Honda Accord Problems 2000-2005

mikek37

I have trouble, only in cold weather, such as in the morning when the temp could be around 10-30 degrees. I attempt to start the car, but for about 2-3 seconds the car will not turn over, then once it does, it sputters for a short period (1 second), then it finally engages.

Im not sure if this is because it is so cold out, or because their may be a problem. When it is warm out, or when the car has warmed up , the engine starts like a gem. Maybe its just due to the cold weather.

But if anyone else has exhibited these problems, which after reading these forums I see is true, has anyone spoken to Customer Reps at Honda or contacted a technician. Thanks

pblevine

Does the rotton egg small cause the car to drift to the right?

treoster

I have had this problem as well in 40-60F temps.

pro_honda

I'm a little confused by your post:

"Today I picked up my car (with the new improved transmission) from the dealership. The car feels excellent. No funniness in first gear, no hard downshifting and no gear crunching. Honda definitely fixed the generic problem in this improved transmission."

I thought transmission failure was a result of defective components, not design. In other words a badly designed transmission may not shift nicely, but it will not fail. Do you think the first gear problem of your old transmission was a defective component problem or a design problem?

I have heard people say that a hesitant first gear is a characteristic of this generation of Accord. My parents have an 88 Accord that has had the same problem for 150K miles but it has never failed, it's just annoying (on an otherwise bullet proof car).

What are your thoughts?

spleck

I was under the impression that the failures were traced to a faulty part from a bad supplier. The remanufactured trannys have a more reliable source for the part.

k_time

Yeh, you guys could be right. I have also heard of design issues as well. I think nobody except honda knows the source of the problem. The service advisor told me that the transmission that they put in is a new improved one, not a new version of what they removed. All I now is that the car shifts (all gears) totally different now. Like being in a different model car.

zoltare

I own a EXV6 with approx. 800 miles on it and have had no problem with cold starts. I live in New England and we've had like 15 days in a row of temps under 32 degrees and the last week has been in single digits with the wind chill dipping to 20 below.

Being that cold, I have had no problem with starting. A couple of cranks, but the car fires up without a hitch. Thank god for those heated seats too!!

I dunno, maybe it is a problem with gas, or being low on fuel, but I've had no problems and it has been really cold here.

zolare

1997montez34

Thanks!

mdx_kid

I have a 2003 ACCORD EXV6 and had my share of starting problem. It has nothing to do with cold temp. I am in Edmonton, Canada and it is cold up here. I had the same problem of having to turn the key twice or three times before it will fire up. I took it to the dealer and he mentioned the same response that it is normal. Then he showed me a photocopy of one of the letters from Honda for the same problem also happening with 3.5 liter engine. All V6 engines some times develop this habit and the reasoning they gave was the engine does not shut off in the same stage all the time. So if it was shut off in 3rd or 4th cylinder then it has to go through the process of firing decided by the OBD to bring it to the first cylinder. I will try to find the photocopy at home and post more details. But it is normal and they also mentioned sometimes in the initial breakin period it is learning process of the key and OBD that might cause this behavior. They advised the service departments not to do anything for the same. Mine has 3500 km on it and it doesn't happen that often now.

bburton1

Have a 97 I4 with 150K on it-used to start instantly on the first crank-even at below 0 temps. Now it cranks for a couple of seconds before firing. This started after some very recent "warranty" work on the emissions purge valve. Turns out that was not the problem but the primary heated O2 sensor was bad.

Wonder if the tech screwed something up when he replaced the emissions purge valve. Tried turning the ignition to the ON position for a few seconds before starting and did not help. No big deal but wish it started as it used to almost instantly.

Oh the symptoms of a bad primary heated O2 sensor in addition to the usual CEL are stumbling engine when cold-too rich and causes missing and gas mileage lowered by about 10% from 30 to 27 on the road. Pricey part about $225 from honda - that is why the extended warranty be a good thing.

irish24

Around 11 am I went to start my 02 LX 6 (AT)and it started up OK. But it wouldn't go into reverse. It would go forward. I think it finally went into reverse on the 3rd try. I had warmed it up for less than 5 min and the car is stored outside with the front facing downward on a declining driveway. Temp at the time was probably 26F. should I have warmed it up for 10 min + in this weather? The car seemed to be fine after that. this is my first honda and the transmission/shift seems very different than other cars we've had, so I'm not sure if this is a problem or it's just different.

bburton1

is not related to weather. I assume u have no CEL (Check Engine Light) illuminated. Could be the linkage needs adjustment-if this thing is still within warranty-this definately a problem that should be covered by the warranty.

Has the tranny been shifting hard or differently recently. Suppose u have checked the ATF level. When you do-dab a bit of fluid on to a glass to try and see the color-should be pure light red and no brown - also smell to see if it has a burnt smell.

lsun14

My 2003 Accord EX-V6 sedan has about 80 miles on it (just took delivery yesderday). In one case it took two attempts to fire it up. In another it had to crank for about 3 seconds before it started. I live in the New England area and it's been really cold (15 oF). I'd be interested in hearing more on how to solve the problem.
To mdx kid: could you post more detail from Honda on this? Thanks!

bolivar

Come on people. Remember when 30 seconds of cranking, with pumping the gas, or pulling the choke - all in different combinations - was the normal starting procedures during cold weather.

And when it wouldn't start, you then had to try to start the tractor to pull the car.

Now there are complaints about 3 second cranking.

spleck

Confucius say reasonable man content with surroundings, unreasonable man change everything. Progress require change, therefore all progress work of unreasonable men. [read with the appropriate accent...]

Just because something was hard to do 35 years ago, doesn't make it an excuse for today. Remember when the only way we could exchange information was by sitting around a fire and grunting while we ate the fresh kill? Come on... I expect more each day and I do my part to make sure it happens.

Besides, my 78 VW Rabbit would start right up and didn't have problems until below 20F. At the time the car was 20 years old.

jrock80

My new 2003 Accord EX V6 has left me totally stranded 3 times now because it will refuse to start for an hour or so and then magically start up a few hours later like nothing ever happened. I have filed for the lemon law in PA to get rid of the car, but its going to be tough because the car only has this starting problem once in a while (maybe once a week or once every other week). So the dealer is unable to replicate the problem. Anyone else ever have a "lemon" Honda?

irish24

I've had the car 6 mos and it's got 5K miles on it.
Just had the first oil change done at 4K. It has always shifted differently--sounds like it's straining to get into the next gear w/o being unduly pushed. Didn't see any check engine light. I just thought that maybe, in this weather that w/o having really warmed up the car more, that maybe the oil hadn't warmed up enough. I'll def have it checked out by the next service, or if it does it again sooner.

talon95

I'm really sorry to hear that they can't fix this starting problem for you. I can commiserate to some degree. My 2000 Accord V6 is my first Honda, and I had these expectations of legendary quality. Well, I got one of the Accords with the bad tranny part and had to have the transmission replaced 6 weeks after I got the car. So I was pretty disillusioned... the car with "legendary" reliability required the most major warranty repair of any car I ever owned. Fortunately, it's been smooth sailing since then.

But of course that's nothing compared to the nightmare that you've experienced... getting stranded 3 times with a brand new car. What exactly has the dealer done? Have Honda's regional service folks been involved?

labmgr7

I have a 92 EX with 145k. Religiously maintained only by dealer. No major problems except last yr broke down and needed new distributor. A month ago would not start. Dealer said plugs were fouled. Then calls and says needs new alternator. $800 repair. Within 2 weeks (and very cold weather) car had trouble starting in morning- cranks but does not catch. No CEL. Left car overnite at dealer twice. Car starts fine for them so can't isolate problem. In fact the only time the car started fine was at the dealer. Dealer says not O2 sensor since CEL does not come on. Now car won't start at all- still cranks but won't catch. I'm frustrated. Any advice.

bburton1

Did the dealer leave the car outside or was it in the heated garage. Even if the battery is strong enough to spin it over-it still could add to the problem-if the battery is more than a couple of years old-look around and find the battery with the most CCA you can find-there are some really strong batteries-Sam's Club has best prices on batterys around my home. Also check the battery connections-scrape them clean and apply a bit of grease to keep them from corroding-particularly the ground. There is a part of the ignition system in 92's that causes problems-don't bust a gut laughing but is there something called the igniter??. Also replace the plug wires, rotor and distributor cap with either Honda or Bosch replacements. Trying to go from low to high. Oh-I assume you are running 5/30 or similiar oil.

Having an unreliable vehicle is a royalPITA. good luck.

labmgr7

Thanks bburton1. It finally warmed up to 30 degrees today and after several tries the car started. Took it to Sears and had the battery load tested and it was fine. Car repeatedly starts normally. Maybe it's fuel system related.

mwcarlso

I have a 93 Accord EX with 153,000 miles and haven't experienced any starting problems with it but I have a few suggestions. The main relay has been known to fail, which will keep fuel from getting to the injectors, although this occurs more often in warm weather. The ignitor inside the distributor can fail causing a no start condition. Also, when the car has been sitting overnight the fuel pressure might be getting extremely low causing it to take a while to start. I would hope the dealer ran a fuel pressure check on it. I would also suggest finding a competant mechanic with some experience working on older Hondas in your area. It will be cheaper than going to the dealer and usually they will use Honda parts. One other trick is to turn the key to the position when all the dash lights come on and listen for a low humming noise. This will tell you if the fuel pump is working and building up pressure to start the car. If the battery is fine and the distributor is relatively new then probably fuel starvation would be the most likely reason for the no start. If I can think of anything else I will post it. Good luck.

bburton1

Remember other people talking about having problems with ignitors-don't know how to check it out-my shop manual for my 97 does not mention an ignitor-good luck

silvercoupe

Auburn63, on my wife's 97 Accord the following bulbs appear to be burned out: Shifter position in console and for the fan speed selector at heat/ac control.

Can you give me some pointers on how to access these bulbs?

tailback45

I am (was?)a proud owner of a 95 Accord EX. I am meticulous with my cars and this car was absolutely flawless until a few weeks ago. Other than routine scheduled maintenance, this car had not been in the shop for anything for 8 years and 73.7K miles... until two weeks ago when the auto trans started to slip between third and fourth gear and also when going around turns. It was scheduled for a trans fluid change, had it done, and the problem got worse. After doing extensive worst case cost analysis between the dealer and several repair shops, I decided to take the car to a Cottman franchise rather than the dealer to have it investigated. Analysis - low pressure on 3rd and 4th drums. Upon dropping the trans, tech found burned clutches and cracked and grooved valve body at key fluid transfer areas. It needed a complete trans rebuild which included a new torque converter to have the job done right. $3,700 later (WOW!!!) the car is running like it did when new. (saved over $1K vs the dealer) However, I feel that this was extremely low mileage for a trans to fail and my opinion is that Honda should offer me at least partial renumeration despite not having the work done at a Honda dealer. My future business with any Honda product is dependent on how they handle this situation.

Auburn and any other Honda techs out there... any comments? Has anyone else in the discussion had problems with a 95 Accord trans?
If so, any luck with Honda? Sorry for the long winded message, but I'm a little frustrated... Thanks in advance.

sinjin_dog

We had 96LX Auto transmission. The shifting got real rough and jerky as it got more miles on. We bought it brand new and changed the oil(Honda oil) at 29K and 60K. In the end,at 75K miles, my wife decided to unload Accord, the tranny shifting was way too harsh, just unacceptable.Otherwise, this Accord was almost perfect.We were glad to get smooth Camry. Well, now I got myself a manual 2003 LX, no more auto tranny from Honda for my family.

gee35coupe

I've always been lerry of the automatics. Even though they sell a majority of their cars as automatic and they still have a great reputation. I just never like the Honda auto.

bburton1

Don't know why Honda has a 90K ATF change interval-change it at 30K and only use Honda ATF. There are probably some equivalent ATF's out there but being a pioneer with the price of exploration being $4K is way beyond fun.

Told this before but I got a CEL code which was tranny related at about 70K-checked the tranny dip stick and the stuff was brown and had a burnt smell. All I do is highway driving-no extended traffic idling. Well my experience tells me driving at highway speeds can and does cause ATF breakdown-so change it at 30K. WOW what a price for a new tranny. Now I only have 150K on my 97 I4 auto-want to get at least 250 and possibly 300 before getting another. Honda just went up on their ATF also-new design on the jug so I guess somebody has got to pay. At least they don't charge $8 a quart like DC.

gee35coupe

Honda requires you to use Honda specific trans fluid. If you don't you WILL wreck the system. Same with the power steering fluid.

My Lexus LS400 has special Lexus synthetic ATF. $12 a quart for like 10 of em needed for a change. Geez.

koolio

I got it for 3 weeks with 800miles on it. This problem occured after 500miles. Anyway, when I backup the car, it's normal. But the first 3 second when I drive forward, I feel the gas paddle clicking for 2 second. It doesn't happen all the time, mostly in the morning or when I park my car couple hours long.

I brought it back to the dealer and they said it's more complicated to find out the problem since it won't happen all the time. Finally, they said no prob. with it. I talked to some repair shop and was told to ask the dealer check "Idle control sensor".

Anyone has same prob., please share. I am going to bring it back again.

gee35coupe

Maybe you just noticed it. I know mine does it right as I get to the bottom of the driveway. Strange thing is that it also spikes the revs when it checks.

Go figure.

stretchsje

I've always been lerry of the automatics. Even though they sell a majority of their cars as automatic and they still have a great reputation. I just never like the Honda auto.

In another thread you said the reliability of the Accord was proven?

gee35coupe

But I ain't buying one. But since MOST Accords sold ARE automatics that means there are at least 1.5 million automatic 1998-2002 Accords roaming around. If there was a problem that effected even a small percentage of them, Edmunds would be on fire from the number of posts. Even with the admitted issue they have, the number of reports here is minimal. I'm still leery though. Mostly of used ones which may have not been cared for with factory parts.

But I don't buy automatic cars in general when I have a choice. If they made a 5 speed manual LS400 I would have one.

sammycastagna

I have a 2000 v6 Accord 21000 miles, warranty two months out. This morning SRS light came on. Has anyone had any experience with this? What do I look for or should I take it to the dealer?

Sammy Castagna

deminin

I spent the past few weeks shopping for a new car on the internet. I took a "non-tradional" stance by browsing lots of car discussion sites like this one to find out what current owners really think of their cars, and what kinds of problems they have been having. Thanks to the hundreds of notes I read, I made my decision a few days ago and bought what appears to be the most reliable, best-value-for-the-money. Its a 2003 Chevy Malibu LS. Until you check one of these out, its hard to believe..but its true!

spleck

Post back in a couple years and tell us what kind of car you're replacing your Malibu with...

patentman1

Hi,

Does anyone have replacement tire suggestions? I don't really want to spend $160 per tire for the OEM Michelin Energy tires. I also want a tire that has less road noise. Thanks!

Rich

druman

I recently bought a used 2002 Accord EX-V6. I didn't really notice it before, but the shifting of the automatic transmission is not very smooth (in comparison to the Toyotas I've driven). Most notably, the upshift from 1st to 2nd gear is pretty abrupt to the point where it almost feels jerky. Is this normal for Accords or should I get it checked?

dnguyen65

Thats how it is designed. The warranty for transmission is 7 years

treoster

Koolio,
This sounds like the initial ABS/TCS test that the car is doing.

I have the exact same this when I start my car each morning...back up about 20 feet, turn, go go forward...within a few seconds, I hear the "clunk".

From evertything I hear, this is perfectly normal and is working as designed.

The dealer may or may not be aware of this. If you find out there is a TSB about this, please share with the group.

storm11

My '02 EX V6 does it too......many strings on this site pointing to owners with similar problems.

However, the 7 year warranty on the transmission is not applicable to the '02's......yet.

koolio

I brought my car back to the dealer this early morning but the tech guy did to my car is not here today to I need to bring it back tomorrow. Anyway, I talked to an advisor there and he asked me it's easier for them to test the car in the morning so I have to leave it there overnite. He would check "Idle control censor" as I requested. Will let you know as soon as I finished with them.

pblevine

re: Tires
I too will be looking for replacement tires for my '98 EX V6 Coupe. I no expert, and am still trying to learn more about this subject. Thus far, I've heard good things about the Michelin Pilot series and the Dunlop Sport A2's. All comments are welcome.

mikefm58

A buddy of mine here at work bought 3 Malibus a few years ago, one for himself, his wife, and his daughter. He fixed the exact same items at almost the exact mileage on all 3 vehicle. I don't know what items or how much they cost, but I do know he did alot work. He just traded one of the Malibus in for a CRV.

cynic

Hi guys,

I took my car (2002 Accord EX V6) for 15K service and they discovered that the transmission shift lever seal was leaking. They fixed it under the warranty. The question is how serious it is? Also, is it an indicator of future transmission problems?

Thanks!

atlantabenny

Tirerack.com provides actual consumer reviews for the tires they sell. Just input tire size, car make, type of driving and driving style to get reviews.

keencyclist

I have a 1994 Accord two-door. For a couple of months now, water has been leaking on to the front floor on the passenger and driver sides. This seems to be rain water, although it appeared yesterday even though we did not have rain. There is no sign of water on the doors, seats, or anywhere else besides the floor.

I have an appointment this week with a body shop to check for leaks. Any other ideas about what the problem could be?

Thanks,

Paul

mikek37

it seems a rattle has decided to make an appearance in my accord. Has anyone come across a steady rattle that appears to be coming from the moonroof. The noise is a bit louder when the moonroof visor is open, but when closed it is very faint. Anyone come across this rattle,

patentman1

I have a set of Dunlops A2's as a replacement of the OEM Energy tires. I'm pretty disappointed by the noise level and longevity. The noise level on concrete highways is driving me nuts!!!

I've heard good things about the Bridgestone Turanza LS-Vs. I will probably pick them up.

bostonoriole

My 1990 accord recently started displaying a bunch of transmission problems. The transmission takes a second or two to drop into reverse when shifted, the "sport" shift dash indicator stays lit no matter whether the button on the floor shifter is depressed or not. Also, and more concerning, the car seems sluggish when started from a dead stop, and doesn't seem to go into 4th gear at highway speeds.

Have any of you had a similar problem?

One transmission shop is telling me it may cost $1800 to fix. Does that make any sense?