10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 0 / 0
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 13 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 7,037 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
The driver seat in my 2012 Honda Accord is so uncomfortable that I now have to seek medical attention for my neck shoulder lower back and leg pain. I bought the car used a couple of years ago and try to take it back 2 days later but I cannot afford to buy another car I owned a Saturn for 16 years and never had a problem like this I was sitting on 3 inches of foam rubber for my back and the bottom of the seat but the pain still persists. Now I sit on pillows and that is no longer helping but I also put my left foot on the seat or up on the dashboard to relieve my lower back. I know it is the car as I have used other people's cars and while I still get pain it is not as severe as when I am in my Honda for at least 20 minutes. Driving to see family 75 miles away I have to take two breaks. The pain I have persist when I am out of the car but it is not as severe as it is when I am driving the car. I have owned many cars throughout my lifetime and have never had anything as bad as this. I have reported this before including photographs of myself with my leg on the dashboard, I have complained to Honda never received a response.
- Chicago, IL, USA
The seats in my 2012 Honda Accord are causing back problems. I drove the Saturn for 15 years and never had an issue with my shoulder or my lower back. The pain is getting so bad that I have to sit on two and a half inches of foam rubber and put my left foot on the dashboard to relieve the pressure. I am going to begin treatment for this lower back pain which now extends down my legs the seats in this car can be compared to sitting on a wooden bench I didn't realize it when I bought the car because I only drove it around the parking lot. After driving 80 miles the next day I could not believe how sore my back was after getting out of this car. I called the dealer and I could have traded it in but of course any car available would have cost me more money the pain discomfort is not only going to cost me money for treatment it is also very dangerous to drive with my left foot either up on the seat or on the dashboard. If I don't do this the pain in my lower back and hips it's almost intolerable - I bought this as a used car two years ago
- Chicago, IL, USA
The foam covering the metal frame on the driver's back rest has either shifted or is so thin that is has worn through and that allows direct contact between the driver's back and the metal frame. In the event of a crash, I feel that the direct contact of the metal seat frame will result in injury or increased injury to the driver.
- Sharon, MA, USA
Most uncomfortable car seat ever makes your lower back hurt and legs go numb
- Stamford, CT, USA
Drivers seat felt like metal was pushing through it, causing discomfort when I sat; worse when getting in/out of the car. I did not own car 3 years but mileage past warranty. Honda said they would replace seat as a "goodwill gesture". repiair done by Honda dealer, made the problem worse. I called immediately. Although the estimate I received to fix the seat included replacing the entire cushion and cover, when the dealer did it they said they had only replaced the cover. I had to bring it back and they replaced the cushion; problem was worse. Something presses up through the seat and something is digging into my back. I brought it back, dealer said they don't feel the problem. I called Honda, they said bring it back when regional manager was there. Brought back so regional manager could look at it, he said he doesn't feel the problem. They all tell me that that is how the seats are made. The seat feels like there is metal pressing up into me and when I turn to get in and out of the car it is worse. There is also a problem with the back part of the seat because it digs into my back. I am not a new Honda owner and these are not typical. To get relief while trying to get this resolved, I got a kitchen chair cushion and folded it so 1/2 is on the back and 1/2 is on the seat. Immediately after starting to use the cushion I noticed that an ongoing pain I was having in my hip and legs disappeared and when I drove long distance my legs did not ache. It is easy to assume aches and pains are associated with getting old, however after I started using the cushion the aches and pains stopped aching. By coincidence, I gave my father my 2010 Honda Accord when I got this one. He is an active senior and he had started complaining of hip pain. A recent mri showed a cyst in his hip. I wonder if this is related to Honda seats too? people may not be aware that seat is causing their pain.
- Dobbs Ferry, NY, USA
The front seating is so uncomfortable that is causes back and neck pain, and I fear if the car was involved in an accident the head rest, which is pointed so far forward as to cause neck pain if the person uses the seat in a straighter position. The lumbar support causes me back pain because I cannot adjust it out. It hits me in a bad place in the back and causes back pain. I am an average height male (5'11").
- Milwaukee, WI, USA
I purchased this Honda Accord as a certified used vehicle from a Honda dealer about 2 months ago. I haven't driven the vehicle very much, consequently the problem didn't become very apparent until yesterday. The lumbar support causes severe back pain. I tried adjusting the lumbar but even at the lowest available setting the thing simply Ram into your lower back. This problem isn't noticeable during a test drive of 5-10 minutes. It becomes very apparent after about 30-40 minutes. I've been out of the vehicle for 18 hours and still have discomfort in the area where the lumbar support contacts my back. This may cause permanent injury! hopefully, Honda will rectify this obvious problem for the numerous unfortunate purchasers of this expensive vehicle!
- Frazier Park, CA, USA
Drivers seat is not right. It is causing me back neck and leg pains. Found myself adjusting it while driving in a 55 mls expressway and almost got involved in an accident. This has been happening quite often and now I try to move around or adjust the seat when its safe to do so. I think that Honda american Corp., and you people should look into this asap and have this problem recalled and fix. Thank you.
- Hoffman Estates, IL, USA
I bought the 2012 Honda Accord in Dec 2011 for my wife. The car overall has performed well with no major problems. My wife has complained about uncomfortable seats since we bought it. I too noticed it when I drove for distances over 30 minutes. Last year, 2014, I finally bought my wife a new car and the Honda became my hand me down. I have been miserable in this car. The seat design causes pain in my legs, especially my left leg. It also causes me lower back pain. No amount of seat adjustment relieves the pain so I avoid driving it long distances. After driving home on my last day of work (I'm now temporarily out on doctors orders), the seat was especially uncomfortable to me. I had to go to urgent care that evening. Eventually I found out I had two herniated disks. My trips to the doctor and physical therapy are now miserable with this car but fine in my wife's car. I can't say the Honda Accord caused the problem but it sure didn't help it. From what I've read about the complaints on the Honda Accord seats, I can see they won't be fixed by Honda. I'm now in a market for a replacement vehicle and will be glad to get rid of it.
- Goldsboro, NC, USA
The front driver and front passenger seats are uncomfortable to a point where it affects my driving ability. When I drove for two hours I needed to adjust my self in my seat multiple times causing me to not Focus on the road. After the two hour drive I had bad lower back pain.
- Poway, CA, USA
There seems to be a flaw in the 2012 Honda Accord front driver and passenger seats that makes them so uncomfortable that it is actually painful. While this may seem to just be a superficial matter, I believe that it is serious because the discomfort is so bad that, while driving, the driver has to shift in the seat frequently to try to alleviate the discomfort. This creates a potential safety issue. Moreover, after driving, the pain in my right leg and bottom is so bad that it can last for hours, if not days. I am concerned that the seats are causing permanent nerve or muscle damage. The injury may not be visible, but something bad is happening. The pain seems to be cumulative because it seems to be getting worse the longer that I drive this car. I thought that perhaps I was the only one who had this problem until I went on-line and discovered hundreds of similar complaints posted on several websites. On September 13, 2013 I brought the problem to my Honda dealer when I took the car in for routine service. They said that no seat defects were found when compared to the seats in another vehicle of the same model. Because the problem continued, in June 2014, I contacted american Honda headquarters who arranged to have the car seats examined. Once again, I was told that they did not find any manufacturing defect and therefore, there was nothing that they could do. I don't suggest that there is a manufacturing defect; I am stating that there is something seriously wrong with the design of the seats. With the hundreds, if not thousands of complaints posted on-line, it is hard for me to imagine that Honda is not aware of the problem. Because Honda doesn't seem inclined to do anything about the problem, I request that the NHTSA get involved and have Honda correct the problem. Thank you.
- Robbinsville, NJ, USA
Seat design does not provide comfort and could cause driver to have an accident because you have to shift your body so that the seams on the seat do not pinch your sciatica nerve...it causes numbness in your leg which could impact pressing on the accelerator. Also, back of seat design causes pain for people with back issues (herniated discs).
- Boynton Beach, FL, USA
My main issue with this vehicle is the seating, specifically the drivers seat. I can honestly say its the worst seating I've ever experienced in a vehicle. This is very surprising, especially since im talking about a 2012 Honda Accord! while the seat is relatively comfortable in short trips, any longer trips (greater than 30 minutes) plays havoc on my body. Im a male of average height (5 foot 10 inches) and weight (170 lbs) a long trip in this vehicle causes soreness in my lower back, neck and numbness in my legs. I have tried to make several adjustments to this seat to alleviate the problem but have had no success. My wife also has similar issues with the seating and the effect on her body. In defense of Honda, I have not brought this issue to their attention. However, after reading hundreds of complaints on the web concerning this seating issue and Honda response to their complaints, my attempt to highlight this problem to Honda would most certainly fall on deaf ears. I have read "home remedies" for making modifications to the seat to increase comfort but should I have to resort to such maintenance? nothing can be done to improve the seating in this car short of replacing the seat.
- Goldsboro, NC, USA
The drivers seats are very bad and cause back problems. I have developed server back aches after using this Honda for the past 3 months.
- Plainfield, IL, USA
A month after purchasing this vechile, I noticed back pain. Every tiem I got into the car, I tried to repostion the seats to get comfortable. However, I was unsuccessful every time. I tried even adding a pad between the seat and my back and behind to make it more comfortable. All I find myself doing is moving and repositioning at stop lights or red lights on my hour drive to and from work. I am never comfortable in the car. My heead always feelings like its being pushed forward because of the head rest and my lower back feels like I am sitting in lower than the rest of me. I have gone to my doctor numerous times with back pains and neck pains. I know have to constantly sleep with a heating pad to relieve the soreness from this car. Every other car I have ever owned I feel safe and experience no problems, except this one.
- East Northport, NY, USA
1). "acceleration" - my daughter drives this vehicle most of the time and she has complained to me on several occasions that this vehicle is hesitant in its acceleration speed (0mph at a stop, up to 55-60 mph getting onto highways).for an example: She has advised, on several occasions when as she goes on the "highway" into merging traffic, the car looses power and does not accelerate up to proper speed to get on highway to merge into traffic. She stated pushed the gas pedal down to the floor, then a couple of seconds, the car will pick up speed. Also, when at a "stop sign" once she presses gas pedal to go, the car hesitates to take off and then it goes. We reported this to the Honda warranty department in Feb/March 2013, was told "take vehicle to Honda dealer". we did and mechanic advised-could not find anything wrong with the car. To date as of (4/20/2013 my daughter still experiences this hesitant acceleration problem. Its not right and I am paying $560+ dollars a month for a new vehicle with these problems. This is a serious safety concern I have for her, driving this car. I saw a tv commercial about a recall on Honda Accord and I was quite surprised that when I logged onto the NHTSA website the number of people who are having the same problems with there 2012 Honda Accord as we are experiencing. 2)."headrest" -while driving the vehicle on a highway trip-October 2012, I noticed that I could not properly rest my head on the "drivers seat headrest. I am 5ft-5 &1/2 inches tall. I tried to adjust the driver's headrest up and down, but I could not place it in a comfortable position to help support my head and neck. It was very uncomfortable and I could not properly fit my head on the rest for ease of driving, especially for support of my neck. It was extremely painful and stressful on my neck as I have already had pre-existing conditions with this part of my body.
- Baltimore, MD, USA
Seats are designed extremely badly - they made some change from prior year(s), as I have been an Accord owner for many years, and I have never had neck and back problems caused by its seats before. I noticed the issue right away after driving it for about a half hour - you just don't do that at the dealership. If I had had the car for a day or so to drive, I would not have bought it due to this problem. Issues: Headrest is tilted forward in such a way that it causes neck and back pain. The seat itself is not comfortable - kind of slumped and cupped in a bad way. Promotes pain and very poor posture for someone 5'4" (me). If you remove headrest, you have just screwed yourself out of a safety feature. I can't believe Honda, as a good company, is not responding to people's complaints about this. My neck and back problems caused by this now require medical attention, and I am seriously thinking of selling the car and never buying another Honda product again, if they don't make it right soon. Safety issues: (following came from another complainant, and I agree with all of it) the seats and head rests has been poorly designed. It looks that these has been designed for men having a height of more than 6 feet. I have a standard height of 5'-9'. when I rest my head to the head rest, it touches only less than one cm to the head rest. I can not lower down the height of head rest because the back of the seat is too high. There is a big gap between neck and head rest. The most dangerous aspect of this design is that if a speedy car or truck hits my car in the back, my head will stop with head rest and body will stop with back of seat but neck, having no support backward, will bent and may be broken and ultimately may cause of death.
- Portland, ME, USA
The seats and head rests has been poorly designed. It looks that these has been designed for men having a height of more than 6 feet. I have a standard height of 5'-9'. when I rest my head to the head rest, it touches only less than one cm to the head rest. I can not lower down the height of head rest because the back of the seat is too high. There is a big gap between neck and head rest. I have made a rough sketch of this situation but I don't know how to send it to you. The most dangerous aspect of this design is that if a speedy car or truck hits my car in the back, my head will stop with head rest and body will stop with back of seat but neck, having no support backward, will bent and may be broken and ultimately may cause of death. I faxed it in details to Honda customer service, torrance, CA90501 on 12/3/12 with sketch and faxed three times every week. I also advised them to make an experiment: Have a dummy of man made of broken glass, seat it in the car, buckle up and hit the car forcibly in the back, the neck of dummy will be broken. I told them that the car was garaged for the last more than one month at 8024 miles odometer reading, take this faulty car back and return my money. After more than 40 days, I received a phone call from Honda customer service that my claim was rejected as the car was not found faulty. I request you to please check this fault and take necessary action at your end. I am ready to hand over the car to you. I am not using this car any more.
- Margate, FL, USA
One month after purchasing my Honda Accord coupe, I had horrible back pain. I could barley walk without help. I went to the doctor and was prescribed muscle relaxant and ibuprofen. My back has not stopped hurting. I commute 45 mins each way to work 5 days a week. I thought back to when my back pain began and the Accord was the only change that I made. I decided to google to find out if any other 2012 Honda Accord owners were experiencing back pain problems and to my surprise a number of owners are. I will contact Honda to see if they will rectify the problem, but from what I read from other consumers Honda will not do anythin.
- Fairfield, CA, USA
- Topanga, CA, USA