1998 Honda Accord problems & reliability
1,200 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1998 Honda Accord, alongside 3 safety recall campaigns. 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.
49 complaints report injuries (65 injured, 2 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1998 Honda Accord vehicles were involved in 93 fatal crashes with 77 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical System | 308 | 26% |
| Power Train | 276 | 23% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 134 | 11% |
| Air Bags | 79 | 7% |
| Structure | 76 | 6% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 67 | 6% |
| Suspension | 62 | 5% |
| Unknown OR Other | 50 | 4% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 43 | 4% |
| Fuel System, Other | 39 | 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 100,000 miles (middle 50% between 75,000 and 145,000 miles), based on 483 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“When I was driving my 98 Honda accord lx . I notice it shuts off itself if hitting a hard bump . Then I noticed online they had folks saying that the ignition switch was beginning to be a big issue . I nearly died after picking my 2 kids up from school the car shut off in the middleof the intersection.it’s even a…”
Electrical System · filed May 23, 2023
“The contact owns an Evenflo Car Seat, Model Number: 36412348, Model Type: Nurture Max, Manufactured Date: 8/17/2022. The car seat was being utilized in a 1998 Honda Accord. The contact stated that she noticed that the latches on the left and right side of the safety seat failed to attach as designed. Additionally, the…”
Child Seat · filed Mar 8, 2023
“The contact owns a 1998 Honda Accord Sedan. The contact stated stopped at a traffic light, a second vehicle crashed full onto the rear bumper of her vehicle. The contact stated that her trunk and side rear panels were crushed. The contact stated that the second vehicle crashed her vehicle twice in the rear due to the…”
Air Bags · filed Sep 23, 2022
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- IGNITION-PARK INTERLOCK
Engineering Analysis EA03017 · opened Sep 9, 2003 · closed Dec 17, 2003 · led to recall 03V423000
- IGNITION-PARK INTERLOCK SYSTEM
Preliminary Evaluation PE03014 · opened Apr 15, 2003 · closed Sep 5, 2003
- SEAT FRAME BRACKET FAILURE
Preliminary Evaluation PE02072 · opened Oct 2, 2002 · closed Mar 28, 2003
Technical service bulletins
255 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1998 Honda Accord. The 10 most recent:
Dealer message - Today, American Honda is notifying dealers of a voluntary noncompliance recall for a small number of Honda vehicles due to an error on the replacement (service part) underhood emissions labels. American…
ABOM08092018901 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 9, 2018
Service bulletin - Emission certification labels that were replaced on a small number of vehicles may have been replaced with a label listing incorrect information. The affected emission labels are replacement service…
A18070 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 9, 2018
Honda: troubleshooting of diagnostic trouble codes (dtc) p1456 and p1457. Dealers are to run evap function test to find if there is a leak so the vehicle can be repaired. *kb
SB-99-075 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 9, 2013
Rear stabilizer link is broken. *tt
05021 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 3, 2006
Replaceable ball joints. *tt
06035 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 17, 2006
Troubleshooting tips for dtc p1381. *nm
09012005 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 1, 2005
Diagnostic trouble code p1381, cylinder sensor intermittent interrupt. Honda tech line summary. *tt
805 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 16, 2005
A short to ground in the blk/yel alternator wire could cause the ecm/pcm to set certain dtcs and intermittently blow the no. 6 (15a) fuse in the driver's under-dash fuse/relay box. *tt
08012005 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 1, 2005
If the blk/yel wire is shorted to ground at the rear of the non ulev alternator, the ecm/pcm may retain diagnostic trouble code p1298, p0141, p0135, p0753 or p1753 and the number 6 fuse in the driver's underdash…
07162005 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 16, 2005
Engine-cranks won't start, immobilizer light flashes. *sc
05162005 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 16, 2005
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 1998 Honda Accord has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns — 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 1998 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 100,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.