2016 Honda Accord problems & reliability
593 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2016 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.
21 complaints report injuries (29 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2016 Honda Accord vehicles were involved in 178 fatal crashes with 96 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 | 190 | 32% |
| Exterior Lighting | 127 | 21% |
| Unknown OR Other | 120 | 20% |
| Engine | 44 | 7% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 38 | 6% |
| Service Brakes | 30 | 5% |
| Steering | 30 | 5% |
| Power Train | 29 | 5% |
| Visibility/wiper | 26 | 4% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 23 | 4% |
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 38,000 miles (middle 50% between 19,290 and 55,000 miles), based on 258 complaints that included mileage.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The contact owns a 2016 Honda Accord. The contact stated that the ABS, traction control, air sensor, hand brake, and a steering wheel with an exclamation mark warning light were illuminated. The contact stated that the battery was replaced to fix the issues; however, several days later the warning lights returned. The…”
Electrical System · filed Jul 27, 2026
“The stereo/infotainment system starts making an extremely loud static sound which comes through the speakers. It can be ear piercing at times. Sometimes this triggers the infotainmnet system controls not to work. I have to stop the car, turn off the engine and open the door to hopefully reset the system. This can be…”
Electrical System · filed Jul 27, 2026
“Vehicle experienced sudden loss of power/stalling while driving due to a failing fuel pump assembly. This mirrors the exact safety risks of NHTSA Recall 19V060000, but my 4-cylinder VIN is currently excluded. It also matches NHSTA recall# 23V-858 derailed L4 2.4L Accords but still my vin is excluded.”
Fuel/propulsion System · filed Jul 22, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
173 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2016 Honda Accord. The 10 most recent:
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2016-2017 Accord sedans with a customer complaint of the rear view camera inop. To better understand the cause of this condition, AHM would…
APaS04222021904 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 22, 2021
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2016-2017 Accord sedans with a customer complaint of the rear view camera inop. To better understand the cause of this condition, AHM would…
APaS03252021903 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 25, 2021
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2016-2017 Accord sedans with a customer complaint of the rear view camera inop. To better understand the cause of this condition, AHM would…
APaS03102021909 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Mar 10, 2021
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is searching for certain 2016-2017 Accord sedans with a customer complaint of the rear view camera inop. To better understand the cause of this condition, AHM would…
APaS02152021911 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 15, 2021
Service Bulletin - Heat from the daytime running light (DRL) LEDs may damage the DRL lens. If the lens is damaged, it may appear that some of the DRL LEDs are not working. American Honda is extending the warranty on the…
A19-042 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 17, 2020
Service bulletin - The A/C blows warm air after about 15 minutes of driving. A failed stator in the A/C compressor is keeping the refrigerant pressure from building in the A/C system.
A20-005 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 17, 2020
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is investigating certain 2016-2019 Accords, Civics, CR-Vs, Odysseys, Pilots & Ridgelines with a customer complaint of fuel smell or leak from the fuel tank area. To…
APaS01242020902 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 24, 2020
Service Bulletin - There is a loud buzzing or whining when adjusting the driver's or front passenger's seat forward and backward. The flex cable in the seat adjustment mechanism is not correctly lubricated.
A19-029 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 22, 2020
Dealer Message - American Honda Motor Co., Inc. (AHM) is investigating certain 2016-2019 Accords, Civics, CR-Vs, Odysseys, Pilots & Ridgelines with a customer complaint of fuel smell or leak from the fuel tank area. To…
APaS01072020908 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 7, 2020
Service Bulletin - There is a loud buzzing or whining when adjusting the driver's or front passenger's seat forward and backward. The flex cable in the seat adjustment mechanism is not correctly lubricated.
A19-029 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 18, 2019
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 2016 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 2016 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 38,000 miles — budget accordingly if the car is approaching that mileage.