Every recall campaign and owner complaint the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration holds for the 1996 Honda Accord. Nothing on this page is written from memory — it is all imported from NHTSA's public database.
1 recall campaign filed by Honda for the 1996 Accord, newest first.
| Campaign | Component | What the recall says |
|---|---|---|
| 98V231000 1998-09-22 |
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.
Risk: 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. Fix: 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… |
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 1996 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.
499 owner complaints on file with NHTSA for the 1996 Accord, grouped by the component owners reported. Counts reflect how many owners complained, not how often the fault actually occurs.
| Reported component | Complaints | |
|---|---|---|
| Air Bags 21 crash, 14 injured |
94 | |
| Engine And Engine Cooling | 80 | |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic 4 crash, 1 injured |
56 | |
| Electrical System 2 crash, 2 fire |
29 | |
| Power Train | 22 | |
| Vehicle Speed Control 9 crash, 4 injured |
22 | |
| Tires 1 crash |
20 | |
| Visibility | 19 | |
| Structure | 16 | |
| Seat Belts 1 crash, 1 injured |
13 | |
| Steering 1 crash |
11 | |
| Engine And Engine Cooling,Unknown Or Other | 11 |
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.
The contact owns a 1996 Honda Accord. The contact stated that the SRS air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the SRS unit needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,100.
filed 05/04/2023 · ODI 11520429
AIR BAG DOESN'T WORK SRS RED LIGHT IS ON ON DASHBOARD
filed 10/12/2018 · ODI 11139940
DT: THE CONTACT STATED THE BALANCE SHAFT SEAL POPPED OUT OF THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP. THEY STATED THE ENGINE SEAL FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED. THEY OFFERED NO FREE REMEDY. NO REPAIRS HAVE BEEN MADE. *AK
filed 12/07/2005 · ODI 10144693
WHILE PULLING OUT OF THE DRIVE WAY, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. THE CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER WHO COULD NOT FIND THE PROBLEM. THE DEALER SUGGESTED THAT THE CONSUMER REPLACE THE SPARK PLUGS. *MR
filed 04/06/2004 · ODI 10066680
1996 HONDA ACCORD. CONSUMER STATES BRAKE FAILURE *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED WHEN SHE APPLIED THE BRAKE PEDAL, IT WAS VERY HARD AND THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR AND THE VEHICLE DID NOT STOP. AFTER THE ACCIDENT, THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED AND IT APPEARED THE BRAKE FLUID LEAKED OUT OF THE ABS RESERVOIR. *JB Crash reported
filed 09/08/2010 · ODI 10354289
ABS LIGHT CAME ON ACCOMPANIED BY BUZZER. CHECKED BRAKE FLUID AND FOUND THAT I WAS ALMOST EMPTY IN ABS RESERVOIR. ADDED FLUID AND HAD ABS MODULATOR CHECKED. MODULATOR WAS FOUND TO BE LEAKING BRAKE FLUID FROM FITTING ON UNDERSIDE. I CONTACTED DEALER TO EFFECT REPAIR,AND WAS TOLD A NEW ABS MODULATOR WOULD BE ABOUT $1500-$1600 DOLLARS. SINCE VEHICLE WAS JUST PAST WARRANTY LIMITS, I INQUIRED IF SOME CONSIDERATION MIGHT BE MADE SINCE IT WAS CONSIDERED A NON-WEAR ITEM. DEALER DENIED ANY CONSIDERATIONS. UPON FURTHER RESEARCH INTO THE MATTER, I DISCOVERED A HONDA SERVICE BULLETIN HAD BEEN RELEAS
filed 09/30/2006 · ODI 10169649
FAULTY IGNITION SWITCH...RECURRENT INTERMITTENT PROBLEM. FAILS TO START. THIS HAS BEEN OCCURRING OFF AND ON FOR YEARS. SOMETIMES THE KEY SENSOR SENSES A KEY IN THE IGNITION WHEN A KEY ISN'T INSERTED, THUS A BEEPING SOUND WHEN THE DOOR IS OPENED EVEN IF THE KEY IS NOT IN THE IGNITION. CAR HAS SHUT OFF WHILE DRIVING SEVERAL TIMES OVER THE YEARS. *TR
filed 07/16/2014 · ODI 10610921
I HAVE A 1996 HONDA ACCORD WHICH WAS SUDDENLY STALLING WITH ALL THE POWER DOWN FOR FEW MINUTES. AFTER FEW TESTS MY MECHANIC SAID THE PROBLEM IS WITH IGNITION KEY SWITCH. AFTER SPENDING $600 PLUS THE PROBLEM STOPPED. AFTER RESEARCHING I FOUND OUT THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THE SAME PROBLEM BUT FOR MODEL YEAR 1997 ONWARDS FOR THE SAME CAR. AFTER FURTHER RESEARCH I FOUND THAT THERE WERE LOT OF PEOPLE ON THE MODEL YEAR 1996 WHO COMPLAINED ABOUT THE SAME PROBLEM BUT WHOSE CAR WERE NOT RECALLED AND FIXED BY HONDA. SO I THINK HONDA SHOULD ALL INCLUDE THE MODEL YEAR 1996 FOR RECALL OR REIMBURSE PEOPLE LIK
filed 07/22/2011 · ODI 10415687
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 1 recall campaign filed by Honda for the 1996 Accord. The most recent is campaign 98V231000, filed 1998-09-22, covering Electrical System › Wiring › Front Underhood.
The most-reported component is Air Bags with 94 of the 499 owner complaints on file, including 21 reports involving a crash. Complaint counts show where owners report trouble; they are not proof of a defect.
499 complaints with NHTSA for the 1996 Accord, spread across 57 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.