NHTSA Complaint #11684909 — 2017 HONDA ACCORD

I own a 2017 Honda Accord “Touring” model that has developed an intermittent audio problem (described below) that is a safety issue because it causes serious driver distraction and impatience to reach a destination to turn the car off. There is NO WAY for the driver to stop the problem without turning the car completely off. Despite numerous reports from others (documented below), Honda has not issued a recall. It is hoping that a “goodwill discount” of 40% or so (offered only if the owner knows to demand it) will prevent a recall. The ONLY fix is to have a Honda dealer replace the OEM “audio head unit”. Without the “goodwill discount”, the installed cost is $1,400 - $1,600 to fix a condition that is obviously out of warranty. The problem is that in hot (85+) weather, even with the audio system turned OFF, a modest “scratching” sound begins from all speakers, gradually becoming a loud, continuous static which lasts for 3 or 4 minutes and then gradually tapers off to silence. If I turn audio power ON while this is occurring, the static instantly becomes intolerably loud until I turn audio power off; then the scratching continues for a few more minutes until it gradually disappears. When this problem is not occurring, the audio system plays normally. This problem is significantly frequent. 10,000 to 15,000 such cars were sold. •CarComplaints.com lists 170 such complaints under the Electrical System and Other Problems categories. •CarProblemZoo.com lists 99 general equipment complaints; the static noise issue stands out as the most common recent problem.. •DriveAccord.net, a popular owner forum: “2017 Accord Radio Static” has around 470 posts. That is a total of about 700+ reports of this problem, on 5 -7% of these vehicles. That is a safety problem that must be recalled! Problem first occurred in May 2025. More frequent in hot weather: 3 times in last 3 days. Symptoms occur randomly and don't last long enough to reach a dealer for diagnosis.