Honda · Accord · 2016
2016 Honda Accord: problems & reliability
NHTSA has logged 613 owner complaints and 4 safety recalls for the 2016 Honda Accord. The most-reported problem area is the electrical system (33% of complaints), followed by exterior lighting and engine. Make sure every open recall has been fixed by a dealer before you buy.
Common 2016 Honda Accord problems
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Electrical system problems
202 owner complaints to NHTSA (33% of all complaints for this model year) involve the electrical system, including 1 crash, 3 fires, 2 injuries. One owner reported: “The contact owned a 2016 honda accord. While driving 45 mph, multiple indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact stated that sparks appeared from the front and rear of the vehicle. The contact pulled over, exited the…”
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Exterior lighting problems
128 owner complaints to NHTSA (21% of all complaints for this model year) involve the exterior lighting, including 2 crashes. One owner reported: “Months ago I was in a car accident because an air bag error popped up on my screen and by the time I looked up I hit another vehicle. There is always something wrong with this car and I haven't even had it for a full 3 years”
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Engine problems
44 owner complaints to NHTSA (7% of all complaints for this model year) involve the engine, including 2 crashes, 3 fires, 1 injury. One owner reported: “The contact owns a 2016 honda accord. While merging into traffic at approximately 50 mph, the contact crashed into the rear driver side of another vehicle. Within seconds of stopping, flames emitted under the hood and eventually spread…”
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Fuel system problems
44 owner complaints to NHTSA (7% of all complaints for this model year) involve the fuel system, including 1 crash, 1 fire. One owner reported: “For the last few months I have had an intermittent issue with my 2016 ex-l v6 accord. It started as occasional stalling at traffic lights. The car would stall out, and after about 20 seconds I could turn the car back on, and drive without…”
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Brakes problems
33 owner complaints to NHTSA (5% of all complaints for this model year) involve the brakes, including 4 crashes. One owner reported: “On Wednesday, September 21, 2022, my wife was parking her car in the parking lot of a TJ Maxx, 4220 Summer Ave, Memphis, TN 38122. As she turned right into the parking space, at a very low rate of speed, 1-2 mph, the engine revved and…”
Owner complaints by area
| Area | Complaints | Share | Chart |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical system | 202 | 33% | |
| Exterior lighting | 128 | 21% | |
| Engine | 44 | 7% | |
| Fuel system | 44 | 7% | |
| Brakes | 33 | 5% | |
| Steering | 31 | 5% | |
| Visibility & wipers | 31 | 5% | |
| Transmission & powertrain | 29 | 5% |
613 complaints filed with NHTSA in total, reporting 32 crashes, 5 fires, 29 injuries. A complaint can involve more than one area.
2016 Honda Accord recalls
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Air bags › Sensor › Occupant classification › Front passenger
Risk: Air bags that deploy unintentionally during a crash increase the risk of injury.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 7, 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are BOL, WO9, OOA, WOM, XOH, NOC, POD, BOE, UOF, POB, EOG, AOI, QO8, TOJ, DO7, and SOK. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 24V064. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning May 29, 2026.
Full recall summary
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2021, 2023 Acura TLX, 2019-2024 RDX, 2017-2020, 2022-2026 MDX, 2017-2021, 2023, 2025 Honda Ridgeline, 2017-2022 Pilot, 2019-2021 Passport, 2018-2026 Odyssey, 2019-2022 Insight, 2019-2021 HR-V, 2018-2020 Fit, 2020-2022 CR-V Hybrid, 2017-2022 CR-V, 2017-2018, 2021 Civic Type R, 2017-2021 Civic hatchback, 2016-2020 Civic coupe, 2016-2022 Civic, 2017-2022 Accord Hybrid, and 2016-2022 Accord vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, which can cause the air bags to deploy unintentionally during a crash.
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Fuel system, gasoline › Delivery › Fuel pump
Risk: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 6, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are KGC and KGD. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall numbers 21V-215 and 20V-314.
Full recall summary
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline, Odyssey, Acura ILX, MDX, MDX Hybrid, RDX, RLX, TLX, 2019-2022 Honda Insight, Passport, 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Clarity PHEV, Fit, and 2015-2020 Honda Accord Hybrid, Pilot, Acura NSX vehicles. The fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
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Fuel system, other › Delivery › Fuel pump
Risk: Reduced fuel pump performance can result in an engine stall, increasing the risk of crash.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will update the fuel injection engine control unit (FI-ECU) software and, if necessary, replace the fuel pump, free of charge. The recall began March 25, 2019. Owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Acura's recall number for this recall is P3W. Honda's recall number for this recall is N3X.
Full recall summary
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Acura MDX, 2015-2019 Acura TLX and 2015-2017 Honda Accord vehicles, equipped with a 3.5L V6 engine. Particulates in fuel may adhere to the internal components of the fuel pump, reducing its performance.
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Electrical system › 12v/24v/48v battery
Risk: An electrical short increases the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the sensor, free of charge. Dealers will perform an interim remedy of applying adhesive to the case to prevent water intrusion. The recall began November 8, 2017. Owners may contact American Honda Customer Support Center at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is KG0.
Full recall summary
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2016 Honda Accord vehicles. The case for the battery sensor, part of the battery management system, may allow water to get in, potentially causing an electrical short.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. To check whether a specific car’s recalls have been repaired, enter its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
2016 Honda Accord crash-test ratings
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2016 Honda Accord 4 DR FWD. Ratings can differ between body styles and drivetrains (2 versions tested or listed).
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Specifications
- Drivetrains
- FWD
- Body styles
- 4-door, 2-door
Other Honda Accord years
About this data
Problems, complaint counts, recalls and crash-test ratings come from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) public databases, last checked 2026-11-03. Complaints are reports from owners and have not all been verified by NHTSA.
How we score reliability: every model year starts at 100. Points come off for the number of owner complaints (on a log scale, up to 40 points), for each safety recall (2 points each, up to 15) and for complaints involving crashes, fires, injuries or deaths (up to 15). Popular vehicles get more complaints simply because more are on the road, so compare scores between similar vehicles. More about our method.
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