Honda Accord Quality Control Issues

billes5

I have the same problem with a new 2006 Accord. It is due to go back to the dealer next week. It is very bad on my wife's back.
Did Honda solve YOUR problem???

Bill

dais

is this normal? first problem ever. But I wonder what's next.

Mr_Shiftright

normal yes for ball joints...within acceptable wear limits.

haefr

Honda's legendary engine reliabilty reputation is only one reliability factor. Honda chassis pieces are just as subject to routine wear and tear as anyone else's. Since consumers insist on the convenience of sealed-for-life chassis components that cannot be ordinarily re-lubed, replacement anytime after 80,000 miles is not unnusual, since "life" is undefined. My first new car - a 1971 Plymouth - went 189,000 miles on the same balljoints. But, that's because I removed a threaded plug at each suspension lube point shortly after buying the car and installed zerk fittings that allowed coupling to a grease gun. These modified fittings got a squirt of high quality molybdenum-doped high temperature grease every 5,000 miles - five minutes during each oil change. (Shoot, I was waiting for the oil to finish draining anyway...) According to my alignment guy just before I sold the car at ten years, all the lubed suspension pieces I'd cared for were still good. Nowadays, though, there's not even a threaded plug... I suspect your ball joints' rubber sealing boots deteriorated, developed a tear, and the fissure allowed grease to exit, and moisture and dirt to enter. Since neither substance is noted for sterling lubrication qualities (actually the combo is pretty nasty on precision machined surfaces under the load of vehicle weight), it didn't take long for your car's balljoints to crap out.

isellhondas

I have never, once heard of ball joints going bad in a Honda even in very high mileage cars.

Who is telling you this? One of the "chain stores" who love upselling unneeded repairs?

I would get a second opinion from a dealer or a trusted alignment shop!

likofloathe

I have a 2005 LX V6 with 7000 miles on it. About 4000 miles in I started getting a slight whistling noise when the gas is applied. It is at it's worse between 55 and 65 and will go away as soon as the gas pedal is released. If you tap the gas pedal again, it will start right back whistling again. The dealership is telling me this is a normal noise, but a friend has the same car and it does not whistle. Any ideas?

haefr

I can't be sure without seeing the car, but the symptom you describe suggests the possibility of an air leak at a vaccum hose or junction. If so, it shouldn't be that hard to track down and elliminate by someone who's diagnostics smarts aren't married to a scan tool displaying fault codes. Try another dealership for a second opinion. Another possibility, purely mechanical, is that the lash adjustment between the pinion and ring gears in the automatic transaxle's differential is excessive causing a mild gear howl at a certain speed. Again, I can't be sure without hearing the noise, but such a mechanical aberration is not considered normal noise. Though harmless, it would be covered by your warranty. If you still get the runaround, contact Honda USA. Just don't get in an argument with any dealership - some of 'em like to refuse further service in retaliation - the "heads-we-win-tails-you-lose" strategy in dealing with assertive people.

cvenesky

Infamous425.

can you elaborate on the 8 yrs 80,000 mile factory warranty for the ECM/PCM update.

I have a 2001 civic, and Honda did update the ECM / PCM a few months ago to resolve a stalling issue, but it cost me about $200.00.

Since the update, i have noticed some changes with my car. The computer has shut down twice. The civic is in the garage now and the dealer wants to charge nearly $600.00 to change the entire computer, due to failure.

I have had the car in the dealer between the breakdowns, due to the erratic engine performance, but they said it was fine.

any help is appreciated

alcan

http://www.epa.gov/otaq/consumer/warr95fs.txt

grannyrod

I have a 92 Civic that just turned 200k without giving me much trouble at all beyond normal wear and tear over the 14 years and still rides like a charm over bad roads. With that high mileage, however, I'm starting my research for a new '06 or '07 Accord. I've test driven the '05 and '06 and was not impressed with the ride over the bumps.

After reading about some of the problems with the newer cars, I'm afraid of having to "live" at the dealership, something I'm not used to. I'm wondering if I should just fix up "ol Betsy" and see if she'll get the 300k they said she would when I bought her. Someone said they don't make them like they used to and that troubles me. Should I be all that concerned?

Mr_Shiftright

300K isn't realistic but possible...it might not be a fun journey getting there though as it's a long way away for an old car. I think you should plan on one more year, two at most, and then bail.

cabriggs

I have a few odd problems with my 05 EX-V6 sedan and I was wondering if anyone else has seen these issues.

1. When I use the driver's seat heater it emits this weird smell after a few minutes. I wouldn't describe it as a burning smell, but I have no idea what it smells like. It worked fine the first several times I used it over maybe a month before I started noticing the smell. I think the passenger seat heater is ok although it gets used much less frequently.

2. The auto-up/down function of the driver's power mirror stopped working for a few days, although it's working again now. Even when the auto function was broken, the window would still go up and down, I just had to hold the lever.

3. The driver door speaker sometime sounds horrible and distorted, especially on bass. Usually I turn down the volume (which was probably around 15 to begin with) for a few minutes and when I turn it back up, the speaker is ok. I've noticed this happen on several very cold days, although I'm not sure it was cold everytime.

Has anyone seen any of these issues? I'll take it to a dealer next week. I just wanted to get an idea of whether these are common problems.

Thanks for any info.

-cb

terry19

I have a 99 Accord DX that is very hard on gas 17L/100km in the city. The car running fine except couple of months ago I had P0122 error throttle position sensor and was reset. Any idea what could be causing the car to burn gas like that?

Thanks in advance

dumptrkman

the motor shut off while i was driving down the road,got it
home and doesnt seem to be firing, turns over kinda slow
can ant body help me mmtruckn@aol.com it wont start at all

dumptrkman

i have 192, miles on a great ex,put a new timing belt on at 100,had a main relay fuse to go out about 6 mo ago ,
Now my problem started driving down the interstate and the motor shut off,it will turn over but will not start!
pulled a plug wire off and it doesn't seems to be firing,
does any body know what i could check?
thanks mike

dais

actually this was by the honda dealer i trust. I had loud joint noise at front right end, they said both front ball joints needed replacement, and charged me 400 bucks labor for this job, ouch i was broke, as I was due for timing belt replacement too.

after googling a little, i found that 1998 accord ex had a ball joint recall because of premature failure. but mine is lx, still wonder if it is related to such manufacturing quality issue.

likofloathe

I have an update. The service manager went for a test ride with me and agreed that the noise was not acceptable and said they would take care of it. They have isolated to the transmission and Honda has authorized a complete replacement transmission. This dealership (Honda of Bowie) has gone the extra mile to take care of me and have probably gotten a customer for life.

whitecloud1

Do you have other experience with Honda of Bowie? I'm considering them. Right now Hersons Rockville seems very interested in keeping me coming there (free oil change on the next visit after every service)for instance. I know Honda Bowie is new too and would be a little closer to home. Do you like them or are your comments based on this whistling noise thing alone?

ddowrie

I have a continuing electrical problems with my 2005 accord. The problems started after the dealer installed the standard accessory temperature gauge. The first problem was that the car battery totally discharged while car was parked at airport for 5 days. The dealer eventually replaced the car battery that they said was defective. The next problem was that the interior light would come on intermittently while driving and the dash would show a door open. The dealer could not find any problem. The third problem was that the left turn signal kept flashes even though car was turned off and the turn signal stalk was in the neutral position. The fourth problem was that the car alarm sounded at least 10 different times for 30 to 60 seconds while car was parked and no one was in the vicinity. The Honda dealer has not been able to diagnose the problem(s). The dealer has disconnected the accessory temperature gauge, but the problems are continuing. ANY SUGGESTIONS?

blane

Suggestions: Speak to everyone in upper management at that dealership and demand that they IMMEDIATELY rectify the problems that their technician has caused. If they can't get your problems resolved in a timely manner you'll have to have the work done elsewhere and take the original dealer to small claims court to get your money back. Document everything.

You may find this useful:
http://www.handa-accessories.com/accord/03-TEMPSENSOR.pdf

Please note that you have incorrectly posted in the "Honda Accord Quality Control Issues" forum. This is not a Honda quality control issue. It is an issue of incompetence by a local dealership's service department.

likofloathe

They have been great to work with. I woudl highly recommend them.

magee1950

I had same problem and changed the main relay which is up under the left dash. Part is about $60-80 from Honda and can be replaced in less than 20 minutes. If you want to be sure it's the main relay, Honda mechanic told me to bang top of left dashboard. Relay is mechanical and may release and engine may start. If your fuse blew once it could indicate a short in the relay. Good luck.

mbaggett

I was tring to see if you have figured out what is wrong if your honda. I am having the same problem with mine. I repalced the coil, spark plug and wires rotor and cap. I am still not geting any spark. If you could help me I would be greatful

hjj

Have a 2006 EX-V6 and noticed the carpet under the passenger seat is wet. Noticed this on a rainy day when I went to secure the back seat passenger side floor mat. Clearly bringing it back as I'm ticked....anyone have any issues like this? What was cause and resolution. (Note, front passenger carpet is dry, wet is under the seat just aft of the 'bump' on the floorboard and inbetween the two seat tracks)

travler

That's a fact.isellhondas.

Compare it with other brands in its class in the comsumer reports; All better than average marks. Then check out its competitors.
Honda consumers expect more than a typical American car buyer, so they're more critical.

please304

I had nearly the same problems just today. Here's a recap of the days events...2:30 p.m.- Alarm sounded at Target store with no intruder present, and upon driving away, inside lights came on and door light lit when all doors had just been open and closed. After closing all doors again, lights came on and off once more. 6:30 p.m.- Alarm sounded in home carport. Disconnected negative battery charge over night.

I'm hoping to make it until Monday and Honda will give me an answer! This is so irritating.

seniorjose

Many, many autos have movd to one outside door lock...it is a sign of the times. If you have auto door locks you never notice it.

Buy the Toyota next time, the Chevy will not satisfy you on quality.

badgerfan

Don't expect to get a reply from gregoryc1. Gregoryc1 hasn't posted in Inside line in over a year, and his post you responded to is over two years old.

imidazol97

Are you sure the Camry is better than an Impala for gregory's needs and wants? Remember, he had two Honda products.

terry19

2005 Accord having an issue with vibration in the whole car and it is felt in the gas pedal too. Honda dealer thinks its characteristic of the car after they changed the transmission and the problem remains the same. More then that they now claims they don't feel it anymore what a big lie. Anyone having the same problem, Honda quality is going down and they are not doing anything about it. The car had many other problems including and not limited to brakes issues and others from the get go. I beleive this is a lemon car but wondering how many lemon accord are in the market and we don't know about. :mad:

thegraduate

None of our three Accords (All EX I-4) lately have had any major problems (2003, 2005, 2006). Only minor issues like a creaky console lid and an interior rear-view mirror that needed replacing due to a defect (the mirror-glass vibrated in its black plastic housing to the point I'd get sick looking at the car behind me!).

terry19

I guess you need to do more research since there are many people complaining about the same issue. Honda are not better then any car anymore they are getting crapier more and more not like before if you say up to 1992 then I would agree. I have facts and I have been through it already and many parts were replaced including major components so how can you justify saying that there are no major problems when hundreds of accord having this same exact issue.

thegraduate

Because hundereds of cars out of 1.2 million (the approx number of 2003-2006s on the road) is a GREAT track record.

butterflyjones

The truth is there are thousands of Accords out there with major problems. Just do the research and you will find that not only accords but automobiles as a whole are made with more plastic cheaper parts and they have more breakdown than ever before. I've been researching Honda and Toyota, and Mazda for several years and they all are plagued with major problems. Check the forums and also nhtsa.dot.gov and you will see there are many major as well as minor problems with virtually every car built. There are no solutions for many of these problems. Just ask those unfortunate individuals with defective auto trannys in 1998-2003 Accords. :mad: :sick:

akv25

I have a 01 LX V6 which I bought used from my sister in 2004. I am new to the forum and had a question. Has Honda extended the warranty on the tranny? MSN reliability ratings say so.

I recently received a letter from Honda extending the warranty on OPDS. I have never received anything about transmission or EGR valves.

Thanks in advance!

isellhondas

Yeah...right.

" All plagued with major problems"

"there are many major as well as minor problems with virtually evry car built"

So, what is your suggestion? A bicycle?

seniorjose

Do not get upset, there are many forum subscribers who will still be a few years from their ability to buy or drive any automobile. Just ignore them and wish them luck, they are jsut starting in a market for a bicycle...chuckle! The anti-everything crowd made a mistake, they really meant to say "Hyundai" instead of "Honda." Ho, Ho, Ho...Merry Christmas. Chuckle...!

thegraduate

I hope he has a better transmission than the horror stories he proclaims...Better grease up that chain...

(this really isn't directed at seniorjose...)

Truthfully, every car-line will have issues...humans design the cars, and I don't know about you, but the last time I checked, none of us were perfect. If you didn't know that problems existed for every kinda of car, then I don't think you want to search things like "Ford Vehicle Fires".

edyan702

Greetings,

I recently purchased my Honda Accord V6 roughly around Novemeber of 2005. For the most part I haven't really had any problems with the car. I did feel that the car does pull to the right though. But the as of right now !!!! My car engine light came on and I felt the car was stalling for a sec everytime the automatic gear shift up or down. I took the car in the dealership to get it checked out. I was thinking it couldn't be anything major, I mean it's a HONDA for god sake and I only had 13k miles on the car. I was definately mislead by HONDA reputation for being dependable and reliable, cause the whole TRANSMISSION had to be replaced already. I mean what are the odds of this happening. I had over 3 used cars some dating back to the 90's and not one need the transmission replaced. HONDA has really gone down in the quality of there cars. I'm suppose to talk to the manager at the dealership about how I feel w/ my accord having the transmission replaced @ 13k. How should I go about qquestioning him? :lemon:

blane

One problematic transmission does not make a car a lemon. The transmission is a machine. Not all machines are perfect.

Unless there is a problem with the warranty work, why are you concerned?

ar39

I guess he's concerned because the change has knocked down the resale value of his car!

I guess the problem was with a faulty torque converter which could have been replaced instead of the whole transmission. Anyway, as long as you have warranty, you should be safe.

spiff72

I don't know if this is the right thread to post this in, but I have been getting a lot of seat time in my wife's Accord Coupe (she broke her right ankle and can't drive, and her car is easier for her to get in and out of than my truck is).

I love driving this thing - it is very quick! However, I have noticed that when I take my foot off the accelerator and apply the brakes, the downshifting of the transmission is very noticeable as the car slows down. There may be certain downshifts that feel more noticeable, but I can't be sure of this (perhaps the 3-2 or 2-1 downshifts.

Is this "normal" for this transmission? I can't recall ever having a car with an auto transmission that you could feel these downshifts on (at all).

Thanks!

aburd

That's the 'grade logic' of the Honda automatics. It's most noticeable if you're on a downhill grade and happen to tap the brakes-- you'll notice the downshift and increased engine braking. Here's a short explanation from Hondanews.com describing the powertrain:

Grade Logic differs from more conventional computer-controlled shift programming in two important ways: It can determine certain vehicle driving situations and then, based on stored "shift maps," select the appropriate shift points for 3rd-gear/4th-gear upshifts and 4th-gear/3rd-gear downshifts. Four-cylinder engine Accords, equipped with the automatic transmission, have a 2nd-gear/3rd gear, 3rd-gear/4th-gear upshift, and a 4th-gear/3rd-gear, 3rd-gear/2nd-gear downshift sequence. This feature is especially useful when driving up and down long grades and when performance-driving.
.

There's a much more extensive description of grade logic archived at the site (written for the 2000 Prelude, but I'm sure it still applies): hondanews.com

spiff72

I am not sure if that applies to my situation.

I notice this when decelerating for a stop sign or traffic light on flat roads. There is one spot on our morning drive where it is very noticeable. This is a spot where I slow from about 60mph to a rolling stop at a yield sign on the end of a little 45 degree right turn.

As I slow down (somewhere around 30 mph), with my foot on the brake, I can feel the engine downshift and feel that extra engine braking slow the car for a moment. It does seem worse at some times than it does at other times (maybe the rate of deceleration has some effect?).

Does this still sound like it is part of the grade logic?

Thanks for the reply

EDIT: I just looked at the link you posted again, and it does mention that it measures the rate of deceleration. Maybe it think that I am driving in a "sporty" or agressive manner?

thegraduate

This sounds EXACTLY like Grade Logic Control...it works similarly in our 1996 Accord LX and 2006 Accord EX (as well as my dad's 2005 Accord EX).

aburd

I think that's the effect you're seeing. First car I had it in was my '96 Accord. Because of my daily drive (which featured a downhill grade to a very tight right-hand curve into a steep uphill grade) I noticed this feature right away. The automatic in my previous car would hunt between gears on the uphill grade; the 'grade logic' car delayed the upshift (appropriately).

isellhondas

Why would you think having a replacement transmission would affect a car's resale value??

Nothing could be further from the truth!

edyan702

I thank you for reading my posting. And your are completely right ... it does knock down my resale value. I purchased the car for mainly two reasons. 1.) For the RELIABLITY and 2.) RESALE VALUE. And both of my reasons have been affect by this problem. Again thanks for your insight.

zeromitsu

The source of the rattle or clicking noise in my '06 Accord was at the top part (mounted on the chasis) of the right rear shock absorber. I discovered the source of the noise after removing the rear back seat side cushion panel (near the passenger door) covering the top part. Using a camcorder I was able to record the rattle while my wife drove the car. Dealer will replace the shock absorber assembly under warranty.

thegraduate

My dad had the exact same problem in his 2005 EX with 50,000 miles on it. Fixed it for free.