IllustrationPOWER DOOR LOCKS HAVE BEEN MAKING A LOUD NOISE WHEN LOCKED FOR THE PAST YEAR. TWO WEEKS AGO THE REAR HATCH BACK LOCK OPENS AND THEN CLOSES ON ITS OWN MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO OPEN THE HATCH. EVEN IF THE BUTTON IS HELD UP MANUALLY THE HATCH WILL NOT OPEN. ALL OTHER FOUR DOORS WORK PROPERLY. *TR
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
Latches/locks/linkages complaints
13 reportsDT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE DOOR WILL NOT AUTOMATICALLY LOCK/UNLOCK USING THE REMOTE LOCKING DEVICE IT MUST BE PERFORMED MANUALLY. THIS BEGAN AS AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM BUT GRADUALLY GOT WORSE. THE DEALERSHIP INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND DETERMINED THE ACTUATOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT …
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DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE DOOR WILL NOT AUTOMATICALLY LOCK/UNLOCK USING THE REMOTE LOCKING DEVICE IT MUST BE PERFORMED MANUALLY. THIS BEGAN AS AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM BUT GRADUALLY GOT WORSE. THE DEALERSHIP INSPECTED THE VEHICLE AND DETERMINED THE ACTUATOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. UPDATED 05/16/2006. *AK *NM
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE REAR DRIVER SIDE DOOR WILL NOT AUTOMATICALLY LOCK/UNLOCK FROM THE DRIVER SIDE CONTROLS, IT MUST BE PERFORMED MANUALLY. THE VEHICLE IS NOT EQUIPPED WITH A REMOTE LOCKING DEVICE. THE CONTACT IS NOT THE ORIGINAL OWNER AND THE PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED SINCE DATE OF PURCHASE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DE…
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DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE REAR DRIVER SIDE DOOR WILL NOT AUTOMATICALLY LOCK/UNLOCK FROM THE DRIVER SIDE CONTROLS, IT MUST BE PERFORMED MANUALLY. THE VEHICLE IS NOT EQUIPPED WITH A REMOTE LOCKING DEVICE. THE CONTACT IS NOT THE ORIGINAL OWNER AND THE PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED SINCE DATE OF PURCHASE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP AND DETERMINED THE DOOR ACTUATOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER HAS NOT BEEN CONTACTED. *AK UPDATED 5/16/2006 - *NM
1: MANUAL DOOR LOCKING MECHANISM ON FRONT AND REAR PASSENGER DOOR FAILS. DOORS DO NOT REMAIN CLOSED. DOORS ARE DIFFICULT TO OPEN WHEN CLOSED. DOORS FAIL TO LOCK. BOTH DOORS HAVE OPENED WHILE PASSENGERS WERE IN THE CAR, INCLUSION MY 7 YEAR OLD SON. *JB
ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS, WITH DOOR LOCK ACTUATORS AND SRS SYSTEMS WHEEL ALIGNMENT BRAKE PROBLEMS, TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS YES , PARTS WERE REPLACED, REPAIRED BUT I STILL HAVE THE SAME PROBLEMS, AFTER SPENDING THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. *NM
PASSENGER'S SIDE DOOR WILL NOT CLOSE PROPLERY. THE DOOR AJAR LIGHT STAYES ON WHILE DRIVING. APPOINTMENT WILL BE MADE FOR THE DEALER.*AK
DOOR LOCKS BROKEN-WHEN I LOCK OR UNLOCK MY VEHICLE IT MAKES AN EXTREMELY LOUD NOISE. *NLM
THE SECONDARY HOOD LATCH ISN'T LATCHING THE HOOD DOWN ALL THE WAY. SEEMS LIKE IT COULD BE A DANGER IF DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND THE HOOD FLIES UP.*AK
CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 65MPH ON HIGHWAY AND HOOD LATCH POPPED OPEN, AND HOOD FLEW ON WINDSHIELD. WINDSHIELD WAS SHATTERED. CONSUMER NOTIFIED HONDA DEALERSHIP.*AK
WHEN DRIVING THE DOOR LOCKS KEEP POPPING UP AND DOWN, MAKING LOUD NOISE. IT ISN'T SAFE TO DRIVE AND HAVE DOOR LOCKS POP UP AND DOWN. THE DEALER CAN'T DETERMINE WHAT THE PROBLEM. *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.