2025 Honda Accord: What to check before buying

At highway speeds the steering wheel sticks near center. Small lane corrections take extra force, then the wheel snaps free and the car overcorrects. Several reports say it gets worse after long drives and in cold weather. Many owners also hear popping, clicking, knocking, or creaking when turning, even while stopped, sometimes within the first 1,500 to 2,000 miles. Dealers have replaced steering racks, but in some cases the noise comes back. Some dealers say no fix exists yet. Other owners describe the car wandering or pulling in its lane, and several call it a loss-of-control risk.

The car loses acceleration while driving, and the dash fills with warnings. After a restart, a brake system error often stays on. Other owners get warnings for brake, steering assist, TPMS, and collision systems that come and go and keep returning even after a new battery. The infotainment screen goes black while driving, and Apple CarPlay often fails to start. One owner reports a grinding noise when the heat or air conditioning runs. One complaint covers recall 25V785: the dealer did not yet have repair instructions.

The automatic emergency braking slams on the brakes with nothing ahead, at speeds from about 40 to 73 mph, and a BRAKE warning comes on. That puts the car at risk of being hit from behind. Two reports involve crashes with injuries, including one where pressing the brake pedal did not stop the car. Another owner says the parking brake sets itself when the car is stopped and is hard to release. Dealers report normal diagnostics. A brake system warning that says braking may be reduced also appears in these reports.

With adaptive cruise control on, the car brakes hard while passing trucks or changing lanes on the freeway, even when the lane ahead is clear. One owner saw a "ghost" truck on the display. In stop-and-go traffic, the system has also accelerated toward a vehicle directly ahead. One crash report describes stalling at 60 mph and sudden acceleration that sent the car through a garage wall. Dealers have found no error codes, and these complaints contain no confirmed repair.

The car suddenly loses all power while driving, at speeds from about 30 to 70 mph, and the dash lights up with brake system, ABS, TPMS, check engine, and other warnings. One owner also lost power steering. Drivers coast to a stop in traffic and are nearly rear-ended on busy highways. Restarting usually brings the car back, but the brake system warning stays on. Owners note that a recall now covers this problem.

The rear seat belt release sits deep between the seat sections, which makes it hard to reach. In one report a child in a booster seat got tangled as the belt kept tightening. Another problem: the cluster shows rear seats as empty when someone unbuckled is sitting there. A dealer confirmed this during the hybrid software recall but could not fix it. A third owner doubts the belts restrain properly and got only a vague answer from the dealer.

Neither complaint describes an airbag failing. In one crash report, the car pulled left during a slow turn, accelerated on its own, and lost brakes and steering before going through a garage door. Both knee airbags deployed, and one person was injured. The other report describes an airbag stolen from the car after a thief easily broke the door lock. Two complaints are not enough to point to any airbag defect.

The collision mitigation braking system engages on its own at speed. The warning comes too late for the driver to react. One owner says all four tires locked and the emergency brake engaged, and reports whiplash after three separate events. In another case, adaptive cruise braked hard for a car slowing and turning in a different lane. Both reports describe false braking that could cause a rear-end crash.