Your vehicle report
1989 Honda Accord
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 86
- Received Jan 1995 to Jul 2007
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Seat belt fails to latch or retract30 complaints · 35% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Vehicle catches fire from wiring8 complaints · 9.3% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Unintended acceleration despite braking4 complaints · 4.7% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #95V103001The front safety belt buckle release buttons can break. These red plastic release buttons are marked "press." if a button breaks, pieces can fall into the buckle assembly causing the buckle to operate improperly.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 13 crashes, 10 fires, 13 people injured, 0 deaths.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 6 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
Body, doors & glass
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 23 |
| 1996 | 25 |
| 1997 | 7 |
| 1998 | 5 |
| 1999 | 3 |
| 2000 | 9 |
| 2001 | 1 |
| 2002 | 3 |
| 2003 | 5 |
| 2004 | 3 |
| 2005 | 0 |
| 2006 | 1 |
| 2007 | 1 |
| 2008 | 0 |
| 2009 | 0 |
| 2010 | 0 |
| 2011 | 0 |
| 2012 | 0 |
| 2013 | 0 |
| 2014 | 0 |
| 2015 | 0 |
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 0 |
| Total | 86 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seat belt fails to latch or retract | 30 | 35% | – | NHTSA recall #95V103001 |
| Vehicle catches fire from wiring | 8 | 9.3% | – | |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 4 | 4.7% | – | |
| Tires blow out or tread separates | 3 | 3.5% | – | |
| Ball joints wear out and fail | 3 | 3.5% | – | |
| Head gasket leaks coolant into engine | 3 | 3.5% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #95V103001May 24, 19953,700,000 vehicles affected
seat belts: front: buckle assembly
The front safety belt buckle release buttons Can break. These red plastic release buttons are marked "press." if a button breaks, pieces Can fall into the buckle assembly causing the buckle to operate improperly.
The safety belts would not provide adequate protection to an occupant in a vehicle crash.
Remedy
Owners should promptly check the condition and operation of both front safety belt buckles. Carefully inspect the red release button for any breaks or cracks. Check that both buckles are operating properly by inserting each latch plate into its buckle, tug on the belt to make sure the latch is securely locked, then press the release button. The latch plate should pop out of the buckle when the button is pressed. If either release button shows any sign of breakage or cracking, or if either buckle fails to operate properly, promptly contact your authorized Honda/Acura dealer to schedule an appointment to have the buckle replaced or repaired, free of charge. The manufacturer is developing a remedy designed to prevent the failure of the buttons that are not currently broken.
Other model years
- 1986 54
- 1987 111
- 1988 88
- 1989
- 1990 192
- 1991 212
- 1992 206
- 1993 186
- 1994 369
- 1995 543
- 1996 472
- 1997 460
- 1998 1,200
- 1999 1,135
- 2000 1,183
- 2001 922
- 2002 1,050
- 2003 1,987
- 2004 1,018
- 2005 656
- 2006 433
- 2007 524
- 2008 1,521
- 2009 727
- 2010 581
- 2011 296
- 2012 373
- 2013 1,427
- 2014 982
- 2015 601
- 2016 612
- 2017 540
- 2018 1,897
- 2019 698
- 2020 366
- 2021 245
- 2022 261
- 2023 88
- 2024 153
- 2025 96
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 1989 Honda Accord.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN