Problems · by component
2018 Honda Accord service brakes problems
250 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2018 Honda Accord cite service brakes, 13% of all 1,897 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
250
13% of all complaints
Crashes
6
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
12
Reported by owners
What owners say about the service brakes
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“I am submitting a serious safety complaint regarding the placement and design of the electronic parking brake switch in my Honda Accord. The parking brake switch is located on the center console, directly in an area where a driver's hand naturally rests while driving. This creates an unnecessary risk of accidentally activating the parking brake. With a traditional gear selector, shifting into reverse requires two deliberate actions: pressing a release button and physically moving the shifter. These safeguards help prevent accidental operation. However, in the Honda Accord, the parking brake switch can be activated with a simple finger movement. A driver resting their hand on the center console could unintentionally operate this switch. Even if the vehicle has electronic safeguards, accidental activation while driving could cause unexpected braking, startle the driver, or create a dangerous situation. What makes this particularly concerning is that Honda uses a different placement in the Honda Odyssey, positioning the parking brake switch away from where a driver's hand naturally rests. This demonstrates that a safer, less exposed location is possible. The…”
“On August 29th 2026 at 1:28PM (13:28) 148,320 mi. on odometer During interstate driving and topping the Sunshine Skyway Bridge on Interstate 275 Northbound (27.617863, -82.653639) the vehicle detected both road departure and engaged the emergency automated braking due to the shadow generated by the superstructure of the Skyway Bridge falling on the road surface. The vehicle attempted to correct the "road departure" by steering the vehicle away from the perceived problem and violently engaged the brakes nearly causing a collision as it has done numerous times before. In this particular event, it was an extraordinarily dangerous situation given the location that it occurred (190ft in the air on a walled in 2 lane interstate highway). I have reported this to NHTSA and American Honda on multiple previous occasions and await a repair or even an acknowledgement of this extremely dangerous issue. Honda has opened a case on this but have had 12+ months and no response has been issued.”
“What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? I own a 2018 Honda Accord with approximately 132,000 miles. Shortly after my vehicle was serviced for the fuel pump recall, multiple warning lights and system failure messages appeared simultaneously. The affected systems include Road Departure Mitigation, Emission System, Adaptive Cruise Control, Auto High Beam, Collision Mitigation Braking System, Electric Power Steering, Vehicle Stability Assist, Tire Pressure Monitoring System, Hill Start Assist, and the Air Bag System. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The failure of multiple safety and driver-assistance systems has created a significant safety risk. My vehicle is currently operating in limp mode, resulting in reduced performance and making it difficult to drive safely in traffic. The loss or malfunction of systems such as collision mitigation braking, power steering, vehicle stability assist, adaptive cruise control, and air bag monitoring increases the risk of an accident and could jeopardize the safety of both vehicle occupants…”
“I purchased the car in November 2025 from Carvana. By December, all the dashboard lights came on and no one can locate the problem. The car still runs but not to its optimum performance.”
“The contact owns a 2018 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the brakes intermittently failed to engage while the brake pedal was depressed. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer to be diagnosed; however, the cause of the failure could not be determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 104,000.”
“Vehicle: 2018 Honda Accord On [XXX], at approximately [XXX] PM, I was driving on [XXX] [XXX] at approximately 35 mph. The weather was clear and the road was dry. A vehicle ahead of me began turning into [XXX] N. My vehicle’s Collision Mitigation Braking System / automatic emergency braking system activated suddenly. The system made an audible warning sound, displayed a warning icon, and applied braking even though I did not believe there was a crash-imminent situation. There were vehicles behind me at the time, so the unexpected braking created a potential rear-end collision risk. The braking event also caused back pain, and I later experienced some stomach discomfort. I am concerned this was a false activation of the automatic emergency braking / Collision Mitigation Braking System. I am also concerned because the system reactivates after the vehicle is restarted, meaning I cannot reliably prevent another unexpected braking event from occurring. I am requesting that this be documented as a vehicle safety concern involving possible false activation of the automatic emergency braking system.”
Showing 6 of 250 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 3, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.