1999 Honda Accord problems & reliability
1,135 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1999 Honda Accord, alongside 4 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.
37 complaints report injuries (44 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1999 Honda Accord vehicles were involved in 107 fatal crashes with 85 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 → | 388 | 34% |
| Power Train → | 246 | 22% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling → | 144 | 13% |
| Air Bags → | 74 | 7% |
| Structure → | 69 | 6% |
| Vehicle Speed Control → | 51 | 4% |
| Seats → | 42 | 4% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic → | 38 | 3% |
| Suspension → | 38 | 3% |
| Unknown OR Other | 31 | 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 106,681 miles (middle 50% between 76,000 and 148,125 miles), based on 632 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The contact owns a 1999 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the front of the vehicle made an abnormal sound. The contact's father inspected the vehicle and discovered that the sub-frame was severely corroded. Upon investigation, the contact related the failure to an A/C…”
Structure · filed Jan 2, 2024
“Why you are driving the RPMs drop down to zero and the car just shuts off and you could be sitting at a light it does the same thing our traffic it is just shut off I Googled about the car and it said it was the ignition switch and then when I Googled that it said it was a recall on my car I'm just trying to see…”
Electrical System · filed Nov 14, 2023
“The contact owns a 1999 Honda Accord. The contact stated while driving at approximately 40 MPH, the steering wheel was vibrating abnormally. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact had the alignment checked by an independent mechanic who determined that the passenger’s side subframe was…”
Structure · filed Aug 8, 2023
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- IGNITION-PARK INTERLOCK
Preliminary Evaluation PE05002 · opened Jan 13, 2005 · closed Feb 2, 2005 · led to recall 05V025000
- IGNITION-PARK INTERLOCK
Defect Petition DP04006 · opened Oct 8, 2004 · closed Jan 13, 2005
- 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
226 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1999 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
Speedometer shops can transfer odometer mileage. Honda service news. *tt
07012005 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 1, 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 1999 Honda Accord has 4 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 1999 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 106,681 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.