2018 Honda Accord Transmission and drivetrain Problems
- Complaints
- 139about this part
- Share
- 7%of 1,897 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 14,110miles
- Trend
- RisingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% higher than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 139 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2018 Honda Accord, 7% of the 1,897 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 14,110 miles. 1 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“I was on the highway with moderate traffic. My car would no longer accelerate due to a blown head gasket out of nowhere, I was on the far left lane and had to traverse over 5 lanes in moderate traffic while other drivers on the highway were going 60+ mph. This is a common issue among Honda Accords with the 1.5 engines.”
NHTSA complaint #11633848, filed 2025-01, 69,043 miles“2018 Accord touring 2.0 about 1800 miles on it. The car shifts very rough in the first 3-4 gears when the car is cold. Also happens at times when its warmer. One dealer claimed to have fixed it with a Honda approved break-in procedure. It did not solve the issue. It has happened each day I drive the car since I first got it about a month ago.”
NHTSA complaint #11191576, filed 2019-03, 1,800 miles“All of the lights in the dash came on . We took it to Honda , at first they said it was the coils and spark plugs. I had them replaced , the same thing happened again the computer read that it was misfiring on one of the cylinders . They kept it and ran several tests . They then tried to say that it the result of a bad oil change but we knew better. After about a month they said that it had over heated and blown the head gasket . I ended up having to use my warranty and pay a deductible.”
NHTSA complaint #11671302, filed 2025-07, 109,987 miles“My vehicle has missing structural adhesive on the front driver side suspension strut tower. It appears the robot that bonds the pieces of metal together with adhesive either had an air bubble in the line when this vehicle was made or there was some other defect. In addition, the transmission shifts extremely rough and nothing has been done by Honda to correct the issue. I also had to have bubbles fixed in the paint on the trunk lid. …”
NHTSA complaint #11234595, filed 2019-07, 13,000 miles“As I was driving myself and child on the interstate 65 mph the vehicle all of a sudden dropped speed and would not accelerate. I drifted the car off the interstate off ramp and pulled into a store parking lot. Luckily, we did not cause an accident or hit anything or anyone. All the lights on car's dashboard blinking some examples are EPS, VSA, Malfunction lamp, Breaking system, check engine light, etc. My car did not show that it was running hot, was not smoking, however would not accelerate. The car had a slight rattle, running bad, shaking slightly; all in all, not working appropriately. …”
NHTSA complaint #11707381, filed 2025-12, 86,530 milesRelated service bulletins
- 10178466Aug 7, 2020Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2018-2020 Accords & 2019-2020 Insights with a customer complaint of the Malfunction Indicator Light…
Transmission and drivetrain: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 5 | 5% |
| 2024 | 6 | 4% |
| 2023 | 3 | 3% |
| 2022 | 8 | 3% |
| 2021 | 14 | 6% |
| 2020 | 16 | 4% |
| 2019 | 43 | 6% |
| 2018 | 139 | 7% |
| 2017 | 33 | 6% |
| 2016 | 29 | 5% |
| 2015 | 40 | 7% |
| 2014 | 65 | 7% |
| 2013 | 110 | 8% |
| 2012 | 27 | 7% |
| 2011 | 21 | 7% |
| 2010 | 45 | 8% |
| 2009 | 36 | 5% |
| 2008 | 70 | 5% |
| 2007 | 58 | 11% |
| 2006 | 50 | 12% |
| 2005 | 113 | 17% |
| 2004 | 348 | 34% |
| 2003 | 924 | 47% |
| 2002 | 478 | 46% |
| 2001 | 209 | 23% |
| 2000 | 201 | 17% |
| 1999 | 246 | 22% |
| 1998 | 276 | 23% |
| 1997 | 33 | 7% |
| 1996 | 27 | 6% |
| 1995 | 18 | 3% |
| 1994 | 21 | 6% |
| 1993 | 17 | 9% |
| 1992 | 25 | 12% |
| 1991 | 18 | 8% |
| 1990 | 15 | 8% |
| 1989 | 3 | 3% |
| 1988 | 11 | 13% |
| 1987 | 7 | 6% |
| 1986 | 5 | 9% |
| 1985 | 1 | 8% |
| 1983 | 1 | 14% |
| 1982 | 1 | 10% |
| 1981 | 1 | 14% |
Other parts of the 2018 Honda Accord
559 complaintsFuel system
476 complaintsForward collision avoidance
343 complaintsElectrical system
296 complaintsBrakes
260 complaintsOther or unknown
252 complaintsVehicle speed control
111 complaintsAir bags
60 complaintsSteering
60 complaintsLane departure
57 complaintsBody and structure
57 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
34 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2018 Honda Accord
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology