2012 Honda Accord problems & reliability
372 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2012 Honda Accord, alongside 8 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.
32 complaints report injuries (44 injured, 1 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2012 Honda Accord vehicles were involved in 197 fatal crashes with 114 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Seats | 64 | 17% |
| Air Bags | 56 | 15% |
| Steering | 51 | 14% |
| Engine | 43 | 12% |
| Service Brakes | 36 | 10% |
| Electrical System | 31 | 8% |
| Power Train | 27 | 7% |
| Unknown OR Other | 27 | 7% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 26 | 7% |
| Suspension | 23 | 6% |
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 36,000 miles (middle 50% between 12,000 and 75,000 miles), based on 229 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The contact owns a 2012 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH and turning left onto a secondary road, the vehicle abruptly stopped in the middle of the road. The vehicle was pushed off to the shoulder of the road with help from other motorists who had stopped to aid. The vehicle was…”
Power Train · filed Jul 22, 2026
“The suspected failed component is on 3-4 General Altimax GT45 tires. After approximately 15,000 miles of use and regular tire rotations every 5,000 miles, a steering wheel vibration developed immediately following a tire rotation. Multiple tire balances and a road-force balance did not identify a problem or correct…”
Tires · filed Jun 19, 2026
“Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2012 Honda Accord. The contact discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase the vehicle mileage wa47,000,p=and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 238, 629. A Carfax report was obtained…”
Electrical System · filed May 19, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- Autoliv Air Bag Propellant Mixture
Investigation EQ12002 · opened Feb 14, 2012 · closed May 8, 2012
Technical service bulletins
50 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2012 Honda Accord. The 10 most recent:
Service News - The navigation clock and date are incorrect. This is due to a limited GPS receiver Capacity resulting in rollover of the internal chip memory; the rollover occurred on January 1, 2022, at 12:00AM local…
A21120A · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jun 13, 2023
ServiceNews Article - The clock shows the incorrect time. This issue is due to a limited GPS receiver capacity resulting in "rollover" of the internal chip memory; the "rollover" will occur on January 1, 2022, at…
A21120A · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 25, 2022
Dealer Message - The May episode of Tech2Tech is now posted. We've got some valuable information for you, so check it out! This month we're featuring "Replacing That Leaky Front Rocker Arm Oil Control Valve."
APP05122020 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 12, 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…
A20-016 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 10, 2020
Service Bulletin - The front rocker arm oil control valve is leaking.
A20-023 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 5, 2020
Warranty Extension: Customer Support Program For Front Passenger's Airbag Inflator for 2010-12 Accord and Other Listed Years and Models (Expires September 30, 2028)
19-003-1 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 13, 2019
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 - American Honda is conducting an inspection of certain vehicles that have previously had the passenger's airbag inflator replaced as part of the Takata Passsenger's Airbag Inflator recall. If you…
A18-115 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 10, 2019
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…
A19-002 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 18, 2019
"Service bulletin - American Honda is announcing a powertrain warranty extension as a result of a settlement of a class action captioned, Soto et al.v. American Honda Motor Co., Inc., Case No. 3:12-cv-1377-SI (N.D…
A13-078 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 20, 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 2012 Honda Accord has 8 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 2012 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 36,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.