CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2004 Honda Accord suffers from widespread transmission failure & problems with the stereo backlight failing. 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.

The stereo backlight problem has been an issue ever since these Accords were only a few years old. Honda eventually issued a recall which covered the repair for 7 years/100k miles, which was nice while it lasted but now that period is over. Honda initially replaced the entire radio ($800) but eventually began replacing just the PCB which at ~$300 is much cheaper. That sounds like a deal, but keep in mind we're talking about a backlight bulb that costs $2 to fix in most other cars.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
29 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
27 / 1
Average Mileage:
78,272 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.

2004 Honda Accord seat belts / air bags problems

seat belts / air bags problem

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2004 Honda Accord Owner Comments (Page 1 of 10)

problem #191

Dec 192022

Accord

  • miles

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

My 2 door (coupe) has yet to be recalled for the exploding airbag. The sedan was recalled a long time ago. Undoubtedly the airbags are the same in both cars. Why no recall for the coupe" My guess is that the NHSTA applies separate statistical tests to the coupe and sedan as a matter of course--even if it makes no sense when both use the same part. Because so few coupes were made, the statistical threshold for exploding airbags was never reached to trigger a recall. Am I driving a timebomb? Will my death be the one to trigger a recall" Thank you for your response.

- Mableton, GA, USA

problem #190

Jun 032016

Accord

  • 405,000 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Honda Accord. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the SRS air bag warning light started blinking off and on. The contact related the failure to having had the driver's side air bag replaced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V320000 (Air Bags). The contact stated that the air bag warning light remained illuminated continually. Additionally, the contact stated that the horn, cruise control, and the passenger-€™s side air bag sensor had also failed to operate as needed. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 405,000.

- San Diego, CA, USA

problem #189

Jul 272022

Accord

  • miles
On Wednesday, JULY 27, 2022, I was riding on the highway and the left side curtain airbag exploded. There was no other vehicles involved, no accident. My left curtain airbag is hanging out my window and I need to get it repaired ASAP and it's affecting my seatbelt in the driver's seat. I need to know if my make and model has a recall for 2004 Honda Accord. For now, I have the curtain pinned to the roof of the car. The airbag just exploded and now there is a red sign on my dashboard with the seatbelt emblem and showing the airbag on the steering wheel.

- Bradenton, FL, USA

problem #188

Jun 142021

Accord

  • miles

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

I Was hit extremely hard by a semi truck on the driver side of my car when the semi was making a small right turn in the middle lane on Race Street my little car became wedged almost underneath the shield and roof slightly began to get crushed but the AIRBAGS never deployed, when I heard the cracking of the shield i looked back at my children who are and still to this day are terrified! the back tires of the semi is staring them in the face I immediately squeezed out of my seat belt it wouldn't unlock at this point my car is being pulled back and forth from the driver of the semi keeps trying to widening his turn while I'm blowing the crap out of the my horn he still doesn't realize he hit me yet, maybe because his dog is all over the passenger side from him jerking the semi back and forth I grabbed my children and jumped out I was literally stuck between a traffic poll and a nightmare just glad to be Alive (((((AIRBAGS))))never deployed always had problems with this car the water pump the door locks, heater wouldn't shut off, only had the vehicle for a few months to say the least and it broke down a few weeks after purchasing it when I tried reaching the dealership who sold me the car I could never could get an answer

- Philadelphia , PA, USA

problem #187

Sep 302019

Accord

  • miles
The passenger seat air bag light comes on and off intermittently, when no one is sitting in the seat! Specific recall; ID 07V001000. There are several recalls listed for airbags, but it said my car is not affected; however obviously it is!

- Chico, CA, USA

problem #186

Mar 312021

Accord

  • miles
Driver seatbelt does not buckle, parking brake malfunction with brake light on, air bag light on.

- Fox Lake, IL, USA

problem #185

Jun 172008

Accord

  • 2,000 miles

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

My airbag light on the dashboard has stayed on all of the time since 2008. Not sure of exact date. Airbag light goes off on occasion but most of the time the airbag light stays on. I've never got a recall notice on this issue. I've checked my VIN when there's a recall on airbags for my year 2004 Honda Accord ex and it never shows that my 2004 Honda Accord ex has a recall issue with airbags. My airbag comes on when I start up the vehicle, sitting still or driving on the roadway. I've also noticed that sometimes when I'm driving the shoulder seat belt on the driver side will lock up on me constantly. I'm afraid the shoulder belts going to lock up on me while driving and cause me to have an accident because I'm being held tight against the seat belt.

- Leesburg, GA, USA

problem #184

Jul 162020

Accord

  • miles
SRS light comes on and seat belt buckle needs to be removed and replaced and steering column needs to come off to figure out why light continues to come on. Seems like this is happening to many other 2004 Honda Accord and needs to be addressed. I'm told my air bags won't deploy until it is fixed.

- Largo, FL, USA

problem #183

Jan 252020

Accord

  • 130,000 miles
The SRS light of my car come on and goes off all the time. Sometimes when I am driving, suddenly will turn on for a while. I usually pull over and turn off the engineer and turn it on back and wait a few. This happens constantly, and I have read the manual, this has to do with the front air bags, and according to the manual book can be 'an alert to a potential airbags, side curtain airbags, front seat belt tensioners or the driver's seat position sensor and the front passenger's weight sensors' we have check it all the time and it just goes on all the time as it comes off all the time. I have gotten to a point that concerns me a lot.

- Worcester, MA, USA

problem #182

Jan 222020

Accord

  • miles
I cannot look up my VIN on your main page. I keep getting the message "cannot contact recaptcha", both on my mac and iphone

- Princeton, NJ, USA

problem #181

Sep 152019

Accord

  • miles

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

The contact owns a 2004 Honda Accord. The contact stated that the air bag warning indicator illuminated intermittently. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic where it was discovered that there was an open circuit in the passenger inflator. The mechanic linked the failure to a possible recall based on a service bulletin the mechanic discovered. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and stated that the vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign number: 14V700000 (air bags). No further assistance was offered. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #180

Nov 302019

Accord

  • miles
How do I know if my airbags need to be replaced. I want to give this car to my teenage daughter. Please help.

- Unknown, DC, USA

problem #179

Nov 012019

Accord

  • 125,000 miles
Airbag warning light comes on randomly, whether car is hot or cold. Reading many other similar complaints, it seems statistically improbable that so many airbag problems would occur without existence of systemic problem similar to my 2005 Accord, which was recalled. Please enforce similar safety concern in these series that use same airbag parts. Until then, Honda will not investigate without costly diagnosis fee and ambiguous expensive repair recommendations. Hope it doesn't randomly punch me in the face while I'm doing 70 on I75!

- Estero, FL, USA

problem #178

Sep 202019

Accord

  • miles
2004 Honda Accord. Consumer writes in regard to takata airbag recall and replacing the airbag sensor; which is not covered under the recall.

- Lafayette, LA, USA

problem #177

Aug 092019

Accord

  • miles
Airbag is damaged

- Fontana, CA, USA

problem #176

Sep 212019

Accord

  • miles
The contact owned a 2004 Honda Accord. While driving 15 mph, the driver's air bag deployed on its own. As a result, the contact lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a pole. The air bag warning indicator illuminated prior to the failure. The contact sustained a bruise on her left arm that did not require medical attention. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to the contact's grandmother's residence. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 19V182000 (air bags). The vehicle was not diagnosed and was deemed destroyed. The dealer and manufacturer were not informed of the failure. The cause of the failure was not determined. The failure mileage was unknown.

- Naguabo, PR, USA

problem #175

May 212019

Accord 4-cyl

  • miles
2004 Honda Accord. Consumer writes in regards to airbag defect. The consumer stated the dealership would not cooperate with picking up and returning the vehicle to complete the recall repair.

- Gastonia, NC, USA

problem #174

Aug 282019

Accord

  • 0 miles
My 2004 Honda Pilot had a recall for something not working properly in the airbag system. Since receiving the recall notification about the 2004 Honda Pilot's airbag, the airbag warning light in my 2004 Honda Accord lit up on August 28, 2019 and has stayed lit since the first time it lit up. My 2004 Honda Pilot did not have its airbag warning light come on and it did have a defect. I asked the dealership about an airbag system recall on the 2004 Honda Accord. They said it did not have one and would not check why my 2004 Honda Accord airbag warning light has lit up without me paying a $99 fee. These cars were made during the same time period. These models have both had previous problems with the airbag or part of its system. I do not want to die from a faulty part Honda put into my vehicle because the recall has not been processed for that vehicle yet. I am telling you this in writing so my family has grounds to sue if I am hurt by a part you know is faulty and have not recalled it in a timely manner as you know you need to do. These vehicles were made in the same time frame. You know you use the same basic parts from the same manufactures. Announce the airbag system recall for the 2004 Honda Accord so I can get my vehicle fixed and not worry about driving around a potential time bomb.

- Sylvan Springs, AL, USA

problem #173

Aug 052019

Accord

  • 149,998 miles
My car got into a minor accident a neighborhood. The airbag on the passenger seat came out. Everyone including the police thought it was odd because there wasn't anyone sitting on the passenger seat. The driver's side on the other hand, the airbag did not come out. And the airbag light is off even though the passenger airbag came off. I have a question as to why that is? also my seat belt became too tight and does not allow me room to moves.

- Middletown, DE, USA

problem #172

Aug 062019

Accord

  • 221,834 miles
Takata recall. The contact owns a 2004 Honda Accord. The contact stated that the air bag warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to ocean Honda of brockton (300 manley St, brockton, MA 02301, (508) 928-8591) to be repaired per NHTSA campaign number: 19V501000 (air bags). The dealer informed the contact that there was a separate diagnostic test, which would cost an extra fee. The contact called the manufacturer and no remedy was provided. The failure mileage was 221,834.

- Stoughton, MA, USA

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