VehicleVerdict

2018 Honda Accord Hybrid problems

Verdict · NHTSA data

One of the years to avoid

The 2018 Honda Accord Hybrid carries two red flags at once: 169 consumer complaints filed with NHTSA — 2.7× the Accord Hybrid norm — and an open NHTSA defect investigation (subject: Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking). It is one of the Accord Hybrid years to avoid.

No single system dominates the record — complaints spread across other (24), electrical system (23), and fuel system (22), which usually points to general build quality rather than one defect. In government crash testing it earned 5 of 5 NCAP stars overall.

169

NHTSA complaints

4

Recalls

3

Investigations · 1 open

6

Crash-involved

3

Fires reported

2

Injuries

0

Deaths

5

NCAP overall · of 5 stars

How does 2018 compare to other Accord Hybrid years?

Accord Hybrid NHTSA complaints by model year, 2018 highlighted283 complaints2005: 43 complaints2006: 0 complaints2007: 1 complaints2014: 34 complaints2015: 64 complaints2016: 1 complaints2017: 69 complaints2018: 169 complaints2019: 140 complaints2020: 62 complaints2021: 67 complaints2022: 82 complaints2023: 283 complaints2024: 131 complaints2025: 41 complaints2026: 0 complaints
Accord Hybrid NHTSA complaints by model year, 2018 highlighted. Red bars are years to avoid.

See all Accord Hybrid years to avoid →

What are the most common 2018 Honda Accord Hybrid problems?

ComponentComplaintsShare
Other2414%
Electrical System2314%
Engine2213%
Fuel System2213%
Driver Assistance1811%
Brakes138%
Speed Control95%
Steering95%
Transmission74%
Body & Structure64%
Tires & Wheels64%
Visibility & Wipers42%
Seat Belts32%
Suspension21%
Lighting11%

Does the 2018 Honda Accord Hybrid have recalls?

4 NHTSA recall campaigns on file. Recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.

26V332000AirbagsMay 21, 2026 · 98,892 units

Defect

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.

Consequence

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 are expected to be mailed July 6, 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 NHTSA recall number 24V064. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning May 29, 2026.

23V858000Fuel SystemDecember 18, 2023 · 2,490,460 units

Defect

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.

Consequence

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 NHTSA recall numbers 21V-215 and 20V-314.

23V158000Seat BeltsMarch 9, 2023 · 448,613 units

Defect

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.

Consequence

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.

20V771000Electrical SystemDecember 10, 2020 · 737,233 units

Defect

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.

Consequence

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.

Open NHTSA investigations

EA24002

Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking

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 NHTSA.gov.

Consumer complaints filed with NHTSA

Representative excerpts, cleaned of personal information. These are consumer statements, not verified defects.

“NEW 2018 HONDA ACCORD HYBRID MAKES LOW FREQUENCY "BUZZING" NOISE WHILE PARKED IN GARAGE SEVERAL HOURS AFTER 30 MINUTES OR MORE RIDE. BUZZING NOISE NOT HEARD IMMEDIATELY AFTER ENGINE SHUT OFF. NOISE NOT HEARD UNTIL SERENDIPITY ACCESSING GARAGE AT LEAST TWO HOURS AFTER ENGINE SHUT OFF. MULTIPLE…”

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Other · October 14, 2018

“I WAS SLOWLY PULLING INTO MY GARAGE TO PARK. WHEN I PRESSED ON THE PARKING BREAK, THE CAR REVVED TO FULL SPEED, SLAMMED INTO GARAGE AND WOULD NOT RESPOND TO THE BRAKES, OR ANY ATTEMPT TO TURN OFF THE IGNITION OR TO CONTROL THE CAR, INCLUDING FAILURE OF THE AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD…”

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Electrical System · November 5, 2020 · crash · fire

“AFTER FILLING THE FUEL TANK, A STRONG ODOR OF GASOLINE WAS SMELLED IN THE CAR. THE CAR WAS TAKEN TO THE LOCAL HONDA DEALER AND AFTER 5 DAYS THEY STILL HAVEN'T FOUND THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. THEY HAVE ATTEMPTED TO DEODORIZE THE CAR EACH DAY AND VENTILATE IT USING FANS BUT I DON'T KNOW IF THE FUEL…”

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Fuel System · February 15, 2020

“2018 HONDA ACCORD HYBRID TOURING - LOUD HUMMING NOISE WHILE CRUISING AT 52MPH. READ GOOGLE AND YOU'LL FIND MANY OTHERS HAVE SIMILAR ISSUES BUT NO KNOWN RESOLVE. HAVE BEEN REPEATEDLY ABLE TO REPRODUCE AND IT CAN BE OBNOXIOUS AT TIMES BUT OF COURSE HONDA DENIES ANY KNOWLEDGE OF THE ISSUE AND CLAIMS…”

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Engine · November 11, 2020

“I was driving in between 40 and 50 miles per hour and the automatic braking got activated automatically for a few seconds. The road was clear and there were no vehicles or obstacles anywhere. It was about 9.15 am and approx temp was 40 F. This is the second time it occurred. The car is not under…”

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Driver Assistance · November 2, 2024

2018 Honda Accord Hybrid — common questions

Is the 2018 Honda Accord Hybrid reliable?

NHTSA data argues against it: 169 complaints put the 2018 model at #2 of 16 Accord Hybrid years, and a defect investigation remains open. It is one of the Accord Hybrid years to avoid.

What are the most common 2018 Accord Hybrid problems?

According to NHTSA complaint data, the leading problem areas are other (24 complaints), electrical system (23 complaints), fuel system (22 complaints).

Does the 2018 Honda Accord Hybrid have recalls?

Yes — NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns affecting the 2018 Honda Accord Hybrid. Recall repairs are free at franchised dealers; check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to confirm the work was done.

Is the 2018 Honda Accord Hybrid under NHTSA investigation?

Yes — an investigation remains open (Inadvertent Automatic Emergency Braking). An open ODI action means NHTSA is actively assessing a possible defect.

Which Honda Accord Hybrid years should you avoid?

Based on complaint rates and open investigations, the Accord Hybrid years to avoid are 2023, 2018, 2019, 2024, 2022, 2021, 2020. The cleanest record among Accord Hybrid years belongs to 2026.

How safe is the 2018 Honda Accord Hybrid?

In NHTSA's NCAP crash testing, the 2018 Honda Accord Hybrid earned an overall rating of 5 out of 5 stars.

Related

Based on NHTSA ODI data through June 2026. Complaints are consumer-reported and unverified. Updated July 5, 2026.

Compiled by Sharon Ben-Moshe, Founder.