CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2002 Honda Accord suffers from widespread transmission failure, subframe rust, & problems with the airbag system (SRS). We recommend avoiding this model year like the plague.

The transmission begins slipping & eventually has to be replaced, typically soon after 90,000 miles & with a repair cost of over $2,000. Transmission failure has been a huge problem for the Accord & several other Honda models all through the early 2000s model years. Honda extended the transmission warranty to 93 months/109k miles for the 2000-2001 Accord as a class action lawsuit settlement, but owners of other Accord model years with transmission problems are out of luck.

Subframe rust near the front passenger side wheel has become a problem recently, due to the poorly positioned A/C drain hose directly above that area. Repair cost to the subframe is over $2,000.

The SRS warning light likes to come on due to a defective seat belt sensor -- typically the driver's side. This sensor is covered under Honda's lifetime seat belt warranty, but some dealers charge a $100+ "diagnostic fee" or tell customers the entire SRS unit ($800) is bad.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
5 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
6 / 0
Average Mileage:
53,176 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2002 Honda Accord accessories - interior problems

accessories - interior problem

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2002 Honda Accord Owner Comments

problem #14

Nov 012007

Accord

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The lack of support and design of the driver seat has created lower and mid-back issues within my spine. I also suffer pain in my right hip. I have for years and still visit my chiropractor regularly to help with the pain caused by the driving the car.

- Elizabethtown, NC, USA

problem #13

Sep 202012

Accord 6-cyl

  • 152,000 miles
The driver's seat frame broke on my 2002 Honda Accord. The shop didn't want to weld it because of concerns it would simply break again. A new seat would have cost $1200 plus labor. I got one from a wrecked car for $560.

- Santa Clarita, CA, USA

problem #12

Jul 022012

Accord

  • miles
2002 Honda Accord. Consumer states that the hinges on the seat broke, the shoulder belt did not keep her securely against seat, only the lap belt worked. Consumer suffered numerous injuries from the accident. The consumer stated she was sitting at a stop light, when she was rear ended by a drunk driver. The consumer stated at no time did the air bags deploy. The consumer stated she received a recall notice in the mail. # 11V260000 regarding the air bags.

- Boca Raton, FL, USA

problem #11

Feb 102011

Accord 6-cyl

  • 165,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The front driver side power seat broke. Something on the seat broke that caused the seat back to rock back. This happened several years ago. I took it to the dealer. They said it would cost $1500 to $2000 to replace the seat. The car was drivable. Earlier this year, a bracket that held the seat to the floor broke, causing the seat to separate from the floor. The car was not drivable. I had the bracket welded so that I could drive the car. On April 11, 2012, different bracket on the seat broke. The car is not safe to drive again because the seat rocks back when you accellerate or stop. It looks like metal fatigue at both places.

- Centreville, VA, USA

problem #10

Jan 012010

Accord 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 36,000 miles
While not crashes or injuries have been related to the Honda vehicle I own, there are a number of engineering and manufacturing defects on the vehicle which are a cause of serious safety concerns. I have a 2002 Honda Accord with about 131,000 miles which has had the following issues: 1. the transmission went out around 60,000 miles and was replaced by Honda. At around 100,000 miles the transmission started to exhibit same symptoms. I took the car in, but, of course, Honda dealer said there is nothing wrong. Then around 116,000 miles a Honda mechanic said that my model of a car has an issue with transmissions and that it would need to be replaced. The transmission issue is bad enough to have a website dedicated to it. While a transmission failing is not necessarily a safety issue, loosing vehicle control and drivable on the highway could be. 2. now the vehicle starts to vibrate at highway speeds despite having new and balanced tires on it. I took the car in to get new struts. Since then I took the car to a mechanic of very high integrity (not the Honda dealer) and they said that unfortunately, the problem may simply be "impossible" to fix since everything they could see indicated that car should behave normally, I.e. the tires were fine, the alignment was fine, and the cv joints were fine. This is becoming more and more of the issue and indicates a possible design flaw with the vehicle. 3. the lights on the vehicle are horrible. This is a safety issue as it seriously impairs the vehicle drivability. 4. the rails for the driver's seat had to be replaced around 32,000 miles and now (at around 130,000 miles) the seat seems to wobble again. This could be a potential safety issue as it seems that the seat could simply detach in the case of an accident. Updated 05/07/10.

- Denver, CO, USA

problem #9

Sep 302009

Accord

  • 83,000 miles
My driver seat has come loose and mistlin Honda has refused to repair it. Bob the service manager told me to go ahead and contact you. Its out of warranty. I told him I will be killed in a crash and he said oh well.

- Modesto, CA, USA

problem #8

Jan 212009

Accord

  • 94,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I was involved in an accident where I was rear ended on a highway at a fairly high speed. Both my seat back and the empty passenger seat back collapsed into the back seat before being thrown forward where I was above the steering wheel close enough that I could see that my eyes were about two inches from the windshield and then I was then thrown back again to the laying down position of my seat. In my peripheral vision I could see the seat back of the empty passenger seat doing the same thing as my seat. This appears to be a safety issue especially because I have two car seats in the back seat for my infant and toddler that where thankfully empty at the time. In order to get out of my car I had to return my seat to the upright position which I was suprisingly able to do using the automatic button. This appears to be a safety issue. As a side note: Three weeks prior to the accident my seatbelt was replaced under a warranty and the rest of my safety devices found to be in good working order by the dealership.

- Crofton, MD, USA

problem #7

Oct 112007

Accord 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 88,000 miles
Front passenger and driver seat seatbacks broke during a 30 mph rearend collision. Causing whiplash and brusing. 2002 Honda Accord with power leather seats.

- Louisville, KY, USA

problem #6

Oct 142006

Accord 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 85,000 miles
Involved in serious head on mva where my vehicle was totaled, injuries sustained. Spent 24 hrs in icu due to head trauma, memory loss, contusions, and abrasions. Air bag did not deploy, driver seat fractured while seat belt held, which allowed forward thrust into windshield.

- Austin, AR, USA

problem #5

Oct 232002

Accord 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 11,463 miles
Drivers seat of 2002 Honda Accord feels loose. Similar to that which is described in incident #PE02072.

- Montgomery Village, MD, USA

problem #4

Aug 022003

Accord 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 5,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Subject: Front seat breaks off in rear end collision on Honda Accord sedan. O whom it may concern, purchased a brand new 2002 Honda Accord LX sedan from bloomfield Honda in bloomfield hills, Michigan one year ago. My wife was rear ended by a large Ford truck while she was stopped to make a left turn onto a neighborhood street. I truck didnT even brake and drove the truck all the way up to the backseat. Luckily she was wearing a seat belt. Her driver seat, however, broke off itS moorings at the floorboard giving her no support as she was flung backward in the crash. It was like the front seat was a rocking chair after the crash. No part of the front end was damage except the driver seat (only the rear end had been struck). The trunk and rear-end are destroyed. Are driverS seats supposed to come loose or break off in crashes"?? is this the Honda way? we have owned HondaS for years and this is a major quality breech and a danger. If my wife wasnT wearing that seat belt she might be dead. The manager of the dealership said this sometimes happened in the Honda Accord in rear end collisions...this is acceptable???" the driverS seat would have driven her into the dash. I would also rethink not having the airbag deploy in a severe rear-end collision. It would have helped in this incident.

- West Bloomfield, MI, USA

problem #3

Mar 172003

Accord 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 25,000 miles
Driver's front seat moves and rattles when turning and braking. This is a serious problem and Honda has been unable to resolve the issue. Both my dad and brother have the same problem with two different 2002 Honda Accord. Two different dealerships have not resolved the problem.

- Belmont, NC, USA

problem #2

Aug 122002

(reported on)

Accord

  • miles
The glove box does not close properly. Occasionally, the driver seat belt will not retract. Dealer found that the belt was curled/twisted. States driver's seat is loose and sometimes upon acceleration and braking, there is movement in the seat. Dealer found track was faulty, but problem still exists. The airbag indicator light came on. Dealer advised that the required part to rectify the problem would be ordered however no one has contacted consumer regarding this matter.

- Bronx, NY, USA

problem #1

Jan 282002

Accord

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
Driver side seat shakes/moves when accelerating or appling brakes, the dealer replaced the track but the problem still exist, the windshield wipers are sluggish and the left wiper was very noisy and left streak on the windshield, the glove box door would not close properly, the drivers seat belt would not retract intermittently due to the belt being twisted/curled, the left rear door would not close properly, fog lights were out of Focus, the air bag light illuminated.

- Bronx, NY, USA

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