Honda Accord / 1997
1997 Honda Accord problems
Owners have filed 546 complaints about the 1997 Honda Accord with NHTSA. Air bags account for 21.1% of them — narrowly the most common, ahead of electrical system at 18.5%.
Complaints546
Crashes51
Fires12
Injuries38
Deaths9
What owners report breaking
Air bags 21.1% · 115
Electrical system 18.5% · 101
Engine and engine cooling 9.0% · 49
Vehicle speed control 7.0% · 38
Power train 6.6% · 36
Service brakes, hydraulic 6.2% · 34
Suspension 5.7% · 31
Seat belts 4.4% · 24
Severity
Of those complaints, 51 describe a crash, 12 describe a fire, 38 report an injury and 9 report a death.
Reading the numbers
Across the 36 model years of the Honda Accord in this data, 1997 sits 23rd by complaint volume. 2018 draws the most.
Filings are rising — 12 in the last three years against 6 in the three before. For a vehicle this age that usually points to a wear-related failure owners are hitting now.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 108,656 miles.
In owners' own words
As others have stated, the srs light recently came on for no apparent reason. My 97 Accord lx wagon has 72000 miles. This same problem happened a year ago (at about 65,000), and I paid about $40 to have them check it out, and reset the light. They said nothing was wrong with the air bag system. This shouldn't be an expense the owner should have to bear. Obviously, I am not alone in having this problem. Air bags
Srs light on 1997 Honda Accord coming on. Diagnosed for $85. Battery replaced. A week later it came back on and stayed on. After another $85, told that srs system is bad, and it will be $830 to replace. I see on the internet that this is a common problem, and learn that the replacement part is upgraded. I bought the Honda because of its high reliability and would appreciate being refunded by Honda. Air bags · reported at 75,500 miles
Consumer states srs light came on as vehicle was started and stayed on, the dealership reset the system. Another occasion, the srs light came on under the same conditions. Consumer took vehicle back to dealer and was told there was a defect in the part and it would have to be ordered. Consumer has difficulty accepting the fact that she is responsible for a defective part in the srs system. Air bags
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…