Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power steering, steering column, rack and pinion).
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 was in a bad accident I was in the far right lane on the highway I'm going 55mph someone jumped in front of me I used my breaks then my car jerked right into the other person car causing my car to spin around 2 time on a 6 lane highway . The airbag never deployed the staring wheel was not turning lots of fluids leaking out of it but it was always jerking for some reason even when the mechanic says that's natural..
I had car accident and two days after I had picked up car from body shop I notice that a a noise . I called the insurance and the rep. Said to take car back to shop. I did and from what the insurance and we're told the car just needed an alingment., I remember hearing a loud heavy sound on left front end of car on passenger side and all of the sudden the car looses control . I rememberd the vehicle was on its roof I, felt arm getting burn by fire . It seemed that the roof of vehicle was not protected.and did not server it purpose . My speed was about 25 30 MPH . The left front side and wheel were sticking out from body frame of car . The same side where shop had made, repairs and the arm axel had been replaced just few days before per insurance request . The insurance had used and after market in invoice . …
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 Honda Accord. While driving at 40 MPH, the vehicle started to slow down and then stalled without warning. The contact mentioned that the brakes failed and the steering would not turn. The vehicle was restarted, but the failure recurred. The vehicle was merged to the side of the road, where an independent mechanic diagnosed that the ignition switch was defective. The vehicle was then taken to a dealer, who diagnosed that the failure was due to a faulty wire harness. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 116,000.
VIN#[redacted] is a 1998 Honda Accord which has a defective safety feature allowing the ignition key removal while in drive. Vehicle was damaged on October 12,2003. I have contacted the manufacturer and received no response. I now have learned there is a recall for the same issue and contacted the manufacturer and still have received no response.
While I was changing the passenger side drive axle of a broken cv joint boot last year (July 2014), I noticed that the subframe had rusted out (about 60% came through and off when I punched the area with a screw driver) where the stabilizing bar bracket and lower control arm pivot are mounted to the frame. The problem area of the subframe is right under the drain hole for the A/C evaporator. The subframe to the driver side is clean and has no rust issue. The location of the rust area suggests that it May be related to the drain hole of the A/C system or/and something similar (such as rain) that had LED to water staying in the area. The rust is getting worse over time. I checked it today (July 23, 2015) after noticing yellowish dripping marks left on the driver way. My wife drove the car the day before when there was a heavy rain. …
The Accord models from 1998 to 2002 have been having a crucial rust problem. The sub- frame has been rotting out due to a misplaced air conditioning condensation drain. Honda claims that there are not enough complaints out this problem and that is coincidence that there are a rust problem. Here's the deal, all these cars have a major rust problem on the foundation of the car. Honda also, claimed that the A/C drain was not the problem for it. Well then tell me why all these cars have this problem only on the passengers side of the vehicle directly under the A/C drain. Honda needs to recalls this model because if that structure breaks on the road the passenger side wheel could come off or the rack of the power-steering could split and cause the driver to lose control of their car. Not to mention the engine could drop out the bottom or even more devastating things that could hurt people! …
Heard clunking noise while turning. Figured it was a cv joint, took it to my very trusted mechanic. He confirmed the right joint was bad, and said that on the left joint, the boot was already off, and it is slinging grease everywhere. More disturbing, he also said that the front subframe is dangerously rusted out. He specifically mentioned that the "cradle", which holds up the front of the engine is almost completely rusted through. He said "you are one pot-hole away from total failure...the engine will fall to the ground. Do not drive it." I looked online and saw that there is a recall for the same make/model/year, but my car falls outside of the covered dates. My vehicle was made in dec 1997, and the recall only goes through aug 1997. Quite frankly, given that the failure mode is exactly what is covered by the recall, I believe my car should be included in the recall. …
1998 Honda Accord: vehicle lost power several times at highway speed. Motor stopped, powers steering and brakes lost, gauge needles spun to zero, as if car was shut off at during normal operation. We did not touch key! Almost got run over by car behind us. Problem occurred six more times before we could get to local Honda dealership. They charged me $186.26 to replaced defective ignition switch and they advised they fix a recall for switch interlock while car was in shop for four days! We sent a letter to Honda,[redacted] from Honda America california called me to decline reimbursing my cost!
After hearing and feeling a cracking sound and then inspecting under the car, I noticed that the subframe of the car was rusted thru and a visible separation of the subframe. The point of the rust thru is at the passenger side rear corner of the vehicle's subframe. The car is at the mechanic's being repaired, he stated the cause is the drain hose for condensation from the ac at that location. This car has been an excellent vehicle throughout. This rust thru of the subframe could have caused a accident.
Investigated 2 accidents in the last 1-1/2 weeks on 97 and 98 Honda Accord that was going at highway speeds when driver said steering column locked up when passing another car. Resulted in head on collision at highway speed. Unable to find any problem with steering or suspension parts on either car at time of inspection. Nlm
Steering complaints in other Accord years
Frequently asked questions
How common are steering problems on the 1998 Honda Accord?
NHTSA has 29 complaints about the steering of the 1998 Honda Accord, 2% of the model year's 1,200 complaints. The component named most often is steering wheel/handle bar (6 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1998 Honda Accord steering problems?
No. NHTSA lists no steering 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 steering problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 146,000 miles, and 8% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 4 crashes, 0 fires and 5 injuries to steering 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.