Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.
The 2016 Honda Accord has 610 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, with the electrical system cited most, at 199. It gets 21 to 30 mpg combined and a 5-year fuel cost of $10,830 to $15,470 at U.S. average prices, based on 15,000 miles a year. NHTSA gives it 5 stars overall. It may be covered by 4 recall campaigns, covering air bags, fuel system, and electrical system.
Written by AI from public EPA and NHTSA data. Not a review.
Fuel economy
21–30 mpgcombined; city 18–27, highway 28–36; every version of this model year
Five years of fuel
$10,830–$15,470U.S. average; Ohio $9,680–$13,820 at local prices; every version of this model year; fuel only, not other costs of owning it; 15,000 miles a year, at EIA fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026
NHTSA's VIN data lists these trims for the 2016 Accord. A trim's engine and numbers are shown as its own only where EPA names versions after the trim and no other version could be it; "seen with" means a source shows that engine on the trim, not that it was the only one. Recalls and complaints cover the whole model year: whether a recall applies to a car depends on its VIN, on NHTSA's recall lookup.
Owners have filed 610 complaints with NHTSA about the 2016 Accord. These are unverified owner reports, counted by the part of the car they name; one complaint can name several parts. Counts aren't adjusted for how many were sold, so they don't show how reliable a car is.
Complaints by part of the car
Part
Complaints
Crashes
Fires
Injuries
Electrical system
199
1
3
2
Exterior lighting
128
2
0
0
Unknown or other
128
5
2
5
Engine
44
2
3
1
Fuel/propulsion system
39
1
1
0
Steering
31
3
1
3
Service brakes
30
4
0
0
Power train
29
1
0
1
Visibility/wiper
27
0
0
0
Vehicle speed control
23
11
0
7
Structure
21
4
0
4
Wheels
17
1
0
0
17 more parts
Air bags
16
6
0
6
Forward collision avoidance
14
0
0
2
Electronic stability control (ESC)
13
2
0
1
Suspension
13
1
0
0
Seats
12
1
0
8
Lane departure
10
1
0
1
Back over prevention
7
0
0
0
Tires
7
0
0
0
Fuel system, gasoline
4
0
0
0
Seat belts
4
1
0
3
Visibility
4
0
0
0
Equipment
3
0
0
0
Latches/locks/linkages
3
3
0
2
Service brakes, hydraulic
3
0
0
0
Engine and engine cooling
2
0
0
0
Chest clip, buckle, harness
1
0
0
0
Fuel system, other
1
0
0
0
Complaints by model year
Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, and counts aren't adjusted for sales, so a shorter bar doesn't mean a more reliable year.
NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns for the 2016 Accord over its history. Campaigns are matched by model and year, so each one may apply to a given car, and its repair may already be done: check a VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup for the open recalls on that exact car.
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2018-2021, 2023 Acura TLX, 2019-2024 RDX, 2017-2020, 2022-2026 MDX, 2017-2021, 2023, 2025 Honda Ridgeline, 2017-2022 Pilot, 2019-2021 Passport, 2018-2026 Odyssey, 2019-2022 Insight, 2019-2021 HR-V, 2018-2020 Fit, 2020-2022 CR-V Hybrid, 2017-2022 CR-V, 2017-2018, 2021 Civic Type R, 2017-2021 Civic hatchback, 2016-2020 Civic coupe, 2016-2022 Civic, 2017-2022 Accord Hybrid, and 2016-2022 Accord vehicles. The front passenger seat weight sensor may crack and short circuit, which can cause the air bags to deploy unintentionally during a crash.
Risk: Air bags that deploy unintentionally during a crash increase the risk of injury.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 7, 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are BOL, WO9, OOA, WOM, XOH, NOC, POD, BOE, UOF, POB, EOG, AOI, QO8, TOJ, DO7, and SOK. This recall expands previous NHTSA recall number 24V064. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall will be searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning May 29, 2026.
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2023 Honda Accord, Civic Coupe, Civic Sedan, Civic Hatchback, Civic Type R, CR-V, HR-V, Ridgeline, Odyssey, Acura ILX, MDX, MDX Hybrid, RDX, RLX, TLX, 2019-2022 Honda Insight, Passport, 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid, 2018-2019 Honda Clarity PHEV, Fit, and 2015-2020 Honda Accord Hybrid, Pilot, Acura NSX vehicles. The fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
Risk: Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the fuel pump module, free of charge. Owner letters were mailed September 6, 2024. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are KGC and KGD. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall numbers 21V-215 and 20V-314.
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Acura MDX, 2015-2019 Acura TLX and 2015-2017 Honda Accord vehicles, equipped with a 3.5L V6 engine. Particulates in fuel may adhere to the internal components of the fuel pump, reducing its performance.
Risk: Reduced fuel pump performance can result in an engine stall, increasing the risk of crash.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will update the fuel injection engine control unit (FI-ECU) software and, if necessary, replace the fuel pump, free of charge. The recall began March 25, 2019. Owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Acura's recall number for this recall is P3W. Honda's recall number for this recall is N3X.
Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2013-2016 Honda Accord vehicles. The case for the battery sensor, part of the battery management system, may allow water to get in, potentially causing an electrical short.
Risk: An electrical short increases the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the sensor, free of charge. Dealers will perform an interim remedy of applying adhesive to the case to prevent water intrusion. The recall began November 8, 2017. Owners may contact American Honda Customer Support Center at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is KG0.
Carmakers sent NHTSA 173 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2016 Accord, the latest on Apr 22, 2021. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.
The parts they mention most: equipment (40), electrical system (29), suspension (28), power train (24), fuel system (18).
NHTSA defect investigations
Opening an investigation isn't a finding of a defect. Outcomes are as NHTSA's summary states them. A recall is shown as an investigation's outcome only where NHTSA's summary names it; other recalls NHTSA's file lists with it are marked as listed, not caused.
Investigation
Part
Opened
Status
Defect petition DP22005 Pedestrian alert sounds · covers 43 makes
The owner's manual gives the oil and how often to change it. We show oil facts only once we've checked them against the manual, and we haven't yet for the 2016 Accord.
These are searches on those sites; we don't copy or check their listings. Your ZIP is used for these links and never kept.
Specs
EPA class: midsize cars. EPA greenhouse gas score: 5–7 out of 10. Each version EPA tested:
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Version
Engine
Transmission
Fuel
City / hwy / comb
Accord Front-Wheel Drive
2.4 L, 4 cyl
Automatic (variable gear ratios)
Regular Gasoline
27 / 36 / 30
Accord Front-Wheel Drive
2.4 L, 4 cyl
Automatic (AV-S7)
Regular Gasoline
26 / 34 / 29
Accord Front-Wheel Drive
2.4 L, 4 cyl
Manual 6-spd
Regular Gasoline
23 / 33 / 27
Accord Front-Wheel Drive
3.5 L, 6 cyl
Automatic 6-spd
Regular Gasoline
21 / 33 / 25
Accord Front-Wheel Drive
3.5 L, 6 cyl
Automatic (S6)
Regular Gasoline
21 / 32 / 24
Accord Front-Wheel Drive
3.5 L, 6 cyl
Manual 6-spd
Regular Gasoline
18 / 28 / 21
Sources and dates
U.S. EPA fuel economy data, file of Sep 29, 2026
NHTSA owner complaints, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA recalls, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA manufacturer communications, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA defect investigations, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings, file of Aug 7, 2026
U.S. Energy Information Administration, file of Oct 12, 2026
Fuel cost: EPA mpg with fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026 and electricity prices for Jul 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2026). Complaints are unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA. About the data