IllustrationTRANSMISSION FAILED, REPLACED AND STARTED TO FAILED IN 1999 AGAIN. YH
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 reportsAIR BAG WARNING LIGHT REMAINS ILLUMINATED, INDICATING A MALFUNCTION WITHIN THE AIR BAG SYSTEM, CAUSE UNKNOWN. DEALER CANNOT IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
A FEW MINUTES AFTER LEAVING A RETAIL BUSINESS, THE BUSINESSMAN CALLED ME ON MY CELL PHONE TO ADVISE ME THERE WAS A LARGE AMOUNT OF FRESH OIL WHERE I HAD PARKED. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER ON THE FREEWAY ONLY TO FIND OIL GUSHING OUT OF MY ENGINE. I IMMEDIATELY EXITED THE FREEWAY AND WENT TO THE 7-11 AT THE TOP OF THE EXIT RAMP. I …
Read full complaint
A FEW MINUTES AFTER LEAVING A RETAIL BUSINESS, THE BUSINESSMAN CALLED ME ON MY CELL PHONE TO ADVISE ME THERE WAS A LARGE AMOUNT OF FRESH OIL WHERE I HAD PARKED. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER ON THE FREEWAY ONLY TO FIND OIL GUSHING OUT OF MY ENGINE. I IMMEDIATELY EXITED THE FREEWAY AND WENT TO THE 7-11 AT THE TOP OF THE EXIT RAMP. I ADDED 4 QUARTS OF OIL AND DROVE STRAIGHT TO THE HONDA DEALERSHIP APPROXIMATELY 5 MILES AWAY. BY THE TIME I ARRIVED AT THE DEALERSHIP ALL THE OIL HAD GUSHED OUT AGAIN. THE DEALERSHIP SAID THE SEAL ON THE FRONT BALANCER SHAFT HAD BECOME DISLODGED. THEY SAID IT WOULD COST $750 TO REPAIR. THE TIMING BELT WAS FULL OF OIL SO IT TOO HAD TO BE REPLACED. IF IT WASN'T FOR THE ALERT BUSINESSMAN AND THE FLUKE THAT I HAD GIVEN HIM MY PHONE NUMBER, I NEVER WOULD HAVE BEEN AWARE OF THE PROBLEM UNTIL EITHER THE ENGINE SEIZED UP AND/OR CAUGHT ON FIRE. THE DEALERSHIP AND THE MANUFACTURER SEEMED UNFAZED BY THE POTENTIAL DISASTER THAT I NARROWLY AVERTED SIMPLY BY A FLUKE OF CHANCE. THIS PROBLEM SHOULD RESULT IN A RECALL TO PREVENT OTHERS FROM GETTING KILLED IF THE CAR CATCHES ON FIRE AND SEIZES UP WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS!!
CONSUMER'S SON WAS DRIVING VEHICLE. WHILE MAKING A LEFT TURN AT 25 MPH VEHICLE STRUCK A PARKED VEHICLE, AND BOTH AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. DEALER / MANUFACTRURER WERE NOT CONTACTED AT THIS TIME. *AK
ABS UNIT FAILURE AS STATED IN THE SERVICE BULLETIN, OWNER WOULD LIKE ABS TO BE REPAIRED WITHOUT COSTS DUE TO DEFECT IN DESIGN. *MJS
CENTURY SMARTMOVE CAR SEAT: MODEL 4765FOX, MANUFACTURE DATE 07-16-97; PROBLEM: CHILD RESTRAINT BAR BROKE OFF.*AK
SECOND FAILURE OF SEAL.SEE PREV. QUESTIONNAIRE FILED . REF. #827854, 14 SEP 1998. *AK
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *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.