2002 Honda Accord Air Bags Problems
Owners have filed 273 complaints with NHTSA about air bags problems on the 2002 Honda Accord, 26% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 85,500 miles. The words owners use most often: “air bag” (33% of reports).
- 273air bags complaints
- 85,500median miles at failure
- 86mention a crash
- 60mention an injury
- 3related recalls
- $880typical repair cost reported by owners
- 28%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Air bag: mentioned in 90 of 273 complaints (33%)
- Bags deploy: mentioned in 23 of 273 complaints (8%)
- Side airbag: mentioned in 17 of 273 complaints (6%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical air bags repair on the 2002 Honda Accord at $880, and half of them between $480 and $1,500.
Based on 19 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2004–2023), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do air bags problems happen?
Based on 170 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 273 complaints, 86 mention a crash, 1 a fire, 60 an injury.
Honda Accord air bags complaints by model year
| Model year | Air Bags complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Accord | 2 | 2% | 14,000 |
| 2024 Accord | 2 | 1% | — |
| 2023 Accord | 2 | 2% | — |
| 2022 Accord | 2 | 1% | 73,000 |
| 2021 Accord | 15 | 6% | — |
| 2020 Accord | 36 | 10% | 71,000 |
| 2019 Accord | 31 | 4% | 45,000 |
| 2018 Accord | 60 | 3% | 70,000 |
| 2017 Accord | 23 | 4% | 29,600 |
| 2016 Accord | 16 | 3% | 20,140 |
| 2015 Accord | 23 | 4% | 15,000 |
| 2014 Accord | 37 | 4% | 36,000 |
| 2013 Accord | 51 | 4% | 50,000 |
| 2012 Accord | 56 | 15% | 60,000 |
| 2011 Accord | 115 | 39% | 70,500 |
| 2010 Accord | 134 | 23% | 63,000 |
| 2009 Accord | 143 | 20% | 89,500 |
| 2008 Accord | 379 | 25% | 80,000 |
| 2007 Accord | 160 | 31% | 78,000 |
| 2006 Accord | 130 | 30% | 106,000 |
| 2005 Accord | 209 | 32% | 82,500 |
| 2004 Accord | 251 | 25% | 88,750 |
| 2003 Accord | 318 | 16% | 90,000 |
| 2002 Accord | 273 | 26% | 85,500 |
| 2001 Accord | 407 | 44% | 85,500 |
| 2000 Accord | 454 | 38% | 80,000 |
| 1999 Accord | 74 | 7% | 106,500 |
| 1998 Accord | 79 | 7% | 103,281 |
| 1997 Accord | 113 | 25% | 75,500 |
| 1996 Accord | 109 | 23% | 111,504 |
| 1995 Accord | 211 | 39% | 112,500 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (3)
Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module
Problem: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2002-2003 3.2TL, 2003-2006 MDX, 2001-2007 Honda Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2003-2005 Civic Hybrid, 2001-2005 Civic GX NGV, 2002-2006 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot and 2006 Ridgeline vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with driver 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.
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver 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 Q5A and Y58.
Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module
Problem: 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.
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.
Fix: 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.
Air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module
Problem: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain model year 2001-2007 Accord, 2001-2005 Civic, 2001-2004 Honda Civic GX, 2003-2005 Honda Civic Hybrid, 2002-2006 CR-V, 2003-2011 Element, 2002-2004 Odyssey, 2003-2008 Pilot, 2006 Ridgeline, 2003 Acura 3.2CL, 2003-2006 Acura MDX, and 2002-2003 Acura 3.2TL vehicles. The affected vehicles are equipped with a dual-stage driver frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion and other factors, including manufacturing variability that, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture.
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on July 1, 2015. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Owners may contact Acura customer service at 1-800-382-2238, select option 4. Note: Vehicles that have had their driver frontal air bag replaced previously as part of a recall remedy prior to September 12, 2014 need to have their air bag replaced under this recall as well. Vehicles that, on or after September 12, 2014, received a remedy for a prior driver frontal air bag inflator recall already received an inflator of a different design, and therefore are not included in this recall and do not require additional servicing. Note: This recall fully supersedes recalls 08V-593, 09V-259, 10V-041, 11V-260, 14V-351 and 15V-153. Honda's numbers for this recall are JQ9, JR0, JR1, JR2, JR3, JR4, JR5, JR6, JR7, and JR8.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Air Bags never deployed in an accident. Honda shows recall work was done prior to collision. Front end collision
SRS bag light has been on for unknown reason(s). Steering is not good and it got checked they said they fixed issue on it but it does not feel fixed
The contact owns a 2002 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the driver's side air bag warning light remained illuminated. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2002 Honda Accords have air bags problems?
No. NHTSA has 273 owner complaints about air bags for the 2002 Honda Accord (26% of the 1,050 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2002 Honda Accord air bags?
Yes: 3 safety recalls list air bags. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
At what mileage do air bags problems start?
The median reported mileage is 85,500 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix air bags problems on the 2002 Honda Accord?
Owners report a typical cost of $880 (half paid between $480 and $1,500), from 19 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about air bags problems on the 2002 Honda Accord?
The most frequent phrase is “air bag”, in 90 of 273 complaints, followed by “bags deploy” (23).
Other 2002 Honda Accord problems
- Power Train problems (478)
- Structure problems (75)
- Electrical System problems (69)
See all 2002 Honda Accord problems or air bags problems across all Accord years.