1997 Honda Accord problems & reliability
460 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1997 Honda Accord, alongside 1 safety recall campaign. 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.
24 complaints report injuries (31 injured, 9 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1997 Honda Accord vehicles were involved in 62 fatal crashes with 53 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Air Bags | 113 | 25% |
| Electrical System | 96 | 21% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 48 | 10% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 38 | 8% |
| Power Train | 33 | 7% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 32 | 7% |
| Suspension | 28 | 6% |
| Seat Belts | 23 | 5% |
| Tires | 16 | 3% |
| Equipment | 15 | 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 107,000 miles (middle 50% between 70,490 and 155,000 miles), based on 125 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The contact owns a 1997 Honda Accord. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH and attempting to slow down, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality however, the failure became a persistent failure. No warning lights were illuminated. The…”
Electrical System · filed Sep 7, 2023
“I bought this car from a private owner about 2 months ago ever since I had it the car shuts off I think it O2 sensor is not working or it's gone the CV joint went out on the right side I had it replaced and it still messed up it's something with the suspension and stuff the front end alignments out real bad it ate up…”
Wheels · filed May 18, 2023
“While driving car speed starts to fall soon there is no pedal at all and smoke and fire come from underneath dashboard transmission hesitates to shift now currently un safe to drive.”
Electrical System · filed Sep 30, 2021
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
75 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1997 Honda Accord. The 10 most recent:
Poor a/c cooling during hard acceleration. *eh
07012004 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 1, 2004
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
Water leak at doors and/or floor. *nm
204 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 16, 2004
Automatic transmission diagnostic trouble code p0740, p0741 repair tips. Another look. Honda servicenews. *tt
11012003 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 1, 2003
Heater blower motor gets hot or blows a fuse. Honda. Servicenews. *tt
11012003 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 1, 2003
Brake system indicator comes on and goes off. *tt
03078 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 17, 2003
Diagnostic trouble code (dtc) p1361 and dtc p1381 set - service tip. *tt
070103 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 1, 2003
Diagnostic trouble code (dtc) p1361, tdc sensor and dtc p1381, cyp sensor. *tt
603 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 16, 2003
Grade logic control information. *tt
060103 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 1, 2003
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
The 1997 Honda Accord has 1 NHTSA recall campaign — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
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 1997 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 107,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.