2004 Honda Accord problems & reliability
1,016 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2004 Honda Accord, alongside 13 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.
65 complaints report injuries (76 injured, 2 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2004 Honda Accord vehicles were involved in 242 fatal crashes with 181 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 | 347 | 34% |
| Air Bags | 250 | 25% |
| Electrical System | 145 | 14% |
| Steering | 66 | 6% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 58 | 6% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 44 | 4% |
| Seat Belts | 38 | 4% |
| Exterior Lighting | 37 | 4% |
| Structure | 36 | 4% |
| Visibility | 34 | 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 92,000 miles (middle 50% between 58,165 and 123,000 miles), based on 764 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2004 Honda Accord. It was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of the purchase, the mileage was approximately 134,000. The contact stated that while attempting to resell the vehicle, the contact was…”
Electrical System · filed Apr 20, 2026
“I have 22 recalls in my Jerry app and also on here. Have problems when first starting up and shifting just got from a dealer in Ohio. Maybe a year and a half ago my name is Tracy Harney my address is 702 Inverness place ft thomas Ky 41075 also my air bag light is on and my headlights are not very visible at nite…”
Power Train · filed Feb 15, 2026
“The transmission in my 2004 Honda Accord V6 3.0L is experiencing a serious safety defect. The transmission overheats while driving, begins slipping, and eventually the vehicle will not move at all. When this happens, I lose the ability to accelerate or maintain speed, creating a dangerous situation for me and other…”
Power Train · filed Nov 28, 2025
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
- FRONTAL DRIVER AIR BAG
Preliminary Evaluation PE04053 · opened Jul 26, 2004 · closed Nov 22, 2004 · led to recall 04V551000
Technical service bulletins
298 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2004 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…
A20-015 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 3, 2022
Service Bulletin - Case v. American Honda Motor Co., Inc., Case No. BC 424169 (Third Clutch Transmission Settlement - $25 Credit Vouchers).
A21-054 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 28, 2021
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…
A20-015 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 10, 2020
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…
A20-010 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 10, 2020
This SKU is a Front Upper Ball Joint. The customer communication requested return of unsold inventory to inspect for the outer diameter of the ball joint housing being too small. The outer diameter being too small would…
DORE5C4S09 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 11, 2019
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
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
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…
A18-065 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 25, 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…
A18-047 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 24, 2018
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 2004 Honda Accord has 13 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 2004 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 92,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.