This is the easiest maintenance item on a 9th-gen Accord. The filter is a flat paper panel in a clamshell housing under the hood, held shut by spring clips and, depending on build, a couple of Phillips or 10 mm screws. No jacking, no draining, no electronics to reset.
The one thing people get wrong is the rear clips. They sit behind the intake duct where you cannot see them, so folks force the cover, crack a tab, and end up with a whistle or a lean code. Loosen or unclip the duct first, then latch every clip and confirm the filter gasket is flat against the cover lip all the way around.
| Item | Type | |
|---|---|---|
| Flat-blade screwdriver Medium, ~6 in Pries open the spring/metal clips holding the airbox lid. | Required | shop |
| Phillips screwdriver #2, magnetic tip preferred Removes the cover screws used on some 9th-gen airboxes and the intake duct clamp screw. | Required | shop |
| Socket wrench and socket 10 mm, 1/4 in drive with short extension Loosens the intake duct hose clamp or airbox cover bolts where fitted, and the resonator bracket on the V6. | Recommended | shop |
| Nut driver 8 mm or 5/16 in for worm-gear clamps Faster than a socket on the intake tube clamp if you need to free the duct. | Recommended | shop |
| Shop vacuum Small wet/dry with crevice tool Cleans leaves and grit out of the lower housing before the new filter goes in. | Recommended | shop |
| Microfiber rag Wipes the sealing lip of the housing so the new filter seats leak-free. | Consumables | shop |
| Flashlight LED handheld or headlamp Lets you confirm the rear clips are latched and the filter gasket is seated. | Recommended | shop |
| Engine air filter Honda 17220-5A2-A00 (2.4L) / 17220-5G0-A00 (3.5L V6) or equivalent The replacement panel element; confirm engine before buying. | Parts | shop |
| Nitrile gloves Keeps dust and old filter debris off your hands. | Safety | shop |
The 2.4L K24W airbox sits on the driver's side and its cover usually comes off with clips alone; the 3.5L J35Y V6 has a longer intake path with a resonator and often one or two 10 mm bracket bolts plus a clamp screw to free the duct. Filter part numbers also differ: 17220-5A2-A00 for the 2.4L, 17220-5G0-A00 for the V6.
| Airbox cover screws/bolts | Snug by hand, roughly 7-9 ft-lb (9-12 Nm); verify in the service manual |
| Intake duct hose clamp | Snug only, about 4 ft-lb (5 Nm); verify in the service manual |
Filter location and the clip-plus-screw cover design are correct for the 2013-2017 Accord, but the exact number of clips versus Phillips screws varies slightly by build year and engine, so check your own airbox before prying.
Honda's Maintenance Minder calls it out around every 30,000 miles under normal use, item 4 in the sub-item list. Dusty or gravel-road driving can cut that to 15,000-20,000 miles.
No. The air filter is not tied to a Maintenance Minder sub-item that requires a reset on most builds, and no computer relearn is needed. If your display shows sub-item 4, you can clear it through the trip/select controls in the instrument cluster.
No. The cabin filter lives behind the glovebox inside the car and requires dropping the glovebox stops; the engine air filter is under the hood. They are different parts and different intervals.
Almost always an unlatched clip or an intake duct clamp that is not seated, which lets unmetered air in. Recheck every clip around the housing and make sure the duct is fully seated on the cover before tightening the clamp.