Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (struts, shocks, control arms, ball joints, springs).
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 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 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 while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled and the front suspension collapsed. As a result, the vehicle crashed into the ground. A police report was not filed, but the contact suffered injuries from the crash. The vehicle was towed to an independent repair shop where the body damage and lower ball joints were repaired. The failure was not diagnosed. The failure mileage was 250,876.
My vehicle is one of the 2 million+ Honda accords with sub-frame rot, caused by the A/C drain hose. I have had it inspected through local mechanics during routine oil changes and they warn me it is unsafe to drive. I am worried the engine and/or transmission will eventually fall out. It is only rotted on the passenger side directly underneath the ac hose, driver side is fine.
The front subframe is getting rusty and I can see a lot of water draining from the ac system on it. I think it might fail and cause a major issue. My car is not rusty, it is in a great shape for the age. The only place that is rusted so bad is that area. Honda's bad design that makes the ac water drain plug dump into the subframe made that problem happen.
Tl* the contact owns a 1998 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while driving approximately 3 MPH, the ball joints became fractured. The failure recurred on multiple occasions. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate mileage was 190,000.
The vehicle fail state inspection because the sub-frame on the passenger side had completely rusted through. I understand that this has been a known and documented problem with this make and model year. What has been the manufacturers response, have they issued a recall? This is a serious safety issue.
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. …
While turning left from a stop sign, across two lanes of eastbound traffic, the driver-side front suspension collapsed. Car could barely be directed to the side of the road out of the way of on-coming traffic. Assessment at repair shop was that both upper and lower ball joints had separated resulting in collapse of suspension. This also caused in a broken driver-side axle. Repair shop replaced upper and lower driver-side ball joints with after-market parts. The vehicle also had the passenger-side, upper ball joint replaced (February 2008) with Honda parts. This vehicle has had consistent suspension problems, both front and rear including looseness and clunking that Honda dealers and independent shops have not been able to diagnose effectively. There is a recall on 1998 Honda Accord lower ball joints, but allegedly this VIN number was not affected. …
Related recalls
Suspension › Front › Control arm › Lower ball joint
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. Certain vehicles were manufactured with ball joints that can prematurely wear out and, in the worse case, the ball joint would separate causing the front suspension to collapse.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the front suspension lower ball joints.
Suspension complaints in other Accord years
Frequently asked questions
How common are suspension problems on the 1998 Honda Accord?
NHTSA has 62 complaints about the suspension of the 1998 Honda Accord, 5% of the model year's 1,200 complaints. The component named most often is front (12 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1998 Honda Accord suspension problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 99V-069 (lower ball joint, May 10, 1999). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 1998 Honda Accord suspension problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 155,000 miles, and 9% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 0 fires and 3 injuries to suspension 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.