Problems · NHTSA complaints

2005 Honda Accord Hybrid problems

Owners filed 686 complaints about the 2005 Honda Accord Hybrid with NHTSA between Nov 2004 and Jan 2026. The most-cited component is air bags (226).

Complaints
686
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
96
Reported by owners
Fires
11
Reported by owners
Injuries
97
People reported injured
Deaths
3
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Air bags226
  2. Power train114
  3. Electrical system99
  4. Vehicle speed control59
  5. Steering42
  6. Structure39
  7. Engine33
  8. Service brakes, hydraulic33
  9. Seat belts31
  10. Engine and engine cooling27
  11. Equipment20
  12. Tires19
  13. Exterior lighting18
  14. Service brakes17

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Oct 30, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Trend

When complaints were filed

Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
View as table
Model yearComplaints filed per calendar year
20043
200541
200626
200725
200833
200928
201064
201157
201245
201340
201467
201582
201630
201734
201840
201935
202015
20216
20224
20235
20242
20253
20261

Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.

03 —Owner reports

Top problems in owners’ words

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first

Air bags

226 reports54 crashes1 fire
“The contact owns a 2005 Honda Accord. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V320000 (Air Bags); however, the dealer refused to complete the recall and had not provided a reason for declining the recall repair. The contact stated that the dealer and manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 10, 2024Air bagsODI 11619090

Power train

114 reports5 crashes2 fires
“I was driving in Kansas City Kansas. On 635, It was around 6 pm. When I started exiting onto another highway. Due to car stalling by either transmission slipping, or the fuel pump stalling the engine headlights too dim with weird angle in lighting as well, Long story short.... I was almost the cause of a massive wreck ... it made for a quiet drive home... So I was also going to see if they've had a recall on 2005 honda accord aside from airbags.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 19, 2023Power train, Electrical system, Fuel/propulsion systemODI 11550742

Electrical system

99 reports6 crashes2 fires
“Since I have owned this vehicle (bought used with 68,000 miles) it has had an issue that over 10 mechanics have not yet solved. It has slowly escalated to the point it is now unable to be driven at 250,000 miles. It is an idle issue, the car started revving up to around 3,000 rpm’s (on hot days it seemed but it also started to happen in the winter ) whenever I would put the car into park after driving it a small amount of time. The safety mechanism would kick in on the vehicle making it impossible to put back into gear and I would be forced to shut the car off and let it rest for around 30 minutes before it would start without immediately revving up to the red line again. I’ve replaced everything that every mechanic has told me that it could be. Even tried to replace almost everything all at once. Over time this issue began to get extremely worse and the vehicle would start to accelerate on its own to the point I almost crashed it three different times because I would be unable to slow the vehicle down coming to a stop sign and I’d have to throw the e brake on while pressing the main brake system. Afterwards I’d have to quickly find a parking spot and shut the…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Nov 21, 2023Electrical system, Vehicle speed control, EngineODI 11556295

Vehicle speed control

59 reports21 crashes
“ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS MY 05 ACCORD COUPE WILL STAY ACCELERATED WHEN BRAKES ARE PRESSED, IN NEUTRAL, OR RELEASING THE ACCELERATER. ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS I HAVE PRESSED THE BRAKE ONLY TO NOT SLOW DOWN. THANKFULLY I WAS ON OPEN HIGHWAY. THIS HAS HAPPENED AND CONTINUES TO HAPPEN ON CITY STREETS AND HIGHWAYS. AT LOW SPEEDS AND HIGH.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled May 2, 2020Vehicle speed control, EngineODI 11323012

Steering

42 reports7 crashes3 fires
“The contact owned a 2005 Honda Accord. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH and attempting to pass a vehicle on the right lane of the road, the vehicle lost power steering functionality and pulled to the left side of the road and towards the median. The contact did not recall whether a warning light was illuminated. The vehicle crashed into the pole of a traffic sign, and the traffic sign broke the windshield. The air bags failed to deploy and the seat belts pretensioners failed to engage, causing the contact to hit her head against the windshield. The shattered pieces of the windshield were propelled to the contact. The contact stated that she was unconscious for an hour. The contact was transported to the hospital by emergency unit. The contact sustained severe headaches and was advised to follow up with a neurologist. Additionally, the contact sustained minor lacerations on the legs and arms. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot, where it was totaled. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 230,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jul 19, 2023Steering, Air bags, Seat beltsCrash reportedODI 11533347

Structure

39 reports11 crashes
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 HONDA ACCORD. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN THE DRIVEWAY, THE CONTACT DISCOVERED THAT THE GEAR SHIFTER BUTTON HAD FRACTURED AND SEPARATED FROM THE GEAR SHIFTER KNOB. UPON INSPECTION, THE CONTACT NOTICED BROKEN PLASTIC FRAGMENTS COMING OUT OF THE KNOB WHERE THE BUTTON HAD DETACHED. THE CONTACT INDICATED THAT AFTER THE FAILURE THE VEHICLE WOULD ONLY OPERATE IN THE NEUTRAL AND DRIVE POSITIONS, AND THE KEY COULD NOT BE REMOVED FROM THE IGNITION SWITCH. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S HOME. THE DEALER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND PROVIDED CASE NUMBER: 09857723. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 9, 2019Electrical system, StructureODI 11254206
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Oct 30, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.