The 2018 Honda Accord is a midsize sedan, offering seating for up to five passengers in a sleek and stylish package. Available in five trim levels and with standard features ranging from dual-zone automatic climate control to a 7-inch touchscreen display, there’s a lot to love about this car. For added peace of mind, every 2018 Accord features such safety equipment as lane-departure warning and intervention, forward-collision warning, and automatic emergency braking as part of its standard package.
As with many makes and models, however, the 2018 Accord has not been immune to its share of safety recalls. If you drive a 2018 Honda Accord, you should be aware of two open recalls that have been issued by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA). Specifically, these recalls relate to the vehicle’s standard rearview camera and low-pressure fuel pump. If your 2018 Accord is affected, the repairs required to address these recalls are covered under your car’s warranty and can be completed at any Honda dealership service center.
Rearview Camera
The first recall issued on the 2018 Honda Accord was in September of 2018. This recall, which affects up to 232,140 2018 Accord and 2019 Insight models, involves the rearview camera that is standard across all trim levels. Specifically, it was discovered that in vehicles affected by this recall, a software problem may prevent the backup camera from displaying on the dashboard screen. When the display fails to show the driver what is behind the vehicle, the risk of a crash increases. However, Honda has not reported any known crashes or injuries related to this recall as of yet.
This recall came just a few months after it was mandated that all cars built after May of 2018 be equipped with backup cameras. As a result, vehicles affected by this recall also do not comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard requirements.
As a fix for this recall, Honda dealers will reprogram the software included with the camera’s display audio unit. Drivers with cars potentially affected by this recall are reminded to always check their surroundings when backing into or out of a space; a rearview camera should not be relied on solely for this purpose.
Fuel Pump
Another recall on the 2018 Accord was issued in May of 2020. This recall, which affects up to 135,995 Accord, Civic, HR-V and other models is related to the vehicle’s low-pressure fuel pump inside the vehicle’s fuel tank. With this recall, a defective fuel pump supplied by Denso was exposed to production solvent drying for extended periods of time during manufacturing. As a result, the fuel pump can experience excessive fuel absorption, surface cracking, and deformity/failure of the part itself.
While Honda has not reported any known accidents caused by this issue, the truth remains that if the fuel pump fails completely while the vehicle is in motion, it could cause a stall. In a stall, the vehicle’s engine may not be able to be restarted, which can increase the risk of a crash—especially if the vehicle is on a busy street or highway at the time of the stall.
To remedy this issue, Honda is offering to replace the fuel pumps on all recalled vehicles at any Honda dealership service center free of charge. It is also worth noting that the fuel pump on all of Honda’s vehicles is covered by an extensive warranty, so even before the formal recall was issued, Honda owners should have been able to have their fuel pumps replaced at no charge if their vehicles were affected by a fuel pump failure.
