Other lighting problem on the 2002 Honda Accord
When other lighting problem gets reported
Owners of the 2002 Honda Accord report other lighting problem at a median of 80,000 miles. A quarter of the reports come in before 30,000 miles and a quarter after 130,000 miles, from 8 reports that carried an odometer reading.
A part like this is normally expected to survive 86,000 miles. It is the 20th most-reported problem on this model year.
The mileage distribution
The reported range runs from 15,000 miles at the tenth percentile to 185,000 miles at the ninetieth, a spread of 168,992 miles across the middle 80% of reports.
A spread this wide points at use rather than design. Towing, climate, service history and city mileage all move a failure like this, so the median is a weak guide to any individual car.
38% of the dated reports were filed under 36,000 miles.
The whole distribution
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14,008 miles | 31,250 miles | 79,175 miles | 127,500 miles | 183,000 miles |
Read the 10th percentile as “one report in ten arrived this early”. Exact figures are shown in this table because it is the table of record; everywhere else on the site they are rounded to the precision the sample can carry.
What a percentile can and cannot tell you here
These five numbers describe the readings owners gave, in order. The median is the middle one: half the reports arrived below it. The 10th and 90th are the edges of the bulk of the distribution, and the distance between them is the part worth reading. A tight spread — say 70,000 to 95,000 miles — points at something that wears out on a schedule, and the schedule is knowable. A wide one, 20,000 to 190,000, points at a fault that hits some cars and never troubles others, which means the mileage on the listing in front of you tells you very little about your odds.
What these figures are not is a survival curve. Every reading here comes from a car whose owner filed a complaint, so the sample contains only failures: it cannot say what share of the fleet made it past 150,000 miles untouched, because those owners had nothing to report. Nor is the mileage the moment of failure — it is the odometer reading as recalled at the time of filing, which may be weeks later and is sometimes rounded to the nearest ten thousand by the person typing it.
Percentiles are shown at all only once 8 readings exist for the vehicle and mode. Below that the middle of a handful of numbers is noise wearing a decimal point, so the figures are withheld rather than dressed up.
What happens, and what it costs
Putting it right typically runs $120–$1,200 at an independent US shop. That range is an editorial estimate held in this site's failure-mode catalogue, not a figure from NHTSA, and it is a repair cost rather than a diagnosis cost.
The same failure on other years
The same failure is reported on 20 model years of this car. It shows up earliest on the 2019, at a median of 1 miles, and latest on the 2000 at 120,000 miles.
By volume the 2008 carries the most reports, with 77; the 2002 has 10. A mode that appears across most years of a model is usually a design choice rather than a bad batch.
If one year stands out to the left, that is the year to avoid; if the whole line sits at a similar mileage, this is wear rather than a defect in one production run.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The mileage is the one the owner gave.
The front headlights do not provide enough light to the left and right. The problem makes turning to the left or right on dark or poorly light roads very difficult as well as being able to see people and objects to the left and right on roads at night. Shortly after purchasing the auto, I took it back to the dealer to check the front headlights. The dealer said the headlights were properly aligned. I then took the auto to a service station that also does virginia safety inspections to check only the headlights. The service station technician said the headlights were properly aligned. The headlights did not and do not provide sufficient light to the left and right of the auto!!! *jb
Dt*: the contact stated while driving at no specific speed, the instrument gauge light failed. There was no light available to view the speed. There is a NHTSA recall, # 04v256000, regarding the interior lighting. The vehicle has the same problems as indicated in the recall; however it is not included in the recall due to the VIN. The vehicle was not taken to the local dealer for inspection or repair. When the consumer turned on the headlights, the dash lights did come on. Sometimes, the consumer would have to hit the dashboard for them to come on. Updated 07/03/06. *jb
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 honda accord coupe. While driving approximately 30-35 MPH, the dashboard lights failed. The contact stated the speedometer and radio were still operating as normal however; there was no illumination of the lights. When driving at night, the contact was unable to determine at what speed he was traveling. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing or repairs. The approximate failure mileage was 110,000 and the current mileage was 135,000. Updated 08/11/10. *lj the consumer stated a recall was issued for the 2001 model, but not 2002. The consumer also went to the dealer for a recall regarding the driver side inflator module. The mechanic found a burned part, but would not replace it as it was not a part of the recall. Updated 08/17/10*jb
Also reported on the 2002 Honda Accord
Other powertrain problem
Complete transmission failure
Airbag warning light or occupant sensor fault
Other body or interior problem
Other electrical problem
Seat belt or retractor failure
How far this goes
Complaints are voluntary, so 10 is a floor and not a count of affected cars. Mileages are typed in by owners and cluster on round numbers. And the mode itself is assigned by software reading the complaint text, which is reliable in bulk and fallible one report at a time.
Questions this page answers
At what mileage does other lighting problem happen on the 2002 Honda Accord?
Across 8 owner reports that included an odometer reading, half were filed by 80,000 miles. A quarter were filed before 30,000 miles and a quarter after 130,000 miles. These are the mileages owners reported when they complained, not a prediction for any individual car.
How common is other lighting problem on the 2002 Honda Accord?
10 reports have been filed with NHTSA, about 0.1 per 1,000 vehicles. Complaints are voluntary, so this is a floor rather than a count of affected cars.
What this is and is not. These are the mileages at which owners chose to complain to a federal agency, which is not the same as the mileage at which the part fails on every car. It skews toward failures that happened outside warranty, cost real money, or frightened someone. It is still the only public dataset that carries failure mileage at all, and the shape of a few hundred readings is informative even when a single one is not. Methodology · JSON · this failure on other cars
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed