Your vehicle report
1997 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
- 460
- Received Dec 1996 to Sep 2023
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Airbag warning light stays on46 complaints · 10% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Seat belt fails to latch or retract27 complaints · 5.9% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips25 complaints · 5.4% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #02V120000On certain sedans, coupes, hatchbacks, and sport utility vehicles, electrical contacts in the ignition switch can degrade due to the high electrical current passing through the switch when the vehicle is started.
- Recall #99V069000Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. Certain vehicles were manufactured with ball joints that can prematurely wear out and, in the worse case, the ball joint would separate causing the front suspension to collapse.
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: 42 crashes, 10 fires, 31 people injured, 9 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 20 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
Body, doors & glass
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
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 |
|---|---|
| 1996 | 1 |
| 1997 | 16 |
| 1998 | 33 |
| 1999 | 50 |
| 2000 | 37 |
| 2001 | 53 |
| 2002 | 77 |
| 2003 | 34 |
| 2004 | 33 |
| 2005 | 17 |
| 2006 | 10 |
| 2007 | 3 |
| 2008 | 6 |
| 2009 | 10 |
| 2010 | 22 |
| 2011 | 7 |
| 2012 | 11 |
| 2013 | 5 |
| 2014 | 11 |
| 2015 | 9 |
| 2016 | 3 |
| 2017 | 2 |
| 2018 | 3 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 1 |
| 2021 | 2 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 3 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 0 |
| Total | 460 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbag warning light stays on | 46 | 10% | – | |
| Seat belt fails to latch or retract | 27 | 5.9% | – | |
| Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips | 25 | 5.4% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 23 | 5.0% | – | |
| Ignition key sticks or will not turn | 23 | 5.0% | – | NHTSA recall #02V120000 |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 16 | 3.5% | – | |
| Anti-lock brakes fail or lock up | 15 | 3.3% | – | |
| Engine suddenly shuts off while driving | 13 | 2.8% | – | |
| Check engine light comes on repeatedly | 11 | 2.4% | – | |
| Ball joints wear out and fail | 11 | 2.4% | – | NHTSA recall #99V069000 |
| Transmission fails or loses power while driving | 11 | 2.4% | – | |
| Tires blow out or tread separates | 9 | 2.0% | – | |
| Air conditioner blows hot air or fails | 9 | 2.0% | – | |
| Brake pedal sinks due to leaking lines | 7 | 1.5% | – | |
| Water leaks into cabin during rain | 6 | 1.3% | – | |
| Vehicle catches fire from wiring | 6 | 1.3% | – | |
| Suspension clunking or rattling noise over bumps | 6 | 1.3% | – | |
| Cruise control fails to disengage | 6 | 1.3% | – | |
| Vehicle rolls backward out of park | 6 | 1.3% | – | |
| Fuel tank or line leaks gasoline | 5 | 1.1% | – |
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 #02V120000May 16, 20021,000,000 vehicles affected
electrical system: ignition: switch
On certain sedans, coupes, hatchbacks, and sport utility vehicles, electrical contacts in the ignition switch Can degrade due to the high electrical current passing through the switch when the vehicle is started.
Worn contacts could cause the engine to stall without warning, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the ignition switch. Owner notification began june 14, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact Honda at 1-800-999-1009 or Acura at 1-800-382-2238.
NHTSA recall #99V069000May 10, 1999124,875 vehicles affected
suspension: front: control arm: lower ball joint
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. Certain vehicles were manufactured with ball joints that Can prematurely wear out and, in the worse case, the ball joint would separate causing the front suspension to collapse.
This condition would result in vehicle deceleration and a sudden loss of power. Also steering controllability would be reduced.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the front suspension lower ball joints.
NHTSA recall #98V231000September 22, 1998967,771 vehicles affected
electrical system: wiring: front underhood
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.
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.
Other model years
- 1986 54
- 1987 111
- 1988 88
- 1989 86
- 1990 192
- 1991 212
- 1992 206
- 1993 186
- 1994 369
- 1995 543
- 1996 472
- 1997
- 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 1997 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