Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (headlights, tail lights, turn signals, interior lights).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2004 Honda Accord owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
This vehicle and model has had 2 recalls regarding aftermarket parts in steering wheels, holes in leaking hoses and valves and fire hazardous. The second one is regarding low beam lights and very poor visibility, increasing probabilities of a crash. I have called American Honda to honor the repairs of this 2 recalls and they do not want to do it, because the car is already 14 years old. So I am driving a faulty vehicle, and to make matters worse I am already disable from 2 car accidents (as a passenger) one of the recalls, the steering wheel, was already taken care of in the past, but it still persist now as I bought it. 2 leaking steering wheel hoses. And the head lights haven't been done ever! My car has already been diagnosed by a Honda dealer specialist and American Honda does not want to assume the repairs of these 2 recalls. …
The SRS light of my car come on and goes off all the time. Sometimes when I am driving, suddenly will turn on for a while. I usually pull over and turn off the engineer and turn it on back and wait a few. This happens constantly, and I have read the manual, this has to do with the front air bags, and according to the manual book can be 'an alert to a potential airbags, side curtain airbags, front seat belt tensioners or the driver's seat position sensor and the front passenger's weight sensors' we have check it all the time and it just goes on all the time as it comes off all the time. I have gotten to a point that concerns me a lot.
The headlights flicker between normal output and dim output making it very difficult to verify if the headlights are even operational at times much less see in front of you while driving. It looks as if the headlights are rapidly turning off and on. This has been happening since the car was brand new but every time it's taken to a Honda dealership, they don't know what the issue is. I have paid hundreds and hundreds of dollars repairing random things Honda "thinks" might fix the problem but it's still a major issue that affects safety of the Honda driver, passengers and other drivers on the road.
The panel lights on the radio has went out. I can't recall if it happened while I was driving or not, but I noticed it while driving. In the 2004 Honda Accord, the ac, radio, & clock share the same display. It was raining the other night while I was driving and my windows fogged up. It was impossible to find the defrost button at night since all the display lights stop working. This is a big safety issue and hopefully Honda will step up to the plate and fix this issue to ensure their customers are safe while driving their vehicles.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Honda Accord. While the vehicle was parked, the air bag warning light illuminated and the radio failed to function. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the brake pads, dome light, and multiple parts needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 252,869.
The display where the heater and radio is does not light up, we just purchased this veh 2/12/15... I tried to drive it last night and it's a safety issue after dark, u can't see to turn knobs/buttons or any thing to do w/the heater....u have to turn overhead done lights on to see the buttons, it's very dangerous.
Light display went out that controls radio and HVAC components 2 years ago. Dark at night when driving and when the windows get fogged up you can not see the switch to turn on defrost because the printed circuit board has stopped working, so it requires you to turn on interior light to find the defrost button, this is very dangerous while driving at night. After researching last night I found Honda extended the warranty on this until 2011 or 100,000. So I called Honda and I was told I'm past the warranty it's whichever comes first (I never received a letter from Honda or it would have went in to get fixed) this in my opinion should be covered by the dealer as it could cause a fatality with someone fumbling with the interior lights just to get the defrost buttons on.
Major electrical problems began about 2 years ago. Radio display won't light, but radio/cd still plays; air conditioner cools intermittently, though compressor is working and freon is adequate; tail lights sometimes work, sometimes don't; ignition switch makes a noise as though the engine was already started when I turned the key, even though it wasn't - eventually the ignition switch had to be replaced (problem still occurs from time to time); brake calipers have always pulsed no matter how slow I come to a stop; and airbag light comes on for no apparent reason as there is not hindrance to the sensor switch mechanism below the seats.
The failure occurs under regular driving whenever a rock or debris hits the fog light lenses causing it to crack or shatter. It has occurred 5 times in the last six years, and also hundreds of times to other Honda and Acura owners. The consequences include glass shards falling onto the road, and sometimes causes the bulbs to break and the fog lights to go out. The dealer replaces the fog light assembly with an identical unit which is also subject to the same problem. A simple solution would be to replace the glass lens with a hard plastic one (such as the one used on the headlamps) but Honda does not provide such a unit.
2004 Honda exl v-6; headlights dim as a result of the eld issue which is Honda is fully aware of. The car works fine in every other aspect. Honda's explanation that this is normal and acceptable does not do anything to ease my concerns as the headlights flicker during nighttime driving. I am very disappointed that Honda is not taking the necessary steps to resolve this issue, as it is a very noticeable issue. Given the number of online postings and complaints filed directly to Honda over this issue, the NHTSA needs to apply some pressure to Honda to get them to resolve this dangerous situation on their Accord models.
Headlight complaints in other Accord years
Frequently asked questions
How common are headlight problems on the 2004 Honda Accord?
NHTSA has 44 complaints about the lights of the 2004 Honda Accord, 4% of the model year's 1,018 complaints. The component named most often is brake lights › switch (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2004 Honda Accord headlight problems?
No. NHTSA lists no lights recall for the 2004 Honda Accord, though it has 13 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 2004 Honda Accord headlight problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 79,000 miles, and 14% before 25,000 miles.
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.