2018 Honda Accord Hybrid Driver assistance Problems

On 2-252026 my wife and I were driving on highway I-15 in California when the car started to accelerate, decelerate and jerk and the engine light came on. It was very scary because we were on a major highway driving around 60 MPH and cars were behind us when the deceleration happened. We could have been hit by cars traveling behind us or either we could have caused a major accident. We had to get off the highway and have the car towed to Honda for assessment. There was no engine light warning or service warning from Honda prior to this happening, it just randomly happened. The car was repaired at a Honda dealership and they said there was a leaking head gasket on cylinder number 4. When we looked up information regarding this head gasket failure we saw that other Honda cars have had the same problem and Honda is currently involved in lawsuits regarding this leaking head gasket on cylinder number 4.

NHTSA ID

11746562

Incident

Feb 25, 2026

Over the past several years, there have been multiple instances where I or my wife are driving on the highway and the engine light comes on or starts flashing, and I am unable to go faster than 50 miles an hour, and the engine itself feels to be underpowered. We have taken it to the dealership for repair at least five times over the past five years and in each case they have attempted to do a repair and said the issue has been resolved, but the issue continue. At at least one of those visits, they have diagnosed the issue as an engine misfire issue. The issue has intensified from the initial symptoms, (which were as I described, but resolved by turning the car off, waiting 30 seconds to a minute and then turning the car on again) to how it is now: in addition to the check engine light, every other light and warning system has gone off when driving on the highway and the engine was unable to go faster than 40 miles an hour, and it does not resolve by restarting the car. The dealership and Honda America’s main phone line have as of yet been unable to give me a clear answer as to why this is happening or whether it can be fixed. A sudden drop in speed and power on the highway as we have experienced many times over the last five years is inherently extremely dangerous.

NHTSA ID

11715485

Incident

Jan 31, 2026

The contact owns a 2018 Honda Accord. The contact stated that upon starting the vehicle, various warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the Lane Departure, Lane Keep Assist, ACC, and Blind Spot Detection warning lights remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed, and the contact was informed that the malfunction or warning lights were a result of the camera being faulty and that the camera needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 105,000.

NHTSA ID

11686086

Incident

Sep 9, 2025

Mileage

105,000 mi

when i am driving in an area near my home with road construction- there is a certain area that has a metal plate in the road and when i approach in from the east my car will automatically brake hard. luckily this has not caused an accident but i suspect that it may because it is a busy road.

NHTSA ID

11668985

Incident

Jun 24, 2025

Multiple times in the state of Oklahoma, driving from Oklahoma to Maryland, and in Maryland Washington DC area, the automatic brakes apply at highway speeds on the interstate whenever there is a shadow in the road. It is extremely frightening. I am having the fuel pump recall Repaired at the Honda dealership today. I told the Honda dealership about this problem and they said they were unaware of it. They said they would reset the calibration on the anti-breaking system. However, upon research, it looks like you are investigating this problem. Please add my car to the list of cars affected. I do not know the exact dates that this happened but it has been. I would say at least 20 to 30 times since 2020 when I bought the vehicle.

NHTSA ID

11624186

Incident

Oct 30, 2024

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 factory warranty and the dealer would be charging diagnostic fees and unlikely to find anything wrong.

NHTSA ID

11623261

Incident

Nov 2, 2024

Emergency braking happened several times with NO obstacle in the way. Perfect driving conditions in daylight. Twice it slowed down my vehicle on the highway. A few other times the braking light came on but didn’t seem to actually put on the brake

NHTSA ID

11611957

Incident

Jun 6, 2024

The contact owns a 2018 Honda Accord. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the Forward Collision Avoidance feature was activated; however, the Forward Collision Avoidance feature failed to function as intended. The contact stated that the Forward Collision Avoidance was activated while there were no vehicles nearby. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced phantom braking. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The contact was informed that a diagnostic test was needed however, the contact declined. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. Additionally, the contact stated that the failure had occurred twice. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 20,000.

NHTSA ID

11602449

Incident

Jul 5, 2024

Mileage

20,000 mi

We purchased the vehicle new from our local dealer. The vehicle has randomly applied the brakes for no reason. It doesn't happen predictably and can sometimes be a severe or a strong application of the brakes. It is typically a quick application then quick release. Sometimes it will apply the brakes for a close vehicle in another lane. I'm concerned someone will rear end me. It's scary and very unsettling when it happens. I can't tell you a date when it last occurred. This submission form will not allow me to continue without selection a date, so I'm choosing today's date.

NHTSA ID

11584165

Incident

Apr 19, 2024

The contact owns a 2018 Honda Accord Hybrid. The contact stated while operating the vehicle, the back-up warning sensor malfunctioned and failed to properly alarm as needed. Additionally, while driving at various speeds, the power steering assist malfunctioned, causing the steering wheel to become difficult to turn in either direction. The cause of the failure was not determined. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, but no cause for the failure was found. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 48,000. The contact stated the vehicle was traded in and bought an EV.

NHTSA ID

11564853

Incident

Dec 15, 2023

Mileage

48,000 mi

I was slowly traveling up my gravel drive. As I turned to follow the drive to the right, my car suddenly accelerated. I hit the brake and after pumping the brake (like when braking on ice) my car slowed back down. I immediately searched the internet for similar complaints.

NHTSA ID

11559427

Incident

Dec 6, 2023

Around 7:45am full day light, clear weather, I was driving on a surface street with multiple lanes (3) going in a single direction with a center divide between the vehicles going in the opposite direction. I was traveling around 40 miles an hour there were no vehicles in front of me or beside me and no objects in the road. I had my foot on the accelerator and suddenly without any warning the Automatic Emergency Braking system engaged throwing me and contents in my vehicle forward. It felt like hard braking and clearly a malfunction of the vehicles ADAS. I felt very fortunate that no one was traveling behind me as the braking was so sudden that it could have lead to a rear-end collision. This is the second time this has occurred since owning the vehicle. The first time was 2021 and I was driving on the hwy at 75 miles an hour and the vehicles Automatic Emergency Braking system engaged. I through it was a fluke so I never reported the incident.

NHTSA ID

11555171

Incident

Nov 14, 2023

My automatic braking system is activating sporadically with no apparent object in front of me. My car has suddenly come to a complete stop while driving on Market Street, York PA when there was no traffic in front or to the side of me and luckily no one behind me. The "BRAKE" alert flashed and the car literally screeched to a stop. This happened again when I was in Stewartstown, PA and was starting to go over railroad tracks, it suddenly stopped. Again, no one was in front of me or behind me. I routinely drive I-83 from York to Harrisburg 3 days a week to go to work. If this would happen to me on I-83, this would cause a serious accident. I contacted Apple Honda and was told the system is just really "touchy" and there is no fix. The person I spoke with said a leaf blowing across the road could trigger the system. I have to deactivate the anti-collision feature whenever I drive. This is a serious issue that has been around for several years according to researching the issue and Honda refuses to fix this.

NHTSA ID

11508143

Incident

Feb 15, 2023

vehicle will display brake message and apply automatic breaking for no reason, with no obstructions in sight - has almost caused multiple accidents -

NHTSA ID

11454260

Incident

Feb 1, 2022

Driving on the interstate about two years ago when for no apparent reason the car suddenly braked hard. There was little traffic at the time. I assumed it was the automatic braking feature due to the display on the instrument panel. The brakes let off as suddenly as they had started. Luckily no other cars were nearby so there was little chance of being rear ended. There were no injuries or accidents as a result of this braking incident. Scared me half to death though! This has only happened the one time. The car is available for inspection as needed. I have never mentioned this to Honda as it only occurred once. There was no warning except for the simultaneous orange emergency collision warning on the instrument panel.

NHTSA ID

11453973

Incident

Feb 25, 2022

[XXX] Yesterday around 11:15AM CDT I was traveling north at 45 MPH right lane (4 lane road) no other cars around me (neither ahead, to the side or behind) and just before I reached a tree shaded spot on the road the Break Alert light started flashing and the Automatic Emergency Braking System engaged and slammed on the brakes (seemed like it cut the gas or electric power to the engine as my foot was on the accelerator pedal). It jarred my body and later in the evening my neck started to tighten up so I must have incurred whiplash. I looked on line and saw that there has been a class action case filed in 2019 about Honda’s ASBS engaging with no other vehicle around citing several other instances similar of what happened to me yesterday. When I went to unload my groceries that I had just purchased and placed in the cargo netting in the cars trunk, the force of the hard stop was so great that it pulled the clip that was holding the cargo netting out. I’ll attach a couple of pictures (clip that popped out is circled in red.) I’ve not contacted my doctor yet about the whiplash. Started putting cold and hot on my neck and taking Aleve. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA ID

11431912

Incident

Sep 6, 2021

after a software update to keep brake system, lkas, and collision mitigation system lights to go away, my car now still has those lights but also brakes suddenly when traveling at highway speeds and no cars are around.

NHTSA ID

11422770

Incident

Jun 26, 2021

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 COLLISION OR PARKING COLLISION TO FUNCTION, EVEN THOUGH THEY WERE ALL TURNED ON. WHEN "PARK" WAS DEPRESSED, WITH THE ENGINE STILL REVVING AT A HIGH SPEED, THE CAR FLEW FULL SPEED INTO REVERSE INTO THE DRIVEWAY, SPUN IN A CIRCLE THEN FLEW THROUGH THE DRIVEWAY ELEVATED CONCRETE DIVIDER, THROUGH THE NEIGHBORS FENCE AND WAS STOPPED BY A LARGE BOULDER UNDER THE DRIVER'S SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE ENGINE WAS SMOKING AND REVVING AND DID NOT IMMEDIATELY STOP. THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG HAD DEPLOYED AND THE DOOR WAS JAMMED. I CRAWLED OUT OF THE PASSENGER SIDE. THE NEIGHBOR INTO WHOSE YARD THE VEHICLE WENT, WITNESSED THE INCIDENT. ANOTHER NEIGHBOR RUSHED TO THE CAR WITH A FIRE EXTINGUISHER, DISCONNECTED ELECTRICAL WIRING AND SPRAYED THE ENGINE. THE CAR HAD GONE TOTALLY OUT OF CONTROL. IT TOOK THE TOWING SERVICE 2 HOURS TO GET THE CAR OUT OF THE YARD. MY INSURANCE COMPANY DETERMINED THE CAR TO BE A TOTAL LOSS. RECENTLY, THE COLLISION CENTER WHERE THE CAR WAS EVENTUALLY TAKEN, COMPLETED AN ANALYSIS OF THE CAR'S COMPUTER AND DETERMINED THERE HAD BEEN MULTIPLE COMPUTER SYSTEM FAILURES LEADING TO THE CAR BECOMING UNCONTROLLABLE. FORTUNATELY, I WAS NOT SERIOUSLY INJURED. HAD THIS HAPPENED IN A BUSY AREA, THERE COULD HAVE BEEN A MUCH MORE DISASTROUS RESULT WITH DEATHS. THE POLICE ARRIVED BUT DID NOT FILE A POLICE REPORT AS THE INCIDENT WAS ON PRIVATE PROPERTY AND THERE WAS NO ONE SERIOUSLY INJURED.*DT *TR

NHTSA ID

11376459

Incident

Nov 5, 2020

Mileage

15,500 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 HONDA ACCORD HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE APPROACHING HIS DRIVEWAY, HE DEPRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL TO STOP BUT WITHOUT WARNING, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATE FORWARD AND CRASHED INTO HIS GARAGE AS THE CONTACT PLACED THE VEHICLE IN PARK. THE VEHICLE REVERSED DOWN THE DRIVE WAY WENT THROUGH A FENCE CRASHED INTO A BOLDER WHICH STOPPED THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS STILL REVVING AND AN ODOR WAS COMING FROM THE TIRES. THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR AIR BAG DEPLOYED HOWEVER NO OTHER AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. NO INJURIES WERE SUSTAINED. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT MADE DUE TO PRIVATE PROPERTY REGULATION. NO MEDICAL ATTENTION WAS NEEDED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT TOWING LOT HOWEVER AT THIS MOMENT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT BEEN INSPECTED. THE DEALER SUNSET HONDA (12250 LOS OSOS VALLEY RD, SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA 93405 (805) 250-4998) WAS CONTACTED AND INFORMED THE CONTACT TO CONTACT THE MANUFACTURER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED HOWEVER NO RESPONSE WAS MADE TO THE VOICE MAIL MESSAGE THAT WAS SENT FROM THE CONTACT. THE FAILURE MILEAGE APPROXIMATELY 15,500.*CK*DT*JB *BF*JB

NHTSA ID

11373995

Incident

Nov 5, 2020

Mileage

15,500 mi

REPEATEDLY AT RANDOM INTERVALS DURING HOT & COLD WEATHER I HEAR LOUD BUZZING VIBRATION SOUND COMING FROM AREA HOUSING HIGH VOLTAGE LITHIUM ION BATTERY!!! OVER THE PAST ONE YEAR. ALWAYS WHILE DRIVING AT 46 TO 52 MPH, NOW IN COLD WEATHER IS STARTING AT 35 MPH . I FEAR OVER HEATING OR FIRE FROM HIGH VOLTAGE LITHIUM ION BATTERY!!! I HAD THE DEALER REPLACE A MIC LOCATED IN THE CABIN AND NOT PROBLEM WAS CORRECTED, 7 DIFFERENT TECHNICIANS AT HONDA HAD HEAR THIS NOISE BUT THEY DON"T KNOW WHAT IT IS. THIS IS BEEN HAPPEN SINCE THE CAR HAD 4200 MILES NOW IS 28000 AND IS GETTING WORST . PLEASE IF YOU HAVING THIS SIMILAR ISSUE TAKE THE TIME TO REPORT IT HERE SO HONDA CAN TAKE IT SERIOUS THIS CAN BE A FIRE HAZARD .

NHTSA ID

11286971

Incident

Dec 4, 2019

ON SUNDAY NIGHT (11/10/19) AROUND 5:15 PM, I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE LEFT LANE OF A 2-LANE HIGHWAY AT ~55 MPH. THE CLOSEST VEHICLE WAS NO LESS THAN 5 CAR LENGTHS AHEAD OF ME. RANDOMLY, THE ORANGE "BRAKE" LIGHT CAME ON IN THE DASH AND THE CAR AUTOMATICALLY SLAMMED ON THE BRAKES ALMOST TO A COMPLETE STOP CAUSING MY HEAD TO JOLT FORWARD. LUCKILY THE CAR BEHIND ME WAS ABLE TO STOP AS I STARTED TO ACCELERATE AGAIN. I BELIEVE THERE WAS NOTHING IN FRONT OF ME OR ON THE ROAD THAT SHOULD HAVE CAUSED THIS SAFETY FEATURE TO ENGAGE. THIS WAS VERY DANGEROUS AND SCARY. I WOKE UP THIS MORNING IN EXCRUCIATING PAIN FROM MY NECK AND SHOULDERS DOWN TO MY LOWER BACK. THE PAIN HAS BEEN GETTING WORSE THROUGHOUT THE DAY AND IS NOW RADIATING DOWN MY ARMS AND I HAVE LIMITED RANGE OF MOTION. LAST NIGHT, I FIGURED OUT HOW TO TURN OFF THE AUTOMATIC BRAKE FEATURE AND HAVE NOT TURNED IT BACK ON TODAY.

NHTSA ID

11279449

Incident

Nov 10, 2019

Mileage

10,000 mi

VEHICLE CRASH AVOIDANCE SYSTEM ERRONEOUSLY APPLIES BRAKES WHEN NO VEHICLE IS IN FRONT OF THE VEHICLE AND CAUSES NEAR REAR END COLLISIONS WHILE MOVING ON LOCAL OR INTERSTATE ROADS. THIS HAS BEEN OCCURRING SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS DELIVERED NEW.

NHTSA ID

11271332

Incident

Oct 25, 2019

Mileage

13,000 mi

PARKING AT NURSERY SHOP, CAR WENT OUT OF CONTROL SPEEDING AND RUNNING OVER THE CONCRETE STOPER AND NURSERY FENCE. IT WAS A SUDDEN ACCELERATION AND VEHICLE COULD NOT BE STOPPED. THE CAR WAS MOVING IN SLOW MOTION TO PARK AND HAD A SUDDEN ACCELERATION THAT CAUSED THE ACCIDENT. VERY SCARY. TRIED TO STOP PRESSING THE BRAKES BUT THE CAR WOULD NOT RESPOND. NO INJURIES BUT IT COULD HAPPEN TO ANYONE ANYWHERE.

NHTSA ID

11219067

Incident

Jun 10, 2019

Mileage

8,000 mi

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

NHTSA ID

11183179

Incident

Dec 23, 2018

Mileage

5,000 mi

ON MY WAY BACK TO HOME IN SAN DIEGO CA IN LATE JAN 2019 THE PANEL STARTED SHOWING WARNING SIGNS LIKE BRAKE SYSTEM LIGHT ON, ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL/ROAD DEPARTURE MITIGATION/LANE KEEPING ASSIST SYSTEM (LKAS) LIGHTS ARE ALL ON SAYING FAILURE. THIS WAS THE SECOND TIME FOR MY AROUND 2000 MILES ACCORD HYBRID. THE FIRST TIME IT WAS ABLE TO RESOLVE BY RE-POWER ON THE CAR BUT SECOND TIME IT WAS COMPLETELY FAILED. THEN I WENT BACK TO DEALER THE OTHER DAY AND IT TURNED OUT THE MULTIPURPOSE CAMERA DID NOT WORK PROPERLY UNDER RAIN AND LOW TEMPERATURE (IT WAS JUST TYPICAL SAN DIEGO WINTER) SO THEY REPLACED ONE. IT IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SINCE I HAVE SEEN PEOPLE REPORTED THE SAME ISSUE EVERYWHERE. AFTER THE REPLACEMENT THE AUTO-HIGHBEAM STARTED WORKING AS WELL, BEFORE I DIDNT EVEN KNOW IT WAS NOT WORKING. SAME WARNING SIGN LIKE THIS VIDEO: HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=-_NFU2HPNGC

NHTSA ID

11180892

Incident

Jan 24, 2019

Mileage

2,100 mi