Head-to-head reliability
Ferrari California vs Honda Accord
How the Ferrari California 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
Ferrari California vs Honda Accord: The Ferrari has 6 complaints over 5 years (1.2/year) and 14 recalls, with 0 crash-related reports. The Honda has 4,438 complaints over 10 years (443.8/year), 38 recalls, and 160 crash-related reports. The Honda's higher volume means more reported problems, while the Ferrari's are mostly recall-related. Source: NHTSA owner complaints.
The picture
Is the Ferrari California or Honda Accord more reliable?
A plain-English read on what the NHTSA record says about living with each vehicle.
Ferrari California
The Ferrari California is a low-volume exotic, so its 6 complaints over 5 years (1.2 per year) reflect a small owner pool rather than a trouble-free car. The main pattern is air bag inflator recalls, with owners repeatedly reporting that parts weren't available for months. Other complaints involve a speedometer failure tied to wheel and electrical issues, plus a hydraulic brake recall. Living with one means dealing with recall logistics and occasional electronic gremlins, not daily breakdowns.
Honda Accord
The Honda Accord is a mass-market sedan with 4,438 complaints over 10 years (about 444 per year), so problems are far more common in absolute terms. Owners report engine noises, loss of power with multiple dashboard warnings, electrical glitches like TPMS and rodent-damaged wiring, and forward collision avoidance systems that intermittently disable. There are also 160 crash-related complaints, 144 injuries, and 3 deaths reported, plus recalls for hybrid power control software, brakes, fuel pumps, and air bag sensors. It's a mainstream car with mainstream volume, but the data shows a wide range of safety-relevant issues.
The numbers
Side-by-side NHTSA record
Lower is better in every category. The highlighted cell is the stronger result.
| Category | Ferrari California | Honda Accord |
|---|---|---|
| Total complaintsAll model years combined | 6 Better | 4,438 |
| Safety recallsFederal recall campaigns | 14 Better | 38 |
| Crash reportsCrash-related complaints | 0 Better | 160 |
| Complaints per yearAveraged across model years | 1.2 Better | 443.8 |
| Reported injuriesTied to owner complaints | 0 Better | 144 |
| 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.
Ferrari California
- 01AIR BAGS3
- 02VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL1
- 03WHEELS1
- 04ELECTRICAL SYSTEM1
- 05ENGINE1
Owners of 2011 and 2014 Californias report receiving Takata air bag recalls but waiting an unreasonable time for parts. This matters because the passenger-side inflator can be dangerous if it fails, and you may be stuck driving with an unrepaired recall.
One owner reported wheels not operating properly and a speedometer that failed, with multiple dealers unable to diagnose until a computer issue was found. This suggests intermittent electronic faults that can be hard to replicate and fix.
A hydraulic brake recall appears in the data, meaning some cars may have a brake system defect that needs dealer attention. For a buyer, confirm the recall was performed, since brake issues are safety-critical.
“TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 FERRARI CALIFORNIA. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V006000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PARTS FOR THE RECALL REMEDY WERE NOT AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A R…”
“TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 FERRARI CALIFORNIA. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 16V341000 (AIR BAGS). THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE CONTACT C…”
Honda Accord
- 01ENGINE985
- 02ELECTRICAL SYSTEM863
- 03FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE821
- 04UNKNOWN OR OTHER725
- 05SERVICE BRAKES592
Owners report noises from new Accords and sudden loss of speed with brake, hill descent, ABS, and critical failure warnings. This can leave you stranded or in a dangerous situation if power drops at highway speed.
Complaints include TPMS warnings followed by a tire failure, and rodent damage to camshaft wiring on a nearly new car. These electrical gremlins can cause misleading warnings or no-start conditions, and repairs may not be covered if caused by animals.
Owners report intermittent messages that adaptive cruise, lane keeping, road departure mitigation, and automatic high beams are unavailable. When these systems drop out, you lose driver-assist features you may be relying on.
Reports include a sunroof glass exploding on a 2025 Accord Hybrid and a tire failing after a TPMS service. These are unpredictable failures that can cause injury or loss of control, and they show up even on very low-mileage cars.
“I purchased this vehicle at 0 miles in July 2025 from Honda Accord in Pensacola Florida. I reported in July 2025 that there was a noise and I was unhappy with the vehicle and would like to exchange the vehicle within the 30 days months later, the noise got lo…”
“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…”
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.
Ferrari California — 14 recalls
The defect: Ferrari North America, Inc. (Ferrari) is recalling certain 2009-2011 Ferrari California, and 2010-2011 Ferrari 458 Italia vehicles that have not had their passenger frontal air bag replaced. These passenger frontal air bag modules have air bag inflators that may explode in the event of a crash due…
The risk: An inflator explosion may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
The fix: Ferrari will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag assembly with one that uses an alternate inflator, free of charge. Owners may contact Ferrari customer service at 1-201-816-2668. Ferrari's number for this…
The defect: Ferrari North America, Inc. (Ferrari) is recalling certain model year 2009-2011 Ferrari California vehicles manufactured February 16, 2009, to July 8, 2011, and model year 2010-2011 458 Italia vehicles manufactured March 5, 2010, to July 29, 2011. These vehicles are equipped with air bag inflators…
The risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
The fix: Ferrari will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal air bag assembly, free of charge. The recall began October 30, 2017. Owners may contact Ferrari customer service at 201-816-2668. Ferrari's number for this recall i…
The defect: Ferrari North America, Inc. (Ferrari) is recalling certain 2009-2011 California and 2010-2011 458 Italia vehicles equipped with non-desiccated, passenger frontal air bag inflators containing phase stabilized ammonium nitrate (PSAN) propellant that were used as interim remedy parts for previous Taka…
The risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
The fix: Ferrari will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag assembly with an alternate one, including a new non-ammonium nitrate inflator, free of charge. The recall began March 8, 2020. Owners may contact Ferrari cust…
The defect: Ferrari North America, Inc. (Ferrari) is recalling certain 2005-2009 430, 2019-2020 488 Pista, 2016 F60 America, 2005-2011 612 Scaglietti, 2010-2011 612, 2018-2022 812, 2020-2022 F8 Spider, 2020-2022 F8 Tributo, 2021-2022 Roma, 2009-2017 California, 2015-2017 California T, 2013-2017 F12 Berlinetta,…
The risk: A loss of brake function can increase the risk of a crash.
The fix: Dealers will replace the brake fluid reservoir cap and update the software to provide a new warning message for low brake fluid, free of charge. Interim owner notification letters, informing owners of the safety risk, were mailed September…
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 (America Honda Motor Co.) is recalling certain 2023 Civic, Acura RDX, Acura Integra, and 2022 Honda Accord vehicles. A ball valve in the vehicle stability assist (VSA) modulator may leak brake fluid, which can result in unintended vehicle movement when the brake hold feature is engaged or an…
The risk: Unintended vehicle movement or an unexpected increase in brake pedal travel can increase the risk of a crash or injury.
The fix: Dealers will replace the VSA modulator, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 24, 2023. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are OEJ, XEK, AEY, XEX and OEW.
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
Ferrari California or Honda Accord: which should you buy?
The Ferrari California has far fewer complaints per year (1.2 vs. 443.8), but that's partly because so few were sold. The Honda Accord's higher volume means more reported problems, including 160 crash-related complaints and 3 deaths, while the Ferrari has 0 crash-related complaints and 0 deaths in this data. In practice, the Ferrari's issues are mostly recall-related, while the Accord's are broader and more frequent.
Key differences
- The Ferrari California has 6 complaints over 5 years and 14 recalls, while the Honda Accord has 4,438 complaints over 10 years and 38 recalls.
- Ferrari complaints center on Takata air bag inflator recalls and a speedometer/wheel/electrical fault; Honda complaints include engine power loss, electrical glitches, and forward collision avoidance dropouts.
- The Honda Accord data includes 160 crash-related complaints, 144 injuries, and 3 deaths; the Ferrari California data shows 0 in each of those categories.
- Honda recalls cover hybrid power control software, fuel pumps, brakes, and air bag sensors; Ferrari recalls include air bag inflators and hydraulic brakes.
- Check for open Takata air bag recalls on 2011 and 2014 models and confirm the passenger-side inflator was replaced; owners report long waits for parts.
- Test the speedometer and all wheel-related electronics thoroughly, and ask for service records showing any computer or electrical repairs, since one owner had multiple dealers fail to diagnose a speedometer failure.
- Listen for engine noises and scan for stored codes related to brake, hill descent, ABS, or critical failure warnings, as owners report sudden power loss and multiple alarms.
- Inspect the forward collision avoidance system by test-driving with adaptive cruise and lane keeping active, and check for intermittent 'system unavailable' messages that owners say come and go.
Before you buy
- Run the VIN on NHTSA's recall site for both cars and confirm every open recall has been repaired, especially air bag inflators on the Ferrari and fuel pump/brake/hybrid software recalls on the Honda.
- For the Ferrari, get a pre-purchase inspection at a Ferrari specialist who can check the speedometer, wheel sensors, and electrical system for intermittent faults.
- For the Honda, have a mechanic scan all modules for stored codes and test the forward collision avoidance, adaptive cruise, and lane keeping systems on a highway drive.
- Ask for complete service records and note any repeat repairs for engine noises, electrical warnings, or tire/TPMS issues on the Honda.
- Test-drive both cars at highway speeds and over bumps to reproduce any speedometer, wheel, or warning-light issues before you buy.
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 Ferrari California or Honda Accord in front of you — accident history, open recalls and title records.
Go deeper
Full reliability reports
- Comparison
- Ferrari California vs Honda Accord
- Ferrari California total complaints
- 6
- Honda Accord total complaints
- 4,438
- Ferrari California total recalls
- 14
- Honda Accord total recalls
- 38
- Ferrari California avg complaints/year
- 1.2
- Honda Accord avg complaints/year
- 443.8
- More reliable overall
- Ferrari California
- Ferrari California top complaint area
- AIR BAGS
- Honda Accord top complaint area
- ENGINE