Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1998 Honda Accord owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I'm in the right lane on exit 41 highway my car kept jerking then someone jumped in front of me as soon as I hit the breaks the breaks sent out and hit the lady who jumped in front of me and then there was something wrong with the wheel before then my car was leaking .
I was driving on the highway at normal speed and as I was making a turn I heard a loud popping sound from the front of my vehicle. I took the car to an independent mechanic who after inspecting the vehicle informed me that my passenger side sub-frame arm had rusted off and snapped. This came as a surprised, because the car was inspected for a state inspection less then a week before the said incident and it had passed the state inspection. I was told the vehicle was not safe to drive. I was told by the technician that the ac hose were placed directly above the sub-frame and every time the ac was used it would leak onto the sub frame and cause it to rust. The other sub-frame arm had no indication of rust at all. This is a case of complete negligence by the manufacturer. …
The ac drip tube is aimed right at the front passenger side subframe and rusts it out over time. Just recently I had the subframe totally fail and snap in half due to this rust. The scary part was that I had just gotten off the highway and was only going 5 MPH when it happened. If it had happened five minutes sooner this would have been a much worse situation. Notice in the picture I attach that the whole corner of the subframe is rusted out even though the rest of the frame and body is rust free. This happened while making a turn in a flat parking lot at about 5 MPH. This is a well-documented issue on all 97-02 Honda Accord and 00-03 Acura cl vehicles since they are the same body/platform. I went to a junkyard recently to see if I could find a good subframe to replace mine with and every single Honda Accord and Acura cl in the lot was rusted out exactly the same way. …
Passenger side subframe has rusted just behind where the lower control arm connects. This rust is not visible when viewing from the underside of the vehicle when on a lift, making failure of the subframe imminent. Honda should admit a design flaw exists with the ac discharge and replace these bad frames. What a disgrace. Sad to say I will be switching brands. I prefer companies who step up to the plate to protect their customers. This failure is very hard to detect until it's too late. Shame on Honda. I already had my ball joints fail (recall exists for them) and I only hope my subframe holds out a little longer.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 Honda Accord. While driving various speeds, the upper control arm squeaked and was about to detach without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the subframe was rusted out and the vehicle was unsafe to drive. The technician recommended that the entire subframe be replaced. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that the vehicle was out of warranty. The failure was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 84,800.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 Honda Accord. The contact stated that the front passenger side sub frame was corroded due to the condensation from the air conditioning unit. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the front section of the sub frame needed to be replaced. Sierra Honda of grandville located at 4260 kenowa ave sw, grandville, mi 49418, was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000.
After bringing the car in for routine maintenance on the brakes, I was notified that the passenger side sub frame is completely rusted through and the car is no longer safe to drive. It was a huge surprise as the car has had regular maintenance and does not have significant rust on any other location. I was told that any pot hole or large bump could have broken the frame and completely dislodged the engine. I was told it was a design issue that caused isolated rusting on an important part of the frame.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 Honda Accord. While driving at various speeds, a clanking noise was present near the front end of the vehicle. While inspecting the vehicle, the contact discovered that the front passenger side of the subframe was rusted and corroded, which caused the frame to separate. The cause of the failure was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 185,000.
While driving on city streets and also on the highway I noticed a clanking noise coming from the right front wheel area of the car. Parked the car and pushed on the right side of the hood and could hear the noise. Took off the right front tire and noticed severe rust through of the frame that connects below the control arm. (2 photos attached) car is unsafe to drive and am getting estimates on repair cost.
The air conditioning condensate drains onto the subframe assembly supporting the engine. There is a rust hole in the top of the frame at this location, first reported by the dealer tech and noted as 'common'. My mechanic and I watched it grow for a couple years to the point now where he says it's becoming risky to drive the vehicle because of the likelihood of catastrophic failure.
Body complaints in other Accord years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 1998 Honda Accord?
NHTSA has 76 complaints about the body & structure of the 1998 Honda Accord, 6% of the model year's 1,200 complaints. The component named most often is body (41 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1998 Honda Accord body problems?
No. NHTSA lists no body & structure recall for the 1998 Honda Accord, though it has 6 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 1998 Honda Accord body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 138,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 5 injuries to body & structure problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.