1991 Honda Accord problems & reliability
212 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1991 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.
17 complaints report injuries (19 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1991 Honda Accord vehicles were involved in 26 fatal crashes with 24 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 | 58 | 27% |
| Structure | 32 | 15% |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 24 | 11% |
| Power Train | 18 | 8% |
| Electrical System | 17 | 8% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 17 | 8% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 14 | 7% |
| Tires | 12 | 6% |
| Steering | 8 | 4% |
| Air Bags | 6 | 3% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Mileage when problems occurred
Half of the failures with a reported odometer reading occurred by 166,219 miles (middle 50% between 120,415 and 215,467 miles), based on 42 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The automatic seat belt on my driver side is stuck in the forward position. The passenger side belt works just fine, just not the driver side. This happened after I had my distributor replaced and when I started my car up, it wouldn't work.”
Seat Belts · filed Aug 17, 2018
“Car died when I'm stopped and when I accelerate. Now I can't get it to start at all. The sparks are good, the fuel pump is good and it has gas in it .”
Unknown OR Other · filed May 14, 2017
“Driver's side sun visor became loose and now stays in a down position and swings freely. Was told to visit junk yard to find a functional visor (whole unit has to be replaced). This incident occurred 5 years ago. The windshield sun visor is a big issue since it obstructs my vision (especially at night) and since it is…”
Visibility/wiper · filed Dec 4, 2016
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
Technical service bulletins
18 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1991 Honda Accord. The 10 most recent:
Concerns with engine hesitation or stumble can be felt under light acceleration between 1,500 and 2,000 rpm. *yc updated 10/09/07. *nj
98074 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 20, 2007
Audio unit and navigation system anti-theft codes available on interactive network. *nm
05012004 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 1, 2004
Audio, anti-theft codes. Honda. Tech line summary. *tt
404 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 16, 2004
Heater blower motor gets hot or blows a fuse. Honda. Servicenews. *tt
11012003 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 1, 2003
Use '94 accord service manual to adjust timing belt tension. *tt
110102 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 1, 2002
Timing belt adjustment procedure. Honda october tech line information. *tt
1002 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 16, 2002
Some vehicles may exhibit growling or whining from one or both of the rear wheels when driving. *tt
02057 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 24, 2002
Customers may complain of a twang noise from the front suspension that sounds like a spring contact. *slc
5905 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 14, 2002
Information regarding a/t slippage. *et
010101 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 1, 2001
Information on vehicles exhbiting a transmission that slips after driving. *tt
161100 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 16, 2000
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1991 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 1991 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.
- · Owners most often reported problems around 166,219 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.