2018 Honda Accord: What to check before buying

Most of these complaints concern recall 23V858000 for the fuel pump, and many say the repair part was unavailable for a long time. Where failures happened, the car jerks, stalls, refuses to accelerate, or drops into limp mode, with several warning lights on at once. Some owners say the stall returned after the recall repair, and one says a replacement pump failed. Lower fuel economy also comes up. None of the 162 complaints involve a crash, fire, or injury.

Fuel injector failure is the main pattern. Several warning lights come on at once, misfire codes appear, and the dealer replaces the injectors, usually at 53,000 to 80,000 miles for about $1,300 to $1,500. Some owners first tried spark plugs and coils without success. Other complaints cover long waits for the fuel pump recall part, loss of power and stalling on the highway, a strong fuel smell after parking, and lower fuel economy, including in hybrids. None of the 108 complaints involve a crash, fire, or injury.

Head gasket failure on the 1.5L turbo dominates these reports. Coolant leaks into a cylinder, the engine misfires, and the car loses power or drops into limp mode, often at highway speed with the dash full of warning lights. Many cases fall between about 75,500 and 91,500 miles, even with on-schedule maintenance. Other reports blame failed fuel injectors, a failed turbocharger, or a fuel pump that stalled the engine without warning. Of the 254 complaints, 3 involve crashes and 2 involve fires, including one fire in the engine compartment.

Warning lights fill the dash and the driver-assist systems act on their own. Reports describe automatic braking with nothing ahead, lane keeping that steers the car off course, and an electric parking brake that engaged at highway speed. Others describe stalls, sudden acceleration while parking, a backup camera that failed, and repeat misfires that hold the car near 50 mph and that dealers could not fix. One report describes smoke rising from the dash. Of the 237 complaints, 11 involve crashes, 3 involve fires, and 6 involve injuries.

The car brakes hard on its own with no vehicle or object ahead, sometimes from highway speed. Drivers say it happens near shadows or on empty roads, and several report neck injuries and whiplash. A second pattern is a recurring collision mitigation error that shuts off adaptive cruise. A restart clears it, then it comes back within miles. Dealers often find nothing because no fault is stored. One out-of-warranty repair quote topped $3,000. Of the 170 complaints, 6 involve injuries, and many describe near rear-end collisions.

Two problems show up here. The first is automatic braking that slams on with nothing nearby, which caused neck and shoulder injuries in several reports. The second is early rear brake wear: one rear pad wears to metal while the others stay fine, often around 17,750 to 32,223 miles, followed by grinding, pulsing, or corroded rotors. Several owners replaced rear pads and rotors more than once, and one dealer linked the wear to a caliper. Of the 150 complaints, 5 involve injuries.

A blown head gasket on the 1.5L turbo is the main complaint. The engine shakes and misfires, warning lights come on, and the car goes into limp mode, sometimes unable to pass 10 or 20 mph on a busy road. Reported mileages range widely, with several near 77,000 to 86,000. Repair quotes around $5,800 are common. Other reports cover transmission slipping and a car that rolled while in Park, which pinned and injured one owner. Of the 115 complaints, 1 involves a crash and 1 involves an injury.

Sudden acceleration while parking or pulling in is the most serious pattern. Drivers say the car surged over curbs and into walls or other cars and did not respond to the brakes. Phantom braking at highway speed also appears, along with collision mitigation errors that shut off adaptive cruise every 70 to 120 miles. Some owners report stalling and slowing down on their own after the fuel pump recall. Of the 74 complaints, 6 involve crashes and 4 involve injuries.

At highway speed the steering sticks near center, then breaks free with a jolt, which makes drivers overcorrect and weave in the lane. It often starts early, between about 4,200 and 18,000 miles, and can get worse in cold weather. Dealers have fixed it by replacing the steering gear box, which was on backorder in some cases. Other reports describe lane keeping that steers toward large trucks or reacts to tar patches, plus vibration at speed. Of the 64 complaints, 2 involve crashes and 2 involve injuries.