Head-to-head reliability
Buick Allure vs Honda Accord
How the Buick Allure and Honda Accord compare on NHTSA complaints, recalls and crash reports — and which is the lower-risk used buy.
Based on NHTSA owner-complaint & recall records
Buick Allure vs Honda Accord: the Allure has 4 complaints over 5 years (0.8/year) and 0 recalls, while the Accord has 4,524 complaints over 10 years (about 452/year) and 38 recalls, with 162 crash-related reports. The Buick's record is far sparser, but both show serious owner-reported failures. Source: NHTSA owner complaints.
The picture
Is the Buick Allure or Honda Accord more reliable?
A plain-English read on what the NHTSA record says about living with each vehicle.
Buick Allure
The Buick Allure is a low-volume, older sedan with very few complaints on record—just 4 over 5 years, or 0.8 per year. Owners report isolated but serious failures like headlights cutting out, a steering column that pulled back, a door that wouldn't open, and a fuel gauge that drops to empty. With no recalls and no crash, injury, or death reports in the data, it appears to be a vehicle with infrequent but potentially dangerous problems when they do occur.
Honda Accord
The Honda Accord is a high-volume vehicle with 4,524 complaints over 10 years—about 452 per year—plus 38 recalls and reports of 162 crashes, 146 injuries, and 3 deaths. Owners describe engine alarms and power loss, electronic power steering and braking failures, forward collision avoidance issues, and electrical problems like TPMS-related tire failure. The volume and severity of reports suggest a much more active safety-defect profile than the Buick.
The numbers
Side-by-side NHTSA record
Lower is better in every category. The highlighted cell is the stronger result.
| Category | Buick Allure | Honda Accord |
|---|---|---|
| Total complaintsAll model years combined | 4 Better | 4,524 |
| Safety recallsFederal recall campaigns | 0 Better | 38 |
| Crash reportsCrash-related complaints | 0 Better | 162 |
| Complaints per yearAveraged across model years | 0.8 Better | 452.4 |
| Reported injuriesTied to owner complaints | 0 Better | 146 |
| Reported deathsTied to owner complaints | 0 Better | 3 |
Source: NHTSA owner complaints & recall records.
What actually goes wrong
The problems owners report
The most-complained-about systems on each vehicle — what fails, and what owners say in their own words.
Buick Allure
- 01EXTERIOR LIGHTING1
- 02STEERING1
- 03STRUCTURE1
- 04FUEL SYSTEM1
- 05OTHER1
One owner reported low-beam headlights turning off while driving in darkness, with high beams as the only working lights. This matters because a sudden loss of low beams at night is a serious visibility hazard.
An owner described the tilt steering not working and the entire steering wheel and column pulling back nearly six inches while accelerating onto a freeway. That kind of movement suggests a mechanical failure that could affect control.
A passenger door would not open from inside or outside despite electric locks appearing fine. This is a potential egress problem in an emergency, which buyers should check carefully.
The gas gauge reportedly drops rapidly from just under a quarter tank to empty. This could lead to unexpected fuel starvation and stalling if the driver trusts the gauge.
“DRIVING ALONG AT 8:30 PM ( DARKNESS) AND LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS TURNED OFF. HIGH BEAMS WORKED, NO LOW BEAM. VERY DANGEROUS. I TRIED THE MANUAL SWITCHES AND COULD NOT GET THE LOW BEAMS TO TURN ON. HAD TO DRIVE WITH HIGH BEAMS TO GET HOME.”
Honda Accord
- 01ENGINE1,006
- 02ELECTRICAL SYSTEM895
- 03FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE837
- 04UNKNOWN OR OTHER746
- 05FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM602
Owners report alarms for brake, hill descent, ABS, and critical failure followed by loss of speed, plus rattling noises and rough transitions between EV and gas modes. These symptoms point to powertrain issues that can leave a driver stranded or worse.
Complaints include electronic power steering and braking systems failing and locking up at highway speeds, and a tire failing catastrophically shortly after a TPMS warning repair. Electrical faults affecting steering, braking, and tires are high-risk.
Owners describe the system failing to resolve threats and unexpected behavior with adaptive cruise control set at highway speeds. A malfunctioning collision-avoidance system can either fail to intervene or intervene unexpectedly.
Reports include a persistent sulfur odor that remained after a paid repair and a foot slipping behind a center console panel. These suggest build-quality or design issues that may not be safety-critical but are frustrating.
“Vehicle drove normally in the morning commute. In the afternoon commute it started normally and as i approached highway speeds the alarms started showing up. the Brake, hill descent system, abs, critical failure. the vehicle started losing speed and could not…”
“Vehicle makes rattling noises while accelerating similar to a diesel engine also rough transitions between EV mode and Gas mode also when you press the charge button the engine makes a very noticeable jerk once it’s on ,Honda does not want to fix my issue and…”
Official recalls
Safety recalls on record
Federal recall campaigns — the defect, the risk, and the fix. Confirm any open recall was completed before you buy.
Buick Allure
No recalls on record.
Honda Accord — 38 recalls
The defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2023-2025 Honda Accord Hybrid vehicles. Due to a software error, the integrated control module (ICM) central processing unit (CPU) may reset while driving, causing a loss of drive power.
The risk: A loss of drive power increases the risk of a crash or injury.
The fix: Dealers will reprogram the ICM CPU software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 6, 2026. Owners may contact Honda's customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is TN2. Vehicle Identificati…
The defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2023-2026 CR-V Hybrid, Accord Hybrid, and 2025-2026 CR-V Fuel Cell EV vehicles. When using the tire repair kit, pressure may build within the sealant bottle, causing the bottle cap to detach.
The risk: A detached bottle cap can become a projectile and strike the user or others nearby, increasing the risk of injury.
The fix: Dealers will replace the tire repair kit nozzle or sealant bottle, free of charge. Interim letters notifying owners of the safety risk were mailed July 27, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipat…
The defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2021 Accord Sedan, Accord Hybrid, CR-V, Ridgeline, 2022 Insight and CR-V Hybrid vehicles. The automatic locking retractor on the second-row center seat belt assembly may deactivate improperly, which can result in an unsecured child restraint sys…
The risk: An unsecured child restraint system can increase the risk of injury during a crash.
The fix: Dealers will replace the second-row center seat belt assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 14, 2022. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138.
The defect: Honda (American Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Pilot, Accord, Civic sedan, HR-V, Odyssey, 2020 Civic coupe, Fit, 2021-2022 Civic hatchback, 2021 Civic Type R, Insight, 2020-2021 CR-V, CR-V Hybrid, Passport, Ridgeline, Accord Hybrid, 2020 Acura MDX, 2022 Acura MDX, 2020-2022 Acura R…
The risk: An air bag that deploys unintentionally during a crash can increase the risk of injury.
The fix: Dealers will replace the seat weight sensors, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 28, 2024. This is a phased recall. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for these recalls ar…
Buyer analysis
Buick Allure or Honda Accord: which should you buy?
The Buick Allure has far fewer issues per year—0.8 versus about 452 for the Honda Accord—and no recalls, crashes, injuries, or deaths in the provided data. In practice, that means the Buick's problems are rare but can still be serious, while the Accord's much higher complaint volume and recall count indicate a broader and more frequent pattern of safety-related defects.
Key differences
- The Buick Allure has 4 complaints over 5 years and 0 recalls; the Honda Accord has 4,524 complaints over 10 years and 38 recalls.
- The Accord's data includes 162 crash-related reports, 146 injuries, and 3 deaths; the Buick's data shows none of these.
- Buick owners report isolated failures like headlights going out and a door that won't open; Accord owners report engine alarms with speed loss and electronic steering/braking lockups.
- The Accord's top complaint areas are engine, electrical, and forward collision avoidance—systems central to safe driving—while the Buick's few complaints span lighting, steering, structure, and fuel.
- Test the low-beam headlights and switch through all settings; one owner lost low beams entirely while driving at night.
- Check that every door, especially the passenger door, opens from both inside and outside, and inspect the steering column for any looseness or tilt play.
- Scan for stored engine, ABS, and power-steering codes and test-drive at highway speed to watch for warning alarms or loss of power.
- Verify all recalls are completed, especially electrical/hybrid power control and fuel pump recalls, and test the forward collision avoidance and adaptive cruise control if equipped.
Before you buy
- Run a free NHTSA recall check by VIN for the specific vehicle and confirm all recalls are repaired.
- On the Buick, test headlights, door handles, steering column tilt, and fuel gauge operation during the test drive.
- On the Honda, test-drive at highway speeds and watch for engine, brake, ABS, and steering warnings; also test forward collision avoidance if present.
- Ask for a pre-purchase inspection by an independent mechanic familiar with the model, focusing on the systems named in complaints.
- Review the complaint counts and sample reports on NHTSA yourself for the exact model year you are considering.
Check the actual car
Comparing models is smart. Checking the VIN is essential.
Brand averages tell you the trend. A VIN check tells you what's wrong with the specific Buick Allure or Honda Accord in front of you — accident history, open recalls and title records.
Go deeper
Full reliability reports
- Comparison
- Buick Allure vs Honda Accord
- Buick Allure total complaints
- 4
- Honda Accord total complaints
- 4,524
- Buick Allure total recalls
- 0
- Honda Accord total recalls
- 38
- Buick Allure avg complaints/year
- 0.8
- Honda Accord avg complaints/year
- 452.4
- More reliable overall
- Buick Allure
- Buick Allure top complaint area
- EXTERIOR LIGHTING
- Honda Accord top complaint area
- ENGINE