Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2002 Honda Accord owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
While driving on freeway vehicle accelerated, continue to gain speed. Had to brake real hard, vehicle cont. To accelerate. Exiting freeway at high speed, blow a stop sign could not stop. Continue hard braking caused brakes to catch fire. Finally able to bring vehicle to a complete stop. Unknown what caused veh. To accelerate
As the vehicle was slowing to a stop at a red light, the rpms suddenly rose to 5-7K ! The driver could not control or stop it from lurching forward into traffic, so she cut off the engine. Upon trying to restart, the engine would not start at normal RPM. A bystander came over and adjusted something in the engine and it worked again. This has happened 2 times since then. No one can figure out the problem, but after a web search, this is not rare for 2002 model. Unacceptable! This has also happened as it the car is put into park, and the rpms rise quickly to high levels. It stops when the car is off, obviously, and usually does not recur on the same day. It's been happening about 1 time per month since we bought it used for our teenager to use. I'm now afraid to let her drive it. Please investigate! This could have killed the driver, my daughter, as well as others in her path.
Dt: the contact stated while trying to pull out of a parking lot the vehicle suddenly accelerated. The contact's foot was on the brake pedal at the time of acceleration. There was a loud noise during the acceleration. The vehicle hit a fence after going up an incline. After the impact, the gear shift was placed into reverse and the vehicle began to accelerate uncontrollably again. This time it stopped after crashing into a tree. The vehicle was towed to an independent auto inspection station, and they were unable to determine the cause of the acceleration. They discovered the cruise control was turned on, even though the contact stated she never used the cruise control. There was frame damage and exterior lighting repairs made to the vehicle.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while accelerating from a complete stop, the vehicle suddenly increased acceleration without warning. The brakes were engaged repeatedly and the vehicle continued to travel and crashed into several curbs. There was susbstantial damage to the passenger side fender. In addition, both front tires and the rear passenger and driver side tires exploded. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer who was unable to determine the cause of failure. The four tires were replaced and necessary repairs were performed on the fender and passenger side door area. The manufacturer was made aware of the problem. The failure mileage was 50,000.
Tl contact owns a 2002 Honda Accord. The contact stated that since he purchased the vehicle, he noticed that whenever he depressed the brake pedal, it seemed that he was pushing on the accelerator pedal. He engaged both pedal at least 5-6 times. On one occasion, the vehicle lunged forward and caused a crash to occur in 2003. There were no injuries. A police report was taken. He took the vehicle to the dealership and they stated that they could find nothing wrong it. He had not called the manufacturer to-date. The vehicle had not been repaired at the time of the complaint. The current mileage was approximately 46,000. The failure mileage was approximately 100.
I was making a right turn to merge into the middle lane on a highway service road where every car was waiting for the green light. I turned very slowly at low speed after stopping at the stop sign, and all of a sudden the steering wheel started to turn by itself, then my car turned 180 degrees, while the accelerator speeded up at a rapid pace, seeming to be stuck. My car jumped the curb, hit a sign, and finally stopped. The bumper cover came down, and I can see the bumper was damaged (pushed back in the middle about 2 inches), but both of my 2002 Honda Accord's air bags did not deploy at all.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Honda Accord. While driving 30 MPH, the gauge and RPM unit on the instrument panel became inoperable without warning. The contact stated that the vehicle began to accelerate while attempting to come to a complete stop. The contact also stated that it was extremely hard to slow the vehicle down. The failure occured once. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
Sudden unintended acceleration happens again less than a thousand miles later. Again put car in reverse, engine surged and shot backwards into traffic on a busy street. Car was inspected by another dealership and they also found nothing wrong. Car is currently at body shop being repaired. Honda of America has been notified again, and we are waiting to hear from legal department. Same car-same problem-no help from Honda. Can NHTSA help?
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Honda Accord. While driving various speeds, the contact observed a loud abnormal sound from the vehicle and the check engine warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. In addition, the contact mentioned that she had the codes printed that showed that the torque converter and cylinder failed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 279,000.
Tl contact owns a 2002 Honda Accord. While driving in reverse at 3 MPH, the vehicle suddenly surged forward and crashed into two vehicles. A police report was filed. The mechanic stated that the failure was unrecognizable and he repaired the exterior of the vehicle. However, the failure recurred. No repairs were made. The powertrain was unknown. The current mileage was 55,300 and failure mileage was 39,683.
Acceleration complaints in other Accord years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2002 Honda Accord?
NHTSA has 46 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2002 Honda Accord, 4% of the model year's 1,050 complaints. The component named most often is accelerator pedal (7 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2002 Honda Accord acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2002 Honda Accord, though it has 5 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 2002 Honda Accord acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 58,000 miles, and 27% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 17 crashes, 1 fire and 1 injury to speed control & acceleration 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.