2002 Honda Accord problems & reliability
1,050 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2002 Honda Accord, alongside 5 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.
79 complaints report injuries (102 injured, 3 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2002 Honda Accord vehicles were involved in 210 fatal crashes with 150 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Power Train | 478 | 46% |
| Air Bags | 273 | 26% |
| Structure | 75 | 7% |
| Electrical System | 69 | 7% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 46 | 4% |
| Seat Belts | 39 | 4% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 33 | 3% |
| Suspension | 32 | 3% |
| Unknown OR Other | 29 | 3% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 25 | 2% |
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 89,660 miles (middle 50% between 62,750 and 120,000 miles), based on 775 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Air Bags never deployed in an accident. Honda shows recall work was done prior to collision. Front end collision”
Air Bags · filed Nov 8, 2025
“-The front subframe on the passenger side completely rusted through and broke. The driver side is perfectly fine and still has factory paint on it, but the passenger side is completely rusted out. Yes the vehicle and issue are available for inspection. -The front subframe is the frame component that holds and supports…”
Structure · filed Oct 15, 2025
“I am writing to express my concern regarding a significant safety issue with my 2002 Honda Accord's subframe. The subframe is rusting severely in the area where the air conditioning drain line drips directly onto it. This design flaw has caused concentrated corrosion over time, significantly weakening the subframe and…”
Structure · filed Nov 19, 2024
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Desiccated Air Bag Inflator Rupture
Engineering Analysis EA21002 · opened Sep 17, 2021 · open
- Air Bag Inflator Rupture
Engineering Analysis EA15001 · opened Feb 24, 2015 · open · led to recall 22V945
- Air Bag Inflator Rupture
Preliminary Evaluation PE14016 · opened Jun 11, 2014 · closed Mar 2, 2015 · led to recall 15V226000
- RUPTURING DRIVER'S AIR BAG INFLATORS
Recall Query RQ09004 · opened Nov 2, 2009 · closed May 6, 2010
- IGNITION PARK-SHIFT INTERLOCK
Recall Query RQ08006 · opened Sep 8, 2008 · closed Jan 5, 2009 · led to recall 10V364000
- IGNITION-PARK INTERLOCK
Preliminary Evaluation PE05002 · opened Jan 13, 2005 · closed Feb 2, 2005 · led to recall 05V025000
- SEAT FRAME BRACKET FAILURE
Preliminary Evaluation PE02072 · opened Oct 2, 2002 · closed Mar 28, 2003
Technical service bulletins
197 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2002 Honda Accord. The 10 most recent:
Service Bulletin - This bulletin is a notification of a class action settlement relating to airbag inflators. American Honda is offering a Customer Support Program (Warranty Extension) to cover any manufacturing defects…
A20-009 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 10, 2020
Service bulletin - This bulletin has been cancelled because the collection is now complete. If you did the collection in this Service Bulletin on or before October 26, 2018 (RO date), use the Warranty Claim Information…
A18-077 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 26, 2018
Service bulletin - This bulletin is a notification of a class action settlement relating to airbag inflators. American Honda is offering a Customer Support Program (Warranty Extension) to cover any manufacturing defects…
A18-046 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 24, 2018
Email template to remind owners of the takata recall and to schedule an appointment at their earliest convenience.
TAKATA_EMAIL TEM · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 14, 2016
Posters sent to hawaiian independent repair facilities, automotive part stores, car washes, and gas stations to remind owners of the takata recall and to schedule an appointment at their earliest convenience.
TAKATA_HAWAII PO · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 7, 2016
Flyer circulated to the residents of hawaii to remind owners of the takata recall and to schedule an appointment at their earliest convenience.
TAKATA_HAWAII FL · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 7, 2016
Letter sent in conjunction with the florida highway safety and motor vehicles department to remind florida owners of the takata recall and to schedule an appointment at their earliest convenience.
TAKATA_FLORIDA D · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 29, 2016
Us virgin islands newspaper advertisements to remind owners of the takata recall and to schedule an appointment at their earliest convenience.
TAKATA_TEXT MESS · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 23, 2016
Text messages sent to remind owners of the takata recall and to schedule an appointment at their earliest convenience.
TAKATA_TEXT MESS · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 23, 2016
Advertisement in hawaiian newspapers to remind owners of the takata recall and to schedule an appointment at their earliest convenience.
TAKATA_HAWAII NE · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 21, 2016
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 2002 Honda Accord has 5 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 2002 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 89,660 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.