Equal-exposure complaint evidence and changes in the reported problem mix

2003 vs 2004 HONDA ACCORD

NHTSA Consumer Complaints complaints · snapshot 2026-08-21

Share shifts show how a vehicle's problem mix changed. They do not measure reliability, and complaint counts are not normalized for sales volume.

First 275 months on market for each model year

Exposure window calculated through Aug 22, 2026

Age-matched reports

▼ 48.4% fewer reports in the equal exposure window

NHTSA Consumer Complaints complaints · snapshot 2026-08-21

Bars start at the neutral midpoint. Left means a smaller share; right means a larger share.

View component share data as a table

Component	2003 share	2004 share	Share change
POWER TRAIN	42.9%	31.2%	▼ 11.8 pts smaller share
AIR BAGS	14.4%	21.6%	▲ 7.2 pts larger share
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	5.7%	9.1%	▲ 3.4 pts larger share
SERVICE BRAKES	7.5%	4.5%	▼ 3.0 pts smaller share
ENGINE	5.2%	2.7%	▼ 2.5 pts smaller share
EXTERIOR LIGHTING	1.2%	2.7%	▲ 1.5 pts larger share
SEAT BELTS	0.9%	2.3%	▲ 1.4 pts larger share
STEERING	3.8%	4.9%	▲ 1.1 pts larger share
VISIBILITY	3.1%	4.0%	▲ 0.9 pts larger share
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL	3.2%	4.1%	▲ 0.9 pts larger share
SUSPENSION	0.9%	1.7%	▲ 0.8 pts larger share
FUEL SYSTEM	0.5%	0.9%	▲ 0.4 pts larger share
PARKING BRAKE	0.1%	0.4%	▲ 0.3 pts larger share
TIRES	0.5%	0.6%	▲ 0.1 pts larger share
STRUCTURE	2.9%	3.0%	▲ 0.1 pts larger share
WHEELS	0.3%	0.4%	▲ 0.1 pts larger share
UNKNOWN OR OTHER	56.3%	38.9%	▼ 17.4 pts smaller share

NHTSA Safety Recalls recalls · snapshot 2026-08-22

2003 24

Campaign components: AIR BAGS, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, EXTERIOR LIGHTING, POWER TRAIN, STEERING, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, and VISIBILITY

2004 22

Campaign components: AIR BAGS, EXTERIOR LIGHTING, POWER TRAIN, STEERING, and VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

NHTSA Consumer Complaints complaints · snapshot 2026-08-21