Problems · by component
1998 Honda Accord fuel system, gasoline problems
36 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 1998 Honda Accord cite fuel system, gasoline, 3% of all 1,215 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
36
3% of all complaints
Crashes
1
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
Reported by owners
What owners say about the fuel system, gasoline
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“FAILED CLEAR COAT AND FADED PAINT WERE THE FIRST PROBLEMS TO OCCUR WITH MY SILVER HONDA ACCORD. NEXT WAS THE GAS TANK LEAK, WHERE FUMES AND LEAKED GAS COULD BE SMELLED AND SEEN ON THE GROUND WHEN FILLING THE TANK MORE THAN HALF FULL. FINALLY MY PASSENGER SIDE FRONT SUBFRAME REAR CROSS MEMBER RUSTED THRU AND NOW THE CAR ISN'T SAFE TO DRIVE AND WON'T PASS INSPECTION WITHOUT MAJOR REPAIRS TO THE FRAME. NONE OF THE REST OF THE UNDER BODY IS RUSTED, JUST THAT SECTION. NOT HAPPY! *TR”
“NOTED EXCESSIVE SMELL OF GASOLINE IN AND IMMEDIATELY OUTSIDE THE VEHICLE, AND LATER DETERMINED GASOLINE MILEAGE HAD DROPPED DRAMATICALLY FROM 30+ MPG TO 18 MPG. UPON SECURING THE FIRST AVAILABLE DIAGNOSTIC CHECK FROM MY LOCAL MECHANIC IT WAS DETERMINED THERE WAS "FUEL LEAKING FROM THE TOP AREA OF FUEL TANK, BUT MANY ITEMS WOULD HAVE TO BE MOVED OUT OF THE WAY TO LOWER THE FUEL TANK TO MAKE A MORE SPECIFIC LOCATION OF THE SITE AND CAUSE OF THE LEAK, WHICH WOULD BE LABOR INTENSIVE AND COSTLY BECAUSE THE ENTIRE REAR CRADLE WOULD HAVE TO BE REMOVED WITH THE DANGER THAT OLD RUSTING BOLTS WOULD BREAK AND MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO BE REPLACED. POSSIBLE ITEMS THAT MIGHT NEED TO BE REPLACED, INCLUDE THE FUEL TANK, FUEL FILLER NECK AND FUEL PUMP." *TR”
“1998 HONDA ACCORD: VEHICLE LOST POWER SEVERAL TIMES AT HIGHWAY SPEED. MOTOR STOPPED, POWERS STEERING AND BRAKES LOST, GAUGE NEEDLES SPUN TO ZERO, AS IF CAR WAS SHUT OFF AT DURING NORMAL OPERATION. WE DID NOT TOUCH KEY! ALMOST GOT RUN OVER BY CAR BEHIND US. PROBLEM OCCURRED SIX MORE TIMES BEFORE WE COULD GET TO LOCAL HONDA DEALERSHIP. THEY CHARGED ME $186.26 TO REPLACED DEFECTIVE IGNITION SWITCH AND THEY ADVISED THEY FIX A RECALL FOR SWITCH INTERLOCK WHILE CAR WAS IN SHOP FOR FOUR DAYS! WE SENT A LETTER TO HONDA,[XXX] FROM HONDA AMERICA CALIFORNIA CALLED ME TO DECLINE REIMBURSING MY COST! *TR”
“I HAVE HAD SO MANY CORROSION ISSUES WITH THIS CAR, IT IS STRUCTURALLY DANGEROUS. THE CAR HAS 160,000 MILES ON IT BUT HAS BEEN KEPT IN A GARAGE AND HAS HAD THE UNDER CARRIAGE FREQUENTLY WASHED SINCE I LIVE IN THE NORTHEASTERN US. IN THE LAST 2 YEARS I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE BOTH THE BRAKE AND GAS LINES DO TO CORROSION. THE GAS LINE RUPTURED DURING A DRIVE. FORTUNATELY THERE WAS NO FIRE. THE GAS TANK RUSTED THROUGH AND WAS REPLACED. IT WAS LEAKING FOR SOME TIME. THE LEAK WAS NEAR THE HALF WAY MARK AND ONLY LEAKED WHEN OVER HALF FULL AND DURING DRIVING OR GOING UP HILL. FORTUNATELY WE DID NOT HAVE A FIRE. I JUST FOUND OUT THE FRONT SUB FRAME IS COMPLETELY ROTTED OUT AND WILL NOT PASS INSPECTION THIS YEAR. BODY RUST IS MINIMAL AND NORMAL FOR AGE AND THE NORTHEAST WINTERS. THE CLEAR COAT IS PEALING OFF EVERYWHERE. I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH MY FIRST AND PROBABLY ONLY HONDA. LOOKING BACK, I AM VERY LUCKY THAT THE CAR DIDN'T CATCH FIRE AND KILL SOMEONE. *TR”
“THE ENGINE FAILS WHILE DRIVING FOR NO APPARENT REASON. THE CAR IS RUNNING FINE, THEN AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS, THE ENGINE FAILS. ALL BRAKING AND POWER FUNCTIONS FAIL. THIS OCCURS AT DIFFERENT TIMES AND DATES. THERE DOES NOT SEEN TO BE ANY REASON FOR IT. THE ENGINE RUNS FINE WHEN IT IS RE-STARTED. *TR”
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1998 HONDA ACCORD LX. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 50 MPH WHEN THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE SMELL OF FUEL EMITTED INSIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED BUT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 119,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 120,000.”
Showing 6 of 36 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 3, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.