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What 379 owners told NHTSA about the 2012 Honda Accord Plug In Hybrid

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (379)Crash / fire / injury (64)Seats (64)Airbags (58)Steering (51)Engine (44)Brakes (37)Electrical system (31)Transmission & drivetrain (30)Speed control (26)Body & structure (22)Suspension (22)

3 of 379 complaints match · Transmission & drivetrain · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Feb 26, 2021Transmission & drivetrainSpeed controlFuel systemCrash

WHILE DRIVING A HONDA ACCORD STRAIGHT AHEAD IN THE FAR RIGHT LANE, THE DRIVER SUDDENLY HEARD A "BOOM" NOISE, AND THE CAR SHOT FORWARD AT WHAT THE DRIVER SAYS FELT LIKE DOUBLE THE SPEED THE CAR WAS ORIGINALLY GOING. THE DRIVER SAYS HE HAD NO WAY TO CONTROL THE CAR AS IT MOVED FORWARD AND STRUCK THE CAR IN FRONT OF IT BEFORE VEERING LEFT AND CROSSING OVER ALL 4 LANES, INCLUDING A MEDIAN, AND CRASHING INTO A DITCH ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE DRIVER COMPLAINED OF CHEST PAINS AND WAS TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL. AT FIRST, WHILE STILL AT THE SCENE OF THE ACCIDENT, PRIOR TO BEING TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL, THE DRIVER ASSUMED HE HAD BEEN HIT BY ANOTHER CAR BECAUSE OF THE "BOOM" NOISE AND SUDDENLY BEING PUSHED FORWARD, WHICH IS WHAT HE TOLD THE POLICE. HOWEVER, AFTER BEING RELEASED FROM THE HOSPITAL AND HAVING PROCESSED WHAT HAD OCCURRED, IT IS BELIEVED THE CAR MALFUNCTIONED AND ACCELERATED FORWARD ON ITS OWN. IT IS A MIRACLE NO ONE WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED. THIS COULD HAVE EASILY BEEN A VERY TRAGIC STORY INSTEAD OF A MIRACLE. THIS COMPLAINT IS BEING SUBMITTED IN HOPES THAT SOMETHING LIKE THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN AGAIN.

NHTSA ODI 11398054

May 6, 2019SteeringTransmission & drivetrainEngineCrash

THE TIMING BETWEEN SHIFTS ON THE AUTOMATIC SHIFTS ARE GOOD SOMETIMES AND WHEN AIR CONDITIONING IS ON IT MAKES NOISES AND CAUSES THE CAR TO HAVE LATENCY IN GEAR SHIFTS, THE FRONT WHEEL HUB COVERS FALL OFF CAUSING THE TIRE TO ROLL OVER THE PLASTIC AND RIP IT OFF THE BODY , THE COOLANT SYSTEM IS DEFINITELY COMPROMISED BECAUSE THE CAR OVERHEATS TOO FAST ESPECIALLY IN HOT WEATHER, THE DEBRIS FROM THE ROAD GET CAUGHT UP IN AND AROUND THE ENGINE AND AIR FILTRATION SYSTEM FROM THE WHEEL COVERS BEING FAULTY THE PARKING BREAK DOESN'T WORK WELL AND IT'S BEEN HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM SINCE THE DAY I BOUGHT IT OFF THE SHOW ROOM FLOOR ALSO THE TIE RODS WEAR OUT SO FAST CAUSING MAJOR PROBLEMS WHILE ON HIGHWAY SHAKING AND VIBRATING THE CAR AND STEERING WHEEL, ALSO THE CAR BURNS OIL SO FAST THAT YOU HAVE TO CHANGE THE OIL AND FILTER AT MAX 3000 MILES, BEING THAT THE NEWER MODELS ARE HAVING TIMING BELT RECALLS IN JUNE 2019 THIS LEADS ME TO QUESTION WHY MY MODEL WOULDN'T HAVE THE SAME ISSUES IF NOT WORSE

NHTSA ODI 11205928

Sep 19, 2013Transmission & drivetrainCrash

2012 HONDA ACCORD. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTION. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED PLACED THE VEHICLE IN PARK, ENGAGED THE PARKING BRAKE, WITH THE VEHICLE STILL ON, AS HIS WIFE WAS SITTING IN THE PASSENGER SEAT, WITH THE AIR CONDITION ON. FIVE MINUTES LATER, THE VEHICLE STARTED ROLLING DOWN AN INCLINE, AND WENT THROUGH A FENCE. THE CONSUMERS HANDWRITING IS ILLEGIBLE.

NHTSA ODI 10543702

Working with the data? Download all 379 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 28, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2012 Honda Accord Plug In Hybrid verdict →