2018 Honda Accord problems & reliability
1,827 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2018 Honda Accord, alongside 6 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
26 complaints report injuries (39 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2018 Honda Accord vehicles were involved in 174 fatal crashes with 89 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Engine | 521 | 29% |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 326 | 18% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 296 | 16% |
| Electrical System | 279 | 15% |
| Service Brakes | 247 | 14% |
| Unknown OR Other | 243 | 13% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 165 | 9% |
| Power Train | 130 | 7% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 110 | 6% |
| Steering | 59 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 24,269 miles (middle 50% between 8,000 and 68,897 miles), based on 560 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“My vehicle started stalling and shaking right before all of the warning lights on my dashboard came on and the safety features stopped working (brake assist, brake hold etc). After checking, the spark plugs were all burnt out so I changed it along with the coil pack and this remedied the issue temporarily until it…”
Engine · filed Aug 5, 2026
“Major safety issue will lead to loss power and visual hazard for cars on road. 2018 accord 1.5 has a coolant leak in cylinder 2 and three via scope verified , shop said it needs a headgasket. It had misfire codes on scanner and shakes when start up. This will be potentially big issue if motor blows up on free way from…”
Engine · filed Aug 5, 2026
“Starting in the middle of July my 2018 Accord began showing a "Supplemental Restraint System Problem. See Your Dealer." message. Upon dealer(Ed Martin Honda) inspection it was found that the passenger seat airbag sensor was faulty and needed replaced. Upon checking I found that there is a recall for the faulty sensor…”
Air Bags · filed Aug 4, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking
Engineering Analysis EA24002 · opened Apr 15, 2024 · open
- Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking
Preliminary Evaluation PE22003 · opened Feb 21, 2022 · closed Apr 18, 2024
Technical service bulletins
300 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2018 Honda Accord. The 10 most recent:
Service Bulletin - Honda has developed software updates to the Honda Sensing system to enhance driver experience by modifying the circumstances when the advanced driver assist system (ADAS) decelerates the vehicle or…
A26-091 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 31, 2026
Service Bulletin - American Honda has identified a condition that may affect Collision Mitigation Braking System (CMBS) operation. Due to software programming issues of the Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS)…
A26-091 v1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 24, 2026
Dealer Message - Due to software programming issues of the Advanced Driver Assistance System (ADAS), unexpected vehicle deceleration may occur.
AEBM07242026901 · Other · issued Jul 24, 2026
Tech Line Summary - Customers who have purchased the Accessory CarPlay /Android Auto upgrade are complaining that a pop-up message appears on the audio unit display stating, “Please insert USB drive containing valid…
ATS30025 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 19, 2025
Dealer Message - Some customers have reported a pop-up message on the audio unit display stating: “Please insert USB drive containing valid software license file and press OK button.” When this message appears, the…
APS&12192025902 · Other · issued Dec 19, 2025
Dealer Message - Some customers have reported a pop-up message on the audio unit display stating: “Please insert USB drive containing valid software license file and press OK button.” When this message appears, the…
AAR12192025901 · Other · issued Dec 19, 2025
Service Bulletin - Oil leak at timing chain tensioner inspection cover due to possible insufficient sealant adhesion on inspection cover.
A25-074 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 29, 2025
Service News - From our investigation, we've found the reason could be customers are trying to pull open the fuel fill door, not realizing it's been locked by the Walk Away Auto Lock feature. When activated, the Walk…
A20030B · Other · issued Jun 6, 2025
Service News - Honda has received reports of broken fuel fill door clips. From our investigation, Honda has found that the reason could be customers are trying to pull open the fuel fill door, not realizing it's been…
A20030B · Other · issued May 2, 2025
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2018-2024 Accord 1.5Ls, 2021-2024 Civics 1.5Ls, 2023-2024 CR-Vs 1.5Ls, and 2017 Fits with customer complaint of Check Engine Light (CEL) on…
ATI&12022024909 · Other · issued Dec 3, 2024
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2018 Honda Accord has 6 NHTSA recall campaigns — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2018 Honda Accord?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 24,269 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.