IllustrationThe instrument panel on my car is not working so I don’t know if it has any gas in it or not. I know the gauges work also my windows don’t go up or down in my sunroof does not open or close.
1996 Honda Accord
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1996 Honda Accord do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 356.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Accord years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 85 of 472 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Air Bags. Review the 109 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 96 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 74 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
52 crash reports3 fire reports21 injury reports
What owners actually said
472 reportsThe contact owns a 1996 Honda Accord. The contact stated that the SRS air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the SRS unit needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100…
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The contact owns a 1996 Honda Accord. The contact stated that the SRS air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the SRS unit needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,100.
SRS My safety and other person in my car in case of accident worries no air bag protection in case of accident.. YES. Diamond Valley Honda code 7-2 need to start with replacing SRS unit, 2 to 3 wks. to repair meanwhile no transportation. Who knows what els entails. NO not that I know of. It’s in the hands of Diamond Valley H…
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SRS My safety and other person in my car in case of accident worries no air bag protection in case of accident.. YES. Diamond Valley Honda code 7-2 need to start with replacing SRS unit, 2 to 3 wks. to repair meanwhile no transportation. Who knows what els entails. NO not that I know of. It’s in the hands of Diamond Valley Honda Hemet, CA YES warning light yesterday 7/13/2022 coming from my doctor office Wildomar, CA.
CAME TO A RED LIGHT THEN TRIED TO DRIVE AND THE WHILE STILL ON WOULD NOT MOVE, IT WAS IF LIKE IN DIDN'T ENGAGE THE GEAR, WHEN I PUT ON GAS THE ONLY THING IT WOULD DO IS THE RPM WOULD GO UP BUT THE SPEEDOMETER WOULDN'T.
ONE DAY JUST LIKE THAT I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK AND I CAME TO A RED LIGHT SO AFTER COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN MY CAR WAS ON IN DRIVE AND I ACCELERATED AND THE CAR JUST WOULDN'T MOVE. GOT IT TOWED AND I GOT CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CODES AND IT WAS P0401 AND P0108 SO I CLEANED THE EGR VALVE AND BOUGHT A NEW MA…
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ONE DAY JUST LIKE THAT I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK AND I CAME TO A RED LIGHT SO AFTER COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN MY CAR WAS ON IN DRIVE AND I ACCELERATED AND THE CAR JUST WOULDN'T MOVE. GOT IT TOWED AND I GOT CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CODES AND IT WAS P0401 AND P0108 SO I CLEANED THE EGR VALVE AND BOUGHT A NEW MAP SENSOR AND INSTALLED IT. THE CAR HAD A NEW BATTERY, THE TRANSMISSION OIL WAS FULL AND WITH NO VISIBLE BLACK COLOR OR SMELL, THE CAR STARTED BUT WOULD NOT GET INTO GEAR AND JUST WOULDN'T MOVE. CALLED A SPECIALIST MECHANIC AND HE BROUGHT HIS TOOL TO CHECK THE WHOLE COMPUTER PART OF THE CAR WICH IS THE NEXT BEST THING TO TOWING IT TO A TRANSMISSION SHOP, THE RESULT CAME BACK INCONCLUSIVE WITH ALMOST CERTAIN TRANSMISSION FAILURE. AFTER CORONA A LOST OF VEHICLE AND JOB I AM JUDT ABOUT TO SELL IT AS IS CUT MY LOSSES AND MAYBE BUY A BICYCLE FOR NOW. I JUST NEED TO LEAVE ABOUT ONE HOUR BEFORE WORK AND BUY A GOOD AXE BODY SHOWER SPRAY AND ATTACH LIFE ONES AGAIN.
AIR BAG DOESN'T WORK SRS RED LIGHT IS ON ON DASHBOARD
TAKATA INFLATORS & SAFETY BELT FAILED ON IMPACT IN MOTION ON THE HIGHWAY.
1996 HONDA ACCORD EX-L. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO AIRBAGS IN VEHICLE DID NOT DEPLOY AFTER ACCIDENT. *AS *JS
TAKATA RECALL. I WAS IN A ACCIDENT ON SYCAMORE STREET IN BATON ROUGE LOUISIANA ON 1/3/18 AND A PIECE OF METAL SHARD PUNCTURED MY LEG AND FRACTURE MY TIBIA. I WAS TREATED FOR CONTUSIONS OF CHEST WALL ALSO AT OCHSNER ON O'NEAL LANE . I'M CURRENTLY ON BEDREST AND HAVE TO REMAIN OF MY LEG AND CAN'T RETURN TO WORK UNTIL I HAVE A F…
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TAKATA RECALL. I WAS IN A ACCIDENT ON SYCAMORE STREET IN BATON ROUGE LOUISIANA ON 1/3/18 AND A PIECE OF METAL SHARD PUNCTURED MY LEG AND FRACTURE MY TIBIA. I WAS TREATED FOR CONTUSIONS OF CHEST WALL ALSO AT OCHSNER ON O'NEAL LANE . I'M CURRENTLY ON BEDREST AND HAVE TO REMAIN OF MY LEG AND CAN'T RETURN TO WORK UNTIL I HAVE A FOLLOW-UP ON 1/9/18. I REALLY WOULD LIKE TO ATTEND TO THIS MATTER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE , THANK YOU AND HAVE A BLESSED DAY
TAKATA RECALL NOTICE WAS SENT TO ME ON 10/31/2017. I KEY IN MY VIN AND IT MEETS THE AIRBAG RECALL OR REPLACE REQUIREMENT. I THEN FOLLOWING THE ONLINE INSTRUCTION AND CALL A LOCAL HONDA AUTHRIZED DEALER. THEY ANSWERED MY CALL AND CHECK THE VIN TO SEE IF MY 1996 HONDA 2 DOOR HATCHBACK ACCORD MEETS THE AIRBAG REPLACEMENT. THEY …
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TAKATA RECALL NOTICE WAS SENT TO ME ON 10/31/2017. I KEY IN MY VIN AND IT MEETS THE AIRBAG RECALL OR REPLACE REQUIREMENT. I THEN FOLLOWING THE ONLINE INSTRUCTION AND CALL A LOCAL HONDA AUTHRIZED DEALER. THEY ANSWERED MY CALL AND CHECK THE VIN TO SEE IF MY 1996 HONDA 2 DOOR HATCHBACK ACCORD MEETS THE AIRBAG REPLACEMENT. THEY TOLD ME THAT MY VEHICLE DOES NOT MEET THE AIRBAG REPLACE/RECALL SERVICE. I AM FILING THIS COMPLAINT TO BRING THE ATTENTION TO THE NHTSA REGARDING THIS SAFETY ISSUE.
Official recalls
198V231000 · Electrical System:wiring:front Underhood
Sep 22, 1998
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: SEDAN, COUPE AND WAGON PASSENGER VEHICLES EXCEPT THE DX MODEL AND MODELS WITH V6 ENGINES. THE FACTORY INSTALLED AIR CONDITIONER WIRE HARNESS WAS IMPROPERLY ROUTED ALLOWING SOME WIRES TO RUB AGAINST EACH OTHER, EVENTUALLY CAUSING A SHORT CIRCUIT.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THE SHORT CIRCUIT CANPOSSIBLY CAUSE THE UNDERHOOD WIREING TO OVERHEAT AND SMOKE, CAUSING A FIRE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. A SHORT CIRCUIT CAN ALSO RESULT IN A BLOWN FUSE OR DEAD BATTERY.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE VEHICLES FOR PROPER ROUTING OF THESE WIRES. ANY HARNESS IMPROPERLY ROUTED WILL BE INSPECTED FOR DAMAGE AND THE ROUTING WILL BE CORRECTED. IF ANY INSULATION IS WORN THROUGH AND THE COPPER WIRES ARE EXPOSED, THE HARNESS WILL BE REPLACED. DEALERS WILL ALSO INSTALL PLASTIC TUBING TO PROTECT THE HARNESS.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.