Tools you need for front wheel bearing on a 2018-2022 Honda Accord

The 10th-gen Accord uses a press-fit cartridge bearing in the front knuckle with a separate splined hub, so this is not the quick four-bolt hub swap that Ford and GM owners are used to. You either drop the knuckle and use a proper FWD bearing press kit (or a shop press), or you buy a complete loaded knuckle and bolt it in — which is the smart move if you are working on a driveway with no press.

What varies across the generation is mostly brakes and weight, not bearings: the 2.0T Sport/Touring has bigger rotors and a slightly different caliper bracket, and the Hybrid adds a regen system that changes nothing about the mechanical job. The thing people get wrong is the axle nut. It is a one-time-use staked nut: crack it loose with the wheel on the ground before jacking, replace it with a new one, torque it properly, and stake it. Second most common mistake is tearing the ABS wheel speed sensor wire — unbolt and unclip that sensor early, before the knuckle moves.

Complete tool and parts list

Differences within the 2018-2022 generation

Bearing, hub and axle nut are common to 1.5T, 2.0T and Hybrid. The 2.0T Sport/Touring runs larger front rotors and a heavier caliper/bracket, so you may see 17 mm bracket bolts with a longer reach and need a deeper socket; 1.5T and Hybrid use the smaller front brake package. Rotor retaining screws are 5 mm or 6 mm hex depending on build.

Torque specs

How the job goes

1. Soak the axle nut, ball joint nut, tie rod nut and rotor screws with penetrating oil the day before if possible.
2. Chock the rear wheels, break the 19 mm lug nuts loose on the ground, then crack the staked 24 mm axle nut loose with the car still down and the brake pedal held (a helper or a bar wedged against the pedal).
3. Raise the front, set jack stands under the factory lift points, and remove the wheel.
4. Unbolt the caliper slide bolts, lift the caliper off and hang it from the spring with a bungee — never let it hang by the hose. Remove the pads, then the two 17 mm caliper bracket bolts and the bracket.
5. Back out the rotor retaining screws (5 or 6 mm hex; use a hand impact driver if seized) and pull the rotor. Rust-welded rotors come free with a few hits at the hat with a dead-blow, or thread bolts into the puller holes.
6. Unbolt the ABS wheel speed sensor and free its harness from the knuckle brackets before anything moves. Torn sensor wires are the number one avoidable expense on this job.
7. Chisel the staked collar of the axle nut out of the driveshaft groove, then remove the nut and discard it.
8. Separate the outer tie rod end and the lower ball joint from the knuckle, then remove the strut-to-knuckle fasteners (hold the back-side bolt with a wrench).
9. Push the driveshaft out of the hub splines and lift the knuckle off the car. If the shaft is stuck in the hub, tap it with a brass drift or use a puller — do not hammer the threads.
10. On the bench, remove any internal snap ring, then press the hub flange out of the bearing. If the inner race stays on the hub, split it off with a bearing separator.
11. Press the old cartridge bearing out of the knuckle from the correct side, clean the bore completely with a wire brush and brake cleaner, and check for scoring or an out-of-round bore. A worn bore means a new knuckle.
12. Press the new bearing in square, pushing only on the outer race, until it seats fully. Refit the snap ring if used. Keep the magnetic ABS encoder side facing the way the old one did and do not touch it with a magnet or steel tools.
13. Press the hub into the new bearing supporting the inner race, then reinstall the knuckle: strut bolts, ball joint, tie rod, all to spec.
14. Fit a new staked axle nut, refit the rotor, caliper bracket, pads and caliper, and reconnect the ABS sensor with the harness routed in its original clips.
15. Refit the wheel, lower the car, torque the lug nuts to 80 ft-lb in a star pattern, then torque the axle nut with the brakes held and stake the new nut collar into the shaft groove.
16. Pump the brake pedal until firm, then road test. Confirm no ABS, VSA or traction lights and no noise; if warning lights persist, scan for wheel speed sensor codes.

Watch out

The 19 mm lug nuts, 24 mm-class staked axle nut, 17 mm caliper bracket bolts and the press-in bearing design are consistent across the 10th-gen Accord, but axle nut size can read 32 mm on some builds and the suspension torque values vary by trim — confirm the nut size with a wrench before you buy a socket, and pull the torque figures from the Honda service manual for your exact VIN.

Other jobs on the 2018-2022 Honda Accord

Front Wheel Bearing Replacement on other vehicles