2002 Honda Accord problems
Owners have filed 1,267 complaints with NHTSA about the 2002 Honda Accord. Transmission is the most reported problem area, at 27% of complaints. After that come air bags (22%) and drivetrain & axles (11%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 1,267 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Transmission 27% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 165 and 15
- Injuries and deaths
- 142 and 7
- Typical mileage
- 90,000 miles 934 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 | 49 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 58 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 97 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 163 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 173 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 127 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 102 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 54 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 33 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 38 |
| 200k+ miles | 40 |
What the data shows
Among the 934 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 90,000 miles. For transmission specifically, the median reported mileage is about 85,000 miles (314 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 165 complaints mention a crash; 15 complaints mention a fire; 142 injuries reported; 7 deaths reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2002 ranks 22nd most-complained-about out of 36 model years of the Honda Accord with enough data (335 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 5 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.
My uncle was traveling on a state highway when his 02 honda hydroplaned on a rainy afternoon and hit head on with another vehicle. My three month old daughter sustained severe head trauma and died at the hospital a little later. Eleven days later my uncle died from severe bleeding and brain damage. Honda said nothing was wrong with this car. My daughter who was 2 at the time was a passenger along with two other cousins, they all came out fine.
The front driver side power seat broke. Something on the seat broke that caused the seat back to rock back. This happened several years ago. I took it to the dealer. They said it would cost $1500 to $2000 to replace the seat. The car was drivable. Earlier this year, a bracket that held the seat to the floor broke, causing the seat to separate from the floor. The car was not drivable. I had the bracket welded so that I could drive the car. On april 11, 2012, different bracket on the seat broke.
Coming to a yield, was clear, accelerated vehicle in d4, vehicle did not move, rpms 2000, 30 sec later gear engage, spinning front tires, road was not clear at this time, had to apply emergency brake along with pedal brake to keep from hitting another vehicle. This was not a safe situation. This vehicle lurches forward when stopping, shifting hard. Not safe to drive.