IllustrationDRIVER'S AIR BAG FAILED TO WORK PROPERLY/AIR BAG SENSOR LIGHT COMES ON/OFF.
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 reportsWHEN THE CAR WAS TURNED ON THE AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON AND STAYED ON AND DID NOT GO OFF. DEALER CONTACTED AND RAN CHECK ON COMPUTER. FOUND A CODE, RESET IT TO REMEDY THE PROBLEM. *AK
THE AUTOMATIC DOOR LOCK FOR BOTH LEFT DOORS WOULD MAKE NOISE; SOUNDING AS THOUGH THE DOORS WERE BEING UNLOCKED. THIS SOUND COULD BE HEARD WHEN VEHICLE HIT BUMPS, WENT DOWN SLOPS ON A DAILY BASIS. VEHICLE'S INTAKE MANIFOLD ALSO FAILED.
POWER DOOR LOCK JAMMED ON PASSENGER SIDE.
BRAKE PADS/ROTORS FAILED, CAUSING VEHICLE TO VIBRATE UPON BRAKING.
AIRBAG SENSOR LIGHT STAYS ON. THE DEALER HAS REPAIRED VEHICLE PREVIOUSLY FOR SENSOR. *AK
BRAKES FAILED RESULTING IN A VEHICLE COLLISION, ALSO NO DEPLOYMENT OF DRIVER'S AIR BAG, CAUSING INJURY. (QC-AW)
VEHICLE HAD FAULTY RIGHT SIDE RACK SEAL AND INNER TIE ROD CAUSING STEERING AND SUSPENSION PROBLEMS.
ENIGNE MAKES TICKING NOISES.
POWER DOOR LOCK MOTOR FAILED. QCAW
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.