Factory specifications, fluid capacities, torque values, EPA fuel economy and the federal safety record for the 1981 Accord.
The 1981 Honda Accord represents an early iteration of what would become one of Honda's cornerstone sedans, and according to the limited owner complaint data available, it demonstrated notable reliability with only eight total owner complaints recorded—none of which triggered any manufacturer recalls, with structural issues being the sole complaint category cited; this stands in contrast to the model's complaint trajectory in later years, which peaked at 2,013 complaints in 2003 before subsiding to a low of 213 in 2022, suggesting that while the 1981 model year appears relatively problem-free within this dataset, the Accord's reliability profile evolved considerably over subsequent decades.
Engine, drivetrain, dimensions and economy.
| Overall length | 163 in |
| Overall width | 63.8 in |
| Overall height | 52.8 in |
| Wheelbase | 93.7 in |
| Curb weight | 2154 lb |
0–60 mph, quarter-mile, horsepower and torque from independent road tests.
Independent road tests for the Accord of this era, listed by trim and engine — this page spans more than one engine, so no single horsepower figure is shown.
| Year | Trim / engine | 0–60 | ¼ mile | HP | Drivetrain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981 | Sedan 1.8L I-4 | 13.40 sec | 19.20 sec | 75 hp | FWD |
| 1979 | CVCC Sedan 1.8L I-4 | 12.00 sec | 18.80 sec | 72 hp | FWD |
| 1978 | CVCC 3-door Hatchback 1.6L I-4 | 15.20 sec | 19.30 sec | 68 hp | FWD |
| 1976 | CVCC 3-door Hatchback 1.6L I-4 | 13.80 sec | 20.00 sec | 68 hp | FWD |
Owner-reported issues, recalls, investigations and service bulletins on record with NHTSA — an unfiltered look at what owners actually experience.
The 1981 Honda Accord falls outside the federal record window provided, which begins in 1990—nine years after the target model year—so no direct complaint, recall, investigation, or TSB data exists for 1981 in this dataset. The limited complaint-area breakdown for 1981 shows 7 total complaints centered on structure (3), fuel system gasoline (2), and latches/locks/linkages/electrical (1 each), with zero crash and zero fire complaints, but this cannot be placed within a trend arc without adjacent-year data. The dataset instead captures the 1990–2022 Accord generation, where complaints rose sharply from 220 in 1990 to a peak of 2,013 in 2003, then fluctuated with notable spikes in 2008 (1,520) and 2018 (1,803), while recalls climbed from 12 to a high of 24 in 2003–2005 before declining to 4 in 2022. **Takeaway:** Without federal record data for 1981 itself, no informed assessment can be made regarding its reliability relative to the model generation; prospective buyers should seek condition-specific inspection reports and verify any available Honda-specific historical recalls for the early-model Accords, as the provided dataset does not cover this year.
All 8 complaints on record, top 5 components.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint database.
No recall campaigns on record with NHTSA for this vehicle as of the last data refresh.
The most common OBD-II codes for this vehicle's emissions system. These are standardized SAE J2012 definitions, not vehicle-specific fault reports.
Decode factory build data for a specific vehicle by VIN.
Cross-vehicle references for the kinds of data on this page.
NHTSA lists 0 recall campaign(s) for this model year. Check your specific vehicle by VIN.