The 1988 Honda Accord has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 3,799,088 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 102 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the seat belts. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
SEAT BELTS95V1030011995-05-243,700,000 affected
Defect
THE FRONT SAFETY BELT BUCKLE RELEASE BUTTONS CAN BREAK. THESE RED PLASTIC RELEASE BUTTONS ARE MARKED "PRESS." IF A BUTTON BREAKS, PIECES CAN FALL INTO THE BUCKLE ASSEMBLY CAUSING THE BUCKLE TO OPERATE IMPROPERLY.
Consequence
THE SAFETY BELTS WOULD NOT PROVIDE ADEQUATE PROTECTION TO AN OCCUPANT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
Remedy
OWNERS SHOULD PROMPTLY CHECK THE CONDITION AND OPERATION OF BOTH FRONT SAFETY BELT BUCKLES. CAREFULLY INSPECT THE RED RELEASE BUTTON FOR ANY BREAKS OR CRACKS. CHECK THAT BOTH BUCKLES ARE OPERATING PROPERLY BY INSERTING EACH LATCH PLATE INTO ITS BUCKLE, TUG ON THE BELT TO MAKE SURE THE LATCH IS SECURELY LOCKED, THEN…
EQUIPMENT87V1710001987-10-2999,088 affected
Defect
OWNERS MANUAL INFORMATION REQUIRED BY FMVSS 210, SECTIONS 6A AND 6B WAS OMITTED FROM THE MANUAL.
Consequence
VEHICLES MANUAL INFORMATION DOES NOT COMPLY WITH FMVSS210.
Remedy
UPGRADE EXISTING MANUALS BY INSERTING ADHESIVE BACKED CORRECTION PAGES.
Complaints by component
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:BUCKLE ASSEMBLY
18
3crashes5injuries
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
8
5crashes7injuries
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
5
1injuries
SEAT BELTS
5
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR
5
1crashes1deaths
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
3
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE
3
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FUSES AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS
2
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM
2
EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER
2
Total complaints102
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“My 1988 accord hatchback is having seatbelt retractor issues. The dealer replaced the driver's side one a couple of years back. (different color, but that is ok). I have been having trouble with the retractor on the passenger side. The seatbelt comes all the way out of the door and will not…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 1988 honda accord. The contact stated that the passenger side seat belt retractor was defective. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer (honda of thousand oaks, 3925 auto mall dr, thousand oaks, ca 91362) and was informed that parts were not available because of the year…”
“This is my 2nd complaint for the same issue...my first one never got a response and it has been months since I sent it. Please respond with help for this. I was really hoping to avoid a local news story for this issue, but I will give this one last chance before I go that route. My 1988 honda…”
“I had two tire blowouts within 3 weeks,the tire valve stems on both tires were severly sun cracked,I heard about the dill company's recall on valve stems made in 2006 both my stems were made in 2005 model #tr 418,I think they need to expand this recall drastically before someone else gets…”
“I had replaced three tires on my vehicle at sears. Approximately, three weeks ago, I had a tire deflate while driving out of a parking area toward the freeway. I stopped at a gas station and discovered air leaking from the valve stem. I filled the tire and drove the car to sears a couple miles…”
“Dt: consumer stated the fuel line runs underneath the carpet inside the car and there was a gas leak from the fuel line and her car filled up with gasoline. This happened on 7-16-05. She has taken it to a dealer and they put a splice in the fuel line. This is the first time she has had this…”
“On 12/24/02 I was rear-ended by a dodge neon traveling about 25-30 mph. I was stopped at a red light at the time. My car honda [vin [xxx]] was totaled. During the crash the front driver seat failed. The result was I was thrown forward into the steering column with great force. I suffered multiple…”
“The engine continues to over heat despite the fact that we have replaced the radiator, radiator hose, and back up for the radiator. Also the seat belt will not come undone once someone has locked themself in. We have to take a screw driver to get the lock out. The car has a hard time shifting…”
Defect investigations
InvestigationEA94035 Opened 1994-10-27 · closed 1995-07-31
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1988 Honda Accord as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.