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 1999 Honda Accord owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
During late night drive in clear weather at about 30 MPH, auto veered into utility pole hitting on driver's side front. The Honda Accord coupe has seat belt whose height where mounted to side body of car is not adjustable. The seat belt worn correctly by driver, cut across the neck of the 5'3" driver and above her right breast. Driver was transported by ambulance to two hospitals (the first didn't feel it could handle the injury). The only major injury was c2 cervical fracture requiring (so far) the wearing of a rigid miami j neck brace. Followup with neurosurgeon will determine whether the injured neck is healing properly or will require surgery.
I am having issues w/temp gauge going up and down , May have to have a big eng, job done, this is not right, I take very great care of my cars, neaver had issues like this before, ? Heater core, , and paint on the roof!!! Why the rest of car is fine, looks like skin cancer ,this should be fixed!!! I have heard that they are redoing this! Car runs OK,, temp gauge is a big issue 151,000 miles. Good for the yr!!!
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 Honda Accord. The contact stated that the driver's side seat belt became tangled around the seat adjuster latch. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000. Updated 7/10/13
Left stop light & "t" boned another vehicle entering intersection. Upon impact with vehicle, neither air bag deployed. Also, driver's seat belt failed to restrain. Driver hit support between side window & front window.
The rear seat belts tightened as the consumer tried to pull it for slack. The consumer had to cut the seat belt from the rear passenger. The passenger sustain some marks from the tight seat belt.
Driver's side seat belt May not retract immediately when you exit the car. If it doesn't, it will retract, but will get caught on the power seat controls. When it retracts, it pulls the seat recline lever and causes the seat back to recline until it cannot do so because it is stopped by the rear seat. One time this happened, I was out of the car for five minutes and when I got back in, I could smell the power seat motor burning - the seat belt was forcing the driver's seat to recline. If one of my kids were in the back seat, she would have been pinned and could have been severely injured. I took the car to the dealer and they said nothing could be done (except for some type of guard over the power seat controls). I think this is a design flaw - not a manufacturing defect. Please let me know if others have had this problem. Its a great car other than this strange problem.
Vehiicle hesistated when acclerating and it stalled. This condition almost caused a crash, which could have been fatal. Vehicle has been checked for trouble over 3 or 4 times in the last 6 months. Dealership has been unable to correct this problem. Vehicle has stalled at four occasions when trying to pull into traffic or accelerate. Brake rotors were warpped and rear drum were scored prematurely. Clincking noise in the steering column due to combo switch failure. Driver seat belt squeake when leaning forward or backward due to retracter failure.
Rear seat belts on both sides have frayed in identical places, where the shoulder belt enters the housing in the seat. Plastic "guard" is sharped edged, and has cut 1/2" into each seat belt. Showed to dealer during routine mtc. They claimed they hadn't seen anything like this ("did you close it in the door?" "no, we hardly use the back seats at all, since only two adults ride/drive this car.") they agreed to one round of replacement under warranty, but we expect it May happen again.
I feel there is a serious safety problem with the rear seat belts. When you put them on, they lock tight around your neck and you can not loosen them unless you unhook them and let the belt go all the way back. I went to the dealer today to see if this was a defect and was told that this is what they are suposed to do. If these belts do not give during a collision, they will break your neck or choke you to death. Please advise. I thought seat belts were ment to be adjustable.
Returned to car to find the driver's seat in the fully reclined position. It is apparant that the seat/shoulder belt will hang up on the adjusting lever of the seat and cause it to recline over a period of several minutes. The dealer ship was told of this on March 20, 2002. They said, "the problem is that the belt is twisted." the invoice,number hocs256282 stated the seat belt was untwisted, on March 22, 2002, I found the seat fully reclined again.
Seat Belt complaints in other Accord years
Frequently asked questions
How common are seat belt problems on the 1999 Honda Accord?
NHTSA has 22 complaints about the seat belts of the 1999 Honda Accord, 2% of the model year's 1,135 complaints. The component named most often is front › retractor (7 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1999 Honda Accord seat belt problems?
No. NHTSA lists no seat belts recall for the 1999 Honda Accord, though it has 4 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 1999 Honda Accord seat belt problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 70,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 3 injuries 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.