AbstractWe extend the well‐known Houblt method for dynamic vibration problems to a class of methods suitable for a variable‐order variable‐step computer program implementation. We discuss the numerical stability properties of these methods and derive a family of extensions with improved stability properties. Finally we present some numerical results which compare a variety of Houbolt methods with other well‐known Backward Differentiation methods, demonstrating in passing the practical value of the stability, concepts.