Honda Accord Problems 2000-2005

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Comments

  • wolverine_xwolverine_x Member Posts: 54
    I had to bring in the car to service just to calm me down because I was obliged to do so since it was loaned to me out of kindness.

    Auburn was right that it was the rear disk doing the noise when reversing. It was totally used up to the metal causing the noise. They had to replace it but the front ones are still 40% OK. Now the other noise that I was hearing from the from left wheel are a different story. It turned out after inspection that it was by a bad shock absorber.Since the car is still under warranty they were glad enough to replace both front shocks. Didnt have to pay anything- except for the brake pads.

    I returned the car back to my friend and he couldnt be happier. He said he knew about the problem but he forgot to brief me about it.

    Problem solved and everybody is happy.

    Thanks Auburn and everyone who responded.
  • kartman0kartman0 Member Posts: 17
    Aside from a couple of driver's door actuators going bad, the brake switch, the ABS accumulator a couple of time, the motor mount, and now, most recently, the ABS modulator AND accumulator ...

    I can see why Honda felt it worthy to place ABS on ALL of its new Accords--guaranteed source of future revenue. The newest quote for the ABS Modulator and Accumulator is +$1700 in parts alone.

    Well, the wife will not be getting a Honda for her next car. Nice car, accept things that rarely get used keep failing and costing us bigtime. The 36-month/36K mile warranty is little compensation when one places 18K highway miles/year on a car.
  • kartman0kartman0 Member Posts: 17
    And my last post didn't even mention all the little things, like front door weather-stripping needing to be replaced in the first 18-month, climate control head, front rotor hub and passenger-side door panel being replace, yadda yadda, yadda.

    Please understand that I am not a loyalist when it comes to automobiles. This post and the last were not some sort of hate/anti position, but just one of shear observation on a car.

    The wife and I have already spent +$700 on non-maintenance repair items. My wife has always followed the suggest maintenance intervals and always gets a Honda dealership to do those maintenance tasks. Its just frustrating getting ready to shell out another $2K for vital repairs for something she has used only once or twice at most.

    I would have to best-guess the total of out-of-warranty, non-general maintenance repairs thus far have been about $4K on a $19K Accord. And this doesn't include the timing belts, CV boots, etc., etc. I've grouped into the regular maintenance schedule items.
  • pblevinepblevine Member Posts: 858
    What actually is the ABS "Modulator" and "Accumulator", and how do you know when they are going bad? My ABS never seems to work. The dealership, however, always says that my ABS checks out fine.
  • bodydoublebodydouble Member Posts: 801
    OK, call me immature, but I couldn't stop laughing over that title you posted. If you try to visualize your car sitting there puffing on a cig after.....well, never mind, you get the picture! I don't want to offend anyone and have the TH GODS come down on me!
  • kartman0kartman0 Member Posts: 17
    I am not sure. I am not a mechanic. I sit at a desk and wait for a WAN disaster to strike and pick up the pieces.

    I 'think' the accumulator stores brake fluid, but someone surely will correct me if I am wrong. I 'think' the modulator cycles the brakes on/off during a ABS-activated situation, but agani someone can correct me if I'm wrong.

    The identified parts were simply written on the parts estimate. I am pretty sure that the accumulator failed less than a year ago, and being that a Honda service department did the work I think it may be under some sort of 12-month 12K warranty (that's about 8-months measured in miles driven).

    The wife was told a failed modulator does not inhibit the ability of one using the brakes on the car and it can be driven safely. But, the failed accumulator does inhibit the use of the brakes.
  • mikefm58mikefm58 Member Posts: 2,882
    Have you tried a different shop? From what you describe, it sounds like your mechanic has a boat payment coming up. You say, and I quote, "timing belts" as in multiple times you've replaced them. How much do you trust this shop?
  • sukalsukal Member Posts: 30
    How can I check whether the right sway bar bushing is really missing? And could this not be bad CV boots?

    Is there a way that I could see the bushings and their conditions? I mean that I am not a very handy person, still I do like getting under the hood sometimes, but my knowledge is very limited. Any advise is welcome.
    -Sukal
  • maq4463maq4463 Member Posts: 45
    Sukal

    Here is the link to majestic hond's catalog. If you can't open it, go to their website (hondaautomotiveparts.com) select Accord>Model Year>Trim>Transmission>Front Lower Arm


    I consult their catalogue for all my inquires, although I have honda repair manual. But this site gives price of each nut and bolt of the whole car, close to market price within cents, amazing.


    Shows the picture of front stabilizer bar and lower arm. I replaced all of the front suspension bushings(lower arm) and stabilizer bar just last week myself for my 1990 Accord 5spd with 191K. The amazing thing was the lower arm bushing were only slightly compressed after all these miles. The sway bar (I think you mean stabilizer bar) end bushing (the round small donuts, 4 on each side item #2 in the majestic honda catalogue) were a little crack but nowhere close to being so cracked where they will break and fall off. But certainly it will vary from car to car.


    Now the good news, the bushings are very cheap, only $1.92 X 8 for (rubber, stabalizer end)and $5.13 X 2 for (bush, stabalizer holder) Item #7 in the catalogue. Good luck and let us know what happened.


    PS> don't try to replace these yourself if you are not mechanically inclined. A local mechanic shold be able to do it in 1/2 hour max.


    http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/auto/jsp/mws/prddisplay.jsp?inputstate=5&catcgry1=Accord&catcgry2=1990&catcgry3=4DR+LX&catcgry4=KA5MT&catcgry5=FRONT+LOWER+ARM

  • sukalsukal Member Posts: 30
    Things are getting more interesting for me here. I took my car to a local mechanic (not a dealer) and he diagnosed the problem as worn out steering rack. According to him, the steering rack needs to be replaced and his estimate for parts and labor is around $630. Am I confused now ...

    When the car was on the lift I tried shaking the wheel and slight noise did come from the bar where the steering column meets the (stabilizer is it ?) bar. But I could not make out much. I tied to look for the bushing but could not find them. Any suggestions as to what I should do now? Get a third opinion?
    -sukal
  • jima7jima7 Member Posts: 2
    tanveerm - I have a '97 Accord, but have had similar problems with the slow windows. The service people at the dealer said that slow windows are a known Honda problem. (I don't know why they don't fix the problem, but there you go). You should definitely take it to the dealer, and get on record that you're having trouble. When my car got to about 24,000 miles, the passenger side front window would stick going down. The only solution Honda had (and still has) was to lubricate the window run seal. This would make the problem go away for about nine months or so, then it would return.

    It finally stopped working altogether, because the slide channel for the window got bent from the strain on the motor that powers the window. The door lock also got screwed up as a side effect. The repairs cost me over $600.
  • auburn63auburn63 Member Posts: 1,162
    I think you may have to get another opinion but if possible try and get a dealer opinion. If I remember correctly all this started from a noise over bumps. The sway bar bushings I have seen go bad, the sway bar holder bushings get dry and ake noise and I have seen several upper/lower ball joints as well as an occasional bad strut. I do not see many steering racks going bad. Try and ask how important or dangerous the noise is..Good luck
  • mack20mack20 Member Posts: 40
    Thanks for helping with the warm air problem. Still havent had time to pick up a new dial from the dealership.

    Have another confusing problem with my 87 Accord LX. The front right wheel makes a whinning sound when travelling 5-80 km/h. Noise stops when applying the brakes.

    I took it to my mechanic. He inspected the brakes and said they were in good condition. (Brakes replaced 18 months ago = 24000km). The pads were good quality Raybestos brand. New rotors were bought at same time.

    My mechanic said that it was a shim plate problem? He used a screwdriver to adjust the clearance. Noise went away. But came back after 5-6 km of driving.

    Took to another mechanic, and he said it was brake pads. He said to leave it. But its really loud at low speeds.

    Any ideas?

    Thanks
  • auburn63auburn63 Member Posts: 1,162
    If the brake pads are good then I would guess that something is stuck between the backing plate and the rotor(like a stone).The backing plate itself possibly bent, Or maybe a high metalic build up in the pad which you may have to try Honda pads to check that one out.
  • sukalsukal Member Posts: 30
    Auburn,
    You are correct, all it does was make small noise (like metal on metal) when going over dips or bumps esp when the steering wheel is turned for example when I turn into the driveway. I got the wheel alignment problem only when I got the tires rotated and balanced.
    There is only one dealer in town and he is the one who said the bushings are bad. What might be the ok price for parts and labor to replace these bushings?
  • mwcarlsomwcarlso Member Posts: 85
    I would get a second opinion. I would think that if the steering rack was bad, you would have little to no steering or very loose steering. Check your power steering fluid to see if it is full. The sway bar bushings on my car only made a creaking noise when it was cold outside because they were dry. I recently changed my oil and the bushings were cracked but still in tact, and I don't have any noise. If you can hear the noise now, when it is warmer out, you might have lost the bushing. Also, it could be a ball joint that is bad if you can here it when you turn the wheel. You should be able to jack up the right side of your car and look at the end of the stabilzer link to see if the bushing is still there. If the bushing is still there then have the dealer lube the bushings and see if the noise goes away. When I take my car to the dealer, the mechanic lets me come out and they show me the work that should be performed. Maybe ask the dealer to show you the condition of the bushings and everything else in the front end. I would not go out and replace the steering rack, as it is expensive and almost definetely not your problem. I wouldn't think that the bushings are hard to replace, so $170 seems kind of steep. If you can find another dealer fairly close by get them to look at it. Good luck.
  • snaab93se1snaab93se1 Member Posts: 69
    the fuel gauge never reads full...even if I top off the tank the gauge still is at least 3 lines below full....any idea what this could be? I'll take it to the dealer but i don't have much luck with dealers ever finding the problems.
  • timadamstimadams Member Posts: 294
    I assumed that Honda had this problem fixed by 2002, but maybe not. I have a 98 Accord, and I have had the fuel gauge sending unit replaced twice for the exact problem you mention. Even when full, my gauge would only read 3/4 full.

    The first time was at about 12k miles, replaced under warranty, of course. The second was at about 45k miles. Although the car was out of warranty, my dealer replaced it for free, probably because it was a known problem and a previous problem from within warranty.

    It is the sending unit from inside the fuel tank, not the gauge in your dash. If it's the same problem, they don't have to tear your dash apart, they just have to replace the sending unit from your gas tank.
  • auburn63auburn63 Member Posts: 1,162
    I think I would start with the bushings, they should be no more than 1 hour labor plus parts. I have no clue on parts prices but the labor rates depending on your area could be as high as $80.00per hour. Good luck
  • kartman0kartman0 Member Posts: 17
    This history, which I forgot to mention the power steering pump too, is across the last three years and four different dealerships. So, unless the 'man with a boat payment' is following us ...

    I still cannot believe that ab ABS modulator is a $2K repair item. This is the same modulator from the 1994 Accords to current model year--according to the service director.

    I think Honda is setting up future Accord owners on a recurrnig revenue stream for the company as all new Accords will now have ABS as standard equipment. No more Accords in my family.
  • tintinntintinn Member Posts: 9
    Auburn and Tanveerm, thanks so much for the suggestion about my transmission problem (shift cable). Just came back to town and will take the car to repair shop soon. Thanks again.

    Also I notice another problem with my 92 accord. The check-engine light went on twice yesterday when I drove on the road. Each time I stopped the car though I did not feel anything wrong and shut down the engine. When I started again the light was off as normal and up to this point it did not come back on again. The manual said it is related to emission control problem. You guys know what kind of problems this might be?
  • auburn63auburn63 Member Posts: 1,162
    There are alot of possibilitie for the check engine light so you will have to have the code pulled. However the most common are distributor and EGR control solenoid codes. Good luck.
  • rcm64rcm64 Member Posts: 2
    I have a '97 Accord LX which was purchased new. I had an after-market alarm system installed when the car was newly bought. A few months ago, the alarm system stopped working and I noticed that when I manually lock the doors, there's a sound like the car keeps trying to lock itself. I thought it may be a relay. I'm about to go to the dealer to have it checked but would really like to do the necessary repair myself. If anyone has any ideas, it would be truly be appreciated.
  • auburn63auburn63 Member Posts: 1,162
    Sounds like the power door lock actuator, which is a replaceable part of the door latch. They buzz on after lock or unlock if they are going bad..
  • rcm64rcm64 Member Posts: 2
    I'm quiet sure which part the actuator is in reference to the door lock. Just noticed at the start of this board (from over two years ago) that you gave advise on same topic. I'll pick up the part from dealer for driver's side since this is where the noise originates from and let you know how I make out. Thanks for your time.
  • bodydoublebodydouble Member Posts: 801
    I posted about this problem when it happened a few months ago. We had parked at a public lot and was 100% sure the car was armed and locked. When we came back a few hours later we found the car locked but the LED light was not flashing. I just figured someone had tried to break in, set the alarm off, and the system did not rearm itself. But nothing was damaged and missing so I was perplexed.

    Now it happened again yesterday. This time I "witnessed" it. I had locked the car and started to go inside the house. Remembered I forgot something so went back to the car literally within seconds. And the LED was off, but car locked! So the car apparently has disarmed itself, but did not unlock itself. So what do you think, auburn? Something wrong with the security system, or perhaps just a faulty contact with the LED?
  • fritz1224fritz1224 Member Posts: 398
    Has any eligible Honda owners gotten their letter yet from Honda advising of the extended warranty on the tranny? I got a 2k v6 Accord and haven't seen it yet. The article I read in USA Today, dated 9/20/02 stated 'Honda will send letters in the next few weeks'. Until we receive that letter, Honda's position on this is just hearsay, IMHO. Maybe it's their way of moving this issue to the back burners to cool things off for awhile. Or their definition of a few weeks is different from mine. We'll see.
  • auburn63auburn63 Member Posts: 1,162
    Sounds as if it may be locking but not arming. Have you tried rolling down the window, going through the lock/arm waiting 30 seconds and then unlock the knob by hand and see if the alarm goes off. No known problems so if this continues you will need to have it diag, either by through here or at your dealer.. Good luck
  • bodydoublebodydouble Member Posts: 801
    It does arm initially because I saw the LED flashing. So it appears to somehow disarm itself afterward at some point in time. So far it's only happened twice in the 7 months that we've had the car so I guess I'll have to see if it happens with increasing frequency. Right now it's not a condition that I can duplicate, so I cannot try your suggestion of leaving the window down and unlocking by hand.
  • maxhonda99maxhonda99 Member Posts: 1,289
    fritz, Been wondering the same thing. Haven't seen a letter in the mail yet.
  • qwer01184qwer01184 Member Posts: 9
    I have just purchased an Honda Accord LX 2002 about 2 weeks ago. I notice that after a 3, 4 mile drive, when I turn the car off, there is clicking sound. The clicking sound goes on for about 5, 10 min. I brought the car in and have the dealer listen to the sound. They told me that the sound is normal and it is because the engine compress when go from hot to cold.
    Is that true that the clicking sound is normal?
    If it's not, what should I do now? (since the dealer said that it's normal and that's it ??? )
    Thanks in advantage,
  • bodydoublebodydouble Member Posts: 801
  • qinsong99qinsong99 Member Posts: 20
    I have 2 accords and they all do this.
  • hobieslughobieslug Member Posts: 18
    just installed a used transmission and found it flaring when it down shifts from 2nd to 1st gear,
    usually when going around turns at a slow speed.
    it will free rev. to about 3000 rpm before it catches 1st gear then drops back to 2000 rpm
    honda says that is normal. they have nothing to gain by telling me this but i still would like some other input since I have a 6 month warranty from the junk yard
  • auburn63auburn63 Member Posts: 1,162
    These transmissions will do it most when coming to a rolling stop and then taking off before you come to a complete stop.
  • bodydoublebodydouble Member Posts: 801
    My experience is that all Honda automatic trannies prior to 1997 exhibited that annoying trait. So I guess it is normal. Our '97 CR-V was that first Honda that did not do that.
  • macsfriendedmacsfriended Member Posts: 6
    On 9/19 my tranny began slipping out of fourth gear when highway cruising and on 9/20 (42K miles) an independent shop reported transmission codes and inspection indicated total transmission failure and an approx. $5500 bill to replace. Also on 9/20 this blessed board reported Honda's warranty extension to 100K miles. My dealer (who had never seen car since I picked it when new) examined transmission and promptly assured me that Honda would pay for entire replacement. They did and no problems for me. Good Luck to all others in this transmission mess.
  • hobieslughobieslug Member Posts: 18
    hey, auburn63 and bodydouble
    thanks for the info [put my mind at ease]
  • bolivarbolivar Member Posts: 2,316
    It's normal.

    It is the exhaust pipes and various other metal shields, etc cooling off and contracting, causing the joints and supports to move and pop.
  • qwer01184qwer01184 Member Posts: 9
    Thank you so much for the answer.
  • qwer01184qwer01184 Member Posts: 9
    Bolivar, thanks for the answer.
  • maxhonda99maxhonda99 Member Posts: 1,289
    About the letters Honda is supposed to send about the 7yr/100K extended warranty for Accord V6's: I went it for another warranty repair this morning and asked him if he knew when we may get the letter. He said they send them in a few different batches, but he said any haven't gone out yet. He said expect to get the letter about December.
  • zbxzbx Member Posts: 30
    My 2002 Accord V6 SE has a 5 year 100,000 kilometer warranty. Any news about extending the warranty in Canada?
  • bodydoublebodydouble Member Posts: 801
    We have the same car! We've got about 8,000 KM on ours and so far the tranny has been fine. The only thing I've noticed is that it seems to stay in 1st a tad long before shifting into 2nd. I still think the SE models are a helluva bargain. Are you in the Vancouver area?
  • zbxzbx Member Posts: 30
    I also thought the SE was a helluva deal. I always knew that accords had clunky transmissions, yet still bought it. The side air bags and traction control are the safety features which won me over the Camry, plus the alarm and V6 being able to use regular gas. The Altima was too new a redesign for me to risk 1st year teething problems. The 2003 Accord with 240? HP is a bit too much for me as a family man, in fact I was thinking that if I ever bought the Altima I would go for the 4 banger.
  • bodydoublebodydouble Member Posts: 801
    Yeah, we looked at the Camry too, the SE model. But to get side airbag and traction control, 2 items we had to have, the Camry would have cost approx. $35,000. An dealer-installed alarm would have been another $500.
  • qwer01184qwer01184 Member Posts: 9
    Right now, I use 87 (at a Acco gas station). Will that hurt the car? Do 87 gas at a Shell gas station better than at the same type at an Acco station ?
  • cokane5227cokane5227 Member Posts: 117
    use only 87, don't ever go up, this is from my own experience, i used to use 91 when i bought mine new thought it would be good since it's more expensive (how silly i feel now), but the car performed really bad which made think that there's something wrong with my car, then more than 15k miles later i finally decided to switch bak to 87 cuz i didn't wanna keep spending extra cash on this "bad performing car" anymore, and ever since that my car runs like a charm, the difference is very obvious, well, at least to me and with my car. 91 is bad, stay with 87.
    oh, and i use shell over all the other stations, like chevron and 76, i don't know, it just runs smoother and gives better gas mileage, once again, with my car.
    that's my advice, it might differs in your situation, but staying with 87 is defenitely the better idea than 91, save ur cash and have ur accord running the way it should be.
  • jrct9454jrct9454 Member Posts: 2,363
    ...anything with higher octane is just a waste of money. Depending on where you live, brand names are also pretty meaningless these days. In any state using RFG, the formula is so rigid that there is no practical difference between brands. This is largely true everywhere, notwithstanding the marketing $ that the oil companies spend to convince you otherwise...
  • maxhonda99maxhonda99 Member Posts: 1,289
    If it says 87 in the owner's manual, use 87 octane.

    Early on when I first bought my 2000 Accord V6, I was filling it up with 91 or even 93 octane sometimes, but I soon came to realize, the performance was only slightly better(very little) but the gas mileage went down a bit.
    So since about the 2K mile mark on my car, i've been using what the book says, 87 octane. Works great.
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