2004 Honda Accord problems
Owners have filed 1,311 complaints with NHTSA about the 2004 Honda Accord. Air bags is the most reported problem area, at 20% of complaints. After that come drivetrain & axles (15%) and transmission (12%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 1,311 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Air bags 20% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 128 and 19
- Injuries and deaths
- 111 and 5
- Typical mileage
- 90,000 miles 1,013 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 | 143 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 65 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 91 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 125 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 160 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 149 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 104 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 82 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 40 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 16 |
| 200k+ miles | 38 |
What the data shows
Among the 1,013 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 90,000 miles. For air bags specifically, the median reported mileage is about 88,000 miles (153 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 128 complaints mention a crash; 19 complaints mention a fire; 111 injuries reported; 5 deaths reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2004 ranks 16th most-complained-about out of 36 model years of the Honda Accord with enough data (433 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 13 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.
On September 18, 2026, my father was driving a 2004 Honda Accord southeast on State Route 56 in Madison County, Ohio. According to the crash report, the vehicle failed to negotiate a curve, crossed left of center, left the right side of the roadway, struck a ditch, overturned, and struck a utility pole. My father sustained severe injuries, was transported by MedFlight to OSU Wexner Medical Center, and later died. After the crash, we observed that the driver’s steering-wheel airbag had not deployed.
Info copy of ltr addressed to american honda and honda cars of columbia atty represent client luegenia mcclurkin died from traumatic injuries automobile collision 12/31/2004 re: defective air bags. Answer required**. The air bag was torn when it deployed. There is also a question as to whether the air bag may have deployed inadvertently and caused the accident. Recall #04v551000 was issued december 2004.
Another death could be avoided, this car was recalled in 2014 too late for ea domination of the car, and now after speaking with attorneys again the air bars are involved. Our son was so evict rated that there was nothing to do, pronounced dead at the scene . Emt's were helpless, he lost his face and his chest. No protection from this vehicle, pleas notify others. [xxx]
Over the past 10 months, starting approximately august 2009, the air light in my 2004 honda accord exl would intermittently come on then go back off. More recently, it comes on a daily basis. When I buckle my seatbelt and start the car it may appear and stay on the entire time while driving. Then when I stop and turn off the car then turn it back on, the light may or may not show up again. I found that there was a NHTSA campaign number: 07v001000 for 2004 honda accord.
Light for instrument panel display quit working, making it impossible to read climate controls, defrosts, radio etc. This creates a safety hazard when needing to control these functions while driving.