Honda Accord Reliability

31,145 NHTSA complaints (1981–2025). Complaint rate: 144.0 per 1,000 vehicles.

Severity Score
314.8
Complaints
31,145
Crash Rate
8.8%
Fire Rate
1.0%
Injuries
2,339
Fatalities
75

Honda Accord Generations

Manufacturer redesigns the car every few years (a “generation”). Each generation has different engineering and common issues. Click a generation to see year-by-year breakdown.

GenerationYearsComplaints
Gen 11976–19818
Gen 21982–198577
Gen 31986–1989410
Gen 41990–1993942
Gen 51994–19972,274
Gen 61998–20026,707
19981,429View→
19991,345View→
20001,506View→
20011,160View→
20021,267View→
Gen 72003–20075,809
Gen 82008–20124,270
Gen 92013–20175,621
Gen 102018–20224,653
Gen 112023–present374

Which Years to Buy & Avoid

Years auto-clustered by complaint volume relative to this model's median.

Bottom line: Avoid the 1998–2005 Honda Accord (1,183 crash-related complaints). The 2021–2023 models had significantly fewer reported issues. Most common issue across all years: AIR BAGS.

Avoid These Years

1998–2005
~1,409/yr complaints · 1,183 crashes
2018–2019
~1,810/yr complaints · 117 crashes
2013–2014
~1,643/yr complaints · 185 crashes
2008–2009
~1,355/yr complaints · 149 crashes

Average

1994–1997
~569/yr complaints
2006–2007
~621/yr complaints
2010–2012
~520/yr complaints
2015–2017
~778/yr complaints

Better Years

2021–2023
~217/yr complaints
1981–1993
~111/yr complaints

Too New

2024–2025
250 complaints so far

Need 3+ years on the road for reliable complaint data.

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Complaints by Model Year

NHTSA complaint count per model year

Honda Accord — Complaints by Model YearPeak: 2018 (2,663)
07661,5312,2973,062198119841987199019931996199920022005200820112014201720202023

Common Honda Accord Problems

Most reported component complaints to NHTSA

ComponentComplaintsCrash %
AIR BAGS3,07620.9%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM2,8882.9%
ENGINE2,0112.9%
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION1,8822.6%
POWER TRAIN1,6623.9%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER1,6333.6%
STEERING1,4558.2%
SERVICE BRAKES1,0579.4%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL99831.9%
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC8874.2%

Year-by-Year Breakdown

NHTSA complaint count per model year — click any year for full problems & recalls breakdown.

YearGenerationComplaintsCrashesFiresDetails
1981GOODGen 180—View→
1982GOODGen 2261—View→
1983GOODGen 2702View→
1984GOODGen 2251—View→
1985GOODGen 21952View→
1986GOODGen 3635—View→
1987GOODGen 3131111View→
1988GOODGen 3102171View→
1989GOODGen 31141510View→
1990GOODGen 4229128View→
1991GOODGen 4242206View→
1992GOODGen 4249472View→
1993GOODGen 4222472View→
1994Gen 54761054View→
1995Gen 5673947View→
1996Gen 5579695View→
1997Gen 55465112View→
1998AVOIDGen 61,4291333View→
1999AVOIDGen 61,345925View→
2000AVOIDGen 61,5061389View→
2001AVOIDGen 61,1601994View→
2002AVOIDGen 61,26716515View→
2003AVOIDGen 72,38218823View→
2004AVOIDGen 71,30612719View→
2005AVOIDGen 788014116View→
2006Gen 75417210View→
2007Gen 770012824View→
2008AVOIDGen 81,8518518View→
2009AVOIDGen 8858645View→
2010Gen 8700479View→
2011Gen 8357454View→
2012Gen 8504776View→
2013AVOIDGen 91,87011015View→
2014AVOIDGen 91,4167512View→
2015Gen 98065111View→
2016Gen 97855010View→
2017Gen 97445916View→
2018AVOIDGen 102,663665View→
2019AVOIDGen 1095651—View→
2020Gen 10506252View→
2021GOODGen 10278251View→
2022GOODGen 102504—View→
2023GOODGen 1112411—View→
2024TOO NEWGen 11165132View→
2025TOO NEWGen 11859—View→

See also: Honda Accordaccident & safety statistics from our vehicle history database.

Buying a Honda Accord?

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Honda Accord Years to Avoid (1981–2025) — Reliability, Problems & Best Years to Buy | VinItel