CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2009 Honda Accord has several serious defects – poor brakes, excessive oil consumption, & uncomfortable seats.

BRAKES: There was a class action lawsuit against Honda in 2010 for premature & excessive brake wear. See our page on Honda's brake problems for more info.

OIL CONSUMPTION: Honda issued a TSB about this in late 2011, claiming it could be fixed through a software update to the VCM (variable cylinder management). There are class action lawsuits pending. See our page about the Accord oil consumption.

UNCOMFORTABLE SEATS: Owners have consistently reported uncomfortable seats with the entire 8th generation (2008-2012) of Honda Accords. Complaints range from back pain to leg circulation problems due to bad lumbar support, cushioning, & seat angle. Complaints aren't limited to only a certain body type -- the seat comfort problems are from a wide spectrum of owner height & weight. The common theme we hear is "we never noticed this during the test drive." Unfortunately for unwary buyers, the seat pain is noticeable after 15-20 minutes.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
21,656 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2009 Honda Accord accessories - interior problems

accessories - interior problem

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2009 Honda Accord Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #25

Aug 162021

Accord

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

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

- Midvale, UT, USA

problem #24

Aug 172018

Accord

  • 84,000 miles
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.

- Powder Springs, GA, USA

problem #23

Oct 022016

Accord

  • miles
The paint faded, clear coat coming off and it is peeling. Terrible quality! leather seats have bubbled and ripped. Terrible quality.

- Anaheim Hills, CA, USA

problem #22

Dec 282015

Accord

  • 80,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

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...

- Loxahatchee, FL, USA

problem #21

Nov 142014

Accord

  • 83,000 miles
When I was rear ended at a red light the drivers seat fell back wards and now the seat is not stable. It concerns me that the seat went back on its own upon impact.

- Seabrook , TX, USA

problem #20

Sep 182013

Accord 4-cyl

  • 87,500 miles
While making lane change, side curtain airbag, seat, and seatbelt retractor, deployed with out any contact to vehicle. 2009 Honda Accord located in orlando. Airbags, controller module, headliner, and seat have not been replaced yet. Seatbelt retractor was replaced with original Honda part.

- St Cloud, FL, USA

problem #19

Nov 182013

Accord 4-cyl

  • 80,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

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.

- Norfolk, VA, USA

problem #18

Feb 102010

Accord 4-cyl

  • miles
I have had upper back and neck pain for about 3 years now and could not figure out why. I've recently gone to a back pain specialist and found that my problem has been caused by my posture, mainly from the newer cars I've been driving the past couple years. I've now bought and sold several cars in the past 3 years thinking "I just need a larger more comfortable car" however that I not the case. The known fact that automobile seats are "very uncomfortable" made so by the forward design of the headrest, causing your head to bent forward while driving. To correct the problem, I've turned my headrest around backwards "not too safe" to relieve my neck pain and this has worked, but it is very unsafe.....but I have no choice another example, I am renting a car because my Honda is at the body shop. The rental car company gave me a 2012 Chevy Malibu "it is even worse" I started driving this car at 5am this morning and within 10 miles, I was in severe pain. The problem now is I cannot turn this headrest around backwards as it appears you are not able to remove the headrest to turn it around. To resolve this, I'll be turning this car back in today in an attempt to get a different car that might allow me to drive without severe neck and back pain. Please - change the headrest requirement "now" to allow a safe but more comfortable ride while driving. I've now driven a 2006 civic, 2009 Accord and a 2012 Malibu in the past 3 years and all three vehicles are very uncomfortable. At least the Honda's you can remove the headrest and turn them around. Please help!

- Ennis, TX, USA

problem #17

Nov 122012

Accord

  • 28,500 miles
The head restraint is too far forward and causes neck pain. I've only had the car a week, and I'm having the same issues as others who have filed complaints and hundreds of people in online forums.

- Birmingham, AL, USA

problem #16

Feb 022009

Accord 4-cyl

  • 3,000 miles
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.

- Morgantown, WV, USA

problem #15

May 152011

Accord 6-cyl

  • 30,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Power driver side seat slips in track randomly. Feels like it is not locking in track as it should. Sometimes happens when adjusting seat. Other times will happen when braking. Occasionally can find spot in track where seat will constantly slip front to rear and back again.

- Hartland, WI, USA

problem #14

Jan 122012

Accord 6-cyl

  • 24,600 miles
Head restraints are uncomfortable and cause neck and back problems.

- Maple Glen, PA, USA

problem #13

Mar 192012

Accord 4-cyl Diesel

  • miles
The driver seat in my 2009 Honda Accord is horrible!!!!!!!!!! the active restraint is killing me. I plan on removing the safety device if it is not plugged into a sensor. It causes my to squirm around while driving effecting my driving. What a joke this is my first Honda buying because of style and great history of reliability. Like everything else on the vehicle. Hope I can remove seat cover and bend something or remove the safety device. What a joke Honda.

- Independence, MO, USA

problem #12

Oct 132010

Accord

  • 13,000 miles
2009 Honda Accord driver's power seat "jumps" when moved forward and reverse (most notable on an incline). I had the dealer check it and I was told that this is 'normal' due to the mechanism design. A couple of weeks later, I had to brake hard to avoid a collision and the seat jerked forward noticeably as it slipped in the track mechanism. I feel that this is an unacceptable and unsafe defect that should be corrected.

- Anderson, SC, USA

problem #11

May 152009

Accord

  • miles
The driver seat is terrible, very bad. Need to file a class action law suit against Honda for making such a car. I have spent lots of money in X-rays, mri, ct-scan of my low back and hip and am taking over 12 medicines a day. Still the pain is very bad when I am in the car. I think this is a way Honda is making more money as I will be force to sell it at way less and take a loss on it and then buy a new car. I am now afraid to buy Honda again.

- Arcadia, CA, USA

problem #10

Feb 012009

Accord

  • 500 miles
The mechanics of this car are great, the problem is the seat and how terribly uncomfortable it is and the tremendous amount of back pain it is causing. It is not safe to drive in this much pain because of poorly designed seats. I am putting in the date of incident as a month after car was purchase as the seat issue was noticed right away.

- Port Orange, FL, USA

problem #9

Oct 282009

Accord

  • miles
There is something wrong with the head restraint system on the car that causes constant back pain.

- Pico Rivera, CA, USA

problem #8

Jan 232010

Accord

  • 8,000 miles
This complaint is regarding the seat rails for 2009 Honda Accord. Aside from the rails providing a bumpy adjustment via the power controls, the seat itself lunges forward and backward during braking and acceleration. This experience leads one to believe that the seat is not properly attached to the frame of the car which creates a dire safety concern. In the event of a crash, will the seat dislodge?

- Cantonment, FL, USA

problem #7

Dec 152009

Accord

  • 3,500 miles
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.

- Denver, NC, USA

problem #6

Jul 252009

Accord

  • 50 miles
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.

- Arlington, VA, USA

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