know why its occuring .... Radar told car to accelerate when vehicle was not in motion u0401-92 along with 3 other codes. Dealership showed me printout from computer but customer receipt said reset system only and did not list out trouble codes (4 codes retrieved) vehicle now stops intermittently while driving at highway speeds, pulls itself out of the lane while driving, and apple car play system no longer will recognize iphones (tried multiple) and dealer has verified issue but just resets. Infotainment screen lost power and set warning message for same when dropped off again at dealership 2/26/19. Dealer in florida also had car, said nothing wrong, could not duplicate and vehicle never left dealership and carplay did not work after they claimed it was fine. Also found that entire system was reset and rebooted, causing loss of all settings and stored information/stations....why reboot if its working? Vehicle now being driven with honda sense system off due to fear of collision or accident caused by vehicle and not driver. This vehicle is now unsafe to drive. Multiple complaints about vehicle braking on its own, flashing "brake" warning to driver when no car in front ... Happens local and highway driving now intermittently. Vehicle has been in dealerships approximately 4-5 times since inital electrical failure 12/24/19. Email contact and several phone calls to hma already. Original electrical failure happened 12/23/28 and I have been dealing with since. Also have snapshots