Honda has stretched its coverage of the cylinder head gasket to 10 years or 150,000 miles, whichever comes first, on a long list of Civic, Accord and CR-V models. That is double the 5-year, 60,000-mile powertrain warranty Honda normally gives, and well past the 6 years and 70,000 miles Acura offers on its own cars. It is a warranty extension, not a recall, and it only pays out when a gasket actually fails.
Tech news in one quick read: Get the most interesting stories in startups, tech and programming, each with a short TLDR, in one daily email from TLDR.
We may earn a commission if you sign up.
For owners who have been quoted thousands of dollars for a blown head gasket, the practical question is whether their car is on the list and what the shop has to find before Honda pays.
The engines and model years the extension reaches
The terms come from a set of Honda and Acura dealer bulletins numbered 26-001 through 26-019, plus 26-097 through 26-099, which CarComplaints compiled on August 30. They apply to the original cylinder head gasket only. Coverage runs from the original purchase date and, according to Kelley Blue Book, transfers to later owners.
Honda confirmed the change to The Autopian. After reviewing warranty claims and dealer service records, the company said certain vehicles “may experience reduced effectiveness of the original cylinder head gasket under certain driving conditions,” according to The Autopian’s report. The statement did not name a spokesperson.
Autoevolution describes it as a “complimentary extended warranty” and stresses the limit: the benefit applies only when a qualifying failure occurs and the bulletin conditions are met. Owning a listed car does not trigger a service visit, and the outlet advises keeping repair records because earlier work can affect eligibility.
Which Civics, Accords and CR-Vs are on the list
The CarComplaints list breaks coverage down by model year, engine and transmission, so a single nameplate can carry several bulletins. Accord entries span 2018 to 2026 and include the Hybrid. Civic entries run from 2016 to 2026 and take in the 1.5-liter turbo with both CVT and manual gearboxes, the Si, the 2025-2026 Civic 2.0 and the Civic Hybrid. CR-V entries cover 2017 to 2026 on the 1.5-liter turbo and 2020 to 2026 on the hybrid.
Two Acura models are included. The 2023-2026 Integra and the 2025-2026 ADX appear in bulletins 26-001 through 26-003, and an Acura dealer memo dated August 26 and posted by NHTSA confirms the 10-year, 150,000-mile term for those cars.
Not every year of every model is covered. Kelley Blue Book, for instance, lists the Civic broadly from 2016, while The Autopian’s list carves out specific Civic Si years. An owner should check the VIN with a dealer rather than assume the nameplate is enough. The Acura memo instructs dealers to run a VIN status inquiry on every vehicle that comes through the shop, so a routine service visit is a natural moment to ask whether a car is flagged, and to keep any prior gasket or coolant repair invoices on hand.
Symptoms, the repair and the May 2027 cutoff
The symptoms owners report are coolant leaks, overheating, misfires and stored trouble codes from P0300 through P0304. CarComplaints says dealers are told to replace the gasket if coolant is leaking into the combustion chamber, and to replace the cylinder head or the engine short block if anything is warped. Acura’s memo says service managers have received warpage inspection kits and that parts are available for normal ordering.
Timing matters for the oldest cars. Three extensions expire on May 31, 2027: the 2016-2017 Civic 1.5-liter turbo with CVT (bulletin 26-099), the 2016-2017 Civic 1.5T manual and 2017 Civic Si (26-097), and the 2017 CR-V 1.5T (26-098). Cars that have already aged out of the 10-year window get a six-month grace period counted from the date the owner is notified, CarComplaints reports, and Kelley Blue Book expected those notices in early October.
Owners who already paid for a repair are left with an open question. Neither The Autopian nor Kelley Blue Book says whether Honda will reimburse out-of-pocket head gasket jobs, and autoevolution notes that some owners reported estimates above $5,000. The dealer line listed for Honda and Acura customers is 888-234-2138.
The lawsuits behind the bulletins
The Autopian ties the extension to complaints on owner forums about the 1.5-liter turbo and to two federal suits, Bissell v. American Honda Motor Co. from 2024 and Alcantara v. American Honda Motor Co. from July 2025, which allege premature head gasket failure on that engine. Honda’s statement does not mention either case, and the reports do not say the extension settles them.
What remains unconfirmed is the size of the problem. Honda has not published a count of affected vehicles or failures, so the number of owners who will actually file a claim before the May 2027 cutoff is unknown.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by Morning Overview editors prior to publication.
Tech news in one quick read: Subscribe to TLDR →
We may earn a commission if you sign up.
More from Morning Overview
- Seven of Earth’s nine planetary boundaries are breached, and all seven are worsening
- The NSA says three phone features should be off whenever you aren’t using them
- Hurricane Hunter radar shows four warning signs that a tropical cyclone is about to strengthen, a University of Miami study found
- Tropical Storm Rachel is dumping up to 12 inches on four Mexican states on its way to major hurricane strength
