Your vehicle report
2002 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
- 1,050
- Received Oct 2001 to Nov 2025
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips212 complaints · 20% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Transmission fails or loses power while driving183 complaints · 17% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Airbags fail to deploy in crashes73 complaints · 7.0% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #19V499000Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2002-2003 3.2TL, 2003-2006 MDX, 2001-2007 Honda Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2003-2005 Civic Hybrid, 2001-2005 Civic GX NGV, 2002-2006 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot and 2006 Ridgeline vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with driver frontal air bag inflators assembled as a recall remedy part or replacement service part, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
- Recall #19V182000Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling specific 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2013-2016 ILX, 2013-2014 ILX Hybrid, 2003-2006 MDX, 2007-2016 RDX, 2002-2003 3.2TL, 2004-2006, and 2009-2014 TL, 2010-2013 ZDX and 2001-2007 and 2009 Honda Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2003-2005 Civic Hybrid, 2001-2005 Civic GX NGV, 2002-2007 and 2010-2011 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2007 Fit, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot, and 2006-2014 Ridgeline vehicles. The affected vehicles received a replacement driver air bag inflator as part of a previous Takata inflator recall remedy or a replacement driver air bag module containing the same inflator type as a service part. Due to a manufacturing error, in the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver frontal air bag, these inflators may explode.
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: 129 crashes, 10 fires, 102 people injured, 3 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
1 more problem
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 |
|---|---|
| 2001 | 4 |
| 2002 | 49 |
| 2003 | 46 |
| 2004 | 51 |
| 2005 | 37 |
| 2006 | 36 |
| 2007 | 40 |
| 2008 | 102 |
| 2009 | 94 |
| 2010 | 144 |
| 2011 | 76 |
| 2012 | 58 |
| 2013 | 39 |
| 2014 | 46 |
| 2015 | 51 |
| 2016 | 31 |
| 2017 | 41 |
| 2018 | 36 |
| 2019 | 40 |
| 2020 | 9 |
| 2021 | 1 |
| 2022 | 6 |
| 2023 | 4 |
| 2024 | 6 |
| 2025 | 3 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 0 |
| Total | 1,050 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips | 212 | 20% | – | |
| Transmission fails or loses power while driving | 183 | 17% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 73 | 7.0% | – | NHTSA recall #15V320000 |
| Airbag warning light stays on | 67 | 6.4% | – | |
| Frame rusts and corrodes through | 55 | 5.2% | – | |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 27 | 2.6% | – | |
| Seat belt fails to latch or retract | 26 | 2.5% | – | |
| Ignition key sticks or will not turn | 26 | 2.5% | – | NHTSA recall #05V025000 |
| Tires blow out or tread separates | 16 | 1.5% | – | |
| Check engine light comes on repeatedly | 15 | 1.4% | – | |
| Engine suddenly shuts off while driving | 15 | 1.4% | – | |
| Rear door latch fails to open or close | 8 | 0.8% | – | |
| Headlights dim or fail at night | 8 | 0.8% | – | |
| Brake pedal sinks due to leaking lines | 8 | 0.8% | – | |
| Suspension clunking or rattling noise over bumps | 8 | 0.8% | – | |
| Paint peels off roof and hood | 7 | 0.7% | – | |
| Automatic emergency braking applies without reason | 7 | 0.7% | – | |
| Vehicle rolls backward out of park | 7 | 0.7% | – | |
| Vehicle catches fire from wiring | 6 | 0.6% | – | |
| Dashboard melts, becomes sticky and glares | 5 | 0.5% | – |
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 #19V499000June 27, 20193,947 vehicles affected
air bags: frontal: driver side: inflator module
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2002-2003 3.2TL, 2003-2006 MDX, 2001-2007 Honda Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2003-2005 Civic Hybrid, 2001-2005 Civic GX NGV, 2002-2006 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot and 2006 Ridgeline vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with driver frontal air bag inflators assembled as a recall remedy part or replacement service part, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy
Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began August 12, 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are Q5A and Y58.
NHTSA recall #19V182000March 6, 20191,101,534 vehicles affected
air bags: frontal: driver side: inflator module
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling specific 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2013-2016 ILX, 2013-2014 ILX Hybrid, 2003-2006 MDX, 2007-2016 RDX, 2002-2003 3.2TL, 2004-2006, and 2009-2014 TL, 2010-2013 ZDX and 2001-2007 and 2009 Honda Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2003-2005 Civic Hybrid, 2001-2005 Civic GX NGV, 2002-2007 and 2010-2011 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2007 Fit, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot, and 2006-2014 Ridgeline vehicles. The affected vehicles received a replacement driver air bag inflator as part of a previous Takata inflator recall remedy or a replacement driver air bag module containing the same inflator type as a service part. Due to a manufacturing error, in the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver frontal air bag, these inflators may explode.
An explosion of an inflator within the driver frontal air bag module may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver, front seat passenger or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy
Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began April 10, 2019. Honda owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is O41. Acura owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Acura's number for this recall is U40.
NHTSA recall #15V320000May 28, 20156,281,043 vehicles affected
air bags: frontal: driver side: inflator module
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2001-2007 Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2001-2004 Honda Civic GX, 2003-2005 Honda Civic Hybrid, 2002-2006 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot, 2006 Ridgeline, 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2003-2006 Acura MDX, and 2002-2003 Acura 3.2TL vehicles. The affected vehicles are equipped with a dual-stage driver frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion and other factors, including manufacturing variability that, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture.
In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Remedy
Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on July 1, 2015. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Owners may contact Acura customer service at 1-800-382-2238, select option 4. Note: Vehicles that have had their driver frontal air bag replaced previously as part of a recall remedy prior to September 12, 2014 need to have their air bag replaced under this recall as well. Vehicles that, on or after September 12, 2014, received a remedy for a prior driver frontal air bag inflator recall already received an inflator of a different design, and therefore are not included in this recall and do not require additional servicing. Note: This recall fully supersedes recalls 08V-593, 09V-259, 10V-041, 11V-260, 14V-351 and 15V-153. Honda's numbers for this recall are JQ9, JR0, JR1, JR2, JR3, JR4, JR5, JR6, JR7, and JR8.
NHTSA recall #05V025000January 28, 2005486,659 vehicles affected
electrical system: ignition: switch
On certain passenger vehicles, the interlock operation of the ignition switch may not function properly, making it possible to turn the ignition key to the "off" position and remove the key without shifting the transmission to park.
If the driver does not shift to park before removing the key and fails to engage the parking brake, the vehicle could roll and a crash could occur.
Remedy
Dealers will perform an inspection procedure that confirms interlock function. Vehicles will be updated with a redesigned interlock lever free of charge. The recall began on march 7, 2005. Owners may contact Honda at 1-800-999-1009 or Acura at 1-800-382-2238.
NHTSA recall #02V226000August 28, 200217,551 vehicles affected
engine and engine cooling: engine
On certain minivans, sedans, coupes, and sport utility vehicles equipped with V6 engines, a timing belt tensioner pulley on the water pump is misaligned and could cause the timing belt to contact a bolt on the cylinder head. Eventually the belt could be damaged and fail.
If the timing belt breaks, the engine will stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect the water pump and if it is one of the defective pumps, the water pump and timing belt will be replaced. Owner notification began august 30, 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.
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 460
- 1998 1,200
- 1999 1,135
- 2000 1,183
- 2001 922
- 2002
- 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 2002 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