North American Accord Sixth Generation Honda Accord

The American Accord was only available in sedan and coupe form, becoming the largest Accord to date, sharing a platform with the JDM Honda Inspire/Acura TL. While previous generations of the Coupe were considered two-door versions of the sedan, the 1998 Coupe was the first to be given an exclusive front fascia, rear tail lights, wheels, and many other body panels, and was now marketed as a somewhat separate model, the "Accord Coupe", to set it away from the more family-oriented sedan version. It also allowed the Coupe, which was exported to other markets, to fit in more easily with the local Accord versions.

For the 1998 model year, the sedan was offered DX, LX, EX, and EX-V6 trims while the Accord Coupe was offered only in LX, EX, and EX-V6 trims. The DX model was fitted with a 2.3L I4 engine rated 135 bhp (101 kW) (from the past generation Accord), while the LX and EX included a 2.3L I4 VTEC engine rated 150 bhp (110 kW). All 4-cylinder models came with a 5-speed manual transmission standard with a 4-speed automatic optional. The DX remained the value-oriented trim with no audio system, manual windows, manual locks, no cruise control, rear drum brakes, and 14" steel wheels. The DX Value-Package added a radio-cassette player, air conditioning, and cruise control; this was known as the Accord DX in Canada where it was the base model of the lineup. The LX trim added power windows, power locks, door courtesy lights and 15" steel wheels; an SE (special edition) package available since 1999 added ABS and 15 inch alloy wheels. The EX trim added a power sunroof, a single-disc radio/CD player, alloy wheels, keyless entry, rear disc brakes, ABS and upgraded cloth. Leather seating was a factory installed option for the EX. All V6 sedan and coupe models received the new 3.0L V6 SOHC VTEC engine rated 200 bhp (150 kW) and 195 lb·ft (264 N·m) (from Acura 3.0 CL). The EX-V6 received standard leather trim, ABS, automatic transmission, and fully automatic climate control. Some dealer-installed options included: Gold finish kit, gold finish exhaust tip(s), gold finish wheel center caps, 6-disc in-dash CD changer, tape deck, fog lights, wing spoiler, alarm system, sunroof visor, car cover and accessory chrome wheels.

In 2001, both the American-market Accord sedan and coupe underwent a minor facelift. A new front fascia, rear bumper, side skirt alteration, new taillights and wheel designs freshened the Accord's look. The interior saw few changes with the exception of some fabric and audio configuration changes. The LX and LX-V6 now included a standard CD player, and the EX 4-cylinder now included a 6-disc in-dash CD changer with cassette player and the EX-6 offered that stereo plus automatic climate control. EX-V6 models also included a traction control system that could be disabled by a switch, the first Accord to have such a system included. The Special Edition returned to the coupe and sedan models. It included all the features of the LX, but adds exclusive alloy wheels, ABS, keyless entry and a single CD/cassette radio.

Honda made the decision to continue this generation of Accord an extra year. Previously, the Accord ran four years on a single body-style and facelift before being redesigned. The typical Accord generation cycle was a 2:4 trend, with a newly released model running for years 1 and 2 unaltered, then getting a facelift for years 3 and 4 before a major redesign. This generation would run a total of 5 years in a 3:5 trend, with the facelift occurring in year four, and Accord sales remained steady despite the additional year.

Despite the Accord's reputation for reliability, the V6 models were plagued by transmission failures and were even included in class action law suits against the company (4 cylinder models were also affected, but not to the same extent). This caused the Honda Corporation to extend the warranties for the 2000 through 2001 models to 7 years or 100,000 miles (160,000 km). 1998,99 and 02 cars were considered on a case by case basis. Yet no formal recall occurred. In Canada, recall letters were sent out to owners who fell within a certain VIN range, this warranty was later re-extended for some owners to 7 years 11 months in length.

Beginning in 1998, Honda Accord keys were equipped with immobilizer microchips. In 1999, the Accord was given foldable mirrors. In 2002, the Special Edition was dropped and the DX Value-Package was re-introduced.

The 1998 Accord was also assembled in New Zealand at the very end of overall New Zealand CKD car production (due to changes in tariffs for car importation in that country). 1200 examples of the car (using the mid-sized U.S. sedan bodyshell) were produced before the Honda New Zealand factory was closed (the very first Honda owned factory operation to be closed down), production thereafter being imported from Thailand.