Automatic Emergency Braking problems of the 2018 Honda Accord - part 1

Since I purchased this car in 2022, the collision mitigation braking system has randomly engaged for no reason. This has happened multiple times over the years, day and night, when no other vehicle, road obstructions, or other factors warrant the system triggering.

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.

While driving vehicle detected both road departure and engaged the emergency automated braking. The vehicle attempted to correct the "road departure" by steering the vehicle away from the perceived problem and engaged the brakes nearly causing a collision as it has done numerous times before. I have reported this to NHTSA and american Honda multiple times and await a repair of this dangerous issue. Honda has opened a case on this but have had 18 months and no response has been issued.

I have bought this car new in 2018, the issue that I’m having is that . . I’ll be driving on the highway or local my car will brake on its own without any hazards in front of it . It’s very dangerous it almost caused me an accident on the highway .

I own a 2018 Honda Accord equipped with collision mitigation braking system (cmbs). The vehicle has experienced multiple instances of false collision warnings and phantom braking. The issue occasionally occurs when approaching overhead interstate signs. In most cases, the system flashes brake warnings briefly and then clears. However, on one occasion during rainy conditions a few years ago, the vehicle unexpectedly applied the brakes at highway speed with no obstacle present. The vehicle has undergone multiple camera calibrations (this may have also included the radar), but the problem persists. This creates a serious safety hazard, particularly at highway speeds where sudden braking could result in a rear-end collision. The issue appears to be related to false object detection by the adas system, potentially involving radar or sensor misinterpretation.

I purchased my 2018 Honda Accord sport from carmax on January 16, 2026, and I have had several serious problems with the vehicle since purchasing it. Every warning light on the dashboard has come on, my radar system will not stay calibrated, and I have been told that my fuel injectors need to be replaced. In addition, the relay module was already broken when I received the vehicle, which causes the interior lights in my car not to work properly. These issues have caused serious concerns about my safety and the safety of others because I cannot depend on the vehicle’s safety systems or know when another component may fail. The vehicle and affected components are available for inspection upon request. I have attempted to get these problems addressed, but I have not been able to get a satisfactory resolution. The issues have been identified/diagnosed, and I am seeking further inspection to determine the full extent of the problems. I have not had the vehicle inspected by the police or an insurance representative, but I am trying to get the manufacturer/dealer involved so these issues can be properly documented and addressed. I am especially concerned because I have only had this vehicle since January 16, 2026, and I have already put a significant amount of money into it while still owing a substantial amount on the loan. I was also informed that the vehicle could potentially be considered a total loss within the next couple of months. I do not believe it is reasonable for me to be left responsible for a vehicle that I recently purchased from carmax and that has developed or revealed so many serious problems. I am requesting assistance in determining whether these issues can be properly repaired, whether the vehicle is safe and reliable to drive, and what options are available to me for a resolution given the amount of money I have already invested and the remaining balance on my vehicle loan.

Car initiated emergency auto break while traveling on the freeway at high speed (70 plus mph) in phoenix, az for no reasons. There were no objects or cars within 500 feet, however I was approaching an overpass. This occurred multiple times on the freeway and on local roads. Reported to Honda, no fix.

All dashboard lights are on & will not go away!.

Upwards of a dozen times my Honda Accord will suddenly brake as it believes I am about to have a collision whereas it is typically a shadow. This happens when going under bridges or overpasses, or depending on the glare from the sun. This has happened several times on the highway causing multiple near collisions at high speeds. This is extremely dangerous and requires an adjustment or recall. I have had this part stolen and replaced through a Honda approved repair shop yet the issue persists.

I keep having issues where my car thinks I’m changing lanes and alerts me, when I’m not, and auto-corrects my steering which has led me to actually veer into another lane and fighting the car essentially while driving. I turn the feature off and somehow it just keeps happening. Same with the sensor that auto brakes - there won’t be anything that the car should be braking for and I’ll get the flashing brake text come up on dash and beeping before it completely brakes on its own. These issues and features have been more worrisome and scary than helpful. There are multiple instances.

Vehicle will sometimes automatically emergency brake with nothing in front of it.

Unknown. I will be driving and automatically it will lock the brakes and nobody will be in front of me. I tried turning it off but somehow it still ends up on. This has been doing it now for some but it’s getting worse and worse. Before it would just blink on the dash “ brake” but wouldn’t apply the brakes but recently it has been applying the brakes and going from 45mph to 60mph it has done it and giving bad whiplash. Now it’s starting to scare me because someone is going to end up rear - ending me and cause an accident. I tried talking to a dealership about it but they said they will look into it and never hear anything about it. I really am starting to be worried everytime I drive my car that something bad is going to happen. This needs to be fixed and diagnosed.

My car be braking and nothing be in front of me. It detects something in front of me when nothing be there.

On August 7, 2025, the automatic braking system alerted with the sign break and then proceeded to stop the car when there was no object or vehicle in front of me. This would have been extremely dangerous. If there was someone behind me this is not the first time this has occurred it has happened several times.

Issue 1: faulty collision mitigation braking system & subsequent crash incident details: in July of 2025, my vehicle’s automatic braking warning lights randomly activated and triggered an unprompted, emergency stop on [xxx]—despite having no vehicles ahead of me. This sudden malfunction directly caused a rear-end collision on the interstate. Documentation: a formal crash report was filed with the georgia state patrol. Ongoing risk: the false automatic braking warnings continue to trigger randomly, creating an extreme safety hazard for myself and surrounding traffic. Issue 2: premature turbocharger failure & cracked head gasket diagnostic timeline: immediately upon picking up the car from a body shop repair, every warning light on the dashboard illuminated erratically. After ed voyles Honda in marietta claimed nothing was wrong, the body shop replaced a potentially loose battery cable. The issue persisted, and shottenkirk Honda in cartersville ultimately diagnosed a total turbocharger failure in March 2026. Out-of-pocket cost: Honda denied any goodwill coverage despite the widespread, documented failure of these 1. 5l engines across 2018–2023 models. I paid $1,700 out of pocket to replace the turbocharger. Escalating failures: shortly after the turbo replacement, the head gasket cover cracked—another notorious, widely recognized defect inherent to this specific engine setup. At only seven years old, this vehicle has proven to be unreliable, dangerous, and financially burdensome. The known defects in the 1. 5l powertrain warrant a widespread recall. Given my long-standing loyalty and the severe nature of these defects, I request a full reimbursement of the $1,700 turbocharger repair costs and an immediate investigation into the phantom braking issue. I expect a prompt reply outlining how Honda intends to resolve these safety issues. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Parking brake suddenly engaged while in traffic car would not move. Car had to be towed brake pads were replaced but mechanic stated parking brake had defect that only the dealer can repair.

Emergency braking system engaged for no apparent reason with no other vehicles on the road. Potential for rear-end collision. This was the first event. Personally inspected forward looking sensors / camera for blockage, none found. Did not notice any messages or warning during the event. Wasn't looking at the dash during the event.

Driving down the road, no cars or obstacles in front of me. Out of nowhere the automatic emergency breaking came on. The car slammed on the breaks and very quickly came to a complete stop in the middle of the road. If there happened to be another car behind me they would have rear-ended me. There were no warnings prior to this happening.

When I am driving in an area near my home with road construction- there is a certain area that has a metal plate in the road and when I approach in from the east my car will automatically brake hard. Luckily this has not caused an accident but I suspect that it may because it is a busy road.

During interstate driving vehicle detected both road departure and engaged the emergency automated braking. The vehicle attempted to correct the "road departure" by steering the vehicle away from the perceived problem and engaged the brakes nearly causing a collision as it has done numerous times before. I have reported this to NHTSA and american Honda and await a repair of this dangerous issue. Honda has opened a case on this but have had 6 months and no response has been issued.

All lights on head dash are on , all components are not working properly or effected because of this. (engine light brake light abs light tire light traction control light , sensors out all) while driving vechile reduces power does not operate randomly , have to pull over shut the car off and turn it back on. Has high vibrations lot of shaking, stauling. I have had it looked at with multiple shops and dealer . Everybody is playing a guessing game and can not pin point what exactly it is . Was told it was spark plugs and coils, alternator , fuel injectors. All have been repaired, and still have all lights on dash and still facing every problem listed after repairs. Been inspected by manufacturer. Say not been resolved was told if it wasn’t what was already fixed they don’t know and that this is very common right now . It first started about a month ago.

Blown head gasket after taking my car in to Honda cars of rock hill SC, I had no issues, only took it to have the fuel injector recall done, they did a diagnostic nothing came up, they did the fuel injector recall repair, and they asked if they could do the oil change I told them yes, a week later, my car lost power on interstate 77n in rock hill south carolina. I was going about 70 mph and it dropped from 70 to 20 mph in a matter of seconds, I had little time to get out the lane, I could have been killed or killed someone else I was terrified. Every known light on my 2018 Honda Accord came on, I have a video of the lights on my dashboard. I had it towed back to Honda cars of rock hill on 5/30/2025 and was told I had a blown head gasket. . . I asked them how, they just put a fuel injector and nothing else was wrong with my car. They told me cost is $5500. 00, I told them there as nothing wrong with my car prior to them doing the recall, matt told me there was nothing I did, so I asked him what did they do to my car, I need them to replace my motor who knows what other damage happened my car had no issues.

My 2018 Honda Accord sport has been experiencing issues with its automatic emergency braking system, specifically the collision mitigation braking system (cmbs). The system has been activaing unexpectedly, causing the car to brake without an apparent reason. I’ve been trying to keep a list of locations that it has happened and it usually occurs under overpasses when the light changes from light to dark. I’ve reached out directly to Honda and the dealership and neither took my inquiry seriously.

The collision mitigation braking system is engaging while I’m driving with no obstructions in front of me. The car slows down completely while I’m on the highway almost coming to a complete stop. This has happened numerous times since Dec 2024. I took it into Honda and they did absolutely nothing besides charge me over $500 for diagnostic fees and told me to get an oem battery and bring it back to be inspected again.

Cars brake/mdoule automatically engaging. Brake light and brake system light constantly flashing. From what ive read seems to be a known issue that needs to be addressed or made a recall. This is a safety issue and can cause harm to the driver and others.

The contact owns a 2018 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35-40 mph, the vehicle experienced phantom braking. No warning light was illuminated during the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or a dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

While driving on highways, with no one in front of me, vehicle will brake while I have my foot on the gas. Vehicle says brake system malfunction. When I let off the gas and push again, it'll accelerate for a second, then brake again even though my foot is on the accelerator.

Vehicle emergency braking system randomly triggered, causing me to completely stop from 40mph to 0mph in the middle of a intersection. Almost got rear-ended. No vehicles were infront of me to trigger the emergency braking system. Vehicle has not been taken to dealership yet.

I was traveling down the road and I passed a bus that was in the right lane. I think when I reached the bus shadow that’s when the automatic brake warning came on and then my car went from 50 to 15mph instantly tossing everything in my car and hurting me neck.

While traveling at approximately 30-35 mph, my vehicle suddenly and abruptly stopped, flashing the word "brake" on my dashboard. I was traveling in the right lane on a four lane road, with no vehicles in front of me or to the left of me. There were no pedestrians near, the road was free from any hazards and the road ahead was clear of any potential hazards that may require an abrupt halt. I was properly restrained, but my safety and the children I travel with could have quickly become compromised if hit from behind. Additionally, everyday items such as my school bag, water bottle and my children's books that I keep in my vehicle came flying forward, obstructing my ability to properly operate my vehicle. Additionally, being that this was unexpected, I was pretty shaken up which compromised my ability to safely operate my vehicle while attempting to find a place to park my car. My vehicle was not inspected and I used my owners manual to turn my collision mitigation braking system off in order to safely arrive at my destination. Additionally, there were no warning signals or messages that indicated this issue before it happened.

I was driving in between 40 and 50 miles per hour and the automatic braking got activated automatically for a few seconds. The road was clear and there were no vehicles or obstacles anywhere. It was about 9. 15 am and approx temp was 40 f. This is the second time it occurred. The car is not under factory warranty and the dealer would be charging diagnostic fees and unlikely to find anything wrong.

Multiple times in the state of oklahoma, driving from oklahoma to maryland, and in maryland washington DC area, the automatic brakes apply at highway speeds on the interstate whenever there is a shadow in the road. It is extremely frightening. I am having the fuel pump recall repaired at the Honda dealership today. I told the Honda dealership about this problem and they said they were unaware of it. They said they would reset the calibration on the anti-breaking system. However, upon research, it looks like you are investigating this problem. Please add my car to the list of cars affected. I do not know the exact dates that this happened but it has been. I would say at least 20 to 30 times since 2020 when I bought the vehicle.

Yes it is available for inspection. Car all of a sudden puts on its brakes could have caused a rear end accident not on my car no they come on and go off randomly it started acting up and then the lights came on.

My car will suddenly brake hard on its own with nothing in front of it at random times. The dash may or may not say brake when this happens. This did not start until I had my windshield replaced. I have had the windshield camera recalibrated twice and it's still randomly stopping on its own.

The contact owns a 2018 Honda Accord. While the contact's wife was driving at a moderate rate of speed, the forward collision avoidance: automatic emergency braking system engaged erroneously with the "brake" warning light illuminated. The failure recurred soon after the initial failure and the contact's wife was able to drive the vehicle to the residence. The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was scheduled an appointment for a vehicle inspection. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was as not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 53,000.