2018 Honda CIVIC

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Avoid This Year

Quick Summary

The 2018 Honda CIVIC has 850 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 10.6x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is steering problems (34% of all complaints), specifically: the issue is with the "road departure mitigation" (rdm)system. the system may have been working as designed: but if so it created a correction that may have resulted in a serious accident. the issue occurred at a point where the road abruptly changes from a single lane to a three-lane road. the . ⚠️ 3 fire reports filed.

3 fire reports 32 crash reports 23 injuries

850

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

10.6x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

STEERING

287 complaints

34%

• THE ISSUE IS WITH THE "ROAD DEPARTURE MITIGATION" (RDM)SYSTEM. THE SYSTEM MAY HAVE BEEN WORKING AS DESIGNED: BUT IF SO IT CREATED A CORRECTION THAT MAY HAVE RESULTED IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. THE ISSUE OCCURRED AT A POINT WHERE THE ROAD ABRUPTLY CHANGES FROM A SINGLE LANE TO A THREE-LANE ROAD. THE
• WAS DRIVING ON A SIDE STREET (SPEED LIMIT 35) WHEN SUDDENLY NEITHER THE BRAKES NOR STEERING WORKED. IT WAS ALMOST LIKE I WAS HYDROPLANING, BUT THE ROADS WERE NOT WET AND IT WASN'T RACING. I HAD NO CONTROL OF THE CAR. FINALLY THE STEERING REENGAGED AND I WAS ABLE TO SWERVE THE CAR SO I DIDN'T HIT ANO
• RODENTS ATE THROUGH THE ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING WIRES. MY SON WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE WHEN POWER STEERING LOSS OCCURRED. HE COULD HAVE BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT AND OR KILLED. AMERICAN HONDA WON'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT THIS AND SOMEONE NEEDS TO ADDRESS THIS SAFETY ISSUE. THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION WHEN LOSS

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 8 crashes

“THE ISSUE IS WITH THE "ROAD DEPARTURE MITIGATION" (RDM)SYSTEM. THE SYSTEM MAY HAVE BEEN WORKING AS DESIGNED: BUT IF SO IT CREATED A CORRECTION THAT MAY HAVE RESULTED IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. THE ISSUE OCCURRED AT A POINT WHERE THE ROAD ABRUPTLY CHANGES FROM A SINGLE LANE TO A THREE-LANE ROAD. THE ”

— NHTSA complaint filing

FUEL SYSTEM

173 complaints

20%

• HAD TO HAVE TO MANY OIL CHANGES, ALMOST ONE A MONTH , NOT GOOD ON THE MILAGE THEN A CAMRY MAYBE WOULD HOLD OFF THAT MANY CHANGES.
• AT 2025 MILES MY 2018 CIVICTHAT I HAD FOR 2ISH MONTHS STARTED SMELLING LIKE FUEL IN THE CAB. SO I LOOKED IT UP AND THE EARTH DREAMS MOTOR IS HAVING OIL DILUTION PROBLEMS AND IT IS BECOMING MORE COMMON. SO I CHECKED MY OIL AND FOUND MY CAR A QUART OVERFULL WITH FUEL IN MY OIL. I THEN HAD IT TOWED TO
• CHANGED OIL AT 40 % LIFE AND FOUND GASOLINE IN OIL NOT SURE HOW MUCH BUT VERY STRONG ODER.

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 3 crashes

“HAD TO HAVE TO MANY OIL CHANGES, ALMOST ONE A MONTH , NOT GOOD ON THE MILAGE THEN A CAMRY MAYBE WOULD HOLD OFF THAT MANY CHANGES.”

— NHTSA complaint filing

OTHER

121 complaints

14%

• MY REAR TIRE WENT FLAT. THE TIRE IS CRACKED AND AIR IS ESCAPING.NEW CAR BOUGHT ONLY TWO MONTHS TIRES SHOULD NOT BE CRACKING.
• I PURCHASED MY CAR FROM WALDORF HONDA ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2018. APPROXIMATELY 2 MONTHS AFTER PURCHASE, I BEGAN HAVING TROUBLE WITH THE VEHICLE. ON APRIL 13, 2018, THE RED BRAKE LIGHT BEGAN TO FLASH AS I WAS DRIVING. IN ADDITION, THE BRAKE SYSTEM (ABS) YELLOW INDICATOR ILLUMINATED.
• I PURCHASED A HONDA CIVIC HATCHBACK FROM WILLETT HONDA SOUTH IN MORROW, GA ON 8/29/2018. THE TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM WARNING LIGHT CAME ON WHILE I WAS DRIVING THE CAR FROM THE DEALERSHIP TO THE MY HOME. THAT DISTANCE BETWEEN THE DEALERSHIP AND MY HOME IS LESS THAN 20 MILES. I TOOK THE CA

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports💥 3 crashes

“MY REAR TIRE WENT FLAT. THE TIRE IS CRACKED AND AIR IS ESCAPING.NEW CAR BOUGHT ONLY TWO MONTHS TIRES SHOULD NOT BE CRACKING.”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ELECTRICAL

59 complaints

• (4 COMPLAINTS, ALL POSSIBLY ELECTRICAL) 1) KEY NOT DETECTED IN VEH ERROR, WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE, I HAVE THE KEY NOT CONNECTED TO ANYTHING AND NO LONGER IN A POUCH, MY CAR BEEPS AND SAYS "KEY NOT DETECTED IN THE VEHICLE) THIS HAS HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING ON THE STREET AND FREEWAY. IT IS A RANDOM OC
• I PURCHASED MY CAR FROM WALDORF HONDA ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2018. APPROXIMATELY 2 MONTHS AFTER PURCHASE, I BEGAN HAVING TROUBLE WITH THE VEHICLE. ON APRIL 13, 2018, THE RED BRAKE LIGHT BEGAN TO FLASH AS I WAS DRIVING. IN ADDITION, THE BRAKE SYSTEM (ABS) YELLOW INDICATOR ILLUMINATED.
• THE ENGINE WIRING HARNESS COVER COMPOSITION IS ATTRACTIVE TO RODENTS. SQUIRRELS CHEWED INTO THE HARNESS LEADING TO LOSS OF ACCELERATION. THE ENTIRE HARNESS NEEDS REPLACING DUE TO THE SOY BASED WIRE COATING. THE FAILURE WAS FIRST NOTICED WHILE AT SPEED (APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH IN CITY TRAFFIC. SUBSE

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports💥 2 crashes

“(4 COMPLAINTS, ALL POSSIBLY ELECTRICAL) 1) KEY NOT DETECTED IN VEH ERROR, WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE, I HAVE THE KEY NOT CONNECTED TO ANYTHING AND NO LONGER IN A POUCH, MY CAR BEEPS AND SAYS "KEY NOT DETECTED IN THE VEHICLE) THIS HAS HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING ON THE STREET AND FREEWAY. IT IS A RANDOM OC”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ENGINE

57 complaints

• FUEL SMELL IN ENGINE OIL AND ENGINE OIL IS OVER FILLED ON DIPSTICK NOT LONG AFTER OIL CHANGE POSSIBLY DUE TO FUEL DILLUTION INTO OIL
• AT 2025 MILES MY 2018 CIVICTHAT I HAD FOR 2ISH MONTHS STARTED SMELLING LIKE FUEL IN THE CAB. SO I LOOKED IT UP AND THE EARTH DREAMS MOTOR IS HAVING OIL DILUTION PROBLEMS AND IT IS BECOMING MORE COMMON. SO I CHECKED MY OIL AND FOUND MY CAR A QUART OVERFULL WITH FUEL IN MY OIL. I THEN HAD IT TOWED TO
• AT 4400 MILES ON THE 2018 CIVIC HATCHBACK 1.5 L (APPROX 4 MOS) THE VEHICLE LOST POWER MOMENTARILY WHILE ACCELERATING AT ABOUT 30 MPH AND HAD A STRONG GAS SMELL IN THE CABIN. A CHECK OF THE OIL SHOWED THAT IT WAS EXTREMELY OVERFILLED WHEN PREVIOUS CHECKS DID NOT. HONDA DEALER (IDE HONDA, ROCHESTER, N

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports💥 1 crashes

“FUEL SMELL IN ENGINE OIL AND ENGINE OIL IS OVER FILLED ON DIPSTICK NOT LONG AFTER OIL CHANGE POSSIBLY DUE TO FUEL DILLUTION INTO OIL”

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

STEERING(~50K mi)

$500

FUEL SYSTEM(~50K mi)

$500

OTHER(~50K mi)

$500

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

ENGINE(~50K mi)

$500

Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 850 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
STEERING: THE ISSUE IS WITH THE "ROAD DEPARTURE MITIGATION" (RDM)SYSTEM. THE SYSTEM MAY HAVE BEEN WORKING AS DESIGNED: BUT IF SO IT CREATED A CORRECTION THAT MAY HAVE RESULTED IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. THE ISSUE OCCURRED AT A POINT WHERE THE ROAD ABRUPTLY CHANGES FROM A SINGLE LANE TO A THREE-LANE ROAD. THE
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
FUEL SYSTEM: HAD TO HAVE TO MANY OIL CHANGES, ALMOST ONE A MONTH , NOT GOOD ON THE MILAGE THEN A CAMRY MAYBE WOULD HOLD OFF THAT MANY CHANGES.
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
OTHER: MY REAR TIRE WENT FLAT. THE TIRE IS CRACKED AND AIR IS ESCAPING.NEW CAR BOUGHT ONLY TWO MONTHS TIRES SHOULD NOT BE CRACKING.
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ELECTRICAL: (4 COMPLAINTS, ALL POSSIBLY ELECTRICAL) 1) KEY NOT DETECTED IN VEH ERROR, WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE, I HAVE THE KEY NOT CONNECTED TO ANYTHING AND NO LONGER IN A POUCH, MY CAR BEEPS AND SAYS "KEY NOT DETECTED IN THE VEHICLE) THIS HAS HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING ON THE STREET AND FREEWAY. IT IS A RANDOM OC
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)