Working on the Rear Suspension of a 2006 Honda Accord
The 2006 Accord uses a double-wishbone multi-link rear setup. It's not complicated by design, but it's easy to get confused about the order of operations if you've never taken it apart. I've torn into more than a few of these over the years, mostly for control arm bushings and rear shock/strut replacements. The parts are available through every aftermarket catalog, but finding a clean diagram that actually labels everything correctly is harder than it should be. Official diagrams are buried in the Honda service manual, which you can subscribe to through Honda's official portal for roughly $60 a month. The actual manual section for the 2006 Accord covers the rear suspension around page 11-1 through 11-45 depending on the body style. You'll find exploded views of the upper control arm assembly, lower control arm, trailing arm, tie rod, coil spring and strut assembly, and the rear subframe. If you want a free route, forums like Honda-Tech and Accords.org have members who scanned the manual pages and posted them. Search for "2006 Honda Accord Rear Suspension Diagram" and you'll find them, usually attached as PDFs or high-res images. Keep in mind these community scans sometimes crop the part numbers or mislabel components because nobody verifies them against the official catalog. Cross-reference anything you're unsure about with the Honda Parts Diagram site at hondapartsnow.com before you order. Here's the layout you're working with. The rear subframe bolts to the body at four points. The lower control arm pivots on two front bushings and connects to a ball joint at the steering knuckle. The upper control arm is shorter, with its own pair of bushings at the subframe and a ball joint at the knuckle. The coil spring and shock absorber sit inside the lower control arm assembly, compressed between the subframe mount and the lower arm. The trailing arm runs back from the subframe to the knuckle and sets the rear toe through its adjustable bushing. The tie rod connects to the trailing arm and fine-tunes alignment. Everything rides on rubber bushings that harden and crack over time.
I ran into a specific issue a while back on a 2006 sedan where the rear trailing arm bushing was completely shot but the alignment shop couldn't bring the rear toe into spec no matter how much they adjusted it. The problem wasn't the bushing alone. The rear knuckle had shifted slightly because the two trailing arm bolts were torqued down while the suspension was hanging in the air during the install. Once I raised the car, loaded the suspension weight, and then torqued those trailing arm bolts to spec at ride height, the toe snapped into range. I'd guess I wasted about forty minutes on that before realizing what was happening. It's one of those things the diagram doesn't really warn you about because it just shows the parts, not the installation sequence. Another counter-intuitive thing about this setup: the rear strut assembly isn't serviceable in most cases. The spring is compressed under significant tension and Honda designs it so you replace the whole unit. Some people try to separate the spring from the strut body for a cheaper fix, but the retainers are crimped and you'll strip them trying. The strut cartridge itself can fail internally while the spring looks fine, and swapping just the cartridge without the spring is essentially impossible without a proper spring compressor. I learned that the hard way when I brought in a used strut from a junkyard and realized the mounting perch was welded on. That part is non-removable. Buy a complete replacement assembly or rebuild yours through a shop that has the right tools, which usually runs about $80 to $120 in labor. The rear control arm bushings are the weak point. The lower control arm forward bushing tends to collapse first, especially on cars driven on rough roads. You'll notice it as vague rear-end feel during hard acceleration or braking, a slight shift in handling when you hit bumps at speed, or uneven tire wear on the inside shoulder. You can press out the old bushings and install new ones if you have a bushing press and the right adapters. It takes maybe two hours per side if you're careful. Replacing the whole control arm assembly is faster at about thirty minutes per side, but it costs roughly three times as much in parts. For most people doing this themselves, pressing the bushings is the better call if you can source the press.
When you're working with the diagram and trying to match part numbers, pay attention to the trim level. A LX and a EX-L have slightly different rear subframe reinforcements and the EX models sometimes carry a heavier duty shock absorber. The diagram will note these differences with asterisks or option codes. If you're ordering from a junkyard, don't assume any 2004 to 2007 Accord rear parts will bolt up without checking. The generation carryover is close but not identical, and the mounting bolt patterns shift between the 2005 redesign and the earlier model. One more practical note that probably won't be in any diagram: the rear wheel bearing assembly is pressed into the knuckle and requires a large arbor press to remove. Most people just replace the entire knuckle assembly when the bearing goes bad, which is expensive but saves a lot of headaches. If you do attempt the press-out method, apply penetrating oil and use a step-down approach rather than trying to force it in one pass. I've cracked knuckles by going too hard on that. A proper hydraulic press at a machine shop will handle it in ten minutes for about fifty dollars, and they'll also check the runout while they have it mounted. If you're putting this together for a repair or a restoration project, get the official diagram first and verify the part numbers before buying anything. The aftermarket diagrams are generally accurate enough for visual reference, but when it comes to ordering seals, bushings, and fasteners, the Honda catalog is the only source that won't leave you guessing. The whole rear suspension on this car is straightforward mechanically. It just demands patience and the right torque sequence, especially on the trailing arm and subframe bolts.
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