Most common 2012 Honda Accord problems
Share of the 373 complaints; one complaint can involve more than one system. "~" is the median mileage when the problem started.
Honda Accord complaints by model year
Best Accord years: 2023, 2011, 2012. Years to avoid: 2018, 2013, 2019, 2014, 2003. Compare all years →
2012 Honda Accord recalls (8)
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2009-2014 Acura TSX, 2011-2014 TSX Sport Wagon, 2010-2013 ZDX, 2008-2012 Honda Accord, 2010-2011 Accord Crosstour, 2006-2011 Civic and Civic Hybrid, 2008-2010 Civic GX NGV, 2012-2015 Crosstour, 2007-2011 CR-V, 2009-2013 Fit, 2014 Fit EV, 2010-2014 Insight, and 2009-2015…
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began August 12, 2019. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2009-2014 Acura TSX, 2011-2013 TSX Sport Wagon, and 2010-2012 ZDX and 2008-2012 Honda Accord, 2010-2011 Accord Crosstour, 2006-2011 Civic, Civic Hybrid and Civic NGV, 2012-2014 Crosstour, 2007-2011 CR-V, 2009-2013 Fit, 2010-2013 Insight, and 2009-2015 Pilot vehicles.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the inflator installation and, if necessary, replace the passenger frontal air bag module assembly, free of charge. The recall began July 5, 2019.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2014 Honda Insight and Acura TSX and TSX Wagon, 2014-2015 Honda Crosstour and Pilot vehicles nationwide, as well as certain 2014 Honda FCX Clarity and Fit EV vehicles in Florida, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Texas, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina,…
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began November 6, 2018. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2003-2012 Honda Accord and Pilot, 2010 Accord Crosstour, 2001-2011 Civic, 2002-2011 CR-V, 2003-2004, 2006-2008 and 2011 Element, 2007 and 2009-2013 Fit, 2010-2012 Insight, 2002-2004 Odyssey, and 2012 Ridgeline vehicles.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the passenger frontal air bag module assembly, free of charge. The recall began June 22, 2018.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2010-2013 Acura TSX, ZDX, Honda Accord Crosstour, Fit, Insight and Pilot vehicles, 2011-13 Acura TSX Sportswagon, 2010-2012 Honda Accord,, 2010-2011 Honda Civic, Civic NGV, Civic Hybrid and CR-V vehicles and 2013 Honda FCX Clarity and Fit EV vehicles ever registered in the…
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began February 16, 2018. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138.
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2008-2012 Accord, 2010-2012 Accord Crosstour, 2006-2011 Civic, 2007-2011 CR-V, 2009-2012 Fit and Pilot, 2010-2012 Insight, and 2009-2012 Acura TSX vehicles that received replacement passenger frontal air bag inflators.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag module assembly, free of charge. The recall began October 30, 2017. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138.
Show 2 more recalls
Air bags › Frontal › Passenger side › Inflator module
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2009-2012 Acura TSX, 2011-2012 Acura TSX Wagon, 2010-2012 Acura ZDX, 2008-2012 Honda Accord, 2010-2012 Honda Accord Crosstour and Honda Insight, 2009-2012 Honda Fit, 2009-2012 Pilot, 2007-2011 Honda CR-V, 2012 Honda FCX Clarity and 2006-2011 Honda Civic, Civic Hybrid, Civic…
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger side air bag inflator, free of charge. The manufacturer has mailed an interim notification, and will send a second notification when parts are…
Air bags › Side/window
Honda is recalling certain model year 2012 accord and crosstour vehicles. The driver-side or passenger-side side curtain airbag inflator May not have been manufactured according to correct specifications.
Remedy: Honda will replace the driver's side or passenger's side side curtain airbag as needed free of charge. The safety recall began on February 24, 2012. Owners May contact Honda customer service at 1-800-999-1009.
NHTSA defect investigations
Federal safety investigators have looked into a possible defect involving the 2012 Honda Accord:
Autoliv Air Bag Propellant Mixture
The summary for this investigation, labeled EQ12-002 Autoliv Closing Resume, can be found attached separately to this resume.This EQ is closed.
What 2012 Honda Accord owners say
Seats all 64 →
The trunk release mechanisms of my Honda Accord EXL coupe failed, both manual cable and electrical trunk release. My trunk does NOT open and when I need to access my spare tire in the trunk - I will NOT be able to. A real danger since I live in Canyon Country and often phone reception is poor. The only Honda Model that does NOT have any external nor internal emergency trunk release option. There is no "Valet" button, no decklid access, no external hidden key lock nothing that can release my trunk so I can gain access to my spare tire. Federal Law 49CFR571.401 mandates an emergency internal trunk release. In this Honda Model the ONLY way to get into the trunk from inside is by unlocking and pulling down back seats to access the trunk. BUT the ONLY way to unlock back seats is by pulling a cable that unlocks them which is INSIDE THE TRUNK! …
I bought the 2012 Honda Accord in dec 2011 for my wife. The car overall has performed well with no major problems. My wife has complained about uncomfortable seats since we bought it. I too noticed it when I drove for distances over 30 minutes. Last year, 2014, I finally bought my wife a new car and the Honda became my hand me down. I have been miserable in this car. The seat design causes pain in my legs, especially my left leg. It also causes me lower back pain. No amount of seat adjustment relieves the pain so I avoid driving it long distances. After driving home on my last day of work (I'm now temporarily out on doctors orders), the seat was especially uncomfortable to me. I had to go to urgent care that evening. Eventually I found out I had two herniated disks. My trips to the doctor and physical therapy are now miserable with this car but fine in my wife's car. …
Air bags all 56 →
2012 Accord exl - Engine Seizure! I had the air-bag recall done about 5 years ago. None of the air-bags deployed when the 2012 exl hit a telephone pole at 20 mph and broke the telephone pole in half. I finally found out about the class action lawsuit for the excessive oil consumption yesterday (1 Qt per 1,000 miles), 2 years after the engine seizure. I spoke with Honda headquarters (1919 Torrance Blvd., Torrance, ca 90501) today for an hour and a half. mostly on hold waiting for [redacted] to get her stupervisor [redacted] to come to the phone. Honda Seemed to think my 2012 v6 exl is not part of the lot of cars they were supposed to fix in the excessive oil consumption class action lawsuit. …
At around 7:25am this morning I was driving to work in traffic and I was needing to stop, but my brakes were not working properly. They went all the way to the floor, no pressure, and I rear ended another person going 35mph. My entire front-end of my vehicle is totalled and my airbags did not even deploy. After the wreck I pumped my breaks to try to move it off the freeway and the breaks started to work again. This is a serious problem because had I been going any faster and even had my other family in the car we all could have been seriously injured or died!!
Engine & cooling all 52 →
2012 Accord exl - Engine Seizure! I had the air-bag recall done about 5 years ago. None of the air-bags deployed when the 2012 exl hit a telephone pole at 20 mph and broke the telephone pole in half. I finally found out about the class action lawsuit for the excessive oil consumption yesterday (1 Qt per 1,000 miles), 2 years after the engine seizure. I spoke with Honda headquarters (1919 Torrance Blvd., Torrance, ca 90501) today for an hour and a half. mostly on hold waiting for [redacted] to get her stupervisor [redacted] to come to the phone. Honda Seemed to think my 2012 v6 exl is not part of the lot of cars they were supposed to fix in the excessive oil consumption class action lawsuit. …
The contact owns a 2012 Honda Accord. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle started losing motive power. The contact stated that the "check oil" warning light was illuminated. The contact slowed the vehicle down and drove it to the dealer. The contact stated that when she pulled into the parking lot, she heard a loud popping sound coming from the engine compartment. The contact had the vehicle towed to the local dealer who diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the engine had sustained internal damage and required a major overhaul. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000.
2012 Honda Accord engines & fuel economy
| Engine | Transmission | Drive | MPG city / hwy / combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.4L 4-cyl | 5-speed manual | FWD | 23 / 33 / 27 |
| 2.4L 4-cyl | 5-speed automatic | FWD | 22 / 32 / 26 |
| 3.5L 6-cyl | 5-speed automatic | FWD | 19 / 29 / 23 |
| 3.5L 6-cyl | 6-speed manual | FWD | 18 / 26 / 21 |
EPA ratings. Class: Large car.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 2012 Honda Accord a good car?
Based on 373 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the 2012 Accord rates average: 40% fewer complaints than a typical year of the Accord at the same age. It is one of the best Accord years by this measure. Complaint counts don't account for sales volume or individual maintenance, so have any used car inspected before buying.
What is the most common problem with the 2012 Honda Accord?
The seats — 64 complaints, 17% of all complaints for this model year, most often about front assembly › head restraint. Next are the air bags (56) and engine & cooling (52).
How many recalls does the 2012 Honda Accord have?
There are 8 recalls for the 2012 Honda Accord, the most recent from June 27, 2019 (inflator module). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer — check whether yours has been done with the VIN recall check.
What are the best and worst years of the Honda Accord?
The best years by complaints, compared at the same age, are 2023, 2011 and 2012. Years to avoid or approach with caution: 2018, 2013, 2019, 2014 and 2003. See the full Honda Accord years comparison.
At what mileage do 2012 Honda Accord problems happen?
The median mileage reported in complaints is about 25,000 miles; 64% of problems with a recorded mileage started before 50,000 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.