Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2018 Honda Accord Hybrid owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
About two weeks ago, I could have been killed on the New York State Thruway when my 2018 Honda Accord suddenly lost all power. One moment, I was driving normally-then, without warning, my check engine light came on, I had zero ability to accelerate and was forced to pull over as my car rapidly lost speed. II had my vehicle towed to Morehead Honda where they ran diagnostics and told me my car needed nearly $6,000 in repairs due to coolant leaking into the engine, which caused cylinder misfires and valve damage. But here's the kicker-this same issue has happened to other Honda Accords of the same model year, yet Honda refuses to recognize it as a widespread problem. Morehead Honda admitted to me that they've seen this issue before in other 2018-2020 Honda Accords and 2017-2018 CR-Vs. …
At approximately [redacted]. Pacific, I was traveling southbound in the fastrak lane of the [redacted] departing from Pleasant Hill, California headed to Pleasanton, California. As I began to accelerate, the engine began to sputter. Immediately, the check engine light flashed on, then the dashboard reported a number of issues ranging from brake failure, TPMS failure, power assisted steering failure, vehicle stability assist failure and a number of other issues that I have never encountered since purchasing the vehicle. The sudden deceleration almost resulted in other cars impacting my car as this occurred during the morning commute. I was able to safely navigate off of the freeway. I was on speakerphone with Honda when this occurred. Had I not acted swiftly, a potential high speed rear end collision was likely to have occurred. I immediately took the car to Concord Honda. …
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. …
While driving on the highway at approximately 65 mph with my child in the vehicle during rush-hour on May 21, 2026, my 2018 Honda Accord Hybrid Touring (105,746 miles) suddenly dropped speed, and began backfiring and stopped responding to the gas pedal. The check engine light flashed and the vehicle ran rough. I activated emergency flashers and drove slowly to the shoulder. Sunnyvale Honda (Sunnyvale, CA) diagnosed coolant intrusion into one of the cylinders and head gasket failure. The vehicle had never overheated and showed no prior warning signs. All maintenance was performed at Honda dealerships per the maintenance minder schedule. The dealership performed a head gasket repair costing $7,500+ out of pocket. …
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. …
The car loses power. It starts as a misfire on cylinder 2 (P0302 code) and the engine starts to shutdown (or goes into a safe mode with no power). The result is loss of speed which creates a safety hazard especially on highways. This has happened multiple times and the car has been in the shop 4 times for this issue. We have to pull off the road, turn the car off, sit for a minute and restart the car. It will then run ok. This has happened during acceleration and when just trying to keep speed on an incline. The dealership has not been able to identify an issue. The head gasket was replaced in April 2025 because they thought there was a pin hole that was causing oil to push into the cylinder. The misfire continued to happen. It was in the shop on October 2025 and they found nothing wrong with the spark plug, induction coils, gas feed. Therefore no understanding of the root cause.
This has occurred on two separate dates. While using ECON mode and driving on the highway I went to accelerate to pass another vehicle and the car started shaking and the check engine light started flashing. I could no longer accelerate with traffic traveling at speeds of 70 behind me. I was able to safely maneuver my car to the should of the highway. I turned it off for a few minutes and turned it back on and it operated perfectly fine with no engine light on anymore. The second time it happened the car forced the ECON mode off while flashing the check engine light, but kept shaking until I pulled over and turned off the car for a few minutes. I will be taking it to the dealer. Had there not been a highway shoulder I would've had to force my way across 4 lanes on a 70mph highway while being unable to accelerate or come to a complete stop in the fast lane which is a major safety issue.
Car has been throwing check engine light codes for different things for the past three years. First, the spark plugs needed to be replaced, then the electric coolant pump. After each repair, the check engine light came back on as soon as 4 days after but as late as a month after. Most recently, while driving on the highway the car check engine light came on and began flashing and the vehicle would not accelerate past 20mph. I took the closest exit and parked the car and had it towed to the closest Honda dealer where they informed me that there is an active recall and they are waiting for a call to see what they can do to help but that there is a head gasket issue as well as a fuel pump code. Previously when the check engine light came on and it took it to get checked I was told there was no code holding in the system.
Failed: 2018 Honda Accord Hybrid 67,966 miles - Headgasket replacement needed (Determined by dealer DCH Honda Paramus, NJ / Reconfirmed by a private mechanic) Yes, the vehicle is available for inspection. Safety issue: The engine can suddenly overheat/seize and become inoperable. Warning message: Engine Temperature Near Limit. Avoid Heavy Acceleration and High Speed. A warning message appeared on [redacted] Other details: After searching via Google, YouTube, [redacted], and other sites, the issue seems to start as early as 60~70K miles. The most probable source of the issue appears to be a weak rod or with pressure.
Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL) on with the DTC P030X (Cylinder Misfire Detected) stored. Experience engine running rough. - There are multiple misfiring cylinders. available for inspection upon request. - My safety and the safety of others was put in immediate risk when the engine started to jerk violently back and forth on the freeway. - The problem been reproduced and confirmed by a certified local Honda dealership. - There were no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure.
Engine complaints in other Accord Hybrid years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2018 Honda Accord Hybrid?
NHTSA has 25 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2018 Honda Accord Hybrid, 22% of the model year's 116 complaints.
Is there a recall for 2018 Honda Accord Hybrid engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2018 Honda Accord Hybrid, though it has 4 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2018 Honda Accord Hybrid engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 12,000 miles, and 56% before 25,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.