1989 Honda Accord problems & reliability
86 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1989 Honda Accord. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
12 complaints report injuries (13 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1989 Honda Accord vehicles were involved in 1 fatal crash with 0 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Seat Belts → | 32 | 37% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling → | 12 | 14% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 9 | 10% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 7 | 8% |
| Suspension | 7 | 8% |
| Electrical System | 6 | 7% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 5 | 6% |
| Visibility | 5 | 6% |
| Steering | 4 | 5% |
| Power Train | 3 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“I bought the car for my son, who is 18, and when a friend was going to change the oil and he hoisted it to work underneath it, the whole underside of the car is damaged. The muffler isn't secured as it is rusted out, the gas tank is smashed in. It's running off the catalytic converter and the car dealer said the car…”
Fuel System, Gasoline · filed Jul 10, 2007
“1989 accord engine compartment caught on fire. *ts the vehicle caught on fire while the consumer was driving 65 mph. The consumer noticed the temperature gauge in the red prior to the fire. *nm”
Engine and Engine Cooling · filed Jul 24, 2006
“(1) event hybrid design flaw: 1989 honda accord 2.0l fuel injection: manufactured as a hybrid, july 1989. Proof of hybridization: auto part dealers show different parts for this model before, during, and after july 1989. Also, the hybrid fuel injection is visible from the number of wire and tubes from the valve cover…”
Fuel System, Gasoline · filed Aug 7, 2004
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- SEAT BELT BUCKLE FAILURE
Engineering Analysis EA94035 · opened Oct 27, 1994 · closed Jul 31, 1995 · led to recall 95V103001
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1989 Honda Accord in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1989 Honda Accord?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.