1997 Honda Accord: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for the 1997 Honda Accord. The newest campaign is 02V120000. NHTSA received the report on 16 May 2002. The NHTSA record gives the component Electrical System / Ignition / Switch. NHTSA has 400 complaints on file for this model year.

The NHTSA recall file shows no do-not-drive advisory and no park-outside advisory on these campaigns.

This page cannot show if a recall applies to one vehicle. The NHTSA VIN lookup shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle.

Remedy of the newest campaign, 02V120000, in the NHTSA record

Dealers will replace the ignition switch. Owner notification began june 14, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact honda at 1-800-999-1009 or acura at 1-800-382-2238.

NHTSA VIN lookup

Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.
NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on 1 Oct 2026. Complaint file through 29 Mar 2018. Recall file through 30 Sep 2026.

Since the last update

No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks

All updates to the register

Recall campaigns

3 campaigns, newest first. 2,092,646 units in total.

02V120000Received 16 May 2002. 1,000,000 units.
Electrical System / Ignition / Switch
Defect, in the NHTSA record
On certain sedans, coupes, hatchbacks, and sport utility vehicles, electrical contacts in the ignition switch can degrade due to the high electrical current passing through the switch when the vehicle is started.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Worn contacts could cause the engine to stall without warning, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will replace the ignition switch. Owner notification began june 14, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact honda at 1-800-999-1009 or acura at 1-800-382-2238.
Report filed by AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 14 Jun 2002.
99V069000Received 10 May 1999. 124,875 units.
Suspension / Front / Control Arm / Lower Ball Joint
Defect, in the NHTSA record
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. Certain vehicles were manufactured with ball joints that can prematurely wear out and, in the worse case, the ball joint would separate causing the front suspension to collapse.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
This condition would result in vehicle deceleration and a sudden loss of power. Also steering controllability would be reduced.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will replace the front suspension lower ball joints.
Report filed by AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 17 May 1999.
98V231000Received 22 Sep 1998. 967,771 units.
Electrical System / Wiring / Front Underhood
Defect, in the NHTSA record
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, in the NHTSA record
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, in the NHTSA record
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 the harness.
Report filed by AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 8 Oct 1998.

The campaign number opens the NHTSA record. Each quotation is the text of the NHTSA recall file.

Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.

Units: The number of vehicles or products that a recall can include. The manufacturer or the firm reports the number to the agency.

Complaints by component

400 complaints, 463 component mentions.

A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. The figure per 1,000 component mentions shows how many of each 1,000 mentions name the component.

1997 Honda Accord
All 1997 vehicles

1997 Honda Accord: complaints by component, per 1,000 component mentions
Component	1997 Accord	All 1997 vehicles	Accord, all years	Mentions
Air Bags	237.6	60.7	146.6	110
Electrical System	168.5	79.7	113	78
Engine and Engine Cooling	101.5	134.8	86.1	47
Service Brakes, Hydraulic	73.4	106.3	121.5	34
Vehicle Speed Control	62.6	44.5	48.5	29
Power Train	54	90.5	168.2	25
Suspension	49.7	62.4	21.7	23
Seat Belts	45.4	25.2	43	21
Equipment	36.7	20.1	22.1	17
Tires	34.6	56.3	26.3	16

The table shows the 10 components with the most mentions, of 24.

Complaints that report a crash: 38
Complaints that report a fire: 6
Injuries in the complaints: 25
Deaths in the complaints: 9
Date of the newest complaint: 25 Oct 2010

These figures are the entries of the persons who sent the complaints.

Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.

Complaints about the 1997 Honda Accord, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 2002, with 77 complaints.

Investigations

The NHTSA investigation file has no investigation that names this model year.

Investigation: A study of a possible safety defect by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation with no closing date in the NHTSA file is open.

Other model years

The number under each year is the number of recall campaigns.

A year without a link has fewer than 2 campaigns and fewer than 25 complaints. It has no page.

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Official channels

NHTSA VIN lookupNHTSA shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle from its VIN or its license plate.
NHTSA: report a safety problemThe NHTSA form for a complaint about a vehicle, a tire, a child seat or equipment.
NHTSA page of the 1997 Honda AccordThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.

Cite this page

Recall Register. 1997 Honda Accord: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/honda/accord/1997/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through 30 Sep 2026.

Sources

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Licence: US government work, public domain
Recall file through: 30 Sep 2026
Complaint file through: 29 Mar 2018
First complaint in the file: 1 Jan 1995
Manufacturer in the recall file: AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO.

The NHTSA record is the authority. A complaint count is the number of different complaint numbers for the make, the model and the model year. How the register is made. Report an error.

Questions

How many units are in the recall campaigns for the 1997 Honda Accord?: 2,092,646 units in 3 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
How many recall campaigns does the Honda Accord have for all model years?: NHTSA lists 80 recall campaigns for the Honda Accord, model years 1976 to 2024. 3 of them name the 1997 model year.
Which component do the complaints about the 1997 Honda Accord name most often?: Air Bags: 110 of 463 component mentions, or 237.6 per 1,000. For all 1997 vehicles the figure is 60.7 per 1,000.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 1997 Honda Accord open?: The NHTSA investigation file has no investigation that names this model year.