IllustrationCONSUMER STATES THE AIRBAG LIGHT STARTED TO BLINK ON AND OFF, THEN IT STAYED ON. TOOK TO DEALER AND STATED THE SRS SYSTEM NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. NLM *TT
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 BACKING OUT VEHICLE STARTED TO ACCELERATE. THEN, VEHICLE STARTED TO DRIVE BACKWARDS AND STOPPED WHEN HITTING SIDE OF A HOUSE. CONTACTED DEALER. *AK
AT 65 MPH OIL LIGHT CAME ON SHORTLY AFTER ENGINE STALLED. DEALER DETERMINED THAT AN OIL SEAL BLEW. *AK
CUSTOMER WAS DRIVING ON A ROUGH ROAD APPROXIMATELY 30MPH AND AIR BAG DEPLOYED FOR NO REASON. THE INSURANCE COMPANY WILL COVER THE DAMAGE TO THE CAR BUT NOT THE REPLACEMENT OF THE AIR BAGS. WE'RE WANTED TO KNOW IF THERE ARE ANY RECALLS FOR THE AIRBAGS AND IF THERE IS SOMEONE WE MAY CONTACT TO HELP OUR CUSTOMER?
AIR BAG LIGHT WILL CONTINUOUSLY COME ON AND STAY ON WHILE CONSUMER IS DRIVING. CONTACTED DEALER, AND DEALER NOTED THAT THERE COULD BE A PROBLEM WITH THE AIR BAG. *AK.*TT
STARTING IN SEPT. OF 2001 MY VEHICLE WOULD NOT CHANGE FROM 3RD TO 4TH GEAR. THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, TOOK IT TO A LOCAL MECHANIC. AFTER CHECKING IT WITH HIS COMPUTER HE FOUND NO PROBLEM, RESET THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. HE RESEARCHED THE VEHICLE AND TOLD ME THAT HONDA WAS HAVING PROBLEMS WITH TRANSMISSIONS WHEN IT WAS HUMID!?!?…
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STARTING IN SEPT. OF 2001 MY VEHICLE WOULD NOT CHANGE FROM 3RD TO 4TH GEAR. THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, TOOK IT TO A LOCAL MECHANIC. AFTER CHECKING IT WITH HIS COMPUTER HE FOUND NO PROBLEM, RESET THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. HE RESEARCHED THE VEHICLE AND TOLD ME THAT HONDA WAS HAVING PROBLEMS WITH TRANSMISSIONS WHEN IT WAS HUMID!?!?! SO I THOUGHT THAT I WOULD SEE IF IT CONTINUED TO DO THIS WHEN IT COOLED OFF. IT HAS AND IT HAS GOTTEN TO THE POINT THAT EVERY MORNING IT WILL NOT CHANGE GEARS UNTIL I HAVE DRIVEN APPROXIMATELY 1/2 MILE, STOP AND GO AGAIN. EVEN THEN SOMETIMES IT DOESN'T CHANGE.*AK
WHILE TRAVELING A LOW SPEED BOTH AIRBAGS DEPLOYED WITHOUT AN IMPACT TO VEHICLE. DEALERSHIP IS AWARE OF PROBLEM.*AK
NEEDS TO BE A RECALL- THIS PROBLEM IS VERY COMMON. NO SAFETY DEFECT LISTED. *AK
THIS PROBLEM HAS EXSISTED SINCE MY PURCHASE OF THE VEHICLE. I HAVE READ AND EVEN BEEN INFORMED BY MY DEALER THAT THIS FAILURE IS COMMON TO MY MAKE MODEL AND YEAR VEHICLE. I HAVE ALSO BEEN TOLD THIS IS AT MY COST TO FIX, AND I FEEL THAT HONDA SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FAULTY PART(S) NOT ME. I AM HOPING THAT ENOUGH PEOPLE WILL…
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THIS PROBLEM HAS EXSISTED SINCE MY PURCHASE OF THE VEHICLE. I HAVE READ AND EVEN BEEN INFORMED BY MY DEALER THAT THIS FAILURE IS COMMON TO MY MAKE MODEL AND YEAR VEHICLE. I HAVE ALSO BEEN TOLD THIS IS AT MY COST TO FIX, AND I FEEL THAT HONDA SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FAULTY PART(S) NOT ME. I AM HOPING THAT ENOUGH PEOPLE WILL FILE COMPLAINTS SO THAT HONDA IS ASKED TO PERFORM A RECALL TO FIX THIS PROBLEM. THIS FAILURE CAUSES A FALSE FUEL READING WHICH COULD LEAVE ME STRANDED ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD BECAUSE I MIGHT THINK I HAVE ENOUGH FUEL TO GO SOME WHERE AND END UP NOT HAVING ENOUGH. THIS FAILURE SHOULD BE HONDA'S COST TO FIX NOT MINE, AND MAYBE BY FILING THIS COMPLAINT ALL OF US WITH THIS PROBLEM WILL GET OUR VEHICLES RECALLED TO BE FIXED. *AK
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
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.