Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2005 Honda Accord owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
AFRAID CAR MIGHT KILL ME! Hello, I have reported this issue before but am getting zero help. My car has a problem where it is burning through the oil, I've had numerous mechanics try to figure out what is causing it but, nothing. I would get an oil change today and before the month is out, I would have to continue checking and putting oil in the car because it would be completely dry. No leaks ever detected... I've change the oil to full synthetic and still have the problem. The vehicle continuously losses power when driving uphill, My check engine light stays on and the light in the glove compartment does not go off while driving. I'm worried my engine will blow up if the problem persist. I am the original and only owner of this vehicle. …
My vehicle was parked in the parking lot of a grocery store. I was on my home from work and had stopped to purchase a few items. The engine was turned off. I had been in the store for about 10 minutes when I heard the loudspeaker asking for the owner of a 2005 gold Honda Accord to come to the customer service counter. When I approached the person behind the counter, he asked me to look outside to see if the vehicle on fire was, in fact, my car. Smoke was coming from the engine of my car and two vehicles from the fire department were trying to put out the fire. The car was totaled. Honda insisted it was my fault, but I found out much later that engine fires had occurred in other 2005 accords. State farm gave me the replacement value for the vehicle, but it wasn't enough to purchase a car of equal value. The Honda Accord was still under warranty. …
Since I have owned this vehicle (bought used with 68,000 miles) it has had an issue that over 10 mechanics have not yet solved. It has slowly escalated to the point it is now unable to be driven at 250,000 miles. It is an idle issue, the car started revving up to around 3,000 rpm's (on hot days it seemed but it also started to happen in the winter ) whenever I would put the car into park after driving it a small amount of time. The safety mechanism would kick in on the vehicle making it impossible to put back into gear and I would be forced to shut the car off and let it rest for around 30 minutes before it would start without immediately revving up to the red line again. I've replaced everything that every mechanic has told me that it could be. Even tried to replace almost everything all at once. …
When I first purchased my Honda, it was brought back to the dealer several times for a "shaking" at certain speeds. This was dismissed over and over and blamed on tire air pressure and alignment. I knew this could not be the cause and found other Honda drivers complaining about the same issue. Recently, the passenger side tire came disengaged while driving the vehicle causing the car to crash down on the rotor. The vehicle was at a dealership recently for a repair, I believe this issue has been over looked by Honda and could have caused severe injury to myself or other drivers. It appears the shaking directly caused this issue with the vehicle.
I have been driving my 2005 Accord lx since 12/04. Initially the engine seemed to be a bit racy but I reasoned that it was due to the fact that the engine needed to be broke in. As time and miles accumulated, from time to time the engine would race even after more than enough time to warm up. About a year ago, I went by the local Honda dealer for another issue when I asked the (service manager) about my "racy engine." his quick response was that the engine needed to warm up to a certain temperature, and it was implied that this was normal performance for my car's engine. Over the past 21/2 years that I have driven the car, I always make it a point to leave extra room in front of me whenever I stop behind another car because the car will lunge forward. To prevent the "lunge," I must ease up on the brake slightly periodically rather than "stand" on the brake. …
I have a Honda Accord v6 2005 model car and maintenance done as per manuals. I am now getting jerks while accelerating or after starting and putting car in reverse gear.the check engine light turned on now. I did a code scan and getting code p0741. This is an issue with transmission power. I did some google and found that Honda had this manufacturing defect in this model and lot of car were recalled for this reason. I found NHTSA campaign id number : 11V395000 addressing similar problem and as of 23rd September 2014, 1.5 million (1512107) vehicles has been recalled for similar issue.the Honda recall number is r89 and the recall was placed on August 27th 2011, for Honda accords 2005-2010 for the transmission. This issue is transmission power is not working as expected and it jerks while changing gear or speed. This is dangerous from driving safety point of view. …
Owner:I hit a dip with this Accord 3.0 with vtec engine was driving down street when car made funny noise and the steering got hard to turn. Pulled over and found power steering was leaking. Drove it to shop ordered hose then dropped hose with fluid at repair shop. Technician: power steering hose broke hard and old leaking fluid everywhere causing cerpintine belt come off. The hardened power steering hose broke due to fact that breaking of 2 passenger side motor mount to bracket bolts in bracket causing engine to raise during acceleration and pulling on hoses. Car drove in OK. After replacing bracket and hose noticed water leaking from behind timing belt and removed top cover. …
Having the dreaded oil burning problem with this vehicle and had to replace my engine 4 times since December 2015. I tried to take it to the dealership the 1st time thinking they would have a solution to this known problem with this year and make of their car. They played extremely dumb and said they never heard of the issue I was having and that I was the first one they heard it from even though it's worldwide on many threads & forums. The problem starts off the same the oil lights starts flashing (meaning the oil level is low), then the check engine lights comes on, and then your screwed due to a blown piston or possible engine seizure if you continue to drive it. Somehow the oil burns internally and consumes all the oil within a short period of time. 200 miles into a fresh oil change and the car is bone dry with no leaks spot. …
Repeatedly stopping. With no warnings. When driving, engine quit in January, would not move or even turn over. The manual transmission would not move. Door locks, electric as well as with the key could not be used at. Called aaa to be able to open the door. Jumped the battery to move the car. Still frozen in gear. Had it towed to two dealers. Said the clutch was destroyed. Prior to this issue, not one problem. I had to pay 250.00 for diagnostics to tell me clutch was burned out. I have driven over 34 years and always had a manual transmission. After clutch was replaced, it did it again and again. At this point, we bought a new battery. Once again, I called aaa and they jumped the battery. I am requesting an investigation into the constant electrical freeze. I would like a refund of the diagnostic. Charges and repairs. Clutch was installed for 1500.00. Battery was120.00. …
Dt*: the contact stated during sudden, hard braking the vehicle pulled to the right. Then a few days later, during normal braking, the vehicle pulled to the left. The dealership was unable to determine a problem. Then while traveling 30 MPH on a slushy downhill road the brake pedal was depressed and the brakes did not respond. The vehicle rear ended another vehicle. There was a police report taken at the scene. The driver received minor injuries. The vehicle was driven to the dealership, where repairs were made for property damage. The dealership was unable to determine the problem with the brakes. The vehicle was taken to another dealership and an independent repair shop, which was unable to determine the problem as well. There was a rough idle when coming to a stop. The headlights flicker at times. Updated 07/05/06.
Engine complaints in other Accord years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2005 Honda Accord?
NHTSA has 56 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2005 Honda Accord, 9% of the model year's 656 complaints. The component named most often is engine (4 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2005 Honda Accord engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 2005 Honda Accord, though it has 15 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 2005 Honda Accord engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 77,000 miles, and 22% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 6 crashes, 2 fires and 4 injuries to engine & cooling 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.