Head-to-head reliability
Mercedes BENZ Sprinter vs Honda Accord
How the Mercedes BENZ Sprinter 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
Mercedes BENZ Sprinter averages fewer NHTSA complaints per year. Mercedes BENZ Sprinter has 215 complaints and 90 recalls on record; Honda Accord has 4,194 complaints and 38 recalls. Source: NHTSA owner complaints.
The numbers
Side-by-side NHTSA record
Lower is better in every category. The highlighted cell is the stronger result.
| Category | Mercedes BENZ Sprinter | Honda Accord |
|---|---|---|
| Total complaintsAll model years combined | 215 Better | 4,194 |
| Safety recallsFederal recall campaigns | 90 | 38 Better |
| Crash reportsCrash-related complaints | 26 Better | 150 |
| Complaints per yearAveraged across model years | 21.5 Better | 419.4 |
| Reported injuriesTied to owner complaints | 10 Better | 132 |
| 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.
Mercedes BENZ Sprinter
- 01POWER TRAIN45
- 02STEERING37
- 03UNKNOWN OR OTHER34
- 04ELECTRICAL SYSTEM32
- 05SERVICE BRAKES31
“My EIS module rendered my vehicle inoperable and left me stranded in the winter and left me stranded 54 miles away from the closest repair shop. Only because this is a know issue (see below) AND I had cell phone service enough to research this problem AND I h…”
“The contact owns a 2019 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter 2500. The contact stated while an employee was moving the vehicle out of the garage into the parking lot, the employee shifted the vehicle into PARK with the engine running. The contact exited the vehicle and whi…”
Honda Accord
- 01ENGINE885
- 02ELECTRICAL SYSTEM798
- 03FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE792
- 04UNKNOWN OR OTHER669
- 05SERVICE BRAKES569
“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.
Mercedes BENZ Sprinter — 90 recalls
The defect: Daimler Vans USA, LLC (DVUSA) is recalling certain 2019-2022 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and Freightliner Sprinter vehicles equipped with a manual parking brake and 7-speed automatic transmission. The guide bushing on the parking pawl may fatigue, which can cause the parking pawl not to engage and resul…
The risk: Vehicle rollaway increases the risk of a crash.
The fix: Dealers will update the software of the electronic stability, transmission control, direct select module, and electronic ignition switch control units, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 10, 2023. Owners may co…
The defect: Daimler Vans USA, LLC (DVUSA) is recalling certain 2022 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vehicles equipped with electrically adjustable front swivel-seats. The wiring harnesses for the swivel-seats may have been incorrectly installed and may become damaged, which can cause the front side air bags not to depl…
The risk: An air bag that does not deploy as intended increases the risk of injury in a crash.
The fix: Dealers will inspect and reattach the wiring harnesses, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 17, 2023. Owners may contact DVUSA customer service at 1-877-762-8267. DVUSA's number for this recall is 549…
The defect: Daimler Vans USA, LLC (DVUSA) is recalling certain 2019-2022 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and 2019-2021 Freightliner Sprinter vehicles. The instrument cluster may fail to display any information when the vehicle is started.
The risk: A blank instrument panel will not show critical information, such as vehicle speed, fuel gauge, warning messages, and warning lights, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix: Dealers will update the instrument cluster software on the affected vehicles, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 5, 2023. Owners may contact DVUSA customer service at 1-877-762-8267. DVUSA's number for this recall i…
The defect: Daimler Vans USA, LLC (DVUSA) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and 2021 Freightliner Sprinter vehicles. The topcoat paint formula may cause the windows and interior lashing rails to be insufficiently bonded to the vehicle.
The risk: An insufficiently bonded window can detach during a crash, and objects secured to an insufficiently bonded interior lashing rail can detach, increasing the risk of injury.
The fix: Dealers will inspect the paint adhesion and repair it as necessary, free of charge. Depending on the extent of any damage, DVUSA may offer to repurchase the vehicle. Interim notification letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were m…
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 are expected to be mailed July 27, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is availa…
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, October 18, 2024, and August 2025. This is a phased recall. Owners may contact Honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. H…
Year by year
Which model years to avoid
Complaints per model year for both vehicles — lower is better. The spikes are the years to scrutinize.
| Year | Mercedes BENZ Sprinter | Honda Accord |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 0 | 3 |
| 2025 | 0 | 90 |
| 2024 | 0 | 204 |
| 2023 | 0 | 216 |
| 2022 | 0 | 209 |
| 2021 | 0 | 206 |
| 2020 | 0 | 333 |
| 2019 | 215 | 638 |
| 2018 | 0 | 1775 |
| 2017 | 0 | 520 |
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 Mercedes BENZ Sprinter or Honda Accord in front of you — accident history, open recalls and title records.
Go deeper
Full reliability reports
- Comparison
- Mercedes BENZ Sprinter vs Honda Accord
- Mercedes BENZ Sprinter total complaints
- 215
- Honda Accord total complaints
- 4,194
- Mercedes BENZ Sprinter total recalls
- 90
- Honda Accord total recalls
- 38
- Mercedes BENZ Sprinter avg complaints/year
- 21.5
- Honda Accord avg complaints/year
- 419.4
- More reliable overall
- Mercedes BENZ Sprinter
- Mercedes BENZ Sprinter top complaint area
- POWER TRAIN
- Honda Accord top complaint area
- ENGINE