Vehicle stalled and had a power system failure requiring driver to pull off to the side of a road that blocked traffic. The acceleration/drive function no longer worked. The vehicle displayed a POWER SYSTEM PROBLEM message on the dashboard and showed "DO NOT DRIVE". Vehicle was towed to HONDA dealership and they confirmed the fuel pump needs to be replaced. The vehicle had a replacement of the fuel pump in 2022 as part of a prior recall, but the same component is responsible for this situation four years later. Dealership is quoting $1,931 for repairs and Honda America is refusing to cover repair as they claim the 2022 replacement is not related to this incident. They will not confirm whether the parts supplier in 2022 were changed to account for the expanded recall that is part of an ongoing lawsuit settled in 2026 (to be determined when finalized).
Honda Accord Hybrid stalling problems
32 of the 740 owner complaints about the Honda Accord Hybrid describe engine stalls while driving, most of them for the 2023 model year.
- owner complaints
- 32
- worst model year
- 2023
- typical mileage
- 49,591
By model year
Often reported together
Misfire 4Loss of power 4Check engine light 4Warning lights 3Overheating 2Jerking 2Fuel pump 2Won't shift 1
Trouble codes mentioned
P2602 1P0A94 1P0302 1
What owners say
The vehicle has a documented, severe manufacturing defect involving a cylinder head gasket leak under Honda Service Bulletin 26-006. A certified technician at Honda East Cincinnati confirmed the head gasket leak in writing on September 9, 2026. Prior to this, an independent facility pulled code P0302 (Cylinder 2 Misfire) and used a digital borescope to capture video proof of liquid coolant pooling inside Cylinder #2. Despite written documentation from both facilities confirming an active internal engine leak, American Honda Corporate and the dealership are refusing to honor the warranty extension. They are requiring me to continue driving an unstable vehicle until it actively throws a code on a proprietary dealership scanner. Forcing a consumer to drive a vehicle with a known, documented internal coolant leak risks sudden engine seizure, overheating, and catastrophic stalling on public highways, creating a severe and preventable crash hazard.
Vehicle was being driven on the highway when suddenly engine hesitated and started stalling. Speed was reduced from around 65MPH down to the low 40s. Cars were stacking up behind and passing, causing potential hazardous conditions. Vehicle was taken to a mechanic shop and diagnosed with misfiring, after reading OBD II with many alerts coming on. Further diagnostics revealed cylinder head gasket was leaking coolant into engine, as shown by borescope images. This is a known problem on 2018-2020 Honda Accords with both 1.5T & 2.0 engines. The multiple alert messages started to come on a few weeks ago, but the engine hesitation and stalling just started this week. At first we suspected a 12V battery issue, but testing confirmed battery was at 12.8V with no issues.
The contact owns a 2015 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle started losing motive power. The contact stated that the battery symbol and a message "12V Battery Inoperable" appeared on the instrument cluster. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal, but the vehicle failed to respond. The contact pulled over, and the vehicle had a power steering assist function; however, the brakes failed to respond as needed while depressing the brake pedal, and the brake pedal went to the floorboard. The vehicle stalled, and the contact coasted to a stop and attempted to restart the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle restarted but almost immediately stalled. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The mechanic scanned the vehicle and retrieved DTC: P0A94 related to the DC power converter. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact researched online and related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 17V418000 (Electrical System); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 145,000.
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)
12/22/23: I was accelerating onto the highway when multiple error messages popped up on the screen related to brakes, emission system, power steering, and others. The car’s accelerator lost power and slowed to a stop on the side of the highway. The interior electronics didn’t lose power, and neither did power steering or power brakes to my knowledge. I restarted the car and the warning lights remained on, however the accelerator appeared to function normally. Honda was unable to diagnose or fix. 3/31/25: I was pulling out of a parking deck when the engine lost power (no throttle) at the same time that multiple error messages came on to the screen. I coasted into a parking spot (brakes appeared to work) and turned the car off. I turned it back on and all of the lights had turned off except a warning about the brakes and TPMS (I think). The engine appeared to work normally, and I immediately drove to the Southpoint Honda service center. 4/8/25: Recap from Honda: Your car had a couple issues, they're all related. The first thing you're complaining about the stalling condition that is a known issue. There's a software update that fixes that. So I got it in here to do the software update, but then I could not communicate to the vehicle. The can Gateway module was unresponsive, which the car will run fine without it. But then, I can't talk to the car. So after testing everything and finding the module to have failed, I replaced the can Gateway this morning. Everything's communicating fine and software is updating right now for the module. Then I'm going to update the pgmfi software for the ICM system to correct the communication loss within the network that causes the stalling issue. So those two issues will be corrected.
The vehicle unexpectedly stalled - lost power while driving and the brake system warning light came on. There were no warning lights, messages or other issues with the vehicle prior to this failure. Was fortunate that the car coasted to a stop on the side of a busy road with no traffic following behind. The vehicle was then towed to a Honda dealership for inspection. Was advised by the service department that there was a software update - unbeknown to us. The error code was cleared and the service department completed the pcm update per Service Bulletin 25-017.
DEFECTIVE RECALLED-REPLACEMENT FUEL PUMP? the federal safety agency Campaign # 23V858000 “Fuel pump failure can cause engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.” My 2018 Honda Accord Hybrid had gotten 50 mpg in September & October of 2024 – as it had been getting consistently, reliably for the past six years. Also, I have Always driven 545 miles per tank of gas consistently, reliably for the past six years. My original fuel pump, which was recalled (the federal safety agency #23V858000), NEVER failed and operated perfectly efficiently for six years. In December 2024 I observed the federal safety agency fuel-pump-recall and had the “perfect” original fuel pump replaced. As soon as the “New” fuel pump was installed at the dealership, my MPG dropped to 39mpg AND miles-driven-per-tank of gas dropped to 445 miles! Shocking! My 2018 Accord Hybrid lost 100 miles of driving Range, and mpg dropped to non-hybrid performance! This leaves me to question the SAFETY of the NEW Recall-Replacement fuel pump. Also, since the “New” replacement Fuel pump was installed, my High-Voltage Lithium-Ion Battery Pack has been “kicking-in” more frequently to assist the less efficient new fuel pump. This causes the gas engine to rev longer at high rpms whenever I start the car in order to constantly recharge the HV Lithium Ion Batteries that must assist the less efficient New fuel pump . It appears to be a precarious cycle of decline for both the fuel pump and HVLI batteries! Help! I would like the federal safety agency to determine: 1.Is the replacement fuel pump “failing” from the time of installation? 2.Was a “new” fuel pump actually installed, or was a “defective part replaced in the original recalled fuel pump? 3.Is the replacement fuel pump not designed technologically as the original fuel pump? 4.How SAFE is the “NEW Fuel Pump”? 5.Are other Honda Hybrid owners who had their fuel pumps replaced under # 23V858000 complaining of poor performance? Is this a serious indication of rapid replacement (New) fuel pump failure?
The contact owns a 2021 Honda Accord. The contact stated while driving at approximately 75 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact waited for several minutes for the vehicle to return to normal operation. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the fuel injectors needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 71,274.
While driving the vehicle on a very busy highway, it completely stalled and several warning lights appeared: "Brake System problem SEE DEALER, Check Engine Light, TPMS, etc. I have attached a picture of the warning. Another vehicle behind me slammed on his brakes but ended up bumping my back bumper (no visible damage). Thankfully the driver was alert and was able to slam on his brakes to avoid a disaster on highway 270 (near Washington, DC). I was able to restart the vehicle after a few minutes, the warning lights remained on, and I was able to drive 8 miles to the dealership. According to the work order: "The technician pulled multiple codes, followed the diagnostic tree, cleared codes." I do not feel safe driving this vehicle and have seen other complaints regarding the same issue on a Honda Website. Please research and assist as best you can.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the Honda Accord Hybrid stalling
Which Honda Accord Hybrid years have engine stalls while driving problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2023 (8 complaints), 2019 (7 complaints) and 2015 (6 complaints).
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