2018 Honda Civic: Common Problems, Recalls and Vehicle Data

What the public data shows

Complaints for the 2018 Honda Civic sedan are not evenly spread across categories -- one area clearly stands out. Steering accounts for 225 of the 603 complaints on file, well ahead of the "other" category at 160 and fuel system reports at 88. That concentration lines up with the recall record: the six campaigns filed for this model year touch equipment, the fuel system, steering, and air bags, with two campaigns each for equipment and for the fuel system (gasoline). No single system carries more than two campaigns, so while steering complaints are heavily represented, the recall activity itself is spread across several systems rather than clustered in just one. No repeat-repair campaigns are recorded for this model year, meaning there's no indication in the public data of a recall being reissued because an earlier fix didn't take. There are also no open investigations listed. Separately, manufacturer service bulletins -- guidance to dealers, not recalls -- show the largest clusters concerning the engine and engine cooling (33) and the electrical system (30), followed by visibility (22) and the fuel system (22). These bulletins indicate topics dealers were given repair guidance on, not confirmed defects. Complaint counts reflect how often owners reported issues to NHTSA, not a rate of failure across all vehicles of this model year, and they shouldn't be read as a measure of how many cars were actually affected.

603 complaints on file with NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation, grouped into CarTold's broad component categories.

Most frequently reported, by the specific component NHTSA logged each complaint under (not CarTold's category groupings above):

• STEERING — 193 complaints (32%)
• FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE — 82 complaints (14%)
• UNKNOWN OR OTHER — 73 complaints (12%)
• FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM — 49 complaints (8%)
• ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — 23 complaints (4%)
• ENGINE — 22 complaints (4%)

AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2021, 2023 Acura TLX, 2019-2024 RDX, 2017-2020, 2022-2026 MDX, 2017-2021, 2023, 2025 Honda Ridgeline, 2017-2022 Pilot, 2019-2021 Passport, 2018-2026 Odyssey, 2019-2022 Insight, 2019-2021 HR-V, 2018-2020 Fit, 2020-2022 CR-V Hybrid, 2017-2022 CR-V, 2017-2018, 2021 Civic Type R, 2017-2021 Civic hatchback, 2016-2020 Civic coupe, 2016-2022 Civic, 2017-2022 Accord Hybrid, and 2016-2022 Accord vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, which can cause the air bags to deploy unintentionally during a crash.

Consequence: Air bags that deploy unintentionally during a crash increase the risk of injury.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 7, 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are BOL, WO9, OOA, WOM, XOH, NOC, POD, BOE, UOF, POB, EOG, AOI, QO8, TOJ, DO7, and SOK. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 24V064. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning May 29, 2026.

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline, Odyssey, Acura ILX, MDX, MDX Hybrid, RDX, RLX, TLX, 2019-2022 Honda Insight, Passport, 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Clarity PHEV, Fit, and 2015-2020 Honda Accord Hybrid, Pilot, Acura NSX vehicles. The fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.

Consequence: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 6, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are KGC and KGD. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall numbers 21V-215 and 20V-314.

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Acura NSX, 2019 Acura RDX, RLX and RLX Sport Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Accord, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R and HR-V, 2019-2020 Insight and 2019 Fit vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.

Consequence: If the fuel pump fails, the engine can stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Honda will notify owners and dealers will replace the fuel pump assembly, free of charge. The recall began July 22, 2020. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138.

EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Honda Civic Hatchback and Civic Type R vehicles. The owners guide in these vehicles may not have been included or if included, the owner's guide may not have been properly provided required information. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 225, "Child Restraint Anchorage Systems."

Consequence: If the information is missing or improper, it can increase the risk of injury or a crash.

Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the owners information kit, free of charge. The recall began January 9, 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is O3A.

STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Honda Civic and CR-V vehicles. The magnet that controls the torque sensor output signal for the electronic power steering system may not be properly secured, allowing the magnet to become dislodged. During a full lock turn, the dislodged magnet may cause steering assist to be applied in the opposite direction.

Consequence: The unintended steering input reduces vehicle maneuverability and increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the steering gearbox assembly, free of charge. The recall began November 9, 2018. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are C2N, P2O.

EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS

Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018 Honda Civic vehicles. The manufacturing date area of the certification labels may have random characters which can affect the owner's ability to determine if a safety recall includes their vehicle.

Consequence: If the owner is not able to verify if their vehicle is involved in safety recall, it can increase the risk of injury or crash.

Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the certification label, free of charge. The recall began August 7, 2018. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is U23.

NHTSA crash-tests each body-style/drivetrain configuration separately, so ratings can differ by variant — shown as tested, not averaged. See how the 5-star ratings work, including why an overall score isn't the average of the three category scores.