RoadVitals

2009 Honda Accord

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
720
Latest Apr 3, 2026
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
11
Latest Jun 27, 2019
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
2
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
52
50 injuries, 2 deaths reported

Overview

Our database contains 720 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2009 Honda Accord, most frequently naming the brakes, airbags and engine categories. 11 safety recalls have been issued covering this model year; 2 NHTSA investigations name it; and 101 manufacturer communications are on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

11 campaigns cover this model year

Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.

Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Jun 27, 2019
9,555 units potentially affected
The defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2009-2014 Acura TSX, 2011-2014 TSX Sport Wagon, 2010-2013 ZDX, 2008-2012 Honda Accord, 2010-2011 Accord Crosstour, 2006-2011 Civic and Civic Hybrid, 2008-2010 Civic GX NGV, 2012-2015 Crosstour, 2007-2011 CR-V, 2009-2013 Fit, 2014 Fit EV, 2010-2014 Insight, and 2009-2015 Pilot vehicles. The vehicles are equipped with passenger frontal air bag inflators assembled as a recall remedy part or replacement service part, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
The risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
The remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began August 12, 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are F5F and Q5E.
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)Manufacturer number F5F, Q5EView on NHTSA.gov

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

May 16, 2019
19,138 units potentially affected
The defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2009-2014 Acura TSX, 2011-2013 TSX Sport Wagon, and 2010-2012 ZDX and 2008-2012 Honda Accord, 2010-2011 Accord Crosstour, 2006-2011 Civic, Civic Hybrid and Civic NGV, 2012-2014 Crosstour, 2007-2011 CR-V, 2009-2013 Fit, 2010-2013 Insight, and 2009-2015 Pilot vehicles. The front passenger air bag inflator may have been installed incorrectly during replacement.
The risk: An incorrectly installed air bag inflator may not properly deploy the passenger frontal air bag in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
The remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the inflator installation and, if necessary, replace the passenger frontal air bag module assembly, free of charge. The recall began July 5, 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are M4O, P4R, T4Q, and W4P.
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)Manufacturer number M4O, P4R, T4Q, W4PView on NHTSA.gov

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

Mar 6, 2019
1,101,534 units potentially affected
The defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling specific 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2013-2016 ILX, 2013-2014 ILX Hybrid, 2003-2006 MDX, 2007-2016 RDX, 2002-2003 3.2TL, 2004-2006, and 2009-2014 TL, 2010-2013 ZDX and 2001-2007 and 2009 Honda Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2003-2005 Civic Hybrid, 2001-2005 Civic GX NGV, 2002-2007 and 2010-2011 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2007 Fit, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot, and 2006-2014 Ridgeline vehicles. The affected vehicles received a replacement driver air bag inflator as part of a previous Takata inflator recall remedy or a replacement driver air bag module containing the same inflator type as a service part. Due to a manufacturing error, in the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver frontal air bag, these inflators may explode.
The 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 occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
The remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began April 10, 2019. Honda owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is O41. Acura owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Acura's number for this recall is U40.
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.)Manufacturer number U40,M45,O41,G44View on NHTSA.gov

Safety investigations

NHTSA inquiries naming this vehicle. An investigation is not a finding of a defect.

PE15029ClosedPreliminary Evaluation

SRS Control Module Failure

Opened Aug 18, 2015
Closed Jun 17, 2016

As discussed further below, and by letter dated January 22, 2016, Honda is recalling certain model year (MY) 2008 through 2010 Honda Accords to replace a defective air bag/SRS control module that can result in the Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) becoming fully inoperative (disabled).See NHTSA Safety Recall 16V056 at SaferCar.gov for further details.Honda's response to an agency Information Request letter indicated that the SRS module was manufactured by tier-one supplier Continental and contained a power supply ASIC manufactured by tier-two supplier Atmel. The original ASIC was susceptible to a moisture ingress issue due to inadequate ASIC passivation layer.Water ingress could result in moisture reaching the Titanium Nitride (TiN) layer in the ASIC causing corrosion and breakage of electrical circuits.The damaged ASIC then causes failures of the SRS module resulting in 1) incomplete boot-up when power is supplied to the module or 2) the inability of the module to establish either internal or external bus communications.In either case the air bag readiness indicator light on the instrument cluster is illuminated and all air bags and seat belt pretensioners are disabled.During the investigation, ODI obtained the SRS module from a complainant crash vehicle where the air bags did not deploy despite a significant frontal impact.An inspection of the module was performed at a Continental facility.The inspection confirmed that the module had the ASIC fault thus preventing the SRS module from completing the boot-up process.An attempt was made to recover stored EDR data from the module however none was present; this outcome is consistent with an Atmel ASIC failure.A second SRS module alleged to have the ASIC problem was inspected during the same visit.This second module was unable to communicate with the test equipment.The ASIC was replaced on this module and full function was restored to the module confirming the ASIC as the cause of the SRS module fault.According to Honda, tier-two Atmel implemented three different corrective actions in early 2008.Implementation of the corrective actions into module production by tier-one Continental, and into vehicle production by Honda resulted in three distinct vehicle populations.The first population consists of certain non-consecutively built MY 2008 to 2010 Accords with modules that did not contain any of the corrective actions.This population of 341,444 vehicles exhibited a significant level of module failure in service and is thus being recalled.The second population of 382,693 non-consecutively built MY 2008 to 2010 Accords contained two of the three corrective actions.This population exhibited a significantly lower level of SRS module failure, compared to the first population, but a marginally higher level compared to the third population.Honda is conducting a 15 year unlimited mileage extended warranty program for this second population.Under the program Honda will replace the SRS module free of charge for vehicles that experience an SRS module malfunction due to ASIC failure.Owners eligible for the extended warranty will be notified by Honda in writing.The third population consists of vehicles containing all three corrective actions, this population exhibits a normal level of SRS module failure.Based on the safety recall and extended warranty this investigation is closed.The VOQ reports cited above can be reviewed at SaferCar.gov under the following identification numbers: 10871612, 10869953, 10810554, 10788238, 10781994, 10778712, 10765025, 10761583, 10759019, 10758622, 10747850, 10735806, 10734761, 10733519, 10715339, 10703521, 10676517, 1065

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE-INACTIVELed to recall 16V056000
EA14004ClosedEngineering Analysis

Inadvertent Side Air Bag Deployment

Opened Jul 29, 2014
Closed Jan 4, 2016

Honda is conducting a safety recall of approximately 303,900 model year 2008-2009 Honda Accord sedans to address inadvertent deployment of the side air bags (see NHTSA recall 15V-665 for more information).It should be noted that almost all of the recalled vehicles are the 2008 Accords (built from start of model year 2008 production to June 25, 2008) as only about 500 early-built 2009 Accords (built from June 24 to June 30, 2008) are included in the recall.The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has identified 351 reported incidents of inadvertent side air bag deployments in the 2008 Accord sedans.This investigation found there is risk of serious injury to vehicle occupants or users who are positioned in the direct path of a deploying side curtain air bag.Based on the recall action taken by Honda, this Engineering Analysis is closed.Additional information on this closing resume and the investigation are in the EA14-004 public file available on-line at SaferCar.gov.The ODI reports cited above can be reviewed online at http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/owners/SearchNHTSAID under the following identification numbers:10232206 10235294 10255323 10268158 10268191 10269514 10276755 10279446 10280675 10308292 10319979 10342520 10353536 10408925 10436506 10447151 10458732 10468196 10468200 10493407 10494971 10522291 10524389 10543092 10544473 10545258 10547591 10554073 10563629 10565311 10565423 10576518 10579241 10584501 10585442 10606937 10608973 10627302 10638541 10640968 10650861 10654858 10679518 10680063 10683967 10712981 10717410 10717777 10761860

AIR BAGS

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Other / unspecified
Filed Apr 3, 2026

The contact owns a 2009 Honda Accord. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 09E063000 (Equipment) and would like to be removed from the recall distribution list. The local dealer and manufacturer were contacted.

NHTSA ID
11729003
Incident
Feb 24, 2026
Brakes
Filed Jan 12, 2026

I installed (2) identical Advance Auto Parts Platinum rear brake rotors on my vehicle. Both rotors were installed at the same time, in the same manner, and under normal conditions. After approximately (1) mile of normal driving on of the rear brake rotors catastrophically failed by completely separating at the hat (the center mounting section). The opposite side rear rotor, installed at the same time, did not fail. The failure occurred without warning and resulted in immediate loss of braking integrity at that wheel. This type of structural failure presents a significant safety risk, including the potential for sudden brake loss, wheel lockup, or loss of vehicle control. The vehicle was not being driven aggressively, and there were no abnormal conditions prior to the failure. The failed rotor has been preserved and is available for inspection. Photographs documenting the separation are also available. A brake rotor should not experience complete structural separation under normal driving conditions, especially immediately after installation. This appears to be a manufacturing or material defect that poses a serious safety hazard. I am submitting this complaint to document the defect and to help prevent potential injury or accidents involving similar components.

NHTSA ID
11710545
Incident
Jan 11, 2026
Electrical
Filed Aug 26, 2025

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2009 Honda Accord. The contact discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy after the purchase. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the mileage was 92,000, and at the time of reviewing the Insurance, it was discovered that the mileage was 225,000.

NHTSA ID
11683216
Incident
Aug 26, 2025
Mileage
225,000 mi
Electrical
Filed Aug 15, 2025
Fire reported

Alternator caught on fire

NHTSA ID
11680805
Incident
Aug 14, 2025
Electrical
Filed Jul 25, 2025

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2009 Honda Accord. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start after several attempts without warning. After obtaining a Carfax report, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was approximately 52,000 and it was discovered that the mileage was approximately 148,000.

NHTSA ID
11676107
Incident
Jul 4, 2025
Mileage
148,000 mi
Filed Jun 21, 2025

Vtc actuator cold start rattle

NHTSA ID
11668381
Incident
Apr 4, 2025
Engine
Filed Jun 18, 2025

Component/System: Engine – piston ring failure; oil control issue related to VCM system. Available for inspection: Yes. My 2009 Honda Accord EX-L V6 (J35Z2 engine with VCM) has developed repeated misfires due to oil entering the combustion chamber, consistent with Honda TSB 13-078. It began around 96,000 miles with cylinder #3 fouling. At 121,000 miles, cylinder #2 also misfired. A Honda dealer confirmed the issue as piston ring failure, and oil loss was measured at ~1.5 quarts per 1,000 miles. The issue causes sudden power loss, rough running, and hesitation, especially during highway driving or acceleration. This creates a serious risk of rear-end collisions or inability to safely merge. The misfire occurs without warning; no warning lamps were active beforehand. Brandfon Honda confirmed the diagnosis in May 2025. Honda acknowledges the defect in TSBs and prior class action litigation (Soto v. Honda), but refuses to assist because my car is outside the 8-year extended warranty window—even though I was never notified of that warranty. I’ve maintained the car carefully and reported the issue to Honda through multiple channels. This is a known defect affecting many 2008–2012 Accords. It compromises driveability, increases oil consumption, and creates safety concerns due to unpredictable engine performance. I’m submitting this to ensure it is recorded as part of a broader pattern that may warrant further investigation.

NHTSA ID
11667801
Incident
Oct 9, 2021
Airbags
Filed Jun 5, 2025

I was driving and stopped at a stop sign, I started to go and my passenger side airbag on the door exploded. There was no impact, out of nowhere this happened

NHTSA ID
11664997
Incident
Jun 4, 2025

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

A18-066

AIR BAGS

Service Bulletin - Warranty Extension: Customer Support Program For Front Passenger's Airbag Inflator.

A21120A

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM; EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:NAVIGATIONAL SYSTEM(GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM)

Service News - The navigation clock and date are incorrect. This is due to a limited GPS receiver Capacity resulting in rollover of the internal chip memory; the rollover occurred on January 1, 2022, at 12:00AM local time.

A21120A

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM; EQUIPMENT:OTHER:OWNERS/SERVICE/OTHER MANUAL

ServiceNews Article - The clock shows the incorrect time. This issue is due to a limited GPS receiver capacity resulting in "rollover" of the internal chip memory; the "rollover" will occur on January 1, 2022, at 12:00AM local time. As a result, once specific triggers are met, the navigation date and time will be incorrect.

APP05122020

EQUIPMENT

Dealer Message - The May episode of Tech2Tech is now posted. We've got some valuable information for you, so check it out! This month we're featuring "Replacing That Leaky Front Rocker Arm Oil Control Valve."

A20-016

AIR BAGS

Service Bulletin - This bulletin is a notification of a class action settlement relating to airbag inflators. American Honda is offering a Customer Support Program (Warranty Extension) to cover any manufacturing defects in the replacement front passenger's airbag inflator only.

A20-023

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Service Bulletin - The front rocker arm oil control valve is leaking.

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Honda Accord by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2026400
2025770047.2
20241353164.6
2023835170.2
20222214164.0
20212174166.2
20203455164.4
20196636266.2
20181,8336264.5
20175293058.9
20165944058.8
20155995261.7
20149754260.8
20131,4185563.2
20123728164.1
20112969058.9
201057913158.7
2009Viewing72011259.5
20081,5209359.4
200752410467.5
200643017464.5
200565624465.6
20041,01622465.3
20031,98724564.2
20021,05016767.4
2001920191068.0
20001,18321563.5
19991,13517561.4
19981,20019361.3
199746015055.3
199647213055.4
199554314265.0
199436913058.9
199318611058.8
199220612058.9
199121213159.8
199019212663.1
1989861156.3
1988882160.5
19871113363.2
1986542663.4
1985131256.5
1984222354.1
1983710
1982102050.0
1981701
1980201
1979211
1978010
1977010
1976010

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.