Honda Accord Problems 2000-2005

azhua · May 2005

I know EX is much much nicer.But I am a poor student.I just want a reliable and powerful car.I do not care about the fancy features.So I choose DX VP(the drive out is about $17000 with 1.9APR.Do you think it is a good deal?). Do you think it is ok to have only front stabilizer bar?

Thanks! Viet

kippi · May 2005

I bought an LX sedan (cloth seats) a couple of weeks ago. At first, I was afraid I'd made a big mistake because of the aggressive (and non-adjustible) lumbar support, which made it difficult to find a comfortable (and reasonably upright) posture (though you can adjust the effect a bit by raising/lowering the seat). I even noticed some back and shoulder-blade aches, as the seat seemed to "realign" my posture. The good news: I've driven about 700 miles now, and the driver's seat has become much more to my liking. What started out obnoxious starts to seem supportive. Obviously, it's still too soon to speak of the long run, but at this point I think the seats and I will adapt to each other just fine. And overall, the car is really nice. (The Camry, by the way, also has some seat problems, particularly with lack of thigh support.)

kippi · May 2005

Following on the discussions of oil change intervals, I have a hard time determining whether I should consider my driving conditions "severe," in terms of Honda's recommended service schedule. I live in Los Angeles, so there are a lot of short trips, quite a bit of stop-and-go, punctuated by freeway driving which accounts for most of the miles. (Sometimes the freeway is stop-and-go, or slow-and-go, too. Traffic in Los Angeles has become very thick over the last decade.) The dealer said that LA driving=severe conditions. Is that true, or merely a way to add to their service business?

viet · May 2005

Honda offers one of best seats. Somebody buys Honda only because its seats. I love everything in a Honda.

viet · May 2005

The price you are going to pay is still somewhat high. You should pay that price for an LX. Interest rate 1.9% is good. Stabilizer bars are the major parts which will help you to maneuver your car in a safe manner in most dangerous driving situations. As far as I recall the older Accord DX model does not have A/C.

I used to be a student so many years ago. My honest advice to you is keep shopping around more intensively including purchasing via Honda dealers' internet departments. Internet purchase will be cheaper because the dealers do not have to pay commissions to the salesmen. Good luck and enjoy your Accord. It should last at least 200K miles as mine. My oldest Accord EX 95 has more than 200K miles and it runs beautifully like NEW with a new engine and a new tranny I just put in. It just hops forwards and "SHIFTS" up its tranny real smoothly and real fast. I LOVE ALL MY 4 ACCORDS including my brand-new Accord hybrid 2005 255 HP with less than 3K miles which literally "flies" on the roads.. My youngest 16 year old son always "steals" it in my garage and drives it away with his super heavy right foot even though I gave him my NEW Accord 2002 EX V6 200HP with less than 15K miles. Now, I have to pay horrible gas bills for his GIANT RIGHT FOOT for all of my Accords while the fuel price skyrockets to the moon everyday.

Good luck with your study and your new Accord. I am 100% sure you will enjoy it very much in every "nano-second" of your driving. By the way, what's your college major? Are you male or female?

azhua · May 2005

Dear Viet,
Are you sure $17000 (drive out price,including 7% tax and all fees) is too much for an Accord DX with automatic transmission and A/C? I know recently Honda gives the dealers a lot of incentives. I tried to get a good deal on LX from some dealership.But the best deal is $19400 for a drive out price( I did price-quote through the internet.).That is why I have to forget LX and choose DX VP in order to save me more than $2000 money.
What I want to make sure is that this DX car without rear stabilizer bar will not affect my normal driving. Since I am not a crazy driver, I think it is not a big deal if it not affect my driving on normal highway,do you think so?Can you give me a sure answer on this?
I major in Genetics. I am in University of Georgia,the home of Bulldawg football team.I am a male.Thanks for your patience to answer me.You have a good day!

dwynne · May 2005

You can (or could) get the LX with auto from a GA dealer for about $18k. I (personally) would pay the extra $1k to get the LX added stuff. If you just can't. go the extra $1k then get the DX and don't worry about it. I would guess a good price on it would be closer to $16k. E-mail me via my profile and I can pass along contract info for an Atlanta area dealer that deals real cheap.

Keep in mind that we are at the start of a new month. Honda had a $600 incentive in March on Accords and $750 for April. I have no idea what they will do for May, if anything. So the prices now may ber higher.

Dennis

dhoff · May 2005

Kippi, I'm heartened to read your post on the seats. I just bought a new Accord EX cloth Friday night, and I love it so far except for the seats! I did not notice anything on the test drive, but now the lumbar support seems too high and hard. My back is hurting now, but I'm not sure if it is the seats or coincidence just yet. I'm going to give it a month or two and if it's still a problem I'll have to look at modifying the seat foam. I'm hoping it won't have to come to that though. My kids are loving the sunroof!

Dave

viet · May 2005

Hi Azhua:

You may want to get in Honda website (link below)

http://www.Honda.com

to follow up with info. on rebates/ incentives. Also, you may want to sign up in Honda's "Owner Link" below after you buy the Accord to get updated info. on scheduled maintenance, recalls, etc..

https://www.ahm-ownerlink.com/login.asp?brand=honda

Good luck and enjoy your brand-new Accord. I believe you are in good (Dennis') hand now.

isellhondas · May 2005

The fact the Value Package lacks a rear stablizer bar is no big deal. a lot of cars don't have one and unless you are a very hard driver you'll never be able to tell the difference.

mrbill1957 · May 2005

Give the seats a little time. I just drove a 4 1/2 hr trip in my EX-L and the seats felt great. I was also concerned when i first got the car that the seats were very hard, but after 2000 miles, the seat (at least the drivers side) seems better. I wonder if they can be related to buying a new couch, it takes time for the foam rubber to soften up. I have noticed in my 95 Tacoma that the drivers seat feels good, but the passenger seat feels rock hard. I very seldom have passengers in my truck, which to me, shows that they do take a little time to break in.

Good luck

Mrbill

rcc8179 · May 2005

I have taken the trip piece off a couple times and I struggled with it both times. What I think worked best for me was to (1) remove the seat belt anchor bolt, (2) pull back the weatherstripping on both the front & rear doors, (3) try to pull both the upper & lower trim pieces back at the same time as if they were one piece - pulling from the middle. There are a couple tabs that fit behind the headliner that help hold the top piece in place. You may need to force the headliner behind it--it's pretty flexible, I don't think you'll rip the headliner.

The last time I did it, I was able to pull the trim pieces out far enough to get my hand behind it to apply some felt tape. According to my service manual, the only clip in the upper piece is the one near the top. There are a couple clips on the lower piece near the bottom and a couple hooks that catch the sheet metal.

Good luck.

hermann · May 2005

Hi Lexie

I have a LX 4-cyl with automatic I have noticed that when I accelerate slowly I also seem to feel what you are talking about. But anything faster than little old lady acceleration seeems OK.

richards38 · May 2005

The car is under warranty, so why not let the dealer do all of that? :surprise:

stevec10 · May 2005

I bought my LX sedan with cloth seats last August and during our test drive the seats felt firm but not uncomfortable. However, after purchasing the car and driving it on several trips to visit our sons, one is a 180 mile round trip the other is 320 miles, both my wife and I have experienced a great deal of discomfort. I drive the car to work 16 miles each way every day and the driver seat is still uncomfortable. I like the Accord regardless of the seats but we drive our other car for trips over 30 miles. I use the Accord strictly for traveling to work and back.

lastwraith · May 2005

Only having a front stabilizer bar is fine, there are plenty of cars that do not offer a front or a rear. You will probably not notice the difference of having only one versus having both in everyday driving unless you are a particularly "spirited" driver. If you are that worried about it, you can always add one to the rear later on. It is not very difficult to do. Also, you can add strut tower bars to increase the rigidity in the front and the rear.

Here is an article on edmunds with some basic descriptions:

http://www.edmunds.com/ownership/techcenter/articles/43852/article.html

good luck and enjoy your new car

wirwin · May 2005

Most of the comments here about seats seem to concern the lumbar support which doesn't bother me at all.

My problem (on a new 4cyl EX-L) is with the seat cushion or rather the two side supports that run along the edges. No matter how I sit these are always pressing into my thighs.

swoop · May 2005

I own a one month old 2005 Accord EX and noticed that the paint
on the engine mount is cracking. Anyone else notice this?

http://www.swaroop.net/accord/mount_crack4.jpg

http://www.swaroop.net/accord/mount_crack1.jpg

http://www.swaroop.net/accord/mount_crack2.jpg

http://www.swaroop.net/accord/mount_crack3.jpg

Thanks,

viet · May 2005

Those people who complaint about Accord's seats should try Chrysler PT Cruiser's seats.

blane · May 2005

swoop:

Engine mounts are, by design, quite flexible. They are made out of rubber-like plasticised material to absorb engine vibrations that would otherwise be transmitted to the car's body.

Paint is quite rigid. Spraying a very thin coating of a rigid material onto a flexible material will result in the condition that you are observing. The paint that is cosmetically applied to the engine compartment covers all surfaces, both hard metal and flexible plastic. It's totally normal for the paint to flake off the flexing components.

blane · May 2005

I don't care for mushy GM-soft seats.

jimex · May 2005

I, too, have noticed it's the seat cushion side supports and not the lumbar support was the issue. These supports did press against my thighs, especially the left one. But I have found out that if I reposition myself towards the middle of seat that pressure went away. The seat kind of forced me to slightly change my sitting postion (probably for the better). Now the seat doesn't bother me at all and it's quite comfortable..

Also if you carry your wallet in your rear pocket, that doesn't help.

Hope this helps.

tntitan · May 2005

I am 6'3" and have back problems which require me to sit with the seat fairly upright...especially on trips. I have an '03 LX Coupe and the seats are precisely why I bought this vehicle. The seats are very supportive and yet I still have enough headroom (a problem that eliminates about 90% of all vehicles on the road for me).

Paint issues..........chips are a problem on most Hondas due to the low profile of the front end - not because of inferior paint. Any vehicle that gets a chip that goes to the metal will rust if not repaired. Any vehicle's paint will scratch, swirl or mar if you have poor washing techniques or set objects on your paint.

mrbill1957 · May 2005

If you look at new Accords on the showroom floor, they also have cracking as you describe. As stated before, there is some sort of coating over them, I'm not sure if it truely is from Honda painting the engine compartment, to me it looks like the mount assembly may have been painted before it is attached to the car. The rubber may have been molded around a metal piece, and they painted it for the metal's sake, and didn't shield the rubber from being painted. If you see cracks that are deeper then just the surface, you may have a failing engine mount, but I doubt that this would be the case.

yanker · May 2005

I have an 03 Accord EXL. Feel along the right hand side of the driver seat back and if find a lever move it. I think it is a lumbar support lever albeit a manual one.

viet · May 2005

I drive my Accord straight 7+ hours with my wife on her passenger seat with no problems. My wife said Accord seats are far superior to Chrysler Cruiser PT's seats.

tony20 · May 2005

I am not getting fuel to carburetor of 1987 Honda accord. Car has been sitting about 4 years. any sugustions . :sick:
SUV

c_lam · May 2005

I bought my 2005 Accord EX (automatic transmission) several months ago. Every morning, I back the car out of the driveway, put the gear in 'drive' and as the car accelerate, I notice a low, metallic, 'clunking' sound coming from the engine/transmission area. It's almost as if the gear and the flywheel 'click' and give out this distinct sound. It happens almost all the time. I experimented with different driving procedures (e.g., make sure the car come to a full stop before shifting into 'drive') but nothing seems to work. I only notice this 'clunking' sound in the morning. Otherwise, the car runs great. A friend of mine who bought a 2004 Accord LX told me that she also notice the same noise occasionally. Does anyone have the same problem? Is this normal for new cars (I haven't driven a new car for a long time and the Accord is a step up from my 1997 Civic)? Thank you.

viet · May 2005

I got same small "metallic clanking" noise with my Accord hybrid 2005 when I first start the engine and depart the car in the morning. One time in early morning and second time when I leave work at 3PM. A guy said that Honda dealer told him that's "the characteristic of the car".

jimex · May 2005

Since the car has been sitting for 4 years, chances are any gas that was left in it's fuel system has turned to varnish, from the fuel tank to all the fuel lines leading up to the carburetor, including the filter and fuel pump. You need to check all these....they need to be either cleaned out or replaced.....here again, it could be one or a combination of a number of things, check the whole system.

bdyment · May 2005

I believe this sound is the ABS self check. It usually happens after engaging drive and going down the road a few feet.

neumie2000 · May 2005

I, too, have the transmission noise. I have an 03 and it has done it since new. This is not the low hum of the anti-lock break system, it happens when the car is first shifted into drive in the morning. I have 20K trouble free miles, so I would not worry too much about the clunk....it appears to be normal.

jimex · May 2005

I just got a 05 EX, and have not noticed this sound as of yet, but my old Acura Legend did make that sound and had no transmission problems what so ever. I was told that this sound is normal for a Honda transmission, which, compared to other manufacturers, is a bit different. You should be fine.

tony20 · May 2005

Thanks for your insight, I have cleaned out the lines and filters , I have got the car started but the alternator is not working, with this additional information would this also have an effect on having enough power to operate the pump once the car starts and the car is running off just the battery? by the way how do you get to the alternator to remove it?
">link title <a href=" :sick:

rafoil · May 2005

Hi

Have not been on for months so excuse me if this has been discussed.

My new Honda (5000 miles) has experienced this problem several times.

Today when I had to stop in back of a car stopped for a school bus I cruise up behind and applied my breaks. No response until the third try. It was the feeling you get when you are on ice and there is no traction. This has happened twice before when I needed to slow down. each time it did finally stop but only after sevsral attempts. Does this have anything to do with :confuse: pumping breaks?

Any thoughts are welcome. Any one else have this. I am going to the dealer friday.

Ralph

c_lam · May 2005

Just want to thank everyone for your quick response. This is very helpful.

tntitan · May 2005

I would be very afraid to drive ..... what you are describing is classic master cylinder failure. This would be covered by your warranty but I don't know if I would want to drive it to the dealership. Be very careful.

mrbill1957 · May 2005

I also hear a noise in my 04 Accord. I need to verify if it happens before or after I shift, but in my case, I also hear it in the morning, but for me, I am backing up, not starting out in drive. Has anyone else heard the noise when first starting out in reverse?

I also have another issue that I have noticed, and am wondering if anyone else has the same problem. When first starting out in the morning, I get a slight acceleration/deceleration in the movement of the car that lasts for about a second. This happens without pressing on the gas. I'm not sure yet if the engine RPM's increase during that time, or is it transmission related. It happens in reverse as well as going forward. It's mostly annoying, and I don't think it could be a safety hazard, but would like to have it corrected.

Sound familiar?

chucko3 · May 2005

With a fully charged battery, yes. But not for long.
To remove the alternator for the 3rd generation Accord is a tough one.
You need to remove the driver side's driveshaft to get to the alternator.
That's why it costs so much to replace the alternator.

chucko3 · May 2005

You meant pumping the brakes? Yes. I did that a couple times with my 03EXV6 and felt like the brakes not working. It's a habbit when I drive my 89LXi which doesn't have ABS.
Just apply the brake pedal firmly and hold it. Let the ABS do its work.
Also don't apply the brake pedal firmly, release it, then apply firmly again you may feel the brakes a bit grabby.
Just a thought.

yoribe1 · May 2005

I own a 2003 Accord LX with an automatic. I have also been getting the clunking sound when reversing the car and again immediately after shifting into Drive. My dealer says the sound comes from the brake shoes disengaging, but I am starting to think it's coming from a loose or defective transmission/motor mount. I have driven many other brands of cars (Toyota, Mazda, Ford, GM rentals) but none of them made this kind of noise in similar situations, and I do not think the sound is "normal." I'd like to get to the bottom of this sound before my warranty runs out and would appreciate any input on the cause of this sound.

Thank you! :confuse:

tran1 · May 2005

I have a 2005 LX/Auto that is about a month old and I am seeing the same problem. The car accelerates very briefly either in forward or reverse when first putting it in gear after starting the car. It is more noticeable when cold since the engine idles at a higher RPM.

I also hear the same noise you hear. It happens once after starting the car, putting it in gear and then letting off the brake. There are other messages in this forum about that same noise.

Not sure if these are 'normal' or not. Has anybody taken theirs to a dealer for the same problem? What was the response?

Thanks

lexie · May 2005

I am not sure if we are experiencing the same thing. I find the ride to be really choppy especially in the first gear. I noticed that it jerks forward a bit and decelerate before it accelerates. - I notice the ride more choppy when it cold outside. I also notice the RPM jumping quickly to 3 and then dropping rapidly to 2 without me lifting the foot off the gas pedal. Not at all smooth. When it is warm, the ride is fairly smooth. I experience the slight jerk going up hills and also just on even pavement. I also noticed that when I am parked on a incline, I hear a loud click when I put it in reverse. I had this problem with my previous car and it was the heatshield banging on the exhaust. I am wondering if this is the problem or if they are placed too close to each other.

hermann · May 2005

No problems here. In fact I sit in them to listen to the local major league baseball games because they have a marvelous lumbar support.'

pacdecimal · May 2005

Made a BBB complaint against San Francisco Honda in regards to diagnosis of "check engine" light.

Honda of San Francisico diagnosed the codes as P1166 and P1167, both related to Oxygen sensor for heating system.

Honda of San Francisco said the OS were good, but the ECU may have the problem, which they were not sure of, and stated that it will cost additional $386.00 to check the ECU system, even though, I found out later that the ECU is covered under the 8/80,000 miles warranty. I took back my car($120.00 for OS check) after the service advisor started giving me a turn around story, fees there and potential fee of $386.00 without 100% knowledge of what the symptoms were.

Took the car to Grace Honda and they found P1166 and P1167. Grace replaced the primary oxygen sensor and the problem went away.

Honda of San Francisco is stating that they did perform the proper analysis and found the O2 sensors to be good, and further inspection was needed, contrary to Grace Honda's inspection.

madams9 · May 2005

I have a 99 Honda Accord and my CEL light came on. Instead of paying the
dealer $95 (just to read the number) to check it out I purchased a reader and it comes up with P1457.
I have done some searching and reading and for the most part it looks like
it is the CVS (Cannister Vent Shut Valve?) that is probably causing the
problem.

I found a place on the web that sells honda parts. The person on the phone said to purchase numbers 6, 8, and 52 off
the chart (http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/auto/jsp/mws/prddisplay.jsp?
inputstate=5&catcgry1=Accord&catcgry2=1999&catcgry3=4DR+LX&catcgry4=KA4AT&catcgry5=FUEL+PI- PE)

Has anybody fixed p1457 on their own? Looks pretty simple, is it?

BTW, I already tried tightening the gas cap and that hasn't worked.

Thanks for the help

viet · May 2005

No problems to all of my Accords too. Driver seat of my oldest Accord 95 is worn and torn off a bit but it is still very comfortable to me. Leather is thick and lasts long.

bobst · May 2005

We have a 1999 Accord. Our CEL came on over a year ago.

When I unscrew the gas cap, there is no suction from the gas tank. Therefore, I assume the evaporative control system is to blame.

The car passed the emissions inspection in Virginia, so I didn't think there was anything really serious to be concerned about. I put a piece of black tape over the CEL light. The car has run perfectly since that time.

On another web site, I read stories about people complaining they spent hundreds of dollars to get their CEL light to go off, but it kept coming back on. Well, I ain't about to let some stupid little light make me have a bad day. I chose to ignore it.

Maybe whatever is causing the CEL light to stay on will damage the catalytic converter, costing hundreds of dollars to replace. On the other hand, maybe it won't. I feel like living dangerously.

chucko3 · May 2005

Have you tried to reset the CEL by disconnecting the battery for a minute or so?

hondalova · May 2005

I have a noise on my '04 EX-V6 manual. When I let the clutch out at around 2000-2500 rpm, I get a hissing/squealing sound from the tranny - I sometimes hear it while driving alongside a building or a soundproof wall or barrier (anything that'll reflect sound back to me in the driver's seat). It sounds like a bearing in the transmission.

I've also felt an occasional crunch or rattle in the clutch pedal. Car vibrates when accelerating and cold until I've gone a mile or two and tranny binds up under hard acceleration at times as well. Are these related or multiple problems? Anybody else had any of this?

Honda Accord Problems 2000-2005

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles

Your Privacy