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Honda Accord Quality Control Issues
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Sso, I don't think that it's just a Honda specific thing...it's the price we pay for the world we want to live in
Anyhow be glad you don't own one of those Chryslers or older GM product where the paint just peels off.. there's an example of each of those in our company's parking lot that I see every day. Sheets of paint missing....
It usually starts out as a "clunk" sounding in reverse then gradually gets worse. Then you start noticing minor hesitation between gears when accelerating. Eventually this minor hesitation develops in major hesitation. Then finally, your transmission ceases to operate.
The dealership that replaced both of my transmissions does this type of work on the V-6 often. It is not limited to any specific year and it has occurred in all V-6 models from 1998 on!
Well, my problem with my V-6 Accord was alleviated when I traded mine in after the second transmission was replaced.
I know the Accord is supposed to be a good car but there are several things on it that really annoy me. First, when driving down the interstate with the cruise control set I can feel the AC cutting on and off (not so on the Camry). Even though the Accord is suppose to have more horsepower I firmly believe the Camry (4 cylinder also) will accelerate faster than the Accord. I just found out yesterday that the transmission has to be replaced...it started making a funny noise while I was on vacation in the front and the technician said it was the transmission (the first time I took it in a technician said it a tire even though the noise didn't move when the tires were rotated). He then stated that "You're not the first on with this problem" like it has happened quiet a bit.
It has been over 4 years and this problem is still present. Honda needs to address this problem on its new 2003 Accord if it hasn't already done so.
The V-6 also gets new transmissions with all sedans.
I personally feel Honda is telling us something regarding the 6th Generation Accord's transmission. I can paraphrase it in simple terms---"There were problems and now they are corrected".
What is every ones opinion? I would especially like to hear from isellhondas!
It is a shame that Honda hasn't shared this information with its customers. Indirectly, you can find the information at the NHSTA website in large numbers.
A major re-design, obviously. What does this have to do with "There were problems and now they are corrected"?
This new transmission may have worse problems than the previous one.
Wouldn't the 5-speed auto in the '03 Accord be essentially the one from the TL/CL, which also has a bit of a checkered history.
Overall, you look back at a Honda 10 years ago and look at the 2002 Accord and you will notice suttle changes as cost cutting measures. The bottom line is important to Honda America.
The one change that is highly noticeable is the paint issue. I for one am not happy about this cost cutting move.
When the transmission was replaced the car drove horribly. Couldn't climb hills, didn't shift well. Felt like the engine and transmission from my old 1999 Mazda Protege was in the vehicle. I took the car back to Honda 8/5/2002 and they mentioned something about internal stuff failing and needing a new transmission.
This tranmission runs great, it climbs hills well, changes without a hitch, and the car drives like when I drove it off the lot, like a dream.
Question: What would cause the transmission to fail twice? Should I be alarmed? I'm thinking that the something else major may go in the car, and my warranty is almost up. Why doesn't Honda warrant their drivetrain for 50k like most other manufactures?
Thanks for your input.
XheVoice
But I don't care..I'm thick skinned!
I still maintain that these transmission problems are few and far between. Of course, there will always be transmissions that act up in any car. We have to remember that these forums will attract the horror stories and tales of woe.
And, yes, the 2003 Accords will have a different transmission that will be a five speed automatic. I don't think this was because of "problems" but is, instead, simply an improvement. I hear it'll be silky smooth.
Honda transmissions have always had a firm shift. Now, for me, I always thought this was a good and not a bad thing from my old street racing days.
Others disagree and I think this may be one of the reasons Honda is changing the transmission.
Hondas have always been know for more road noise than, say a Camry. I understand that the 2003's will be MUCH quieter. We shall see.
I've lost a few sales to Camry because of the softer ride. This is something that I hope does NOT change since a lot of us think the Camry is has mushy handling compared to the Accords.
I would never buy any car with a 3year/36K power train warranty ever again. Honda needs to be competitive in this field with the likes of Toyota and VW.
You would think it would be time to let this go but I guess this has become a crusade of sorts...so be it.
I don't doubt the story at all but maintain this was pretty unusual.
Hopefully the replacement Toyota will be perfect.
I have a 2001 Honda Accord EX. I took the car in for its 30k preventive 6/2002 and the mechanic informed me I was leaking transmission fluid. I took the car into Honda. They mentioned something about a gasket, a leak and replacing the transmission.
When the transmission was replaced the car drove horribly. Couldn't climb hills, didn't shift well. Felt like the engine and transmission from my old 1999 Mazda Protege was in the vehicle. I took the car back to Honda 8/5/2002 and they mentioned something about internal stuff failing and needing a new transmission.
This transmission runs great, it climbs hills well, changes without a hitch, and the car drives like when I drove it off the lot, like a dream.
Question: What would cause the transmission to fail twice? Should I be alarmed? I'm thinking that the something else major may go in the car, and my warranty is almost up. Why doesn't Honda warrant their drive train for 50k like most other manufactures?
Thanks for your input.
XheVoice
I am not the only one with this problem isellhondas. Thought all of you would be interested in this post.
I think everyone can make their own conclusions regarding this issue.
Fact #1: Honda sells over 400K of the Accord a year. That's over 2,000,000 Accords over the 5 year run of the 6th Gen. Accord. That's a lot of sales year in and out for a car with such a bad tranny problem, woudln't you say?
Fact # 2: Honda Accord has been in the top 2 of auto sales for every year since 1989. Do all these buyers and repeat buyers come back due to the fact that the Accord is unreliable and has a bad tranny that will often fail?
Fact # 3: Honda Accord has a very high resell value, as can be verified with Edmund's True Cost to Own figures. Is the bad tranny problem the Accord supposedly has the reason why it's resale is so much higher compared to other top sellers such as the Taurus?
Fact # 4: The Accord is a car that is made by man & machine. It is not perfect, nor are all examples of it perfect. Nor is any other car. Anything man made will have problems, some more than others. If you believe that the Accord has problems, feel free to check out other manufacturers and their cars. There is a reason why the Accord is a top seller every year for such a long time.
Fact # 5: The vast majority of these Accord owners DO NOT have tranny problems!!! Half a dozen or so different people (yourself included) that have posted here with a problem does not make bad tranny epidemic at Honda.
Fact # 6: The majority of people who post to a consumer site (like this one) will post about questions/problems. They do not typically post about not having problems. This will amplify a small amount of people that had legitimate problems (like you did) into looking like a larger problem.
Rbruehl, you had a bad experience, all of us accept that, as should you. While we can appreciate your problems, the facts DO NOT SUPPORT that what you experienced is the norm for Honda Accords.....period!
Since Honda's are so reliable, it wouldn't cost them anything in claims to provide the longer warranty, so why don't they? (I'm not bashing, I own an '00 Accord EXV6. If *I* have tranny problems, then I'll start bashing.
If more reviews pointed out the difference in warranty, I bet it would get changed fairly quickly. Many reviews about VW's commented about the 2/24k warranty, and that got changed.
Like I said, you get burned twice---its time for a change and I made mine.
Fact #8--Honda needs to address their power train warranty as it favors Honda and not the customer. If they are so reliable, why don't they make a 5 year/ 60K warranty standard. I will tell you why, they are not as reliable as you tend to believe.
It is strange that no one commented on the other post that I found regarding the failure of two transmissions. I guess it was to hard for anyone to believe right?
I was the one with the Civic tranny problem in Beachnut's posting. I want to see your stories about the two transmission replacements you had but couldn't find them among 1400 postings - do you remember the posting numbers?
My Civic has been jerking at low miles for several months. The problem is well documented on the NHTSA database and Honda's TSB. After going back and forth to the dealership three times and spending $300, I may have to replace the tranny and Honda is playing hardball with me because it's after warranty. I'm curious to know how you got them to pay for your repairs. I'm just so annoyed at Honda that I swear I'll never buy a Honda ever again.
Thanks a bunch.
Let's face it, Honda had a problem and I hope they corrected with the new 2003 transmission.
tinkywinky--I suggest you go through all 1400 plus topics to check rbruehl's postings. He would have to do the same to provide you with the post numbers. If that is to long to do, I suggest contacting isellhondas since he knows the incident inside and out and comments on it all the time. Also, you probably could contact rbruehl directly and get the facts first hand.
So if rbruehl anonymously comes out and says he's Elvis that is fact also????? How do we know that rbruehl or lugwrench are not working for the PR department at Toyota and releasing false data about their biggest competitor? Maybe lugwrench was on the grassy knoll as well....
The point is....we don't know, so we have to use common sense and logic when we read all these things out here, such as I tried to present in Facts #1 thru #6. Honda has a perennial bestseller with the Accord for a reason, and making unreliable cars is NOT that reason. If it were, the same fate would have happened to them as has happened to the Olds Cutlass, Buick Regal, Ford Taurus, etc. All were #1 sellers, all failed to hold that ranking due to reliabiliy/durability issues. The cream of the crop of the middle class cars are the Accord and the Camry, and their continued high sales are the results of their reliability & overall great value. If those things weren't true and the Accords really were as troubleprone as rbruehl and lugwrench make it out to be, the Accord ( or the Camry for that matter) would hold those high sales figures for long....period.
I give up.....common sense and logical thinking obviously does not seem to apply here anymore, and that's the REAL fact!!!! You guys can go ahead and believe what you want to believe......
And Rbruehl, not to worry...Xvoice has posted the same message in many forums around here besides this one.
I'm kinda surprised you haven't paid for a billboard the way you keep bring this up ad nauseum!
And I do hope your Toyota is perfect.
Toyota may have some sludge problems
Ford has certainly had a variety of problems
Chryslers haven't been known for stellar quality
Volkswagens aren't so great either
The Koreans are unproven
Who does that leave?
Other companies with problems of their own.
It's a case of choose your poison and take your chances.
Having said that, I think that statistics are still on the side of Honda and Toyota. Having some problems is still better than having a lot of problems.
While no car is perfect, I don't think that anyone can buy any car line with a realistic (note I said realistic) expectation of having zero problems.
I've been following this thread for a long time now, and compared to other threads, the Honda problems - even in the older cars with high milage - generally seem to be less than some other makes.
While this is no comfort to someone who had to have two transmissions replaced, the fact remains that we all have to buy cars sooner or later, and when we do, we have to put our money down and place our bets.
To paraphrase Daymon Runyon, "A Honda ain't always reliable, but that's the way to bet".
Now let's get back to discussing specific problems that people encounter, and how to fix them, and stop all this about how widespread those problems may or may not be.
Since American Honda doesn't share its defects, there is no way of tracking unless it is from someone posting or the NHSTA. I for one have talked to service technicians that have indicated there was a remarkable difference regarding transmission failure rate between the 5th and 6th generation Accords. In simple layman's terms, the service technicians work on a heck of a lot more 6th generation Accords with failed transmissions than the 5th generation.
Honda's transmissions in the 6th generation Accords are not as reliable as previous generations.
Honda owners in general seem to be very defensive when confronting posts that list a continuous series of defects. In general, they don't want to accept it or believe that it actually happens.
I personally think that the new transmission that Honda will be putting into the 2003 Accord will solve the problem.
This is exactly the point people have been making here regarding Hondas 3 year 36K power train warranty. Instead of Honda giving you a 5 year 50K warranty like many other manufacturers, they soak you an extra $1000.00 because their warranty ends at 36K on the power train. This is to give the customer peace of mind for an extra grand.
More and more people are buying the Honda Extended Warranty for peace of mind? It sounds more like knowing something is going to happen to their car and they want to be covered.
Essentially, you are arguing that you think that Honda should raise the price of the car $1,000 an d force all buyers to take the option of the extended warranty whether they feel that they need it or not. However,some will want it and some don't feel they need it.
The whole warranty question is another variation in the theme of "what's peace of mind worth to you?"
Some people argue that, with their lower intial selling prices, GM cars are better deals than Hondas because - even if you have to pay to fix some problems - they are less expensive than Japanese cars. If you don't have to pay to fix anything on on the particular one that you buy then they can come out to be considerably cheaper to operate. The difference is that with a Japanese car the expenses are predictable as they are part of the car payment and maintence schedule and on an American car they can pop up unpredictably.
I conclude it it is all a marketing ploy on Honda's part to entice you to buy the extended warranty.
It's marketing, pure and simple!
Personally, I would be happy to see Honda raise the price of their cars a bit and make the warranties longer. Most buyers would never notice the raise in pricing.
But then I've never been invited to a brainstorming session with their brass either.
We have already built more than six hundred of these 5 speed Accord L4 transmissions, though I don't know any thing about how they will be distributed.
Honda of America does not sell extended warranties-these are offered by a separate company and are sold as insurance policies against which claims are made against the underwriter.
Honda is not in the business of selling warranties.
Their base warranty offered was never intended to encourage nor discourage buyers from purchasing extended warranties. It was a reasonable time period of warranty coverage to cover defects in manufacturing and component parts.
Honda has also been known to offer out-of-warranty repair coverage on certain items, solely at their discretion.
I am not saying that Honda never has design or manufacturing problems which result in cronic problems with their cars. I know that such problems are very costly to Honda, so we are all working to eliminate that sort of thing.
I do believe that Honda would rather pay for your repair for a known issue than have you absorb the cost of repair and lose you as a repeat customer.
Part of the reason I continue to buy Hondas (still have all three Accords-'92,'94,'98) is because I want first-hand knowledge of how well our product is performing. I hope to own a 2003 Accord or newer so I can continue in that tradition.
I look at it this way, Honda's powertrain warranty stinks in the USA. It should be 5 years and 60K. I had to buy the extended warranty through "HONDA CARE" which gives you up to 7 years and 100K with no deductible. It cost me $960.00 which I didn't want to part with. The finance manager told me "it is better to be safe than sorry".
In 1986, my mom looked at the Accord and put down a deposit for one. She changed her mind and got her deposit back. She ended up buying Accord's rival, the Camry.
Well 16 1/2 years and 221,900 miles later with no major problems its now time for my mom to buy a new car. Now I'm an adult trying to help my mom select her "perfect" new car. I also believe you take a chance on any brand but I know that Toyotas & Hondas are most reliable.
The 2003 Accord and 2003 Camry are both on my mom's list ( the Altima is a little too "crude",the Avalon is for "old" people , she is 64 , US cars have too many problems, the Mazda 6 - ? )
By the way I have noticed more 1986 Camrys on the road than 1986 Accords.
If I find something out I'll let you know.
Went with a friend who was looking at Nissan Altimas this past Saturday. One of the first things that came out of the salesman's mouth is that Nissan and he even mentioned Toyota have the best warranty and flatly stated that Honda has the worst. Then he talked about Nissan's 5 year powertrain warranty in detail.
By the way, the Nissan Altima looked good until I got inside the car. They could sure use some interior design lessons from Honda or Toyota. Also, don't sit in the back seat if you are over 6' tall. That sloping roof will hit your head.
I firmly believe Honda needs to address its powertrain warranty. Consumers are starting to wise up regarding what a manufacturer offers in warranties.