2004 Honda Accord buying guide

A data-driven checklist for buying a used 2004 Honda Accord, built from 1,016 owner complaints, 13 recall campaigns, 298 service bulletins and federal safety records — not opinions.

Know before you buy

13 recall campaigns affect this model year. Check each one and confirm the repairs were done — recall work is free at any authorized dealer.
Main problem areas: power train (347), air bags (250), electrical system (145), steering (66), vehicle speed control (58).
Symptoms owners describe: airbag warning light (62), stalling (54), shifting problems (28), vibration / shaking (27), hesitation / surging (21), loss of power (16). Test-drive with these in mind.
Reported incident mileage: among 764 complaints with a usable odometer reading, half were filed between 58,165 and 123,000 miles (median 92,000). This describes when owners reported problems — it does not predict when a particular vehicle will develop one.
4 federal investigations have named this model year — read what they cover.
Fuel economy: 21–26 MPG combined (EPA; engines: 2.4L 4-cyl, 3L 6-cyl).

When problems get reported

Reported incident mileage among 764 complaints with usable odometer readings.

under 20k		78
20–40k		48
40–60k		69
60–80k		98
80–100k		132
100–150k		239
150k+		100

Before you hand over money

Run the VIN through our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact build.
Check open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls — a recall that was never fixed is a free repair you can claim.
Get a pre-purchase inspection focused on the problem areas listed above.

This guide is generated from official NHTSA, EPA and FARS records. Complaints are unverified owner reports and raw counts are not adjusted for sales volume.