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2018 Honda Civic Type R Problems

Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
5
Latest Aug 9, 2026
Components namedHow many of our component categories appear on at least one report for this model year. One report can name several.
5
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
1

What this page shows

Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2018 Honda Civic Type R, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Reports by component

Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category

  • Brakes120.0%
  • Heating & air conditioning120.0%
  • Engine120.0%
  • Powertrain (other)120.0%
  • Steering120.0%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Each component in detail

What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words

Brakes

Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

On Thursday [XXX] I left San Marcos, CA and drove north to meet with my future father-in-law who lives in Shady Canyon, located in Irvine, CA. My car, a 2018 Honda Civic Type R, performed normally on the way to his house, without any warning lamps, messages, etc shown. The tires had regular pressure and all maintenance on the vehicle was current. Upon leaving my friend's house, I drove 1/4 mile down the road and stopped at a 3way stop sign before turning left through a gate which has an electronic arm--once a vehicle is sensed, the arm is raised and the vehicle continues forward. As I proceeded to the gate, the car accelerated, the steering froze, and I could not steer the car away from the oncoming gate. I slammed on the brakes and the brakes were non responsive although I applied immediate, hard pressure on the pedal. This is a performance car with very strong brakes capable of stopping it in a very short distance. Within a split second, my right front bumper slammed into a post right of the gate, and both front air bags and the side airbags deployed, and vehicle's momentum was stopped. I was unhurt other than a small scratch on my finger. Within minutes, the Community Security and Irvine police responded, and I told them what had happened: The steering froze and the brakes were unresponsive which led to this accident. The Police Officer confirmed from the accident scene that speed was not involved in this incident. My car was towed to a salvage yard (CoPart) affiliated with my insurance company, USAA. I asked the USAA Customer Agent if they could check the Electronic Data Recorder (EDR) on my vehicle, to learn what had occurred in the moments up to the incident. They referred me to Honda USA whom I called on June 22, 2026. However, Honda did not call me for 17 days, and they stated that they could not check the EDR and I should have hired an Inspector to do this. During this time, the car was declared a loss. So, the accident cause is unknown. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT

NHTSA ID 11755767 · filed Aug 9, 2026

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Heating & air conditioning

Reports naming the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

See attached document for complaint

NHTSA ID 11577280 · filed Mar 14, 2024

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Engine

Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

It is a common issue on the Honda Civic Type R from 2017 to 2021 in which water will leak through the hood scoop causing water to drip onto cylinder 4 causing a misfire. Misfire No. 4 Cylinder (DTC P0304). There is a TSB for it under 25-062 for this same issue. Water could enter the hood scoop and accumulate down inside the no. 4 spark plug hole. This can corrode the ignition coil, plug tube, and spark plug, leading to a misfire to the no. 4 cylinder. If a misfire is detected, DTC P0304 is stored. The only warning signs will be the check engine light once the coil pack goes bad in which mosts cases there is corrosion on the plug tube and the spark plug from the water accumulating. There is lost of power and can happen during drives.

NHTSA ID 11740562 · filed May 28, 2026

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Powertrain (other)

Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

Transmission problems I have a manual transmission when you shift from 1 to second and from second to third gear sometimes the transmission will grind. I have 16.500 miles on my car and the power train should be covered under warranty. I took it to my honda dealership and the honda technician will not drive the vehicle to make the problems arise. Honda of america said that it is a dealership matter because they only make the cars not sell them. This is a pass the buck issue if I never saw one. So now I have to pay the dealership a 169.00 plus taxes diagnostic fee when the Son's Honda technician wouldn't even drive the vehicle to make the problem show up. This car is supposed to be the top of the line performance Honda Civic Type R and the technician won't drive it to make the problem show up. So I will have wasted 169.00 plus taxes for nothing because without the technician duplicating the problem Honda of America won't fix my transmission.

NHTSA ID 11552869 · filed Oct 31, 2023

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Steering

Reports naming the steering system — racks, columns, power-steering assist and steering linkage.

1
report

From owner reports, verbatim

On Thursday [XXX] I left San Marcos, CA and drove north to meet with my future father-in-law who lives in Shady Canyon, located in Irvine, CA. My car, a 2018 Honda Civic Type R, performed normally on the way to his house, without any warning lamps, messages, etc shown. The tires had regular pressure and all maintenance on the vehicle was current. Upon leaving my friend's house, I drove 1/4 mile down the road and stopped at a 3way stop sign before turning left through a gate which has an electronic arm--once a vehicle is sensed, the arm is raised and the vehicle continues forward. As I proceeded to the gate, the car accelerated, the steering froze, and I could not steer the car away from the oncoming gate. I slammed on the brakes and the brakes were non responsive although I applied immediate, hard pressure on the pedal. This is a performance car with very strong brakes capable of stopping it in a very short distance. Within a split second, my right front bumper slammed into a post right of the gate, and both front air bags and the side airbags deployed, and vehicle's momentum was stopped. I was unhurt other than a small scratch on my finger. Within minutes, the Community Security and Irvine police responded, and I told them what had happened: The steering froze and the brakes were unresponsive which led to this accident. The Police Officer confirmed from the accident scene that speed was not involved in this incident. My car was towed to a salvage yard (CoPart) affiliated with my insurance company, USAA. I asked the USAA Customer Agent if they could check the Electronic Data Recorder (EDR) on my vehicle, to learn what had occurred in the moments up to the incident. They referred me to Honda USA whom I called on June 22, 2026. However, Honda did not call me for 17 days, and they stated that they could not check the EDR and I should have hired an Inspector to do this. During this time, the car was declared a loss. So, the accident cause is unknown. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT

NHTSA ID 11755767 · filed Aug 9, 2026

Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.

Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .