What ownership is like, what breaks at what mileage, what the repairs cost, and what to check before you buy one.
← All Honda Accord generations
NHTSA complaints per catalog listing run from 0.24 for 2026 to 3.18 for 2023, against a generation median of 1.16. 2023 is 2.7 times that median (232 complaints across 73 listings) and its ad rate is above the median (3 of 49 enriched ads, 6.1%, against a 1.0% median), so it passes the all-flaws test. All three of those mentions are rust, and with rust excluded the test fails, so it is not flagged (see the FAQ). Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, so their lower rates partly reflect age, not quality.
| Miles | Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| any | Accord Hybrid software recall: loss of drive power (25V785000, 2023-2025) | Free software update at a Honda dealer | American Honda recalled about 256,000 model year 2023-2025 Accord Hybrids in November 2025: the integrated control module can reset while driving and cut power. Confirm by VIN. |
| any | Other recalls: transmission (23V588000), fuel pump (24V763000), seat fasteners (24V859000, 26V054000), spare tire (26V366000, 26V663000) | Free at a Honda dealer when open | CarBuzz notes the 2024 model year was also recalled for the fuel pump and for seat tightening. 23V588000 covers an electronic transmission on certain 2023 Accord Hybrids. Confirm each by VIN. |
| any | Forward collision avoidance complaints (no third-party source on cause) | Not applicable; no repair priced | Forward collision avoidance and steering are among the top NHTSA complaint areas for 2023-2025 in our data. The NHTSA probe cited under Gen 10 covered 2018-2019 cars; we found no source tying it to this generation. |
No year in this generation was flagged. A year is flagged by our rule only when all three hold: (1) its NHTSA complaints per catalog listing is at least 2.0x the median for its generation, (2) the share of ads that mention a problem is above the generation median, and (3) we track at least 30 listings for that year. The cutoff was fixed before we looked. Ad mentions are not failures, and a flag is a reason to inspect harder, not a verdict on any one car.
| Year | Complaints | Top components | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 232 | Unknown Or Other, Steering, Service Brakes,forward... | |
| 2024 | 231 | Steering, Unknown Or Other, Fuel System, Gasoline | |
| 2025 | 120 | Steering, Unknown Or Other, Service Brakes,forward... | |
| 2026 | 15 | Unknown Or Other, Forward Collision Avoidance,... |
source: NHTSA complaints database (api.nhtsa.gov). Complaints are owner reports, not confirmed failures.
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We don't tell you to skip a year; we flag by a fixed rule (see 'How we flag years'), and no Accord year trips it. The near-miss is 2023: 3.18 NHTSA complaints per catalog listing (232 across 73 listings) against a Gen 11 median of 1.16, which is 2.7 times, and 3 of 49 enriched ads (6.1%) mention a problem against a 1.0% median. All three of those mentions are the 'rust' flaw, so it fails our rust-excluded check, and 73 listings is a small first-year sample. Other close calls: 2003 has 13.79 complaints per listing (2,013 across 146), 4.4 times the Gen 7 median of 3.15, but 11.8% of its ads mention a problem against a 15.7% median. 2008 has 5.85 (1,521 across 260), 3.8 times the Gen 8 median, with 6.6% of ads against 7.5%. 2018 has 6.67 (2,013 across 302), 2.3 times its median, with 0.5% of ads against 2.0%. Lists that name 2003-2005, 2008-2009, 2013 and 2018 are pointing at real complaint clusters; our rule asks for the ads to agree too.
CarComplaints averages $2,990 at about 110,000 miles across 207 complaints on the 2004. Dealer quotes in owner threads were $4,100 (2005 V6) and $4,350 (2003), the latter cut to $2,350 after a goodwill appeal to American Honda. CoverageX gives $3,500-$6,500 for a replacement automatic and $2,300-$6,000 for a rebuild; one owner paid $1,700 for a used unit through a service contract. The mileage window is not settled: one 2005 EX-V6 failed at 168,000 miles.
VCM is Honda's cylinder deactivation on the V6. HondaRide says it causes oil consumption, fouled spark plugs and failed active motor mounts; CarMechan describes uneven cylinder wall wear on the 8th-generation V6. CarComplaints counts 32 fouled-spark-plug complaints on the 2008, average repair $180 at about 59,550 miles. CoverageX links VCM oil burning to 2008-2017 V6 Accords. We found no verified price for a VCM-related engine replacement.
The 2018-2020 1.5L turbo. CoverageX calls 2018 the worst and says it was mostly resolved from 2021. Honda's software update TSB 18-086 covers 2018-2019 (VehicleBar); one owner paid $300 for the dealer service (AccordXClub). CarComplaints lists 11 gasoline-in-oil complaints on the 2018. Ask whether the update was done.
RepairPal gives $591-$963 for a 2013 Accord; Samarins gives $360-$620 for 2013-2017. CarComplaints averages $620 at about 54,600 miles across 117 starter failure complaints on the 2013. HondaProblems describes starter grinding on 2013-2015 cars at around 50,000 miles.
We did not rank years by recall count, because one recall often covers many years. The ones to check by VIN: the Takata air bag inflator recalls on 2001-2012 cars, the 2003-2007 V6 power steering hose recall (12V222000), the 2005-2010 secondary shaft bearing recall (11V395000), the 2023-2025 Accord Hybrid software recall (25V785000), and the fuel pump recalls spanning 2013-2024. Free at a Honda dealer when open; run the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.