repaired · 2020 Q4
Driver side: inflator module
Risk. An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
2002 Honda AccordProblems, recalls & complaints
NHTSA has logged 1,050 owner complaints about the 2002 Honda Accord, most often about the power train. It is covered by 5 safety recalls, and for recall 19V-499 the manufacturer reports only 22% of affected cars repaired.
Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through November 8, 2025. Updated daily. Photo: Elise240SX, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Complaints by system
Where the 2002 Honda Accord has problems
1,050 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.
478Power train14 crash/fire/injury
273Air bags90 crash/fire/injury
75Structure11 crash/fire/injury
69Electrical system
46Vehicle speed control
39Seat belts
33Engine and engine cooling
32Suspension
25Service brakes, hydraulic
15219 other systems23 crash/fire/injury
| System | Complaints | Crash, fire or injury |
|---|---|---|
| Power train | 478 | 14 |
| Air bags | 273 | 90 |
| Structure | 75 | 11 |
| Electrical system | 69 | 13 |
| Vehicle speed control | 46 | 18 |
| Seat belts | 39 | 10 |
| Engine and engine cooling | 33 | 3 |
| Suspension | 32 | 2 |
| Service brakes, hydraulic | 25 | 8 |
| 19 other systems | 152 | 23 |
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.
5 recalls
2002 Honda Accord recalls and how many were fixed
Each ring shows the share of affected cars repaired, from the manufacturer’s latest quarterly report to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
repaired · 2020 Q3
Driver side: inflator module
Risk. An explosion of an inflator within the driver frontal air bag module may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver, front seat passenger or other…
repaired · 2017 Q4
Driver side: inflator module
Risk. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other…
no report yet
Ignition: switch
Risk. IF THE DRIVER DOES NOT SHIFT TO PARK BEFORE REMOVING THE KEY AND FAILS TO ENGAGE THE PARKING BRAKE, THE VEHICLE COULD ROLL AND A CRASH COULD OCCUR.
Show 1 more recall
no report yet
Engine and engine cooling: engine
Risk. IF THE TIMING BELT BREAKS, THE ENGINE WILL STALL, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
Recalls apply to specific cars. To see whether a recall is still open on yours, enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with Honda.
Mileage at failure
When do power train problems start?
88kmiles, median
Based on the odometer reading in 432 power train complaints. 65% were reported before 100,000 miles.
16under 30k miles280under 100k miles152100k miles or more
Owner-reported costs
What owners say repairs cost
Dollar amounts owners wrote in their complaints when describing a repair or a quote. These are not price estimates; a system is shown only when at least 8 owners mentioned a cost.
Power train
83 owners mentioned a cost$3,000median
Middle half: $2,500 – $3,700
Air bags
19 owners mentioned a cost$442median
Middle half: $250 – $826
If a problem is covered by a recall, the dealer fixes it for free. Some manufacturers also reimburse owners who paid for a repair before a recall was announced.
Best & worst years
2002 vs. every other Accord year
Bars show complaints per model year. Colors show the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the Accord median. How we score
00022710722135411188861922122061863695434724601,2001,1351,1839221,0501,9871,0186564335241,5217275812963741,4279826026135401,9007003692472669115610115
'76'77'78'79'80'81'82'83'84'85'86'87'88'89'90'91'92'93'94'95'96'97'98'99'00'01'02'03'04'05'06'07'08'09'10'11'12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19'20'21'22'23'24'25'26
- Avoid
- Caution
- Solid
- Best
- Not rated
NHTSA crash tests
2002 Honda Accord safety ratings
2002 Honda Accord 2-DR. w/SAB in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program. Photos are from NHTSA's crash tests.
Frontal crashNot rated
Side barrierNot rated
- Stability control: No
- Forward collision warning: No
- Lane departure warning: No
7 investigations
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal investigations that included the 2002 Honda Accord, and the recalls they led to.
- Air Bag Inflator RuptureLed to recall 18V-040
- Desiccated Air Bag Inflator RuptureOpen
- SEAT FRAME BRACKET FAILURENo recall
- IGNITION-PARK INTERLOCKLed to recall 05V-025
- Air Bag Inflator RuptureLed to recall 13V-172
- IGNITION PARK-SHIFT INTERLOCKLed to recall 10V-364
- RUPTURING DRIVER'S AIR BAG INFLATORSNo recall
In owners' words
What Accord owners report
Recent power train complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.
The contact owns a 2002 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while parking the vehicle, the vehicle independently accelerated without warning. The contact stated that the vehicle went over a concrete island with the engine revving and the vehicle accelerating. The contact turned the vehicle to the…
The ignition system of the vehicle is faulty. The engine keeps stalling intermittently and the vehicle shuts down. The issue has been observed at both low and high speeds. The issue occurs on average once in two weeks. This issue has put our family's safety in jeopardy. We filed a complaint with…
This morning, my neighbor came over to see if I heard my car alarm go off. I saw that part of the driver side where the door buttons are located were some what damaged. They must have been trying to open other doors, trunk or something else. I'm not sure how they were able to open the driver side…
Own a 2002 Accord?
Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.