Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (buckles, retractors, anchors and pretensioners).
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 have a 1998 Honda Accord. The SRS light has been on for some time, and I did not know about the issues of them with the 98-2002 accords until just now. Many people have filed complaints about this issue because Honda refuses to correct the issue. It makes driving he vehicle dangerous because you no longer have your secondary backup system to help keep you safe in a accident. And from what I am understanding it also minimizes the effectiveness of the seat belt as well. If the NHTSA group is aware of this and has not forced Honda to do recall work on this matter than shame on you. We are putting our lives in your hands to make these companies keep their safety track record. My Accord has nearly 139K miles and has always been maintained well. …
White house follow-up to previous communication of 12/22/05 death of mother in car accident involving airbags and safety belts possible defective. The driver lost control of the vehicle and collided with a fire hydrant, training wall and a telephone pole. The driver suffered massive head injuries which resulted in death. The frontal air bags failed to deploy and the seat belt shoulder straps failed to restrain the driver from being thrown forwards into the vehicle's steering wheel.
Ltr emailed re defective air bags and safety belt shoulder belt in a 1998 Honda Accord, request a defect investigation for possible recall because mom was killed in a car accident on 10-07-05. The seat belt failed to properly restrain the consumer during the accident which result in her head impacting the steering wheel. The air bags deployed during the first impact but had deflated by the time the final impact occurred. These failures resulted in fatal head injuries.
My vehicle was hit directly from behind at high impact. At impact, my driver's seat went to the reclining position. After the impact, it was noted that the manual seat back adjustment lever had been pulled completely off of the seat, apparently due to entanglement with the seat belt during the impact.
Dt*: the contact stated while accelerating, the vehicle jerked. While taking the vehicle in for an oil change the dealer determined the automatic transmission assembly needed to be replaced. The seat belt was slow to retract and the rear brakes were service. Updated 11/30/06.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 Honda Accord. The contact stated that the driver's seat belt failed to latch. The vehicle was not taken for inspection or diagnosis. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 179,649.
I have a 1998 Honda Accord 4-door. Sometimes the seat belt on the driver's side does not recoil when I remove it. I gets hung up in the switch that moves the seat back. On the date below, I had my son in a forward facing car seat in the middle rear sear. I parked and unclipped my seat belt and opened the trunk. I got out of the car and shut the door but didn't realize that the seat belt was pushing against the seat back switch and lowered the seat back all the way down. It caught my son's foot between his car seat and the seat back. He was not seriously hurt, but this could have been much worse. It only took the time from me to get out of the car and go to the trunk to retrieve his stroller for this to happen.
I did not think much of my defective seatbelt system until I saw that Honda accords have already been recalled (97V220000) for this system. My problem is that the belt locks up during normal driving. What I mean is it locks up , holding the person in securely-in fact too tight so that the person cannot move without getting held in even tighter(like a boa constrictor). So since there is no accident ocurring the passenger removes the seat belt to "free" themselves up and re-fasten. Well what if an accident occurs at this same time ? I did get the belt replaced in a week or so for free. So I am concerned that maybee others need to get checked out. Thanks for this easy site and service. Prosperity to you all.
I own a 1998 Honda Accord and the retractor on the drivers side front seat has frequently failed to re-coil catching on the lever that moves the seat to a reclining position. Due to the fact that I failed to notice that this was happening until to late , it eventually caused the seat motor to "burn" out .the local Honda dealer wanted to charge me just under $800.00 to replace the motor , obviously that is un -acceptable to me . Do I have any recourse ?
All rear seat belts ratchet tight if you move just a little bit and pin you to the back seat, choking the passenger. It is very uncomfortable and the belt has to be removed and then rebuckled and my passengers feel so constricted that they do not feel comfortable wearing the seat belts at all!!!! Not safe!!!
Related recalls
Seat belts › Front › Anchorage
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The front passenger seat belt retractor mounting bracket was improperly welded.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and repair these vehicles.
Seat Belt complaints in other Accord years
Frequently asked questions
How common are seat belt problems on the 1998 Honda Accord?
NHTSA has 29 complaints about the seat belts of the 1998 Honda Accord, 2% of the model year's 1,200 complaints. The component named most often is front › retractor (8 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1998 Honda Accord seat belt problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 97V-220 (anchorage, Dec 16, 1997). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 1998 Honda Accord seat belt problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 132,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 4 crashes, 0 fires and 5 injuries and 1 death to seat belts 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.