1997 Honda Accord problems
Owners have filed 546 complaints with NHTSA about the 1997 Honda Accord. Air bags is the most reported problem area, at 21% of complaints. After that come electrical system (18%) and engine (10%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 546 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Air bags 21% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 51 and 12
- Injuries and deaths
- 38 and 9
- Typical mileage
- 108,000 miles 154 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 5 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 3 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 15 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 26 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 20 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 16 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 17 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 9 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 13 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 13 |
| 200k+ miles | 17 |
What the data shows
Among the 154 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 108,000 miles. For air bags specifically, the median reported mileage is about 76,000 miles (25 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 51 complaints mention a crash; 12 complaints mention a fire; 38 injuries reported; 9 deaths reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 1997 ranks 28th most-complained-about out of 36 model years of the Honda Accord with enough data (235 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 3 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
In a short distance the vehicle is likely to have accelerated out of control, jumped a concrete curb, and struck a tree. The deceased had a broken ankle, which was likely caused by attempting to brake. Other injuries included broken jaw and sever internal injuries. The air bags did not deploy since the car had previously been in a side impact accident. However the car was driven by me and my wife for over 25k miles during which time we had no problems.
SRS light on 1997 honda accord coming on. Diagnosed for $85. Battery replaced. A week later it came back on and stayed on. After another $85, told that SRS system is bad, and it will be $830 to replace. I see on the internet that this is a common problem, and learn that the replacement part is upgraded. I bought the honda because of its high reliability and would appreciate being refunded by honda.
The lock actuator on the drivers side makes a noise and at times I am unable to get into my vehicle. I have 4 friends with accords between the years of 1995-1997 and they all are experiencing the sample problem. Is this recalled by honda? *nlm
Tl*the contact owns a 1997 honda accord. While the vehicle was at a complete stop, the contact took the key out of the ignition without the vehicle being placed in parked and the vehicle rolled forward. The contact stated that the vehicle rolled into another vehicle but there were no damages. The contact stated the failure has happened 4 or 5 times. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who replaced the ignition lock cylinder. The failure mileage was 90,348 and the current mileage was 97,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 honda accord. The contact stated that while parked, the air bag warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The mechanic reset the air bag light and stated that if the failure persisted, the SRS module would have to be replaced. Approximately one week later the air bag warning light re-illuminated. The vehicle was not further repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.