The 1996 Honda Accord has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 967,771 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 579 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the air bags. Last updated July 5, 2026.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: SEDAN, COUPE AND WAGON PASSENGER VEHICLES EXCEPT THE DX MODEL AND MODELS WITH V6 ENGINES. THE FACTORY INSTALLED AIR CONDITIONER WIRE HARNESS WAS IMPROPERLY ROUTED ALLOWING SOME WIRES TO RUB AGAINST EACH OTHER, EVENTUALLY CAUSING A SHORT CIRCUIT.
Consequence
THE SHORT CIRCUIT CANPOSSIBLY CAUSE THE UNDERHOOD WIREING TO OVERHEAT AND SMOKE, CAUSING A FIRE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. A SHORT CIRCUIT CAN ALSO RESULT IN A BLOWN FUSE OR DEAD BATTERY.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE VEHICLES FOR PROPER ROUTING OF THESE WIRES. ANY HARNESS IMPROPERLY ROUTED WILL BE INSPECTED FOR DAMAGE AND THE ROUTING WILL BE CORRECTED. IF ANY INSULATION IS WORN THROUGH AND THE COPPER WIRES ARE EXPOSED, THE HARNESS WILL BE REPLACED. DEALERS WILL ALSO INSTALL PLASTIC TUBING TO PROTECT…
Complaints by component
AIR BAGS
59
9crashes6injuries1deaths
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
47
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
42
5crashes1injuries
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
41
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
40
17crashes12injuries
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
25
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
23
10crashes3injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
16
1fires
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
15
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS
13
6crashes3injuries1deaths
Total complaints579
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“The instrument panel on my car is not working so I don’t know if it has any gas in it or not. I know the gauges work also my windows don’t go up or down in my sunroof does not open or close.”
“Srs my safety and other person in my car in case of accident worries no air bag protection in case of accident.. Yes. Diamond valley honda code 7-2 need to start with replacing srs unit, 2 to 3 wks. To repair meanwhile no transportation. Who knows what els entails. No not that I know of. It’s in…”
“Srs my safety and other person in my car in case of accident worries no air bag protection in case of accident.. Yes. Diamond valley honda code 7-2 need to start with replacing srs unit, 2 to 3 wks. To repair meanwhile no transportation. Who knows what els entails. No not that I know of. It’s in…”
“Srs my safety and other person in my car in case of accident worries no air bag protection in case of accident.. Yes. Diamond valley honda code 7-2 need to start with replacing srs unit, 2 to 3 wks. To repair meanwhile no transportation. Who knows what els entails. No not that I know of. It’s in…”
“One day just like that I was driving home from work and I came to a red light so after coming to a complete stop the light turned green my car was on in drive and I accelerated and the car just wouldn't move. Got it towed and I got check engine light codes and it was p0401 and p0108 so I cleaned…”
“The contact owns a 1996 honda accord. The contact stated that the srs air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the srs unit needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The…”
“The contact owns a 1996 honda accord. The contact stated that the srs air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the srs unit needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The…”
“Came to a red light then tried to drive and the while still on would not move, it was if like in didn't engage the gear, when I put on gas the only thing it would do is the rpm would go up but the speedometer wouldn't.”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1996 Honda Accord as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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