Honda Accord Quality Control Issues

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Comments

  • timadamstimadams Member Posts: 294
    ALL car makers say it is "acceptable" to add up to a quart of oil as often as every 1000 miles. I wouldn't like that any more than you do, but you make it sound as if Honda is pulling a fast one. I've heard the worst oil-consuming stories about some VW and GM engines.
  • riswamiriswami Member Posts: 192
    hbund216 is saying that oil consumption in a V 6
    Accord will be accepted by a lot of people on this board. The very next post proved his point.Then the post goes and takes satisfaction that other brands have bigger problems.

    From what I understand a little oil consumption is normal. Most people don't like it. Can't blame them.

    As far as Hyundai; that is an up and coming brand. I've read a lot of reviews that states the Sonta is as good as a Camry or an Accord. When you facot in the cost of purchase and the warranty it is a great deal. But I expect people like ISELLHONDAS to knock them.Trust me, that car is not strictly marketing via an extended warranty.
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    I "knocked" them. the long warranty might not be "strictly" marketing but that certainly has a lot to do with it.

    And, people don't like to hear this, but the resale on these remains horrible...I know. I'm the guy who has to get bids when people want to trade them in.

    Still, I do agree they have improved a great deal.

    Oil consumption? Well...all cars burn *some* oil. They have to. I wonder how often this guy changes his oil? If it's once every 7500 miles like the book says, I don't think it's unreasonble to have to add a quart of oil.

    If it were my car, a quart every 2000 miles wouldn't bother me at all.

    It's hard to say what "normal" consumption is.
  • hbund216hbund216 Member Posts: 162
    He changes his oil every 3000 miles. I'm not saying or have suggested that Honda is pulling a fast one. Just that I don't think quality is what was. If that is what Honda finds normal then that's what a person has to live with. I'm sure this is not the case with all. But it does show a wide tolerance (at least in my opinion). Just ask yourself if someone from another brand said their car was doing this what would most Honda owners response be?

    As for the Hyundai reliability. I used to drive a 89 Excel as well as some other friends. The fact is that most people did not take care of those cars because they did not have money or did not want to spend it on a car that cost so little. So they broke down. I took care of mine and it is still running. In 10 years it only needed a new alternator. Yes it rattled and was VERY SLOW.
  • riswamiriswami Member Posts: 192
    is one thing, total cost of ownership is another. If the comparabily equipped Accord is 5 grand more than a Sonata and you keep it 10 years you should come out ahead with the Hyundai.Plus you can have that money saved on the purchase price working for you or use it for something else.

    Resale is what the market will bear, so yeah Accords have traditionally held their value and Hyundai is poor at best. But that could change.I keep my cars for 10 years, so resale is not an issue. At that age it depends more on the condition of the car. Even Hondas at this point have lost most of their resale edge.
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    Still, a ten year old Honda is still a much in demand car and is worth a lot.

    Most people don't keep their cars that long so resale IS a big issue.

    My V-6 Accord EX Coupe has 42,000 miles on it now. I'm ashamed to say that I rarely check my oil between changes since it's never low. I change it around 3500-4000 miles. Yes, I should check it more often!

    In another forum, a guy was complaining that his Cadillac Northstar engine was using, I think, around a quart of oil every 1000 miles or so.

    I jumped in and stated my opinion that I didn't think he had a problem. Heck, oil is cheap!

    The fact that I own and sell Hondas has nothing to do with my opinion on this matter either, despite what some may think!

    Happy Holidays to all!
  • qwallsqwalls Member Posts: 406
    I just sold my wife's old '91 Accord LX to a friend/co-worker. He happens to be the same guy that bought my '88 Accord in '96. It had 208k miles. I paid $12.4k for it in '93 (2 years old) and sold it for $2500. Not bad for 8 years of use. Try that with a Hyundai. Other than normal wear items, the only repairs were the distributor (common problem on that vintage), CV boots, and the muffler. Oh, and the front inside door handles each broke once, and that stupid temperature knob cracked about every three years. Also, no rust! http://qwalls.net/vehicles.html Oil changes every 3k miles until 150k miles, then every 4k miles. No oil used between changes. I would have kept it until it died as an extra car, but I got a deal I couldn't refuse on a '93 Accord SE with half the miles from my Dad. He says his '98 V6 Accord EX isn't made nearly as well as the '93. I guess I said all of that to say none of my 3 hondas have ever been more than half a quart low at oil change time. I can't speak to the current ones though.
  • ed_swansfegered_swansfeger Member Posts: 45
    Just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas!
  • timadamstimadams Member Posts: 294
    >>hbund216 is saying that oil consumption in a V 6 Accord will be accepted by a lot of people on this board. The very next post proved his point.Then the post goes and takes satisfaction that other brands have bigger problems.<<

    Where did I say that oil consumption in a V6 Accord is acceptable, and how did my post prove hbund's point? I was pointing out that all makers say oil consumption is "normal" even at a rate that most people wouldn't think appropriate.
  • carguy62carguy62 Member Posts: 545
    I have seen my car going for between $2000-3500. Paid $14500 or so otd when new. A kid where I get my oil changed constantly asks when I want to sell it. A built in Japan Honda, that is well maintained will always be desireable to someone. Resale value may not mean as much when you keep a car a long time, but it's still nice to know that my car is worth about as much as some four year old Cavaliers.
  • ziggy21ziggy21 Member Posts: 13
    I have an Accord 2001 EX 6 w/leather, and have had no problems so far. However, take a look at the NHTS board on the intenet under the complaints section. Plug in the last few years for Honda Accord and see the rise in complaints. Sure Honda Accord is a popular car, but take a look a Mustang or Camero and see that as of late, about the same number of compaints as Honda. Remarkable. Also, look at Toyota Camery, another popular Japanese car. Much fewer complaints. The figures speak for themselves.
  • silvercoupesilvercoupe Member Posts: 326
    Haven't heard of that car.
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    Maybe they aren't all that "popular"!
  • paulo3paulo3 Member Posts: 113
    It is a very popular car in Yemen, Mauritana, and Chad.
    They last longer than a camel and are air conditioned. They come only in one color, sandy beige.
  • ibuycarsibuycars Member Posts: 3
    I am sure you folks must know that; otherwise, you will not be here posting useless comments about people's typo. Or do you think it's funny to pick on people's typo?
  • paulo3paulo3 Member Posts: 113
    At times a little levity doesn't hurt. We all know what ziggy meant.
  • lugwrenchlugwrench Member Posts: 213
    You are absolutely correct ziggy, those figures do not lie. People that post here always want backup on figures and the NHSTA is the source. There is a correlation especially from 1998 onward with the 6th generation Accord.
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    Many of these reported "problems" are pretty trivial. Of course, this applies to all makes.

    But...hey! If these reports scare a nervous buyer off...oh well!
  • hbund216hbund216 Member Posts: 162
    With cars as good as they are today trivial problems are what make and break cars.

    I never stated that other car brands have bigger problems.
  • paulo3paulo3 Member Posts: 113
    I don't think transmission and engine problems are trivial. Issues such as these are major and will drive customers off.

    One issue that always bothered me are the Honda manufactured "soft" block engines that crack. To me, this is a major issue that needs to be addressed.
  • bolivarbolivar Member Posts: 2,316
    Are you saying that if my Honda block breaks during the warranty period, Honda will not fix it?
  • paulo3paulo3 Member Posts: 113
    No after the 3 years is up.
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    *sigh*...WHAT???

    " soft" blocks????

    Now that's one I have NEVER heard before!!

    Even here!
  • paulo3paulo3 Member Posts: 113
    There are numerous complaints listing the soft block complaint at the NHSTA.
  • silvercoupesilvercoupe Member Posts: 326
    Exactly what does this mean?

    I could not find any facts or figures at the NHSTA site. Just a bunch of misc. statements, many of which made no sense.

    What am I missing?
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    Simply amazing..." soft" blocks!

    What's next? Hard tires?
  • paulo3paulo3 Member Posts: 113
    There was a defect in the lower engine block of the 6th Generation Accords produced from 1999-2000 in the V-6 model. The block was cracking according to the complaints at the NHSTA in the lower portion of the block. It turned out to be a manufacturing problem due to a faulty mold.
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    Guess things can happen...?
  • tommyg12tommyg12 Member Posts: 158
    Sounds like what some S2000 owners have been experiencing. Oil will seep through lower sections of the engine block. Some owners posted pictures taken while their car was on the lift and it is really weird looking. Fortunately I did not have this problem with mine, but I did experience the bad transmission and rear-diff, defective clutch, lurching engine, and water constantly building up in the passenger floor board. Now granted this was a first year model and Honda did admit to the problems, but some of the recommended fixes were disappointing. For instance, to correct the transmission problem, Honda developed a new synchro and second gear "repair" kit. Most dealers had never even seen an S2000 at this time, let alone work on a transmission. The repair stories were a nightmare, so I just sold the car. I'll stick with my '93 Accord that has been completely trouble-free. I have 9,000 miles on a Toyota Highlander and love it as well. Honda is still my favorite manufacturer and I hope they get their problems worked out.
  • accord_loveraccord_lover Member Posts: 27
    I just posted in the Honda Accord Problems Part II forum and notice post #2027 regarding an Accord transmission.

    By the way, the dealership where I took my son's 1996 Honda Accord today for 60K service mentioned the soft block problem regarding V-6 Accords as well as the S2000. They have technical service bulletins on both.

    One thing I did notice at the dealership was the Honda CRV's are in short supply. There is a waiting list and they are getting above MSRP! The salesman told me they are the hottest car right now for Honda.
  • wainwain Member Posts: 479
    I had a 84 Olds 4 cyl
    leaked 1 teaspoon of coolant a night near the head to block seam.
    dealer replaced head gasket - no change in leak
    dealer then surfaced the head, with a new gasket - no change in leak

    dealer then looked in service bulletins and found one on "block posisity" (sp) problems, and then replaced the block. problem fixed
  • rbruehlrbruehl Member Posts: 85
    The day my transmission was authorized for replacement in my Accord V-6, a gentlemen was talking to the Honda Regional Representative about his "soft block" problem. It seems this only happened in the V-6 Accord and S2000 engines. The man's Accord only had 7K on it and he wasn't a happy camper.
  • paulo3paulo3 Member Posts: 113
    Does anyone have any actual pictures from any car publication that shows what the new 2003 Accord will look like? Those bogus pictures on the internet do not count. Especially those from that EXTRA in Hollywood--all computer generated.

    I know this has been posted before but by now, maybe there will be some out there!
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    Not to pay much attention to these photos. The end results are usually much different.

    But...I'm curious too!
  • accord_loveraccord_lover Member Posts: 27
    Can't wait for Car & Driver or Automobile magazine to publish the first photos of the new Accord.
  • mikegold_1966mikegold_1966 Member Posts: 138
    Add me to the list of the curious!

    http://www.vtec.net/news/
  • rbruehlrbruehl Member Posts: 85
    Remanufactured Honda transmission was running as smooth as silk until today. Pulling out of my garage, I noticed transmission fluid spots on my garage floor. I have a leak somewhere and I definitely do not like this situation. Made an appointment for Monday to see what is going on.
  • paulo3paulo3 Member Posts: 113
    Sorry to hear about your transmission problems again. Please keep us informed what happens Monday when you take your car in for service.
  • ziggy21ziggy21 Member Posts: 13
    I have the 2001 Ex with leather and was thinking of customizing a little. However, after all of the negativity on this board, I think I wait and see how she does on down the road.
  • lugwrenchlugwrench Member Posts: 213
    I would start with a K&N filter for your EX. Another option would be upgrading your exhaust. I would recommended a Mugen or a DC Sports which are both stainless steel and have high build quality.

    A professional tint job with a lifetime warranty would also be on my want list. Make sure they do the back window in one whole piece and not in strips.

    Upper Strut tower brace is another option. Neuspeed makes an excellent product.

    To: rbruehl---keep us informed regarding the transmission leak.
  • carguy62carguy62 Member Posts: 545
    Take it all with a grain of salt. Why else would people post here other than to complain? You bought a pretty reliable car....I wouldn't "wait" to do anything that you want to do.
  • rbruehlrbruehl Member Posts: 85
    Car is in the shop know being gone over with a fine tooth comb. They gave me a free loaner car so things don't look all that bright. They told me to keep the car until they were finished evaluating the transmission. I expect to know something by tomorrow afternoon. My gut feeling is they are going to replace the transmission again.

    carguy-I read your comment and I am quite offended at your remarks. I didn't come here to complain but to let everyone know what problems I have encountered with my transmission. Overall, I am quite upset and have taken your comments in a very negative tone.
  • timadamstimadams Member Posts: 294
    rbruehl, letting everyone know what problems you are having means the same as complaining. Sometimes people are justified in complaining about something, and your situation clearly deserves complaint. I don't think carguy's post was a slam on you.

    But, I share carguy's view that a few instances of quality lapses does not mean that all Accord owners should be walking on eggshells waiting for catastrophe to strike. Perhaps Honda's quality has gone down, and there does seem to be some problems with some transmissions, but reading these boards can make someone worry that they own a car less dependable than a mid-70's Jaguar.

    I have a V6 Accord that is now 4 years old, and I have had no transmission problems, or any other significant problems. And there are probably a million Accord owners out there who can say the same thing.

    That doesn't mean you don't have a legitimate beef. And I would be mad as heck if I was looking at having the second tranny fail on my car. But readers need to keep some perspective.
  • carguy62carguy62 Member Posts: 545
    Someone made a comment that they didn't want to make upgrades to their car based on comments here. I told him to take it all with a grain of salt. I never mentioned you or anyone else specifically (if you didn't notice there are almost 800 posts and they aren't all from you).

    There are enough problems on these boards without people jumping to conclusions and fabricating arguments. Chill out.
  • ravynravyn Member Posts: 101
    have the upper strut tower bar and it is slightly noticeable, but from everything that i've heard, you'll really notice the difference with anti-sway bars... (plus a drop and tires) (i'm saving for exhaust and a drop before i go for the bars). and i'll prolly do a tint soon... it looks really slick, plus headlights really tend to bother me at night anymore.

    but there's really no reason to wait. your EX engine will last forever so i wouldn't worry about it.
  • mikegold_1966mikegold_1966 Member Posts: 138
    My choices would be for a custom exhaust, header and K&N intake system. Should add around 10 HP to your Accord.

    carguy: After reading your comment that this board is where every one complains, I can understand why the guy with transmission problem got bent out of shape. That little comment of your's was like driving a stake through the guy's heart. A little more thought in word choice might have been better.

    rbruehl: Any word regarding your transmission?
  • rbruehlrbruehl Member Posts: 85
    Well, I was correct in my assumption, another remanufactured transmission will be installed. Let me say right now to all the skeptics, there is a V-6 transmission problem and I am living proof. Tell you one thing, as soon as the transmission is installed, I am trading it in on another vehicle and it won't be a Honda!

    Will be looking at the Toyota Camry SE, VW Passat V-6 and probably an Audi A-4. No Honda this time around until they iron out their problems.

    That's it in a nutshell.
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    A couple of the cars you mentioned should scare you.

    Guess I can't blame you, and doubt that you believe me but the problems your encountered are extremely rare.
  • carguy62carguy62 Member Posts: 545
    Do you read posts before you indict me? Someone was afraid to modify their car because of the complaints on this thread. I told him to take what he reads with a grain of salt, what is wrong with that mikegold? I didn't tell him that so and so is a liar and doesn't have a problem, I didn't say that the problems here aren't valid. Because my post came after someone talking about their transmission doesn't mean I am saying that person's problems aren't real. I am as sorry as anyone else that someone has a transmission problem but I still will tell anyone that has some concern that the posts here are just people's comments and you should always be careful what you read into things. Almost 400K Accords were sold in the US last year. If 20% were V6 that means there are 80K V6 owners out there from last year alone. I don't see 80K posts here, so obviously plenty of people don't have a problem to report.
  • lugwrenchlugwrench Member Posts: 213
    Sorry to hear about your Accord problems. I agree with isellhondas that two of your choices for your new car aren't that great. Namely the two German cars you chose.

    carguy: How about some compassion huh? The poor guy doesn't need a lesson in statistics. By the way, what source are you getting your figures from? How many people actually come to Edmunds and post their complaints? Maybe .0001 of a full percentage point? I think you have to be a little realistic in your explanation of statistics.
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