IllustrationABS LIGHT STAYS ON. DEALER SAYS CONSUMER NEEDS A NEW CONTROL SWITCH THAT WILL COST CONSUMER $700.00 . COSUMER HAS BEEN TRYING TO CONTACT MANUFACTURER, BUT HAS GOTTEN NO RESPONSE.*AK
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 reportsWHILE STOPPED THEN STARTED UP A SLIGHT HILL DEPRESSED ACCELERATOR PEDAL WHICH STUCK, CAUSING VEHICLE TO RUN INTO A HOUSE. *AK
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
WHEN SEAT BELT IS BEING USED BUCKLE RELEASES FROM LOCKING MECHANISM. *AK
CAMSHAFT FAILURE. *AK
MY DASHBOARD LIGHT SHOWING A PROBLEM WITH THE AIRBAG SYSTEM WENT ON. I TOOK THE CAR TO A DEALER FOR A DIAGNOSIS. THEY CHARGED ME $55.20. FOR THE DIAGNOSIS AND TOLD ME THAT THE AIR BAG ON THE PASSENGER SIDE HAD INCREASED PRESSURE AND THE SYSTEM SHUT DOWN. NEITHER AIRBAG WOULD DEPLOY IF I WAS IN AN ACCIDENT. THE CHARGE TO FIX I…
Read full complaint
MY DASHBOARD LIGHT SHOWING A PROBLEM WITH THE AIRBAG SYSTEM WENT ON. I TOOK THE CAR TO A DEALER FOR A DIAGNOSIS. THEY CHARGED ME $55.20. FOR THE DIAGNOSIS AND TOLD ME THAT THE AIR BAG ON THE PASSENGER SIDE HAD INCREASED PRESSURE AND THE SYSTEM SHUT DOWN. NEITHER AIRBAG WOULD DEPLOY IF I WAS IN AN ACCIDENT. THE CHARGE TO FIX IT WAS $1200 AND IT WAS NOT STILL UNDER WARRANTEE. I SPOKE WITH THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE REP IN CHICAGO AND HE OFFRED ME $300 TOWARD THE REPAIR AND I THEN SPOKE TO THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGER WHO UPED THE OFFER TO HALF - $600. EVERYONE ACKNOWLEDGES THAT THE SYSTEM IS A STATIC SYSTEM AND THERE HAS BEEN NO WEAR AND TEAR ON THE SYSTEM. ALL INVOLVED SAY THEY HAVE NOT SEEN IT HAPPEN BEFORE, BUT THEY WILL NOT FIX IT UNDER WARRANTEE. THE CUSTOMER SERVICE MANAGER TOLD ME IT WAS BECAUSE AIRBAGS ARE NOT A MANDATED SAFETY ITEM. THIS CAR HAS NOT BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT. THE AIR BAGS HAVE NEVER DEPLOYED. THERE IS NO REASON FOR THE SYSTEM TO STOP WORKING, BUT IT DID. ONE OTHER NOTE IS THAT THE MILEAGE READING ON THIS CAR IS 47147, HOWEVER, THE TRUE MILEAGE IS APPROXIMATELY 62,000. THE SPEEDOMETER WITH THE ODOMETER HAD TO BE REPLACED AT 16,000 MILES BECAUSE IT MALFUNCTIONED.*AK
REPORTING OIL SEAL CAME LOOSE AND CAUSED LOSS OF OIL / LEAKAGE WHILE DRIVING AT 65 MPH. DEALER NOTIFIED, AND UNWILLING TO ASSIST IN THIS MATTER. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS ON THIS MATTER. *AK
AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON, NOT TO DEALER YET.*AK
THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A SEVERE ENGINE OIL LEAK AND THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE MECHANIC FOR REPAIRS, THE MANUFACTURER HAD SENT A PRODUCT UPDATE CAMPAIGN STATING THERE WAS A DESIGN PROBLEM WITH THE BALANCE SEAL OIL SHAFT, THE CONSUMER REQUESTS REIMBURSEMENT. NLM
CONSUMER WAS INVOLVED IN 40 MPH FRONTAL COLLISION IN WHICH DRIVER'S AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS.*AK
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.