Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (seat frames, recliners, heated seats and seat tracks).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2009 Honda Accord owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
1st the check engine light continues to come on, when it does it makes loud noise and seems to either speed up like idling to fast or loss of power, continues the normal maintained, already replaced the head gaskets and belts it burns through so much oil when we do test on car they say catalytic convertor and then it will stop and work and some thing over and over again, I have 157000 on my car the leather in the car it is forming hard spots on seats front and back I don't have other passengers its like the seats are superglued . I have heard Honda is aware of these problems and with this amt of complaints why is not Honda heard accountable, in park city a fire started due to faulty catalytic convertor I don't want that to happen to me
The 2009 Honda Accord has a problem with the drivers side front head rest. I continually place the headrest in the down position however because of it's design, when I get into the car and my back makes contact with the back of the seat it also makes contact with the headrest causing the headrest to rise up to the highest position making it hard to look behind you when you back up. I had a minor, parking lot fender bender because I could not see over my right should while backing very slowly. This is a very dangerous condition and should be fixed right away.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Honda Accord. While driving approximately 55 MPH, the front driver's seat reclined backwards and would not lock in position. The contact stated that the failure occurred everyday for the past six months. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 84,000.
Front driver's seat, backrest upper right corner first one hole appeared now there are three, behind these hole is a metal bracket that is coming through the seat, in an accident this bracket would strike just above the base of my skull. I have notified the dealer and they don't want to deal with it...
I have recently purchased a 2009 Honda Accord lx-premium and believe that the front seats are unsafe. I believe that the feature to move the headrest forward in the event of a rear-end collision puts the upper-back region of the seat too far forward, creating a very uncomfortable region with little lower-back support. I find that my lower-back aches after an hour of driving, and needed to lean up against the steering wheel while driving to relieve the pain. I believe this is unsafe if the airbag deployed. I have resorted to putting a bolster pillow in the lumbar region, but this again places me too close to the airbag, on the edge of the seat, and no more seat adjustment is possible. I have seen these comments on-line as well, and some have been cutting into the seats to disable the headrest feature, with mixed results. …
The driver seat is very uncomfortable to drive. The seat design is kind of pushing and putting pressure particularly on the lower back and causing too much back pain even driven for less than 20 miles. The seat design is also causing neck pain. Did not complain till now because thought it was design issue rather than safety issue. When driven even for few hours (less than 2 hrs), causing a lot of back pain. The steering wheel is not properly designed to hold it causing bad shoulder pain when drove for few hrs, particularly the lower spokes are designed to resemble the Honda logo 'h' which prohibits the driver to hold the steering wheel either at the bottom (or) at the outer end of the lower spokes which has very less space to hold the steering wheel.
The noise coming from the passenger side under the glove box when the air is on is annoying and pretty loud. The radio can't even conceal the sound at low volume. Likewise, the glove box isn't latched according to the lines of the dash (1 cm gap). The glove box moves and rattles. The seat also rattles and shakes when going over any surface whether highway or city streets... These noises are just too much. The car is 09 not 1988. Actually 1988 probably wouldn't have all these problems. The deal said the air noise is normal??? Sorry it's not normal to not be able to talk to someone because the car feels like it's breaking down and noise is coming from every direction.
Tl contact owns a 2009 Honda Accord. When the vehicle was purchased, she was unable to sit comfortably in the driver seat due to the head rest. She also had a sharp pain between her shoulder blades after test driving the vehicle. She is familiar with detailed information related to the head rest and stated that the manufacturer should redesign the vehicle. Her height is 5'2 and could be a contributing factor; however, the head rest should accommodate all heights. She has owned the vehicle for three days and has considered returning it to the dealer. The current and failure mileage was 44.
Tl contact owns a 2009 Honda Accord. While driving approximately 65 MPH, the front driver's side headrest struck the contact's head. The headrest failed to adjust properly to his height. The contact's height is 6'5. The failure occurred without warning when traveling on normal road surfaces and speed bumps. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection and they stated that the headrest angle and height adjustment were a manufacturer design. The VIN was unable to be entered into the system. The failure mileage was 100 and current mileage was 350.
In July of 2009 I purchased a 2009 Honda Accord ex-l sedan. From the beginning when adjusting the power driver seat, the movement of the seat forward and backward was rough (I.e. Wobbly). I took the vehicle into the dealership where I purchased it and they replaced the seat rails, but the problem remains though not as severe. Additionally the electrical controls for the heated front seats were not connected properly (actually not connected at all) and consequently they did not work until the dealership corrected the problem.
Seat complaints in other Accord years
Frequently asked questions
How common are seat problems on the 2009 Honda Accord?
NHTSA has 28 complaints about the seats of the 2009 Honda Accord, 4% of the model year's 727 complaints. The component named most often is front assembly › head restraint (3 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2009 Honda Accord seat problems?
No. NHTSA lists no seats recall for the 2009 Honda Accord, though it has 10 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 2009 Honda Accord seat problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 8,000 miles, and 65% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 0 fires and 1 injury to seats 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.