Skip to content
KLUNK
KLUNK

2018 Honda Civic type r

The Verdict

20 Check Engine

The 2018 Honda Civic type r has 592 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. The most reported issues are body (323 complaints) and engine (185 complaints). With a Klunk Score of 20/100, it earns a "Check Engine" rating. If you're shopping for a Honda Civic type r, consider the 2017 model year which has 11% fewer complaints.

Safe Bet

The 2017 has 11% fewer complaints

View the 2017 Honda Civic type r dashboard →

20

Klunk Score: Check Engine

More complaints than most vehicles. Known issues exist — budget for potential repairs.

How is this calculated?

The Klunk Score ranks this vehicle year against all others in our database based on total owner complaints filed with NHTSA. 100 = fewest complaints (top tier), 0 = most complained-about. Scores above 60 are better than average; below 40 means more problems than most.

Get notified if a recall hits this car.

We email you when NHTSA issues a new recall on the 2018 Honda Civic type r. No spam, no marketing.

Under the Hood

Each number is a complaint. Darker = bigger problem.

YearBodyBrakesElectricalEngineTransmission
201731228868018
201832317591858

By Category

Body
323
Engine
185
Electrical
59
Brakes
17
Transmission
8

By Severity

1
255
2
301
3
6
4
29
5
1

Worst Problems

Complaints

Engine 2

It is a common issue on the Honda Civic Type R from 2017 to 2021 in which water will leak through the hood scoop causing water to drip onto cylinder 4 causing a misfire. Misfire No. 4 Cylinder (DTC P0304). There is a TSB for it under 25-062 for this same issue. Water could enter the hood scoop and accumulate down inside the no. 4 spark plug hole. This can corrode the ignition coil, plug tube, and spark plug, leading to a misfire to the no. 4 cylinder. If a misfire is detected, DTC P0304 is stored. The only warning signs will be the check engine light once the coil pack goes bad in which mosts cases there is corrosion on the plug tube and the spark plug from the water accumulating. There is lost of power and can happen during drives.

1mo ago
Electrical 1

The electric power steering (EPS) system failed/malfunctioned this past week. When going over 35 mph my steering wheel would become "knotchy/jerky" and lock up and be difficult to turn. As a result, I took it to Honda to which they stated my whole rack and pinion needed total replacement. No warning signs, messages, icons, or lights came on in my car.

11mo ago
Body 2

The contact owns a 2018 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving at high speeds, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was drivable. The contact stated that the failure persisted while his wife was driving the vehicle at an undisclosed speed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by a dealer or an independent mechanic. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V663000 (Steering), however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

11mo ago
Body 2

We have noticed a clicking noise and her steering has begun to stick. Took to Honda and they told us they have been seeing this issue and even sent video telling us they see this is an ongoing problem. Filed claim with Honda. They refused to fix the faulty part because there is not recall with my VIN even though many have been recalled. Again, multiple managers at service told us they are just waiting for Honda to recall this. Car has less than 55,000 miles. We have a video they sent us but ai have been unable to attach. It is a video Honda Service sent us stating this was an ongoing issue with Honda advice at this year and a few others. That they were seeing these parts fail.

11mo ago
Body 2

At speed the steering sticks when turning.

11mo ago
Body 2

The contact owns a 2018 Honda Civic. The contact stated that while attempting to make a left turn, the steering wheel became difficult to turn. No warning light was illuminated. A dealer and an independent mechanic were contacted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and then taken to an independent mechanic, where both diagnosed that the steering assembly needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure Technical Service Bulletin: 18-102 (Steering Gearbox); however, the VIN was not included in the bulletin. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that there were no recalls associated with the VIN. The contact was referred by the manufacturer to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000.

12mo ago
Body 1

Rack and Pinion steering failure. Sticking, hard to make wheel adjustments. loss of steering control. issue confirmed but Honda Dealership. Honda Dealership contacted Honda North America and was rejected as warranty issue. repair will exceed $7500. This issue corresponded with the fuel Pump recall and failure of the AC system which were covered under warranty recall. Due the High volume of failures of R & P for these Honda civics locating replacement parts is difficult if not impossible.

12mo ago
Body 2

The steering wheel becomes sticky and stiff. There is also a clicking noise when I try to center it. It is difficult to keep the car within my lane of traffic. There is presently 38,565 miles on this vehicle. I keep up with required maintenance. The vehicle has not yet been inspected by the dealership. There is a Safety Recall for 2017-18 civic: steering box . My VIN number is not included on this recall. I understand repair to the steering is close to 4,000.00. No warning lights are on the dashboard.....yet. My understanding is this problem only becomes worse in time. This constant swerving and erratic steering is not only tiresome I believe it can become dangerous.

12mo ago
Body 1

My complaint is similar to most of the other ones shown here. Notchy steering. I took it to the dealer. They told me that the steering rack was bad and needed to be replaced. How much? $6500! The car has under 30,000 miles on it. Got to give the service rep credit. He asked me if I wanted them to contact American Honda. I said heck yes. While they were making their decision, which took about 2 weeks, I came here and looked at all of the other similar complaints. The dealer told me that Honda would cover 100% of the replacement cost. They ordered the parts and the replacement was completed last week. Although this was resolved to my satisfaction, it's another incident for the record, and it demonstrates that the problem showed up as early as under 30,000 miles.

12mo ago
Body 1

Steering wheel gets really loose and very stiff at random while driving. I get power steering failure notifications on dash. I spoke with Honda dealership and was told my vehicle doesn’t belong to the recall. I have all the symptoms of the power steering recall issue.

12mo ago
Body 1

Paint job on this vehicle is awful 3+ yrs ago it started peeling and flaking off now there is no paint on my side mirrors Contacted Honda just to be ignored

12mo ago
Body 2

We purchased the vehicle in Jan 2025. As the weather or the car warmed the steering gets stiff and hard to maneuver, making it difficult to stay in the center of the lane. There are times when it gets so bad I think a cop could pull me over for swerving. As I researched the symptoms I found that recall SB18-102 matched the symptoms and was for the same year, make, and model; however, my car’s VIN wasn’t included. I took the vehicle to a local Honda dealership on 6/16/25 who confirmed it was a power steering box failure and gave an estimate of $3,990.46 to fix it. That same day I called Honda customer care and submitted a case to try to get the costs covered due to their being a recall out on the same year, make, and model and issue as mine. They advised me to go back to the dealership and request my car be submitted for Honda’s Goodfaith assistance. I requested this on 7/9/25 and was told on 7/10/25 it was denied with no reasoning. The car has no warning signals however the issue persists. My fear is that it will lock up or not straighten up and I or my son (whom the car was purchased for) will run off the road or cause an accident. This is obviously a known issue but Honda is not taking ownership and declined to help with the cost, which is almost a third of the cost of the vehicle we paid.

12mo ago
Engine 1

I own a 2018 Honda Civic that is subject to an open fuel pump recall. My vehicle suddenly became completely inoperable. When attempting to start the car, all of the dashboard lights come on, but the engine will not start or crank. The vehicle has power but will not turn over at all. This failure happened without any prior warning. I contacted Nalley Honda in Union City, GA, and they confirmed that the issue is related to the fuel pump recall. However, they refused to provide towing for the vehicle and told me the earliest appointment available would be over a week out, despite the vehicle being undrivable due to this known safety defect. This situation puts my safety and my family’s safety at risk, as I am now stranded without reliable transportation because of a manufacturer defect. The problem has been acknowledged by the dealership but has not been resolved because of their refusal to assist with towing or provide a timely repair. There were no warning lights or error messages prior to the failure—this happened suddenly. I am requesting that the NHTSA investigate this issue further, as it presents a serious safety concern. I also want to report that Honda has not provided towing assistance or a loaner vehicle while the safety recall repair is pending, which leaves me without any transportation.

12mo ago
Body 1

Steering wheel sticks, creating an issue to keep vehicle driving in a straight line. Alignment is not out, having to bump the steering wheel back and forth to stay in lane. Feeling of "dropout" in the steering driving at higher rates of speed. No warning lights or other symptoms prior to the failure. Issue has continued since first noticed. Service center can recreate the issue easily and says that the steering rack needs replacing. Not wanting it to further to where the steering wheel is unable to turn.

12mo ago
Body 1

Steering sticks and makes it difficult to correct or straighten the car. Feels jerky and hard to handle

12mo ago
Body 2

The steering wheel sticks when slight turning on both sides.

12mo ago
Body 1

Steering wheel sticks when making slight left/right adjustments at speeds of 55+ causing you to overcorrect. Most noticeable while driving on the freeway trying to maintain a straight line.

13mo ago
Body 1

Body Control Module The part was detected by Honda agency and they changed it because the battery was discharging. This Honda part already had problems with another model, but I don't want to admit that it also has them with the Civic models. The repair has a cost of $1000

13mo ago
Body 2

Sticky steering on highways. Takes effort to make micro adjustments on the wheel. Steering wheel makes a sound when trying to turn or change lanes, especially on the highway.

13mo ago
Body 2

The steering wheel sticks when moving it. Can't make any subtle moves on the steering wheel because of this and have to jerk the wheel.

13mo ago

592 total

1/ 30
Report a Klunk