AI Damage1989 Honda Accord: common problems
Owners of the 1989 Honda Accord filed 86 complaints with NHTSA, most often about seat belts and engine and cooling. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 86
- involving a crash
- 13
What fails most often
- 1 Seat belts 37% of all complaints
- 2 Engine and cooling 14% of all complaints
- 3 Vehicle speed control 10% of all complaints
- 4 Fuel system 8% of all complaints
- 5 Suspension 8% of all complaints
- 6 Electrical system 7% of all complaints
- 7 Service brakes 6% of all complaints
- 8 Visibility 6% of all complaints
- Seat belts: 32 complaints (37% of all), 7 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Engine and cooling: 12 complaints (14% of all).
- Vehicle speed control: 9 complaints (10% of all), 5 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Fuel system: 7 complaints (8% of all).
- Suspension: 7 complaints (8% of all).
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 2 L · petrol · 4 cylnamed in 1 complaints
- automatic, 4-speed
- manual, 5-speed
Drive: FWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 86 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seat belts | 32 | 7 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 12 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 9 | 5 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Visibility | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Steering | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 2 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
Vehicle was broadsided on the passenger's side and driver's seat belt failed to lock up, forcing driver into steering wheel , etc. Dealer and manufacturer have been notified. Feel free to provide any further information.
The driver's seat belt does not retract and caused injury to owner.
Rack and pinion failed, causing accident/damage to wheel and control arm.
Vehicle hit head-on by another vehicle out of control, seat belts did not restrain driver, head went through windshield.
When backing into a parking space and placing automatic transmission into reverse vehicle suddenly accelerated on its own at high rate of speed. Tt
Sudden acceleration 3 times, twice resulting in an accident/injuries.
Had a accident because of sudden acceleration,problem is reoccuring. Tt
The muffler isn't secured as it is rusted out, the gas tank is smashed in. It's running off the catalytic converter and the car dealer said the car made so much noise because of a piece they had connected to the exhaust pipe to make it that way.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 3,912 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 11% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Accord has 503 complaints (49 years in the data). This year has 86, below average.
What to check before buying
- Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
- Fuel system. Fuel smell, leaks, rough running, fuel-system codes.
Other years of this model
- Accord 19817 sources
- Accord 198210 sources
- Accord 19837 sources
- Accord 198422 sources
- Accord 198513 sources
- Accord 198654 sources
- Accord 1987111 sources
- Accord 198888 sources
- Accord 1990192 sources
- Accord 1991212 sources
- Accord 1992206 sources
- Accord 1993186 sources
- Accord 1994369 sources
- Accord 1995543 sources
- Accord 1996472 sources
- Accord 1997460 sources
- Accord 19981,200 sources
- Accord 19991,135 sources
- Accord 20001,183 sources
- Accord 2001922 sources
- Accord 20021,050 sources
- Accord 20031,987 sources
- Accord 20041,018 sources
- Accord 2005656 sources
- Accord 2006433 sources
- Accord 2007524 sources
- Accord 20081,521 sources
- Accord 2009727 sources
- Accord 2010581 sources
- Accord 2011296 sources
- Accord 2012374 sources
- Accord 20131,427 sources
- Accord 2014982 sources
- Accord 2015601 sources
- Accord 2016754 sources
- Accord 2017608 sources
- Accord 20182,149 sources
- Accord 2019960 sources
- Accord 2020628 sources
- Accord 2021388 sources
- Accord 2022329 sources
- Accord 2023168 sources
- Accord 2024226 sources
- Accord 2025140 sources
- Accord 202629 sources
- Accord 999926 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1989 Honda Accord?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: seat belts, engine and cooling, vehicle speed control. Total complaints: 86. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: seat belts (31%), smoke, burning smell, fire (13%), unintended acceleration (7%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1989 Honda Accord?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 1989 Honda Accord from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 1989 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.