Every recall campaign and owner complaint the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration holds for the 1988 Honda Accord. Nothing on this page is written from memory — it is all imported from NHTSA's public database.
2 recall campaigns filed by Honda for the 1988 Accord, newest first.
| Campaign | Component | What the recall says |
|---|---|---|
| 95V103001 1995-05-24 |
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.
Risk: THE SAFETY BELTS WOULD NOT PROVIDE ADEQUATE PROTECTION TO AN OCCUPANT IN A VEHICLE CRASH. Fix: 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… |
| 87V171000 1987-10-29 |
Equipment Other Owners/Service/Other Manual |
OWNERS MANUAL INFORMATION REQUIRED BY FMVSS 210, SECTIONS 6A AND 6B WAS OMITTED FROM THE MANUAL.
Risk: VEHICLES MANUAL INFORMATION DOES NOT COMPLY WITH FMVSS210. Fix: UPGRADE EXISTING MANUALS BY INSERTING ADHESIVE BACKED CORRECTION PAGES. |
Summaries are quoted verbatim from NHTSA's official campaign records. A single campaign often covers dozens of model years and several nameplates, so a summary may name vehicles other than the 1988 Accord — that is normal. Every record listed here carries this vehicle's own make, model and model year in NHTSA's database. Whether a recall is still open on a particular car can only be determined by VIN.
97 owner complaints on file with NHTSA for the 1988 Accord, grouped by the component owners reported. Counts reflect how many owners complained, not how often the fault actually occurs.
| Reported component | Complaints | |
|---|---|---|
| Seat Belts 4 crash, 6 injured |
30 | |
| Vehicle Speed Control 6 crash, 10 injured |
11 | |
| Power Train 1 injured |
10 | |
| Tires | 6 | |
| Engine And Engine Cooling | 6 | |
| Electrical System 1 fire |
4 | |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 3 | |
| Equipment 1 fire |
3 | |
| Exterior Lighting | 3 | |
| Structure | 3 | |
| Seats 2 crash, 3 injured |
2 | |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic 1 crash |
2 |
A complaint is an unverified owner report. It is a signal about where to look, not proof of a defect.
Verbatim excerpts from NHTSA complaint filings on this model year. These are the owners' own words, not our diagnosis, and each one is a single unverified report.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1988 HONDA ACCORD. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELT RETRACTOR WAS DEFECTIVE. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER (HONDA OF THOUSAND OAKS, 3925 AUTO MALL DR, THOUSAND OAKS, CA 91362) AND WAS INFORMED THAT PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE BECAUSE OF THE YEAR OF THE VEHICLE. IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE SEAT BELT RETRACTOR WAS DEFECTIVE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 200,000. *BF *TR
filed 01/29/2018 · ODI 11065628
THIS IS MY 2ND COMPLAINT FOR THE SAME ISSUE...MY FIRST ONE NEVER GOT A RESPONSE AND IT HAS BEEN MONTHS SINCE I SENT IT. PLEASE RESPOND WITH HELP FOR THIS. I WAS REALLY HOPING TO AVOID A LOCAL NEWS STORY FOR THIS ISSUE, BUT I WILL GIVE THIS ONE LAST CHANCE BEFORE I GO THAT ROUTE. MY 1988 HONDA ACCORD LXI HATCHBACK HAS AN ISSUE WITH THE FRONT SEAT BELT RETRACTORS. THE DEALER REPLACED THE DRIVER SIDE ONE ABOUT 3 YEARS AGO. NOW THE ONE IN THE FRONT/PASSENGER SIDE HAS FAILED AND THE SEAT BELT IS HANGING ALL OF THE WAY OUT OF THE DOOR. THE LOCAL HONDA DEALER IS MORE INTERESTED IN SELLING NEW
filed 12/23/2017 · ODI 11056238
THE CAR HAD BEEN STARTED IN PARK, THEN IT JUMPED INTO REVERSE AND ACCELERATED INTO A VAN AT A HIGH SPEED. DRIVER WAS INJURED. DEALER CAN'T FIND THE PROBLEM. *AK Crash reported
filed 01/05/1999 · ODI 833013
CONSUMER EXPERIENCED PROBLEM WITH ACCELERATOR PEDAL STICKING TO THE FLOOR WHEN APPLIED. PROPERTY DAMAGE TO APARTMENT COMPLEX. *AK
filed 12/28/1998 · ODI 832738
VEHICLE EXPERIENCED ROLLBACK WHILE PARKED WITH NO KEY IN THE IGNITION.*MR 1988 HONDA ACCORD HAS EXPERIENCED ROLL BACK WHILE PARKED WITH NO KEY IN IGNITION. CONSUMER NOTIFIED THE HONDA DEALERSHIP WHICH IN TURN PAID NO ATTENTION TO THEIR COMPLAINT.*MR
filed 01/22/2004 · ODI 10055337
WHEN THE VEHICLE IS IN PARK WITH NO KEY IN THE IGNITION IT INADVERTENTLY ROLLS BACKWARDS. *AK
filed 11/05/2003 · ODI 10046417
I HAD TWO TIRE BLOWOUTS WITHIN 3 WEEKS,THE TIRE VALVE STEMS ON BOTH TIRES WERE SEVERLY SUN CRACKED,I HEARD ABOUT THE DILL COMPANY'S RECALL ON VALVE STEMS MADE IN 2006 BOTH MY STEMS WERE MADE IN 2005 MODEL #TR 418,I THINK THEY NEED TO EXPAND THIS RECALL DRASTICALLY BEFORE SOMEONE ELSE GETS KILLED!!!,BOTH TIRES WERE DESTROYED AND I ALMOST LOST CONTROL ON THE LAST ONE,3 YEAR OLD TIRE VALVES SHOULD NOT BE ROTTEN BY THE SUN AND FAIL,PLEASE HELP US,YOU ARE THE ONLY ONES THAT CAN !!! *TR
filed 12/22/2008 · ODI 10252586
I HAD REPLACED THREE TIRES ON MY VEHICLE AT SEARS. APPROXIMATELY, THREE WEEKS AGO, I HAD A TIRE DEFLATE WHILE DRIVING OUT OF A PARKING AREA TOWARD THE FREEWAY. I STOPPED AT A GAS STATION AND DISCOVERED AIR LEAKING FROM THE VALVE STEM. I FILLED THE TIRE AND DROVE THE CAR TO SEARS A COUPLE MILES AWAY AND IT WAS REPAIRED. LAS NIGHT AS I BACKED OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY OF MY HOME, ANOTHER LEAK OCCURRED FROM A DIFFERENT TIRE, AGAIN IT WAS THE VALVE STEM. I PLAN ON TAKING THE CAR INTO SEARS FOR REPAIR AND TO HAVE THEM ALSO CHECK THE THIRD TIRES VALVE STEM. *TR
filed 08/23/2008 · ODI 10239476
A recall only matters if it is open on your car. The lists above are for the model year as a whole; the free official lookup below tells you what applies to your specific 17-character VIN.
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Yes. NHTSA records 2 recall campaigns filed by Honda for the 1988 Accord. The most recent is campaign 95V103001, filed 1995-05-24, covering Seat Belts › Front › Buckle Assembly.
The most-reported component is Seat Belts with 30 of the 97 owner complaints on file, including 4 reports involving a crash. Complaint counts show where owners report trouble; they are not proof of a defect.
97 complaints with NHTSA for the 1988 Accord, spread across 21 reported component groups.
Enter your 17-character VIN at NHTSA's free recall lookup. Recalls are applied per vehicle, so the model-year lists above cannot tell you whether your particular car is covered.