Problems · NHTSA complaints

1999 Honda Accord problems

Owners filed 1,144 complaints about the 1999 Honda Accord with NHTSA between Nov 1998 and Jan 2024. The most-cited component is electrical system (391).

Complaints
1,144
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
78
Reported by owners
Fires
5
Reported by owners
Injuries
45
People reported injured
Deaths
0
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Electrical system391
  2. Power train248
  3. Engine and engine cooling145
  4. Air bags74
  5. Structure70
  6. Vehicle speed control51
  7. Seats42
  8. Suspension38
  9. Service brakes, hydraulic38
  10. Engine28
  11. Steering23
  12. Seat belts22
  13. Tires18
  14. Exterior lighting17

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 Nov 3, 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
19983
199948
200050
200148
2002146
2003130
2004149
200549
200643
200742
200849
200955
201053
201138
201246
201330
201445
201525
201630
201713
20185
201911
202026
20215
20221
20233
20241

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

Electrical system

391 reports8 crashes3 fires3 related recalls
“Why you are driving the RPMs drop down to zero and the car just shuts off and you could be sitting at a light it does the same thing our traffic it is just shut off I Googled about the car and it said it was the ignition switch and then when I Googled that it said it was a recall on my car I'm just trying to see what's going on”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Nov 14, 2023Electrical systemODI 11555004

Power train

248 reports9 crashes1 fire
“The contact owns a 1999 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle jerked and inadvertently decelerated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and diagnosed with transmission failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 214,251.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 15, 2021Power trainODI 11436952

Engine and engine cooling

145 reports1 fire
“THE A/C COMPRESSOR DRIPS DIRECTLY ON THE SUBFRAME, WHICH RUSTED IT COMPLETELY APART. WHICH IN TURN, DESTROYED THE SUSPENSION. MY CAR IS NOW WAITING TO BE TOWED BACK TO MY HOUSE, TOTALLY NOT DRIVABLE. I WAS ON A CITY STREET. NORMAL TURN AROUND A CORNER. IF I WOULD HAVE BEEN INJURED, I WOULD BE FILING A LAWSUIT AGAINST HONDA FOR EXTREMELY POOR ENGINEERING AND LACK OF THINKING THIS HORRIBLE DESIGN FLAW THROUGH COMPLETELY. PLEASE CONTACT ME ASAP AT [XXX]. *TR”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jan 25, 2016Engine and engine cooling, StructureODI 10822180

Air bags

74 reports33 crashes1 related recall
“The contact owns a 1999 Honda Accord. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that there was high resistance in the front driver's side air bag due to the air bag connector failure. The dealer diagnosed that the air bag needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the air bag was defective and needed to be replaced. The contact associated the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V026000 (Air Bags). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist as the VIN was not included. The failure mileage was approximately 155,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 9, 2022Air bagsODI 11483728

Structure

70 reports1 crash
“The contact owns a 1999 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front of the vehicle made an abnormal sound. The contact's father inspected the vehicle and discovered that the sub-frame was severely corroded. Upon investigation, the contact related the failure to an A/C condensation leak onto the sub-frame, causing the sub-frame to corrode. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 188,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jan 2, 2024StructureODI 11563116

Vehicle speed control

51 reports12 crashes
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1999 HONDA ACCORD. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 60 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO ACCELERATE WITHOUT THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL BEING DEPRESSED. THE DRIVER ATTEMPTED TO USE THE BRAKES TO SLOW THE VEHICLE AND STATED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED, MAKING IT VERY DIFFICULT TO STEER. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT IN ORDER TO STOP THE VEHICLE, THE TRANSMISSION HAD TO SHIFT INTO PARK. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ACCELERATOR WAS STUCK IN POSITION. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 189,000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Sep 17, 2014Vehicle speed controlODI 10636949
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 3, 2026

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