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Honda Accord Problems 2000-2005

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  • 2kaccordv62kaccordv6 Member Posts: 28
    My driver and passenger seats have tears at the seams on the bottom outer portion that wraps around your lower back. Has anyone had these problems before? I think this is the last time I buy leather, or a Honda?!
  • jrct9454jrct9454 Member Posts: 2,363
    ...and no problems at all. Let the dealer do his job and get it fixed.
  • timadamstimadams Member Posts: 294
    It's hard to tell how much vibration you are talking about, milkyway. But most reviews and drivers mention how smooth the Accord is at idle...to the extent that it's hard to tell whether or not the engine is running. I have a V6 Accord, so it's not directly comparable to your 4 cylinder. But my friend's 4 cyl. Accord is quite smooth at idle.

    Changing the idle RPM seems like a half-arsed way of handling a vibration complaint. Complain to the dealer again.
  • ravynravyn Member Posts: 101
    it's not just leather...
    the fabric on my ex on the passenger side came apart at the seams on the seat within a month. took it to the dealer and they repaired it without a question.
  • rlhj2rlhj2 Member Posts: 2
    Does anyone know what the valve clearance is on a 2000 accord sedan 2.3 v-tech? I haven't been able to find an auto manual for this year accord.
  • camryv6camryv6 Member Posts: 42
    One day when I was driving up the drive way and I parked my car. And on the driveway were several drips of power stearing fluid.And under the car.It is driping from the right side of the tire area.I brought it inn to get it fixed and they said it needs a new rack absorber i think. Its something like a shock and all that oil that was in thier leaked out.($400.00 just for partS)So the person that was going to fix it said its needed to be fixed in 1 or 2 months or the stearing is going to get to get harder to turn. And if they fix it the car needs to be aligned and inorder for it to be alined it needs new j.v joints and ball joints. Total cost is omost $1,000.Any advice is great.
  • nato1nato1 Member Posts: 102
    Pidzy, I had the same exact problem about 2 years ago (105k) on my ex-94 honda. The car stalled had it towed home, put in some dry gas (may be bad gas?) it started back up, drove fine for 2 weeks and died. Had it towed to the dealership, replaced the ignitor (and the coil for good measure) and away it went. I didn't have any problems with it after that. I traded it in with ~130k two months ago. So a short story long, the ignitor will last a good while.
  • bburton1bburton1 Member Posts: 395
    Had to take my power steering rack off a 80 accord to replace a rusted cross beam-no rack abosorber on that vehicle. Have a 97 Honda shop manual and there is no rack/shock abosber on that one either. You may have a slight leak in the power steering rack-ther are pistons in there and when Honda's age they start to leak. USE ONLY HONDA power steering fluid. I kept adding PSF to my 80 for years and no problems. These guys sound like crooks to me. It will not become harder to steer unless you let it run out of PSF. If they say they can not alight it without replacing the CV and ball joints-this is another indication of crookery-unless these things are really worn.

    Do not go back to these guys-if they are that big of liars they may sabatoge your vehicle. Wish they lived near me-I would go in and describe some symptoms and then wait for their line of BS and then lay into them. Beware there are crooks out there.
  • ericlarericlar Member Posts: 1
    My wife's 2000 Accord needed rear brakes after just 22,000 miles of mixed highway & city driving. I've seen this in previous threads on older models. I think Honda's cost cutting has gone a bit far. The rear brake pads are thinner than the fronts, and apparently they overshot the mark. I don't think its a brake bias problem as stability (aleit masked by ABS) is good in emergency braking. As opposed to what I've seen in response to previous posts, this is not due to driving around with the parking brake on. That wouldn't effect both rears. They just went too thin. I expect modern pads to wear faster than they did 10 years ago, with better stopping being the tradeoff. But this is excessive. Based on observations with this car, my sisters 1999 civic, and mother-in-laws 2002 civic, Honda's quality is going downhill. Just take a look at consumer reports quality numbers for the last five years. While the car drives very well, there are a number of nagging quality problems. Unlike our previous Honda's we'll be trading this one in before long for another brand.
  • stevem327stevem327 Member Posts: 98
    I don't know what I was thinking today, but I managed to drive away from a shopping mall with my parking brake still applied. I drove for maybe 600 feet at the most, at speeds no greater than 30 mph before I realized it was on.

    After realizing what I did, I decided to drive for about 10 miles to see if I noticed any type of damage. I drove at highway speeds (65-70) and through neighborhoods at 25 mph, made three u-turns, and braked at varying speeds and didn't notice anything unusual. There's no vibration during braking (like you get with warped rotors), the car doesn't pull to one side, and there are no strange noises anywhere. The car only has 1,900 miles on it.

    The owner's manual says driving with the parking brake applied can damage the rear brakes and rear axles. My guess is that no damage has been done, but I'd be interested in getting any feedback from anyone who knows more than I do. Thanks.
  • sw672sw672 Member Posts: 2
    My 89 Accord Dx has been an excellent car, but recent started have idle problems during warm-up, especially on cold (below 40 degree)days. During warm-up the, idle occasionally shoots up to 4000 rpm. Sometime engaging the clutch drops the idle down to 1000, but not always. Once the engine reaches normal operating temperature the car runs fine. Mechanic I called seem to think that it's a problem with the choke. He says that Honda carburetors are very complicated --they have an integrated choke and costly to fix $1000 and up. Has anybody run into this problem and get it fixed successfully without spending big bucks? Any suggestion would be appreciated.
  • spokanespokane Member Posts: 514
    Don't worry about your brakes. Driving 600 feet with the parking brake engaged is not enough to cause any damage - even if the brake had been set so firmly that the engine was laboring to move the car.
  • timadamstimadams Member Posts: 294
    steve, I second the advice to not worry. 600 feet of driving wouldn't be near enough to cause any damage. I'm guessing the owner's manual is talking about someone driving miles and miles where the rotor/drum and brake pads overheat to an extent that damage is done.
  • stevem327stevem327 Member Posts: 98
    I think you're right about the parking brake. I drove to work today (17 miles, half city and half highway) and still didn't notice any unusual sounds or vibrations anywhere while turning or braking, so it looks like I'm okay.

    Luckily I caught myself before 600 feet though. Thanks a lot for your input.
  • bburton1bburton1 Member Posts: 395
    Spending $1k to eliminate this problem suggests your mechanic has a boat payment due. If it really bugs you get another estimate. Sounds reaaaaly high eveen for a dealer.

    maybe a cheap fix available-don't know but did rebuild a carb on an 80 in a couple of hours.
  • miata007miata007 Member Posts: 129
    I own a 2000 Accord V6 sedan. Yesterday, I was inspecting my brakes front/rear. When my brother and I get to the driver-side rear brake. He noticed something wrong. There is a bar about 4in long with a thickness of about a think pen that is broken. What is actuatully broken is the end of the bar, may be a bad welding job or the material is too thin. I am not describing this too well I know. The rear brakes are independent suspension. Each suspension/brake has a few more bars than the front. The short one that is about 4in long is broken here. It can be seen easily once the wheel is removed. The bar is located towards the rear bumper side. I will take it to the dealer tomorrow and have it correct. Does anyone have this problem on their 4 wheel independent suspension Accord? Atleast, I want each of you to inspect all those bars next time when you are working on your brakes. This may lead to stability issues that can be quite serious.

    I will keep you guys posted regarding to this suspension problem.
  • auburn63auburn63 Member Posts: 1,162
    There are several things that could be wrong and really hard to say without diagnosing the car but we have seen a few of the frequency valves go bad that control choke pull off. If all 4 of your idle settings are correct then that would be a good start. The choke is a possibility as well but very few of them go bad. I would try a Honda dealer for the diag and before going in just ask if they have a good carb guy because you don't just want to throw guesses at it you would like to know whats wrong with a good est. Good luck
  • ahughes2ahughes2 Member Posts: 14
    Auburn can you comment on trouble code 43 for a 1991 Accord LX, Fuel Supply System circuit,defective or malfunctioning fuel supply system.
    The scenario is as follows: The car sat for two cold weeks and was hard to stay started. Once it warmed up it ran fine for a week. Then this week it started fine but stalled and immediately re started. After about three miles the check engine light came on and stayed on for that trip. After re starting the light never came back on.
    I checked the code with a jumper wire and got 4 long blinks with three fast ones.
    My question is what are the components to check in this situation? And why does it run fine once it is warmed up? Thank you in advance.

    A.Hughes
  • auburn63auburn63 Member Posts: 1,162
    That code usally leads a bad o2 sensor. If you have not done so try and clear the code and see if it codes back up again, if so then you may want to replace it as usally that will fix it. Good luck
  • lmastrianalmastriana Member Posts: 7
    When ordering a new Honda, they gave me a very low trade-in $2,300 on my 94 Accord EX with 95,000 miles but in very good condition because the ABS light was on. (has been on for long time) They told me the ABS computer was gone and it would be $1,000 to repair. I subsequently found that a TSB had been issued for the ABS light in 94 Accord but I couldn't find full copy of TSB. How do I know dealer is being honest about problem? I was then instructed by another mechanic to go to Honda dealer and have them scan the ABS system and get the trouble codes which would indicate accurate problem. Went to different Honda dealer and he said scan of ABS system can't be done and they would have to do a manual check (1 - 2 hrs) to determine exact problem. Is this accurate? He also said he was not aware of TSB related to this problem. How do I get a full copy of TSB for the ABS light in 94 Accord? I hate to lose so much money on trade-in or selling car outright if ABS problem is minor. Thanks.
  • venanzikvenanzik Member Posts: 72
    does honda require a special 'honda' antifreeze/coolant for its cars? or can a name brand formulated for aluminum radiators work just as well? i have a 92 accord.
  • robshirobshi Member Posts: 1
    i own a 97 SE and it's time for me to get the 90,000 mile maitenance. can anyone recommend a good place besides the dealership in chapel hill?
  • auburn63auburn63 Member Posts: 1,162
    Honda does recomend using their coolant as they say any others may cause damage. Some where in your manual it will say that in a pinch(probably not exactly that word) any coolant will work but as soon as possible change with Honda Coolant...I have known even a few Honda dealers use name brand stuff but if you want to be absolutely safe then follow Honda..
  • sw672sw672 Member Posts: 2
    Thank you for the advice bburton 1 and auburn63. I'll try to find another mechanic knowledgeable with carburetors. And thanks for the suggestion about checking the frequency valve and idle speeds. I'll have them check it out.
  • mikemw1mikemw1 Member Posts: 15
    robshi, do you want to go to greenville sc?
  • cota99cota99 Member Posts: 28
    I recently bought a '96 Accord and it started making lots of noise. It sounds like an old Mercedes Benz with a diesel engine. Little did I know, the previous owner neglected to give the car routine maintenance. I had the ATF, fuel injector fluid and oil changed at Jiffy Lube. They found "metal shavings" when changing the ATF. Also, when I change from Park to D4, the engine seems to jolt. Does anyone know what's wrong?! The car has about 84k miles. Thanks in advance!
  • kcb2kcb2 Member Posts: 22
    I'm car shopping, and have heard the V6 Hondas are having tranny problems. Has this been resolved? What years? I really like the Honda v6 for power and interior over the Nissan Altima 2002. Nissan interior leaves something to be desired although the V6 engine in it has a good rep. What about it? Any V6 Honda folks out there having problems? If this has been discussed maybe someone can refer me to the post #'s as 2000+ posts are a bit much to read through.
  • carguy62carguy62 Member Posts: 545
    In this section (maintenance & repair) there is a quality assurance topic for the Accord. People there will be happy to fill you in.

    FWIW my V6 was just fine....although it got wrecked so I can't comment long term.
  • bburton1bburton1 Member Posts: 395
    Well if Jiffy lube did not use honda ATF-and I can almost bet they did not-you have a problem. READ the manual-you should only use Honda ATF and PSF (power steering fluid). If you are the least bit handy and have an oil drain pan and buy a $5 funnel made for filling AT's with fluid-it is easier to change ATF than oil. Just get it hot first by driving at least 40 miles and use Honda ATF. Mechanics should say "thank you" every time they pass a jiffy lube or similiar place.
  • mikemw1mikemw1 Member Posts: 15
    what ever you had done there would be better if it was undone. i bet they sold you an air filter also.

    tell me what the fuel injector fluid was.

    i hear they also can change the turn signal fluid.
  • auburn63auburn63 Member Posts: 1,162
    The jolt you feel maybe the front motor mount we have seen a few of these go bad and as far as the shavings, I wouldnt worry about them to much as the drain bolt has a magnet on it to gather this debris for you removal at cleaning and it is normal to see some on this.

    Are the noises you hear at or about 1800rpms under load? If so this is just an exaust buzz which is fixable but since it will not hurt anything it isnt worth the money to fix it..let us know...good luck
  • gattgatt Member Posts: 4
    Hi,

    I have an alignment question. I bought my 2002 accord in November and had it realigned 2 weeks later because it kept pulling to the left. After the realignment, it didn't pull anymore, but it still seemed to want to drift to the left when keeping the wheel straight. 2 months later I brought it back to the dealer to have it checked and they realigned it a 2nd time. This car is only 2 1/2 months old with 4600KM! Is this a normal thing? Now after the second alignment, it seems straight on local roads with the occasional drift, but on the highway, I still need to keep the wheel slightly turned to the right to go straight, especially on the fast lane. I learned about the roads being curved, and road crown can cause a car to pull to one side, but I notice it on every highway. Has anyone else noticed this type of steering wheel behavior?

    Any info or advise would be appreciated.

    Thanks,

    Johnny
  • wainwain Member Posts: 479
    Ask around for an independant alignment tech
    take it there
    suspension may be out slightly and factory will not grind on strut holes to fix it.
  • timadamstimadams Member Posts: 294
    kcb2, I have a 98 V6 Accord with 59,000 miles and have had zero problems with the transmission. I have had only one problem with the entire car - I've had the fuel gauge sending unit replaced twice because it read only 3/4 full with a full tank. It was replaced at about 12k miles and again at 55k miles, both times at no cost to me.

    If you read back you will find people who have had bad V6 transmissions. It's hard to tell how widespread the problem is, but it appears to affect a very small number of cars. Honda has been replacing bad trannies, but of course it's still a pain if yours is one of the bad ones.

    My opinion: I would buy the V6 Accord if I liked it - even now, knowing about a few bad trannies out there. If you like the Accord and like the V6 power and smoothness, go for it. You could always have problems with a Nissan, Toyota, Mazda or Ford, as well.
  • bburton1bburton1 Member Posts: 395
    First of all check the easy things. Make certain the air pressure is identical for both front tires and within the spec for the vehicle. Had an old VW bus that pulled left-dealer could not find the problem-finally the sales guy who sold me the van asked if anybody had checked tire pressure. IDIOTS-me included

    Next rotate the front tires from side to side. If it now pulls right-defective tire and this is fairly common. A tire if built incorrectly will cause a significant pull on the side it is mounted upon. They generally get hot and blow.

    Check the brakes by jacking up the car and rotating the tires while in neutral with both front tires in the air.

    Drive on both sides of the road-there is a crown-you will get a slight pull in the direction of the crown both left and right.

    AFter you have done all of the above-then check for indications of damage from being damaged during transport.

    On 4 different honda's, only time I had to align them was after replacing the ball or tie rods.

    good luck
  • gattgatt Member Posts: 4
    Wouldn't the tech who did the alignment check the tire pressure? I drove the car on the highway and it seems to pull to the left while on the most left lane, and then when I drive to the most right lane, it seems to want to pull to the right. The center lane can go either way, but mostly it seems more straight.

    Does this mean that it is normal? This is my first Japanese car. I owned only American cars in the past, without any speed sensitive steering, so I never noticed anything while driving. Then again I never really thought of looking at the steering wheel. Does this mean that every Honda with speed sensitive steering will pull like this depending on the amount of curvature on the road?

    On local roads it seems to be fine, and when I let go of the steering wheel, it does not pull. Am I being paranoid? Should I consider this a real problem, or is this type of steering wheel behavior normal on these highways?

    Thanks again,

    Johnny
  • camryv6camryv6 Member Posts: 42
    My Accord needs a new stearing rack because its leaking power stearing fluid. The parts is just $250.000 plus labor. Is it worth fixing or just trade it in. And will a (power steering conditionar and leak stop) stop the leak.THANX
  • bburton1bburton1 Member Posts: 395
    How much PSF do you have to add-had an 80 that leaked for years-would go through a couple of pints a year. Use only Honda PSF and anything you put in the system would probably kill the pump and blow out the rest of the seals. If it is not leaking a bunch-keep a bottle in the car. It is a pain to take the rack off - been there.
  • timadamstimadams Member Posts: 294
    Your car is definitely steering with the crown in the road - left where the lane drains left and right where the lane drains right, and none on a flat road. That would indicate that it is not "pulling" to one side.

    Can this be improved? It usually can by adjusting the camber and/or toe-in. You'll have to get a mechanic's advice on adjusting these on your car. Maybe Auburn can help.
  • cota99cota99 Member Posts: 28
    Thanks to everybody for the info. I know I shouldn't go to Jiffy Lube, but I lack the skills to make even the most minor adjustment/repair to my car. To auburn63, I hear the noises mostly when I am in park. Thanks...
  • tarheel1996tarheel1996 Member Posts: 1
    Today I had my rear brakes replaced at a Honda dealership in Chapel Hill, the same place where I purchased my 2000 Accord EX. Everyone except the technician there seems to be telling me that it is VERY STRANGE to have to replace my REAR BRAKES at 25k miles. I do drive in stop and go traffic everyday, but wouldn't there be wear on my front brakes if this were due to driving conditions. The technician assures me that there is nothing wrong with the brakes in terms of calipers or rotors because the brake pads were evenly worn on both sides. I don't mind shelling out $200 for the repair if this is truly due to wear and tear, however I am worried that this is going to be a continual problem and I plan to keep my Accord until well past 100k miles. Has anyone had a similar problem or can you lend advice?
  • jmtreetopjmtreetop Member Posts: 130
    I have heard and read on here that the pads on the rear of Hondas are thinner than the front and usually wear out around 25-35k miles depending on conditions. I would continue to use Honda brake pads though since I have heard horror stories about using aftermarket pads. I am only at 10k miles right now so I can't speak from experience yet on the new Hondas
  • robr2robr2 Member Posts: 8,805
    I replaced the rears on my 98 at 30K. I as told by the Honda tech the same thing about the thinner rear pads - confirmed by an independent. Suprised me, but I now need to do the fronts at 45K.

    Yes - use Honda pads. I too have hear horror stories about aftermarket pads.
  • alsagelalsagel Member Posts: 1
    I own a 90 Honda Accord. In cold weather I cannot turn the key fully counter-clockwise to the position where the key may be removed. I understand that when the car is in park a solenoid is deactivated that should allow the removal of the key. ALSO, in cold weather I cannot move the shift lever out of PARK. Again, a solenoid is suppose to activate when you step on the brake allowing one to shift out of park. Any ideas as to what needs to be replaced?
  • ravynravyn Member Posts: 101
    at 25k miles, why are you "shelling out $200" for brake repair? shouldn't this be covered under warranty?
  • jmtreetopjmtreetop Member Posts: 130
    Brakes are considered a 'wear and tear' item and are not covered under warranty. This goes along with tires, oil, headlights, etc and other things that are replaced often and on all vehicles.
  • sandman46sandman46 Member Posts: 1,798
    My wife had 16k on her not even year old Altima (2 days shy of a year) and Nissan wouldn't cover the repairs under warranty. Said it was a wear and tear item!
  • mwcarlsomwcarlso Member Posts: 85
    I have a 93 Accord EX with 144,000 miles on it. I have replaced the front and rear brakes twice, the last brake job being done about a month ago. The rear brakes were down to the wear indicators and the fronts were at about 25%. My brakes seem to last about 70k miles. My sister had a 96 Accord EX and the rears were replaced around 60k miles and the fronts at around 90k. I think wearing out a set of Honda brakes in 25k miles is a little excessive but I guess it can happen. See how long the next set of pads last before you say something to the dealer. Hopefully that was just a fluke and this set will last at least 50k miles. I would also recommend that if you have a reputable independent shop around, have them do your general maintenance. Many places will even use genuine Honda parts and they don't charge as much for labor. Good luck.
  • bolivarbolivar Member Posts: 2,316
    There have been several complaints in various areas about the Honda brakes.

    Problems seem to be only on the 'current' generation of cars, which I think would be the 1998 thru 2002 ones.

    The rear disk brakes seem especially prone to wear out quickly. There have been comments that Honda personnel have admitted the thickness of the rear brakes especially have been reduced.

    Honda seems to have gone too far in reducing the brakes thickness.

    And, of course, when pads are needed, people seem to be getting the pitch that the rotors have to be turned during the brake job.

    And, there have also been complaints about warping brake rotors.

    Seems like Honda has really reduced the quality of the brakes too far. But, of course, this is something that leads to a lot of income for their repair service.

    And, I've also been reading in several other car model areas, the short life of braking systems seem to becoming prevelent across many car brands.
  • mikefm58mikefm58 Member Posts: 2,882
    I had a 99 Odyssey that had to have the rear brakes adjusted 3 times and the front pads and rotors replaced due to a grinding noise in the 2.5 yrs and 26K miles I owned it. All were covered on the warranty except the last rear brake adjustment. Pretty [non-permissible content removed] huh?

    I also have a 99 CRV that had to have front pads after 52K miles and 2.5 years, not bad huh?

    I traded the 99 Odyssey in for a 2001 Accord LX 4 cyl. in May 2001, no repairs whatsoever in the first 6K miles and 8 mths.
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