Buyer Research

2024 Honda Accord — Should You Buy One?

Typical asking price: $24,000–$33,000. There are 3 high-severity known issues you need to know before handing over a check.

Deciding between model years? Compare the 17 Honda Accord years we've written up →

Kestrel Take

Year two of this Accord, and the complaint record changes shape: steering is now the largest cluster at 31%, mostly clicking and popping from the electric steering rack with a string of rack replacements behind it, where the 2023's record was dominated by hybrid power loss. The electronic faults have not gone away — they are just a smaller share, and the hybrid control module reprogram and the high-pressure fuel pump campaign both reach this year. Five campaigns in total. Buy one with the campaigns closed and a steering rack that is quiet lock to lock at walking pace, and you have the better-sorted of the two early years; buy one that clicks and you have bought yourself a four-figure repair the dealer already knows about.

What we checked

Reconciled against public records, 2026-09-25

NHTSA holds 216 owner complaints for the 2024 Honda Accord, and 5 recall campaigns.

A big number here usually means a lot of these were sold, not that it is a bad vehicle — popular models collect more complaints for the same rate of trouble. So the total on its own says little. What is worth reading is the shape of it. 31% of them are about one thing — steering. That much concentration is a genuine pattern rather than background noise, and it is the first thing to check on any example you look at.

5 recall campaigns cover this model year. Recalls are repaired free, for any owner, with no time limit on most safety campaigns — but only if someone books it in. Ask the seller to show it was done, or have any dealer check the VIN; it takes them a couple of minutes and costs nothing.

Counts come from the NHTSA complaint and recall database — free, public, and worth checking yourself.

Known Issues for the 2024 Honda Accord

Ranked by wallet impact. These are documented, recurring problems — not freak accidents. How we decide that.

Electric steering rack clicks, pops, and gets replaced under warrantyHigh — wallet impact

Sixty-six steering complaints, 31% of the whole record and by far the largest cluster. The sound owners describe is a click or light tick from the rack when turning at a standstill or walking pace, sometimes becoming a pop and heavy steering at road speed; several report the rack and pinion replaced and the noise returning on the replacement. A few describe losing power assist entirely with a cascade of warnings, which is the electronic side of the same unit. Turn the wheel lock to lock with the windows down before you drive off — this is the one fault on this car you can hear in the parking lot.

Repair cost (estimate): $1,400–$2,800 for a rack and pinion replacement out of warranty

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under steering (66).

'Software error — see dealer' at every startup, and modules that fail outrightHigh — wallet impact

Thirty-seven electrical complaints: a software-error message that reappears on every start after the dealer resets it, a telematics fault that blocks over-the-air updates, and the worst of them, cars that lost power mid-drive while the dash cycled through failure messages. One 2024 owner had the ADAS control module replaced at 1,207 miles. Recall 25V785 reprograms the integrated control module on Accord Hybrids for a CPU reset that causes loss of drive power — hybrid only, so check whether it applies to the car in front of you before assuming it is covered.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $900–$2,200 if a failed control module is replaced outside warranty

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under electrics and electronics (37); 5 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

High-pressure fuel pump can crack and leak — recall parts were slow to arriveHigh — wallet impact

Thirty-five fuel complaints, two with a crash and one with a fire. Recall 24V763 covers 2023-2024 Accords whose high-pressure fuel pump may crack and leak fuel, a fire risk next to a hot engine, and the free remedy is inspection and replacement. Several owners here filed specifically because the replacement part was on backorder for months, so a car can carry an open recall through no fault of its owner. The separate low-pressure pump campaign that swept up Hondas through the 2023 model year does not reach this one. Sniff the cabin and the engine bay for gasoline, and check the VIN for this campaign rather than taking the seller's word for it.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the fuel system (35); 5 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Radar-needs-cleaning messages that take the driver aids out with themMedium

Twenty-nine complaints about the forward collision system. The common one is a message telling the driver to clean a radar sensor that is already clean, after which adaptive cruise, lane keeping and collision braking all switch off until the car is restarted. Two reports involve a crash. The usual causes are a misaligned radar behind the grille after a minor front-end knock, or a windshield swapped by a glass shop that skipped the camera recalibration. Ask about front-end work and about the windshield, and try the cruise control on the test drive rather than assuming it works.

Repair cost (estimate): $150–$1,600 for a recalibration, or a replacement radar unit if the sensor itself has failed

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the driver-assist and automatic braking systems (29).

Car brakes itself to a stop with a 'BRAKE' message on the dashMedium

Twenty-five brake complaints, three of them after a crash. The recurring description is not a soft pedal but the opposite: the car slowing or stopping on its own with a BRAKE warning displayed and the driver's foot nowhere near the pedal, usually alongside the electrical faults above rather than instead of them. Pads and rotors are rarely the story at this mileage. If the seller mentions any warning of this kind, get the dealer scan report before you negotiate — a module-driven brake event is a different purchase than a worn brake job.

Repair cost (estimate): $250–$1,200 for diagnosis and, where a module is at fault, its replacement

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the brakes (25).

Two build-quality recalls: driver's seat frame and front seat belt pretensionersMedium

Recall 24V859 covers driver's seat cushion frames that were not tightened properly on the line, leaving the seat able to move when it is most needed. Recall 23V782 covers front seat belt pretensioners built without the rivet that holds the quick connector and wire plate, so the belt may not restrain an occupant in a crash. Neither one shows up in daily driving, which is exactly why they go unfixed — both are free inspections at any Honda dealer. Push down and shove the driver's seat around before you buy, and look these two up by VIN.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed

Source: 5 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Walk-Away Red Flags

✗Clicking or ticking from the steering rack when you turn the wheel at a crawl
✗A software-error message on the screen at startup that the seller calls normal
✗Gasoline smell inside the cabin or around the engine bay
✗Radar or driver-assist warnings that come back after the sensor is wiped clean
✗Any report of the car braking itself with a BRAKE message displayed

Good Signs

✓Recall 24V763 shown performed with the fuel pump part number on the invoice
✓A steering rack that stays silent through a full lock-to-lock turn with the windows down
✓Honda dealer records showing the steering rack replaced and the noise gone since
✓Adaptive cruise and lane keeping that engage and hold on the test drive
✓All five campaigns closed on the NHTSA VIN lookup printout