The issue first appeared during my initial test drive before purchase in 2019. The salesman stated it was a low-battery issue from the car sitting on the lot. Since then, the same problem has recurred multiple times. The vehicle displays multiple warning lights — “Electric Powertrain Fault,” Check Engine, EPS, and VSA — with reduced power, jerky acceleration, and temporary loss of throttle response. This poses a safety risk when merging or crossing intersections. Vehicle: 2018 Honda Accord Sport 1.5T, approximately 52,000 miles. Diagnostic codes retrieved include U0401-68 (ECM/Electric Powertrain Communication Failure), U0416-68 (VSA/EPS System Malfunction), and P0302 (Cylinder #2 Misfire). These faults have occurred despite replacement of spark plugs, ignition coils, and fuel injectors (all OEM Honda parts). Dealerships have not been able to permanently correct the issue. The problem appears related to the ECM or communication network between the powertrain and stability systems. The sudden loss of power and unpredictable throttle response during normal driving creates a serious safety hazard.
2018 Honda Accord transmission complaints
Page 3 of 6: complaints 41 to 70 of 139, newest first, as owners wrote them.
I have a 2018 Honda accord 1.5t I have always done oil changes and maintenance accordingly. My car went into limp mode over the summer. I brought it to my dealership who said the head gasket was bad and it was going to cost over 5,000$ to fix. This is a known problem on these cars as I have gathered information all over the internet. Honda refuses to do the right thing and have a recall. I do not have the money to replace the head gasket at the hefty dealership level. I have been waiting over 3 months in an attempt of a DIY replacement. The company I have been ordering with has had many issues and I am still without a vehicle. The vehicle only has 138,000 miles
I own a 2018 Honda Accord EX-L equipped with the 1.5-liter turbo engine. Over time, the vehicle began showing symptoms of coolant loss without any visible leaks, a sweet odor under the hood, and intermittent white smoke from the exhaust after startup. The engine would sometimes idle roughly and hesitate under acceleration. No external leaks were found by my mechanic. I later learned that these symptoms are consistent with a possible head-gasket or coolant-intrusion issue affecting this engine type. The problem poses a potential safety risk because coolant can enter the combustion chambers, leading to engine misfire, loss of power, or complete engine failure while driving. The issue has not yet been formally recalled, but I have seen multiple complaints and reports of similar failures in 2018–2022 Accords, Civics, and CR-Vs with the same 1.5-liter turbo engine. A warning light (“check engine”) appeared intermittently, and the temperature gauge fluctuated during normal driving. The problem has been inspected by an independent repair shop, but Honda has not provided a permanent repair or warranty coverage. The issue appears to be consistent with the allegations in recent class action filings regarding head-gasket and coolant-leak defects in Honda 1.5T engines.
The head gasket needs replaced because of a faulty design....this is an expensive fix and one I think Honda knows about, but because the fix if almost all labor, they don't care because it is making them a ton of money on repairs. The engine block cooling is designed to cause a head gasket failure with can ruin the engine and even if you catch it, is very expensive to fix. and Honda doesn't even offer an adequate fix and this WILL happen again. I have talked to Honda techs who have confirmed that belief.
Coolant leak through the gasket into a cylinder so now I need a new head gasket. When I start my car, it starts to shake and don’t accelerate. I just got my turbo done in April because of the same issues.
Upon commuting to work, the car failed to accelerate causing the car to almost suddenly stop while driving; at the same time of the failure warning lights and beeping occurred. No warnings prior to failure. By God’s grace, I was not yet on the expressway and avoided what would have been a horrible accident jeopardizing not only my life but the lives of anyone that would have been behind me. The gasket failed (cylinder #3) and is available for inspection upon request. It was a significant safety issue as the failure occurred without warning causing the car to stop no warning. Yes, the dealer has confirmed the failure and I was quoted a $5800 repair cost in spite of a owning a lifetime power train warranty. No, the vehicle or component has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance. I did place a call to American Honda and we were given a case #15822812 (but this case has since been closed without action.) No warnings occurred before the failure. (Beeping and messages occurred at the time of failure.) Had the failure occurred at a high rate of speed, on an expressway, loss of life could have occurred and no one would know what caused the accident since cars are usually towed away and declared “totaled.” Fortunately, I was on a road of 35mph but in just a few more minutes would have been at a speed of 65mph. There is a further safety concern that the dealer admits that there is a known problem with the OEM component but plans to continue to replace with the same product. Note: this car has a superior care record and only 110,000 miles which means the failure is likely to occur again with the same parts. Internet searches are confirming this is a known product failure with no recall.
Car stalled/went into limp mode in the middle of turning onto a busy road almost hit by oncoming traffic. Check engine light came on, as well as all other warnings. Ran diagnostics and show fuel running lean and cyl 2 misfire. Checked all other possible issues related to codes and all signs point to bad fuel injectors.
I currently own a 2018 Honda Accord 1.5L 4 cylinder with only 62,800 miles at the start of the issue. Around the end of July 2025 the car started to jerk. It started with a slight jerk and escalated daily, over about a week, until the car started going into limp mode. The car was taken to a repair shop near my house. This shop said they were receiving an engine misfire code, replaced all spark plugs, and car driving good again. Around 8/15/2025, I started having the same issues. On 8/19/25 the car went into limp mode again in a busy highway. Took it to a Honda/Acura repair shop. They again found the same misfire codes, replaced 1 spark plug, and the car was driving okay. This Honda/Acura shop found low coolant in the engine and believed I had a leaking head gasket as they have been seeing a high number of Honda 1.5L engines, similar years, with this issue. The shop suggested I contact Honda as it is a known issue. On 8/19, the Honda dealer service department told me they are seeing a lot of that issue but Honda has no current plan to extend warranties or issue a recall, despite the widespread, known issue. The dealership’s service department instructed me to call Honda corporate to discuss the issue and potential coverage. Corporate did open a case for a potential Good Faith repair. I was told that I would have to take it to a Honda dealership for official diagnostics, pay that fee out of pocket, then submit documents and info for coverage review. The car was driving okay for about 1 week and on 8/27/25, began having the same problems. I was able to get an appointment on 9/2/25 at the dealership. On 9/2/25, the dealership confirmed the head gasket is bad and the car requires head gasket, head bolt, belts, fuel injector, and coolant replacement, and oil change. The dealership again acknowledged this is a known issue with the vehicle. These vehicles are stopping on busy highways (with speed limit of 50mph) and interstates or going into limp mode, not going over 20mph.
After having the fuel pump recall completed on my Honda Accord, I began experiencing serious engine problems that I had not had before the recall repair. Shortly afterward, my vehicle developed a blown head gasket, coolant leaking into the engine, and turbo issues. These failures occurred outside of my extended warranty (which has also since expired), but they started only after the recall work was performed. I contacted my dealership and Honda corporate for assistance through a goodwill request, but they denied coverage, stating I am outside of warranty and they cannot determine fault. However, I have since learned that other Honda owners have reported experiencing the same or very similar engine issues after this recall repair. Currently, the vehicle is undriveable without risking complete engine failure. The cost of repair is extremely high, leaving me at a financial loss for a problem I believe is directly related to the manufacturer’s recall repair.
My car is always having some electrical issue but when I type in my VIN number, no recalls are listed under my VIN number and then for the last couple of days I've been experiencing acceleration problems when I look up a 2018 Honda Accord it is saying that fuel pumps have been an issue, but my VIN number pulls up no information as far as me falling under that recall what are the proper steps to get my car looked at to see if my VIN number Even though it's not populating, any recall falls under the recall
Fuel pump recall. Put in an order with Honda dealer January 2024 for the pump. On February 2025 asked if they submitted the order back in January 2024? They said it was. Now it's August 2025 (20 months since) and waiting. the federal safety agency says if they failed to fix in a timely manner to make a report online. Is 20 months long enough? Driving with a safety recall. Second making a complaint with the 10 speed auto transmission 2nd to 3rd hard shift and 4th to 3rd hard shift. Putting stress on other components can break mounts, the transmission, axles, ect. could also launch the car into the car in front of you, in heavy (slow bumper to bumper) traffic. Wasted my own money and time draining and filling 5 quarts of honda 2.0 transmission fluid. (Also replaced the trans filter behind the warmer housing) Did not fix the issue. Contacted American Honda and they said It's out of warranty and I need to pay for diagnostic and repairs. (I just bought the car in 2023 at 45k miles. Previous owner must of felt it and should of did something while under warranty.) Honda know this issue from the beginning and hiding the issue to save money. Check the Accord forums online. It's most of us if not all the 18-20 10 speed models. Vehicle is 2018 Accord 2.0 10 speed 50k miles. Plus the normal Phantom braking and lane departure which will automatically steer you off the road, so you have to fight the steering wheel.
There are 10 warning lights currently on the dash. This is and has been an ongoing issue for over a year. Turning off the car then turning it back on the lights would go away. The car would periodically start to slow on its own while foot was still on the gas pedal which was dangerous in the middle of traffic or going 65 to 70 miles per hour on a highway. December 31, 2024 my car got towed to the Honda Dealership because the car stalled and wouldn't go past 15 miles per hour. Again the dash lit up. It was my understanding that it was because of the latest recall of the fuel pump issue that took over a year to be completed. The recall of the fuel pump was done January 6, 2025which took a week to complete and a week of work I missed with no available loaner car available to me. Once I got the car back the lights were not on the dash anymore but within 5 minutes of driving the car the lights came back on but the car did not stall and was able to go past the 15 miles per hour that was the original problem. Since January 2025 I have been dealing with these warning indicator lights and being the lights were on when Honda received the car to perform the recall I would assume a diagnosis would have been done but once I got the receipt there was no other issues recorded that was wrong with the car. There are absolutely too many Honda Accords with this problem. I've read everything from moisture in the tail lights triggering the lights, faulty battery, head gaskets, injectors to spark plugs. My car is no longer under a warranty and I have no means of paying for a guessing game when it comes to diagnosing the real problem with these cars. People are paying $5000 sometimes more and still having the same problem once they drive away. I honestly think a recall on this issue need to happen before something tragic happens. Maybe because it took over a year for Honda to get parts in to fix the recall fuel pump issue this is an exact result of going so long with the faulty fuel pump.
All of the lights in the dash came on . We took it to Honda , at first they said it was the coils and spark plugs. I had them replaced , the same thing happened again the computer read that it was misfiring on one of the cylinders . They kept it and ran several tests . They then tried to say that it the result of a bad oil change but we knew better. After about a month they said that it had over heated and blown the head gasket . I ended up having to use my warranty and pay a deductible.
I am writing to report a serious mechanical issue with my 2018 Honda Accord 2.0T that I believe may constitute a design or manufacturing defect with potential safety implications. At approximately 112,000 miles, the engine in my vehicle suffered a blown head gasket, which my mechanic determined was caused by a stretched timing chain. This failure followed roughly nine months of unexplained coolant consumption, during which time no visible leaks were detected. In addition to the coolant loss, the vehicle experienced two separate instances of entering limp mode while driving, creating a significant safety risk due to sudden loss of power. Furthermore, during the winter months, I repeatedly lost cabin heat, suggesting early signs of internal engine issues related to coolant circulation or combustion gas intrusion. These symptoms point to a progressive failure that was not addressed by any recall or Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) during my ownership. Given the growing number of reports from other 2.0T Accord owners experiencing similar issues with premature timing chain wear and associated engine damage, I believe this may be a systemic issue that warrants investigation by the federal safety agency. A stretched timing chain causing catastrophic engine damage can easily lead to unexpected stalling, limp mode, or loss of control in certain conditions — all of which raise concerns about vehicle safety and reliability.
This car had a manufacturer recall for the "fuel pump". I was advised by Honda to go get the car checked by the dealer to evaluate if the issues I was getting were related to the recall. I paid close to $400 to get the car diagnosed and about 3/4 months after that I was told that the part is available for the recall service. I got the repair scheduled at the dealership and got the part replaced. Ever since I got this fuel pump replaced, now the car is struggling to pickup. It looks like a miss fire but it doesn't show any errors on display. In this condition, this car is not safe to drive around as it is skipping the engine thrusts. I have looked at Honda website and other online resources and people are talking about these issues but HONDA hasn't said or done anything about it. It all started after I got the fuel filter replaced.
The 1000 miles or so, when trying to increase speed, would feel the gears slip between revolutions. I would let up on the gas pedal then slowly resume pressure, which sometimes worked or sometimes didnt. On April 19th while going up a hill on a side road, the car stalled and transmission warning light came on. I pulled over and shut the car off and restarted was able to slowly continue up hill at 15 miles per hour with the slipping becoming worse ( this is when I first called Honda to bring it in on Monday April 21.) I was able to arrive to work. After leaving work I pulled out of the parking lot and the car just stalled with all lights and warnings going off from engine to airbag warnings to tire pressure lights going off and dinging. This is when i called a tow truck to tow to the Curtiss Ryan Dealership. After talking to them at dealer they told me that other accords have had this problem.
This vehicle was built terrible. It had a blown head gasket at 86,000 miles. The head was warped. My valve guides and seals were compromised and leaking into the combustion chamber. I need a full head resurfacing job with new gaskets all around. New injectors and new valve cover gasket and everything around. This car has a design flaw and needs to be recalled for mediocre heads life. It almost caused me to get crashed from the back from a semi truck because the car decided to lose complete power while on the road. The cars recalls have been addressed but this whole issue with the faulty heads needs to be addressed. My vehicle is in the shop now and I will have to pay a little over $4,000 now. It's a hazard on the road when you get near to 90,000 miles.
Scanned for codes. Found P0303, P0299, and P2243 stored. Found coolant entering cylinder 3. Found excessive play in the waste gate rod and found A/F sensor is not responding. Needs head gasket. Vehicle starts up and runs rough. All alerts on alerts on dash on cust states check engine light on. Honda sensing alerts on.
Cylinder 1 and Cylinder 3 misfire (Cylinder 3 misfired multiple times, even after attempts to fix it), and now I have a blown head gasket. On more than three separate occasions, my car has either stopped completely in the middle of the road—sometimes on the highway in the fast lane, with cars traveling 80+ mph behind me, putting my life at significant risk—or it will suddenly drop from the speed of traffic (80+ mph) to under 30 mph in a matter of seconds, out of nowhere. If it weren't for me swerving into an open lane to the right one time, I would have undoubtedly been rear-ended by a car traveling 80 mph. In that instance, my speed went from 0 mph to less than 30 mph in just seconds, which could have easily paralyzed me or even killed me had I hit my head on impact. Though I didn’t sustain a physical injury the first time this happened on the freeway, I did suffer a panic attack due to the sudden and extreme danger of the situation. Yes, the problem has been confirmed by two separate Honda dealerships at different times, but both were caused by the same issue. The vehicle has been inspected by the manufacturer, as I had it checked at two different Honda dealerships. No, there were no warning messages or symptoms prior to the failure; all issues occurred suddenly while driving, when my car barely started producing any power on the freeway.
While waiting for the recalled parts to be in stock for the fuel pump module, my car starting running rough and going into limp mode several times a day. Thus causing near accidents with my children in the vehicle. After getting the fuel pump module recall fixed I asked and had to pay for a diagnostics test to see what was causing the car to do this. We were told it was the fuel injectors and were quoted $2000 to replace those. That was done 4 days ago at the dealer, and it happened again yesterday! We took the car back to the dealer today and they have just informed us we need to replace the head gasket & turbo and had a coolant leak causing these issues?! Why that was never seen in the original diagnostics test nor a problem 4 days ago, but after spending $2000 we did not have to keep our family and others safe, we are now being told it will cost over $5000 to fix these now issues. We can’t afford that and now I don’t know what I am going to do! Honda needs to step up to the plate and take some culpability here and be responsible for what clearly appears to be a much needed recall for 2018 Accords! This is ridiculous. And for the service advisor to tell us this happens all of the time to these, if not daily, should speak volumes!
Randomly, my car will start throwing many warning signs when I crank my car. Then it magically disappears after 2 days. Also I drive my car past 40mph and the engine light came on and then I could no longer accelerate. My car was slowing down while I was on the freeway. I pulled over, turned my car off then back on. Everything is back to normal. Next day, I crank my car, warning signs again and then disappears. I took my car to the auto shop and they could not find any codes. I have videos and pictures. There’s also a Honda Facebook group with my same model car reporting the same behavior.
Christmas Tree dashboard with all lights on appeared a few weeks ago. Took car to auto shops twice. First time I was told coil 1 for cylinder 1 was misfiring, replaced with new coil. Lights did not go away, got my codes read again and was same error message of coil 1 misfire. In the past week car would not accelerate past 15mph after start up. I was immediately concerned it was a head gasket issue since that is a very known defect for my exact make and model of vehicle. Took into my Honda Dealership where I purchased my Accord brand new. Was just told Fuel injectors need to be replaced even though vehicle has been maintained properly. To me this seems this is directly correlated with the current fuel pump recall issue, I asked the service advisor if that was the case and she said she’d get back with me, and that she’s currently waiting to hear back from my Lifetime Powertrain Warranty company (Fidelity Warranty Services) to see if the fuel injector replacement is covered by them. If this make and model has time and time again been known to have faulty fuel injectors and head gasket issues that directly put the drivers safety at risk and end up causing thousands of dollars in repairs, Honda needs to take responsibility for rushing out vehicles without properly testing them first. If fuel injectors are not covered under my warranty, I will be contacting American Honda to assist me with the cost of the repairs.
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I was on the highway with moderate traffic. My car would no longer accelerate due to a blown head gasket out of nowhere, I was on the far left lane and had to traverse over 5 lanes in moderate traffic while other drivers on the highway were going 60+ mph. This is a common issue among Honda Accords with the 1.5 engines.
My head gasket is blown. It blown while I was driving down the road, it went into limp mode. I took it to the dealership and got it inspected. My car kept running hot, it also keep losing speed and lights on the dashboard.
Hi, I would like to address two issues separately for my 2018 Honda Accord 1.5T 6MT; one dealing with the open recall and one dealing with how the vehicle operates dangerously due to poor programming under specific operating conditions. To add, I speak as an engineer working in the automotive space specifically on the design of ADAS and AV systems with ISO26262 and SOTIF in mind. 1) There is an open recall for my vehicle for a fuel pump issue. I am experiencing some of the symptoms of this issue, specifically, my car will hesitate at around 4000 RPMs during acceleration. I immediately back off the accelerator and then the check engine light flashes and I lose all engine power. I then restart my vehicle and it operates more or less normally with the occasional illumination of all the dash lights. I have taken my car to the dealership expressing my concerns (Braman Honda of Palm Beach in particular) and they said they cannot do anything about it unless since there are no parts. I have paid for them to diagnose the issue but since they cannot recreate the issue (as it is intermittent) they cannot do anything. Question: what is the point of a recall if a vehicle experiencing the symptoms that lead to the recall cannot be repaired due to "part shortages"? 2) I want to talk specifically of the vehicle programming to cut engine power off. I think I have a separate electrical issue that causes all the lights on the dashboard to go off and again cut engine power. I understand that engineers may want to design their vehicles to cut power off when there is a potential mechanical failure, but in this case the issue is purely electrical. The fact that I can restart my car and accelerate normally shows that the issue is not mechanical. I believe this programming needs to be addressed. To be frank, losing engine power while driving on the highway may lead to catastrophic consequences. I feel that my vehicle is unsafe to drive since it has happened to me multiple times already.
While taking off from a full stop, the vehicle's transmission shifted violently to the point where it felt as if the car was rear-ended. This is an issue for which I've filed numerous complaints before with the federal safety agency knowing about the problem by now, and having done nothing to initiate a recall. I have also taken the car to the dealer who failed to properly diagnose the issue. Finally, another mechanic did provide me with an entry from Honda where they sort of admit to the issue. The fix, of course, is to replace the valve body or the whole transmission. Hence, due to the federal safety agency sitting on their thumbs, thousands (maybe, hundreds of thousands) are now stuck with a vehicle which will need a multi-thousand dollar repair outside the warranty and the federal safety agency did not properly investigate the issue and push the manufacture to issue a recall.
Numerous Honda Accord 1.5T have blown head gaskets, numerous complaints of this happening during freeway travel. The car will suddenly go into a "limp mode" and won't let you travel over 20mph. This could cause an accident. Numerous examples of this can be found on YouTube, Facebook, Reddit, and other social media outlets. Honda Service Techs explained this happens because of weak head bolts that stretch overtime due to pre detonation. most commonly accruing between 20,000-75,000 miles. No recall, extended warranty, or TSB has been issued by Honda, often leaving the owner with a bill between $5000-$10,000.
I was attempting to accelerate on the acceleration ramp to merge into traffic on the interstate, when my vehicle began violently jerking, and suddenly lost all power. My check engine light came on and it went into limp mode. This has happened twice now. Both times I was able to make it safely into the shoulder of the road with my hazard lights on. I turned the vehicle off, reset it, and have had to drive it since. The warning lights are on and off, depending. They’ve had since December of 2023 to release a recall and they haven’t yet. I need a remedy.
These Accords are an extreme safety hazzard. Experienced an instant loss of power and without any prior warning signs. Once the issue accured the vehicle was impossible to drive putting the vehicle occupants and everyone on the road at risk. Now Honda does not want to fix the problem because they feel that would be an admission of guilt. This is not the first I've heard of this issue with these vehicles and I'm sure it will not be the last please help push these vehicles for a safety recall before more people get hurt.
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