2016 Honda Accord
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Electrical system is the leading concern among 607 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 13th highest complaint count among 25 Accord model years with reports.
Of the 2016 reports, 32 involved a crash and 5 involved a fire. 29 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Air bags, sensor, occupant classification, front passengerMay 21, 2026
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.
Air bags that deploy unintentionally during a crash increase the risk of injury.
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.
Campaign 26V332000 on NHTSA.gov
Fuel system, gasoline, delivery, fuel pumpDec 18, 2023
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.
Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
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.
Campaign 23V858000 on NHTSA.gov
Fuel system, other, delivery, fuel pumpJan 29, 2019
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.
Reduced fuel pump performance can result in an engine stall, increasing the risk of crash.
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.
Campaign 19V060000 on NHTSA.gov
Electrical system, 12v/24v/48v batteryJun 29, 2017
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.
An electrical short increases the risk of a fire.
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.
Campaign 17V418000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: electrical system
198 reports, newest first. Show all
Electrical system, Mar 3, 2026
My stereo is making an awful static noise even when the audio is turned off. It seems to be a pretty common problem for Honda around 2016. It is very dangerous because while driving in rush hour the other day and it was raining I couldn't hear anything but very loud static. I probably would not have been able even to hear a horn. Please get Honda to fix this obvious manufacturer defect so they will recall these vehicles and fix this potential life threatening issue. Thank you.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Feb 20, 2026
After driving about 20-25 minutes, the speakers after working fine turn to all loud static even when turning the volume down. After the car is off for a bit, the speakers return to normal until driving again for 10-20 minutes. It’s so loud that you can’t hear anything and is very distracting
Electrical system, Feb 17, 2026
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2016 Honda Accord. The contact discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 67,500. The vehicle was taken to a Honda dealer, who discovered that the mileage was 300,000. The Local Police Department was contacted but was unable to assist. The Department of Motor Vehicles was contacted, and informed that the contact was to obtain an attorney to seek legal counsel.
Electrical system, Feb 14, 2026
Sudden High-Decibel Static Noise and Complete Failure of the Audio Head Unit/Infotainment System 1. Component or system failure and availability for inspection: The component that failed is the Audio Head Unit (Infotainment System). During operation, the system suddenly malfunctions by emitting an extremely loud, high-decibel "static" or "screeching" white noise through all vehicle speakers. When this occurs, the volume controls (both on the steering wheel and the dash) become completely unresponsive, and the unit cannot be turned off. The only way to stop the noise is to pull the vehicle over and perform a full ignition cycle (turning the engine off and on). 2. Risk to the safety of the driver and others: This failure poses a severe safety hazard for the following reasons: Startle Effect: The noise occurs abruptly at maximum volume, causing an immediate "startle response" that can lead to a loss of vehicle control, especially at highway speeds. Aural Overload & Panic: The intensity of the noise is so high that it causes physical pain and cognitive overload, making it nearly impossible for the driver to focus on the road or hear surrounding traffic, such as emergency sirens or horns from other vehicles. Operational Distraction: Since the noise cannot be silenced while the car is in motion, the driver is forced to navigate to a stop under extreme duress, significantly increasing the risk of a collision.
Electrical system, Feb 11, 2026
The infotainment system in the vehicle is apparently overheating and causing the speakers to make a static sound. The sound starts out low, then static sounds at about 85-90 decibels. The radio cannot be turned off to make the sound go away, even if pulled over and restarted. My commute to work is over an hour, and the sound is so loud that I have begun to wear earplugs while driving the vehicle. I have not taken the car to the dealer due to the responses online that the dealer will charge to have the car looked at, just to tell you that the radio needs to be repaired for around $2,000. There have been many complaints that have not been resolved, and is an issue with the manufacturer asthere have been no modifications to my vehicle.
Electrical system, Jan 14, 2026
A loud static sound through the speakers that gets louder and louder with all equipment turned off. I have to pull over and turn the car off for several minutes to drive a mile or so before the sound starts again.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Jan 5, 2026
Out of no where - the speakers start blaring this loud scrambled sound. (Like a dead channel on TV.) Even when the radio is off. The speakers roar so load you can not concentrate to drive. No warning, just happens. I can go days/weeks without it happening, then boom - scare me so bad when it comes on out of no where. There is no rhyme or reason to when it will happen - could be driving slow or fast, could be hot or cold outside. Could be soon as you start the car or in the middle of driving after an hour. Thought it was a fluke but here were are - 2 months later and it's happened at least 5 times.
Electrical system, Dec 30, 2025
The car speakers and microphones unexpectedly emit deafening loud static sounds that continues while driving. Powering audio system OFF makes no difference. The static is at least 90 decibels. It's frightening and impedes safe driving. Cale YARBOROUGH'S HONDA DEALERSHIP is witness to the defect and determine that the "head unit" must be replaced. The head unit integrates the audio, Bluetooth, GPS and backup & blind spot camera functions. The dealership has ordered a replacement head unit but it is on backorder indefinitely! There have been many other reports of this problem with this equipment. Please help me get my car safe again. American Honda has been aware of the problem but ineffective in its response.
Electrical system, Dec 17, 2025
Static coming through the speakers at loud volume unable to turn off even when radio is off
Electrical system, Dec 9, 2025
The contact owns a 2016 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the battery warning light and other unknown warning lights temporarily illuminated, and the vehicle almost shut off. The contact stated that the failure had recurred while driving on two other occasions. Additionally, the contact stated that upon coming to a complete stop, the vehicle shut off. The contact stated that upon jumpstarting the vehicle, the vehicle shut off again after disconnecting the jumper cables. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact stated that upon turning off the vehicle and removing the key from the ignition, the instrument cluster lights flickered for an extended period. The contact ordered an alternator from Amazon and replaced the alternator; however, the failure persisted. The contact's husband purchased the alternator from Auto Zone and replaced the alternator, and the vehicle operated as intended temporarily. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V418000 (Electrical System), which the contact related to the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 193,986.
Electrical system, Dec 6, 2025
Stereo/speaker system has a very loud static noise every time I drive the car. It happens the most when the car has been sitting in the sun. The static sound is so unbearable while I’m driving. I have to pull over to shut the car off. I turn the audio button off on the stereo but the speakers still have the loud static noise.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Nov 21, 2025
When the car reaches operating temperature slowly a static noise will creep over the speakers and then quickly cut out the audio input and put the speakers to full volume with waves of loud static. Turning off the stereo and turning down the volume does nothing to stop the static. The only way to stop it is to pull the radio fuse. This will also happen on a hot day and not slowly build just suddenly loud static as soon as the car turns on. This is a safety risk because the sound is so loud and distracting it’s hard to focus on everything going on around you and in order to pull the fuse out to stop it you need to pull over and it’s not always in a safe location. When I called and asked the Honda dealership in Stockton CA about it they were familiar with the problem when I described it to them but it has not been replicated in my car specifically by a separate party. No inspection was performed by police or other. There were no lights or warning when it first occurred. The problem first occurred in June when the weather started to get hot. I tried installing the fuse again now that it’s cold and it happened again once the car got to operating temperature.
Electrical system, Nov 20, 2025
The stereo amplifier emits a god awful, deafening static noise soon after start my car, so I can't listen to the radio, hear or talk to anyone. This has been going on for months and hasn't let up. It's very expensive for the honda dealer to fix, that I cannot afford right now, because they have to install a near stereo unit. Right now, I drive around with ear plugs and this should be considered a safety issue because I can't hear while the ear piercing static noise is on at the highest volume (there's no way to turn it down...even with the stereo off). I've owned lots of older model cars and none have ever had this issue with the stereo amplifier, so I feel this is a manufacturing defect for it to fail after 10 years. I've researched this issue online and I'm not the only one complaining about this for the 2016 Honda accord.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Nov 14, 2025
On our 2016 Accord with the 3.5 V6 there is a design issue with the starter assembly. This issue is also happening with other models with this engine configuration manufactured between 2013 through 2017. The starter on my vehicle won’t engage the flywheel gears fully causing damage to the flywheel and the starter. There is a Honda service bulletin ( 16-002) calling to replace the starter and rotate the torque converter clockwise one bolt hole position. This can only be done ONE TIME so if it happens again( and it probably will)the torque converter will need to be replaced which is a minimum of $4,000 and even that won’t guarantee it won’t repeat this issue. This is a safety issue because there is a possibility that you could be stranded and vulnerable to hazards on the road .
Electrical system, Engine, Nov 12, 2025
I am reporting an ongoing issue with my 2016 Honda Accord Touring V6 caused by a misdiagnosis at Honda of the Avenues in Jacksonville, FL. In December 2024, they diagnosed my oil leak as a valve cover gasket issue and charged me for the repair, but the leak never stopped. I returned multiple times and was told “everything is fine,” even though oil was clearly visible. Because the real issue was never fixed, oil eventually dripped onto my alternator and caused it to fail while I was driving on the highway. My car stalled in traffic, creating a dangerous situation. I had to replace the alternator at Lucas Honda out of pocket. As of November 2025, the leak continues, and I discovered the true source is the top front solenoid, not the valve cover gasket they insisted on. This misdiagnosis, continued leak, I hear other people on facebook Honda Accord 9 generation that are having similar Issues with Oil Leaks and Honda Refuses to acknowledge theses issues.
Electrical system, Wheels, Fuel/propulsion system, Nov 9, 2025
Gear shift ignition and parts of buttons come on and off. Gear shift lights not at all anymore. The entire tire warped from around tire like it been detached from car and fell outward. I’ve had multiple fuel issues two brand new catalytic converters fuel pump and system cleaned put on filters changed and still have issues.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Nov 8, 2025
When driving, occasionally, there is a strong buildup of static coming off the speakers, the problem persists for a long time and seems to calm down if the Radio is turned to full volume. It happens at random after driving for a few minutes, if the A/C is on it can get worse, I think it could be a faulty wiring issue from wear and tear or a frequency change that everyone with a 16’ Accord has as i’ve seen on videos.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Oct 3, 2025
When driving the 2016 honda accord ex-l, after driven for around 10-20 minutes, a static starts playing on the speaker starting small and gets progessively louder (even when the audio system is turned off, if audio system is on and volume is adjusted, it gets even worse) until you cannot hear anything else other than the loud static. You cannot hear anything said in the car by your fellow passengers, kids get scared with the loud noise. The only thing that works is a restart of the engine which can only be done by pulling over to a shoulder or another unsafe area of the road putting everyone in the car and other nearby cars at dangerous risk. The static noise is so loud, it completely takes over all of your driver senses and you'll be like a deer staring into headlights unable to do anything. In a recent incident, we (family including kid) were going in the left-most lane of a CA freeway when this started and in the ensuing 2 minutes I had to move over 3 lanes into the number 1 lane and stop at an unsafe curb near an exit in the evening and restart the car and go back home. This is traumatic everytime it happens and we have to plan for it. There are several people with the same issue complaining on social media (reddit/youtube) and they have evidence for the same in video format. 500+ posts and going [XXX] . Upon calling my usual service center, they did mention they saw similar problem recently, but it is not part of a recall and quoted me 250$ for diganosis and upwards of 1900$ for replacing the audio unit. My audio unit worked fine for 10 years, and I do no think this is an individual issue but a widespread one that triggers in this specific model of the vehicle. There were no warnings prior to this, started appearing around [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Electrical system, Sep 30, 2025
Deafening static was coming from all the speakers in the car. I turned the radio/navigation system off and there was still static coming from the speakers. This happens after the car is warmed up and it is not drivable.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Sep 22, 2025
interference; and importantly, that the problem occurs only when the outside temperature is excessively hot. Due to the specific conditions required to trigger the interference, the static noise is impossible to replicate on command, rendering troubleshooting efforts prohibitively costly and unlikely to bear fruit. For reference, there are videos of the problem online with search terms "Honda Accord static noise".
Electrical system, Sep 9, 2025
I purchased this car in winter, summertime comes around and it’s very hot in the car. I turn my car on and it connects to my phone. Ear piercing static comes through the radio. I’ve tried to buy sunshades, sit with my air on to cool the car down, and also pull over, turn the car off and on. It does not stop still. My car usually stops 20 minutes into driving. Then will start again. It is very scary and has startled me while driving. This is distracting and these cars are too expensive for this issue to not be resolved. I don’t even like to drive my car because even when it is not blaring hot, it still does it. I can’t go through a drive thru or roll my windows down or even listen to music in this car! It is unbearable and ridiculous that this is not resolved. I have not gotten quoted on a price to fix it but I’ve done some research and have seen people pay $700-$1000 to get it fixed. I wish I would’ve done more research on issues because I would have never bought this car. Please look into this and everyone else’s complaints and start a recall! I can’t even hear myself think while driving let alone hear anything else around me!!
Electrical system, Aug 28, 2025
The Infotainment system crashes when using Apple Carplay. This is troublesome because the navigation seizes and does not give you any information to where you're going. The screen turns dark until you either restart the car or unplug and replug the phone which is DANGEROUS to do while driving the car. However when I use Apple Carplay on my wife's 2017 CR-V, same phone same car manufacturer, different model and year but there are no infortainment system crashes. Clearly this points to the software operating system running the infortainment system, on forums people reference that version is too old and crashes. Please help; driving this car as is, becomes dangerous and risky. Please apply pressure to Honda to fix this problem before someone dies. I'm the original owner of this car.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Aug 27, 2025
I am writing to bring urgent attention to a significant and concerning issue affecting the 2016 Honda Accord, specifically the audio head unit, which is causing severe static noise through the vehicle's speakers. This issue poses a serious safety risk to drivers, passengers, and others on the road, and I believe it warrants immediate action, including a formal recall. The static noise occurs regardless of whether the audio system is on or off. This interference compromises the ability to clearly hear essential sounds while driving, including emergency vehicle sirens, honking, and other important auditory cues that are vital for safe driving. The loud, distracting static significantly reduces the ability to focus on the road and may cause delayed responses to critical situations, including traffic accidents, pedestrian crossings, and other road hazards. Safety concerns include but are not limited to the following: inability to hear emergency alerts such as sirens and horns which could result in delayed or incorrect reactions when an ambulance, fire truck, or police vehicle is approaching, potentially leading to dangerous situations where first responders are unable to get through traffic quickly or safely, distracted driving, reducing ability to focus on the driving task, and ability to hear other critical sounds, such as tire issues (like a flat or blowout), or the sound of other cars around you, and can medically affect hearing of drivers. Given the severity of these issues, I urge an investigation to this matter thoroughly and issue a recall for the affected 2016 Honda Accord models and other year models that are affected. This would ensure the safety of drivers, passengers, and others on the road. Addressing this problem promptly will not only safeguard lives but also demonstrate a commitment to consumer safety and quality. I appreciate your attention to this urgent matter and trust that the necessary steps will be taken to resolve it as soon as possible.
Electrical system, Forward collision avoidance, Aug 22, 2025
I have been having issues with my Honda Accord with the electrical system. Over the past couple of years I have had to take my car to get serviced for the battery, alternator and other electrical issues. Several times I had to take my car to get checked because the ABS, power steering, traction control and brake lights intermittently light up at the same time. I was told it was a battery issue but now years later I am being told it is the VSA modulator. I am frustrated because the Honda dealership i have taken it to has failed to identify this issue when it has been repeatedly occurring and now that my warranty is expired now it is being explained that I have to fix this out of my pocket.
Electrical system, Aug 21, 2025
My Honda radio has started making ear piercing sounds. Even if you turn the radio off it still emits high frequency very loud sounds. It is extremely distracting! It will not go away unless you find somewhere to pull over and turn the car off. It is now happening every time I turn the car on.