Honda Accord reliability by year
59 recall campaigns and 12,769 owner complaints across 20 model years. Best year to buy: 2022. Year to avoid: 2006.
Worst model years to avoid → — the single year to avoid for every model line we track, ranked side by side.
Years to avoid — and why 14 flagged on the NHTSA record
Cleaner on the data: 2015, 2020, 2021, 2022 . Still verify the specific vehicle.
At-a-glance: every year color-coded
Each cell shows the last two digits of the model year and its 0–10 reliability score from NHTSA data. Click any year to see the full record. ★ best year · ✕ year to avoid.
Year-by-year reliability 20 model years · newest first
Per-year recall counts add up to 155, more than the 59 campaigns above, because a single NHTSA campaign often covers several model years and is counted once in each.
Common trouble spots across the Accord aggregated across 20 model years
Common questions
What's the best year to buy a Honda Accord?
Based on NHTSA complaint volume and severity weighting, the 2022 Honda Accord scores 6.6/10 — the strongest in the 2005–2024 range. 260 complaints on file, 4 active recalls. Reliability scores reflect the federal complaint record, not subjective owner reviews.
Which Honda Accord year should I avoid?
The 2006 Honda Accord scores 2.0/10 — the weakest in the lineup. 433 owner complaints with NHTSA, 17 active recalls. That doesn't mean every 2006 is a problem — it means failure rates run higher than peer model years on the same platform.
Which years of the Honda Accord should I avoid?
On the NHTSA complaint and recall record, the model years to be most careful with are 2017 (avoid — the powertrain — 5 fire-related complaints and 4 crash-related complaints on the electrical system); 2013 (avoid — the steering — 1 fatality report and 1 fire-related complaint on the steering); 2010 (avoid — the engine — engine: 98 complaints, classified severe, failures cluster 52,175–105,000 mi); 2009 (avoid — the electrical system — electrical system: 40 complaints, classified severe, failures cluster 42,315–147,000 mi); 2007 (avoid — the electrical system — 5 fire-related complaints and 2 crash-related complaints on the steering); 2006 (avoid — the steering — 5 fire-related complaints and 6 crash-related complaints on the steering). The cleaner years on the data are 2022, 2021, 2020, 2015. This is our read of the federal data, not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection of the specific vehicle.
How many years of the Honda Accord are tracked?
20 model years (2005 through 2024) with NHTSA records on file. Total across the lineup: 59 distinct recall campaigns and 12,769 owner complaints. Those campaigns land on 155 model-year entries in total, because one campaign often covers several years at once — which is why per-year recall counts add up to more than the campaign count.
What's the most-reported problem on the Honda Accord?
electrical is the most-reported category — 2,180 complaints across 18 model years. Average shop repair runs about $850.