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Accords with the manual transmission the clutch needs to be depressed for the engine starter to activate. I am having difficulty with the clutch making contact with whatever is needed for the engine to start. After many tries I can succeed but it obviously needs
maintainence. Thankfully this problem does not reoccur once car has been initially used for the day.
I am seeking advice from fellow board members who may have experience or knowledge about this issue. Thanks. B.J. :shades:
I am in the process of buying a 2001 Honda Accord EX from a private owner, the car has 120K miles, and the owner says that it is in good condition. I like to know how reliable will this car be at that point? and for how many more miles it will last at a reasonable maintenance cost? I used to own a Chevy Celebrity that lasted up to 280K miles. Appreciate your answer, Many thanks in advance.
If you can get 280,000 out of a Chevy Celebrity that Honda should last forever!
Minivans tend to get overloaded and abused and this was the cause of much of this. Still, for Honda, it was unacceptable.
Sorry; I'm a Honda guy but I'm not buying the "overloaded" bit. Vans have heavier payload ratings and should have heavier-duty transmissions to match. Cars get overloaded too. Ever put 5 men in an Accord? I have, the front seat had 575 pounds alone. Guess what, it was overloaded while still being within seating capacity. I never had a problem (even climbing mountains in Chattanooga), but it was still technically overloaded.
Honda had a period of transmission problems, now they've left that behind and started a new trend of braking problems. Affecting everyone? No; but it's a very un-Honda thing.
Speaking of "un-Honda," my 2006 Accord was fun to drive, but in the end, all the warranty work I had done while I had the car spooked me right out of it once the warranty expired at 63,000 miles.
Fuel economy had dropped by an average of over 10 MPG very suddenly, dealer said no Check Engine Light, so nothing they could do
CD changer
Major unfindable suspension rattle
Auto-off headlamps not working properly (dead battery anyone?)
Center console came apart
Rear-view mirror glass literally fell out of housing
Gas-flap malfunction
Horn broken at 50k miles
Misaligned airbag cover on steering wheel preventing horn operation without pushing REALLY hard -- seperate from the actual horn that broke.
That said, I sold the Accord, got an 09 V6 Sonata with lower miles and more equipment than my EX Accord 4-cylinder, and left without a car payment.
Honda needs to focus on quality once again. I still have my 1996 Accord with 217k miles and it is a tighter vehicle than my 2006 ever was.
We would get Odysseys in our shop that had Class 3 hitches on them, along with roof racks. Interiors looked like they had been lived in and after 100,000 miles, the transmission fluid looked like it had never been changed.
Of course, severe usage is going to contribute to early failure of a transmission.
Yes, they did have some failures areat were well above the norm for Honda but Honda stepped up to the plate and replaced transmissions that were well beyond the warranty period. People don't talk about that much.
I started selling Hondas in 1995 and did this until I retired in May. I can honestly say I never noticed any decline in quality during that time. Our 2007 Accord has been flawless without one warranty repair.
Having said this, Honda is faced with a lot of tough competition. More than they ever had in the past. The Korean cars that we scoffed at have improved markedly and others are breathing down Honda's back.
People have short memories and being loyal to one brand is a thing of the past.
Honda can't let quality slip. They have to maintain their edge.
Really? Honda has long been known for transmission problems and not just in the odyssey. They had a class action lawsuit against them on the accords in the late 90s and early 2000s. My 2000 4 cyl accord had FOUR automatic transmissions in it.
In fact, honda's class action lawsuits (plural) have mostly been for transmissions - including the odyssey class action lawsuit(s).
One other thing you want to be aware of on the accords is the motor mounts. The accord also has a history of front motor mount problems.
I never heard of a class action suit on Accords and I never, once heard of an early transmission failure on a 4 cyl Accord. Maybe after 200,000 miles.
Most of the problems were limited to Odysseys and a few V-6 Accords.
Four transmissions in a 4 cyl? Even I couldn't go through that amny when I was a reckless teenager!
Of course, severe usage is going to contribute to early failure of a transmission.
All usage situations that I can relate to cars (A '93 Civic, a Subaru Legacy with a loaded roof-rack and a used U-Haul frequently behind it, and a friend's Pontiac Grand Prix all come to mind).
I started selling Hondas in 1995 and did this until I retired in May. I can honestly say I never noticed any decline in quality during that time. Our 2007 Accord has been flawless without one warranty repair. -Congrats; my dad's '07 Civic with the rear-suspension/tire-eating problem and my '06 Accord are 2-for-2 in being noticeably lower in quality than their counterparts of 10 years ago. I'm done with Honda for awhile.
Having said this, Honda is faced with a lot of tough competition. More than they ever had in the past. The Korean cars that we scoffed at have improved markedly and others are breathing down Honda's back. Good. Maybe this will help Honda turn things around from their odd exteriors and their quickly-becoming-dated feature and powertrain options. 5-speed Auto + 162 lb-ft of torque at 4,400 RPM + 3,400 lbs = Underwhelming around town performance by today's standards. And come on, $24,905 and no USB/iPod integrated hookup? They're kissing their younger buyers goodbye with that.
People have short memories and being loyal to one brand is a thing of the past. True. Too many good options out there now to limit one's self to a specific make.
Honda can't let quality slip. They have to maintain their edge. They've already slipped back into "decent" from "exceptional." I hope they quit slipping further and start climbing, learning a thing or two from *gasp* Ford and Hyundai.
I apologise for veering somewhat off-topic here. Would you like to continue the conversation elsewhere? I'll gladly follow.
2 automatic transmissions thru the years....yet he still loves it.
Styling on the '98-02 Accords seem better than current models but I like the new Civics.
Maybe the key is to find a way to make an automatic from a "good" years model work in
a model thats prone to failure. It can be done but I don't know about cost$?
I am glad I like sticks as I've had no problems. :shades:
Rear suspension problems on Civics is something else I've never heard of.
I never heard of a class action suit on Accords and I never, once heard of an early transmission failure on a 4 cyl Accord. Maybe after 200,000 miles.
Most of the problems were limited to Odysseys and a few V-6 Accords.
Four transmissions in a 4 cyl? Even I couldn't go through that many when I was a reckless teenager!
I am in my 50s and have owned quite a few cars - to include some real crap when I was a young soldier and when I was a college student. I have NEVER abused anything I owned and I have never been ticketed for anything. To this day, the accord is the only car I have ever had a transmission problem with - FOUR of them in less than 100k miles. I know others with 4 cylinder accords with the same issue. I realize you're retired and not interested in a dogfight. Neither am I. But I can't imagine you working for honda and not knowing about the class action lawsuits on accord transmissions in the late 90s and early 00s (for 4 and 6 cyl accords) or the current class action lawsuits (I believe they have started) on the latest generation accord brakes. Honda has historically made very good cars, but their transmissions have been their weakness and I believe it is the case to this very day.
We bought a new car this year and the first car we considered was the accord - primarily for reliability and resale value. We did not want another 4 cylinder so my wife and I drove the 6 cyl and we did not like the constant on and off of the VCM. It felt like the a/c constantly switching off and on even though the a/c was turned off. Between two dealerships, we drove three of them and they were all the same. Both salesman said they had no idea what we were talking about and had never heard of that issue. At the second dealership, I spoke with the service manager and he was very aware of what I was talking about. He said it bothered some people and others it did not. My son has recently purchased a 6 cyl accord and he feels the VCM switching off and on, but it doesn't bother him as his chevy pickup does the same thing and he is used to it.
I think honda has historically made excellent cars, but I think other manufacturers have caught and/or surpassed honda. Although I did not buy a sonata, I believe the hyundai sonata is a better car than the accord. I never thought I would say that and I never thought I would buy a hyundai before a honda, but if it was narrowed to those two cars I would have bought the sonata! Different strokes for different folks.. that's why they make chocolate and vanilla.
Having said this...I'm trying to remember even one instance where I heard of a premature transmission failure on a 4 cylinder Accord and I can't. I sold them for 14 years and I was in constant contact with my huge customer base and our Service Department. I don't doubt that you somehow went through FOUR transmissions but I have never EVER heard of such a thing
In another forum, people were complaining about the VCM on V-6 Accords and I had a customer switch from buying a V-6 to a 4 cyl because of this. I was dumbfounded since I had never heard of such a thing. I immediatly went to our Service Managers and asked if this was a problem and they had no idea what I was talking about. When our Factory Rep visited our store the next week he had no idea what I was talking about either.
So, on my day off, I took one out on the road. Try as I did, I couldn't replicate this "problem" even when I tried a second car.
I sold, literally, hundreds of V-6 Accords and never once did I have a customer mention this.
I went back into that forum and expressed my views and about got booted out of there. To this day, only in these forums have I heard of such a thing.
Somehow, I doubt if you believe me but if you knew me on a personal basis I think you would.
Are Hondas perfrect? Of course not. I would much rather take my chances on a new Honda than a Hyundai. Never a fan of the Korean makes but I know they have made huge strides in recent years. Still, they can and will have problems too.
BTW, I don't understand nor did I know about any class action lawsuits. Anyone can start one of these. I watched over and over as Honda extened warranties when there was evidence that something may have been a problem. Odyssey transmissions were a good example of that.
Never a ticket? Wish I could say that!
Not my dime, but I also have a 4 cyl accord that's had multiple transmissions in it - covered because of a class action suit. Anyone can start a class action lawsuit, but it's pretty rare unless a lot of people are having the same problem and getting stonewalled by a company!!!!! When you watched over and over as Honda extended the warranties.... well, that was a result of the lawsuits!!!! It was part of the settlement!!!! The reason for the lawsuit was people were having transmission problems and honda would do nothing about it (accord and odyssey). Just like the brake problems of the 2008-2010 accords. Honda did its best to avoid responsibility and were taken to court with a class action suit.
It doesn't take a class action lawsuit for Honda to extend a warranty. I watched them do that many times especially when the customer was a loyal service customer. We would present our request to our factory rep. We would show evidence of good maintenance and he would usually OK the repair.
Again, I doubt if those with problems believe me but transmission problems on four cylinder Accords are NOT common.
If you are a person affected, obviously it's a BIG problem.
In any event, I would definatly take it in because if it happened once, it'll probably happen again.
I learned that people who have a lot of keys on their key ring then to wear out ignition switches. Makes sense with the extra weight swinging back and forth over time.
And I only keep the alarm on the key ring.
It's really not a common problem unless your ten year old Accord has a lot of miles on it?
Having it cut out at the worst possible time could be a real problem so I hope the switch fixes it!
I don't understand your second sentence. But my Accord is somewhat low mileage at 104,000. Common problems can occur early on or later on in a cars life.
If your Accord had 250,000 miles than I would think a bad switch would be more possible.
If this is, indeed, a "common" problem I think I would have heard of it.
Good lucj with your fix!
I'll keep you guys posted on what happens.
I am loathe to go to Honda with this, for I am sure they will find a problem that costs as much to fix as the car is worth.
Thoughts? Experiences?
Thank you.
My clear coat seems to be flaking off on my poor 10 year old Accord. A quick look around the internet seems to indicate that I need a paint job and another clear coat added. YIKES!!!! My main concern is simply that the car resist rusting for as long as possible. I don't have a lot of miles on the car and I don't drive it very much, so I would like it to last for at least 5 more years, if possible.
Thank you
Mrbill
Can you live without ABS? I think that would be the worst case senario. A lot of cars don't have ABS and most of us lived without ABS for years.
If you live in an area without ice and snow, it probably wouldn't be a big deal.
If you're staying in the low 30s MPH, your car likely won't go to 4th anyhow, right?