I like being able to turn my AC off while defrost remains on. The other alternative is to mix cold/hot to regulate and reduce frosting of windshield. My way, I reduce engine load.
First, let me say "Thanks" to everyone here.....and secondly, let me say "bd21"....you were right so you can tell me "Told you so" :-)
American Honda is unwilling to do ANYTHING for my Accord with 1500 miles on it other than to replace the transmission with a REMANUFACTURED unit. Nothing more and nothing less. I guess with all the transmission issues Honda is currently having in the Accord, Odyssey, and Acura TL/CL lines, they have taken a hard-nosed stance towards the customers.
I have done my research and already filed complaints with the NHTSB, FTC, BBB, signed the online petition to American Honda, and added my name to the class-action lawsuit being worked on by a firm in San Diego. The lawyer I spoke to yesterday said that my story sounded like everyone else's and that American Honda was basically treating me the same way they have treated all their customers with transmission problems. The e-mail address in the third link ( hondacomplaints@pkns.com ) is still active for the law firm and is the best way to notify them of your transmission issues.
This is a copy from the Acura Board here on Edmunds:
#173 of 173 links for tranny problem by maldorf Aug 11, 2003 (10:58 am)
Here are a couple of links about the tranny problem. One is the announcement of the extended warranty offered to only some of the affected customers. The other link is an online petition. The last link is about the law suit that is underway now as we speak. If you are having problems, you should get involved so that Honda realizes their mistake and makes it right.
I have a rattle on the passenger side of the dash. I'm thinking of taking the glove box out & checking around the interior air filter. Has anyone else had this rattle? It's my loudest one. When the car is cold, it never stops.
Let's get this straight - your transmission has been identified as being faulty in some way, and your dealer and American Honda have agreed to replace it (I am assuming under warranty at no cost to you). It will be replaced with a remanufactured unit, which as has been discussed here and seems to be commonly accepted, is a transmission which has all-new internal mechanicals housed in a previously-used housing. In your post #5841 of this discussion, you said "I totally agree with Honda's approach".
Your dealer and American Honda appear to be treating you properly, and you decide to sue by joining a class action lawsuit? Where is your injury? How has Honda not attempted to remedy your problem? It is a given that no one wants to have transmission issues with their new car, but you yourself have admitted that Honda's policy on replacement versus repair of the defective unit is the proper approach. So, what is the hard-nosed stance, and what would you have Honda do differently?
His tranny failed literally right out of the gate. So...if it happened to you, you would accept a remanufactured tranny as proper remedy? To take it one step further, what if the tranny failed the day after delivery? Just curious.
Just a follow up to my message last week about warped rotors at 7500 miles:
Honda authorized the dealer to do whatever was necessary to fix the problem, so the dealer replaced all four rotors and brake pads. The brake shimmy is gone for now. I'm going to try to be extra sweet on the brakes, and possibly replace the rotors/pads with another brand after the warranty period is up (assuming they go bad again).
I also had a rattle in the right side of the dashboard. Apparently, a wire was hitting against something.
So far I've found Honda Customer Relations to be very responsive. I think it's helpful to call them before your service visit, so that authorizations can be made ahead of time. Of course, everything depends on the dealer's diagnosis, but at least the dealer knows from the outset that Honda is willing to cover the cost.
I'm so happy to have my car back again, especially after driving the dealer's poor, abused loaner, in which people have been clearly defying the no smoking sign
If my transmissions fails (I hope it doesn't) and it was going to be replaced with a rebuilt/reworked tranny (whatever you want to call it) that was going to have the same warranty, I certainly would not complain. Isn't the concern here that factory NEW transmissions are failing!? So what makes anyone think a rebuilt one is any worse - it may be more reliable. The only thing class action lawsuits do is make lawyers rich, and cars more expensive.
Would I accept a remanufactured tranny? Yes, especially given what that means as far as the unit itself goes. Would I push for more, like an exchange for a different car? Probably. But, would Honda (or any manufacturer) be obligated to go further? Absolutely not.
I don't think an automobile manufacturer is obligated to do anything more than cure the defect. It may be wise from a customer service perspective to go beyond this, but again, I don't feel that the obligation to do so is there. And as far as registering complaints in a number of different ways, that is each person's prerogative. Part of what I was questioning was accordboy's explicit agreement with Honda's course of action in one message, and then his subsequent actions (i.e., petition, class action, other complaints) and apparent dissatisfaction with what he once was satisfied.
i think i agree. if my NEW transmission failed, i think i would actually prefer a rebuilt one, one that was actually "fixed" by someone. putting a new one back in the car might not fix anything.....
Sometimes it takes our wipers 5 - 60 seconds for our wipers to go on after being put in the on position. Last week they didn't work at all for 2 days, but now are working with the 5 - 60 second delay. We can always get the wipers to work by pulling down on the wiper handle (this works even when the 5 - 60 second delay is occurying and worked last week when the wipers didn't work for 2 days). After the 5 - 60 second delay, the wipers work fine. We've taken it to the shop a few times but they couldn't find anything wrong. Anyone have any ideas?
(Justin - don't read this!!) I've noticed that on some left hand turns (only sharp, steep turns) the driver's seat sometimes shifts slightly from side to side. Doesn't happen ever on right hand turns, only left. Sometimes from a total stop, sometimes turning while moving. I can drive around the block, take the same corner again at basically the same speed with the same conditions, and it doesn't do it, so I can't absolutely recreate it.
I haven't called the service department...yet. Anyone else notice this? I did a search on the boards, and haven't found it. Thanks!
The power controls do all work, and the seat moves as it should in every direction. I cannot move it at ALL when pushing on it - even had a body-building neighbor try - it doesn't budge at all. Very strange!
(If you figure out how to just "drive" this car, and stop obsessing over it, PLEASE let me know!!)
well, ANY SEAT will move a little bit - it is all moving parts!
take a deep breath, and stop driving so erratically. haha, kidding. take it to the dealer and see if they say it is "within spec" or not. if not, wait until 35k miles, then get new front seats!
At first, I *did* think it could be that I was moving on the seat, until I noticed a pattern. It's not me...it's the seat, moving slightly side to side. (I'm not taking turns THAT fast - really!!)
with left to right looseness for 02 Accords and 03 Pilots. You might want to get a copy and ask your dealer if it applys to the 03 Accord also. It currently is not included on that SB, but maybe if prodded, the dealer can find a newer one.
I have an '04 EX-V6 w NAV that does the same thing. It feels like a very short but abrupt shift to the right when making a fairly sharp left turn. I always feel it on the same turn each morning. Oddly enough I never feel it shift back to the left and can't make it move either way by pushing side ways??
It's a little annoying so I'd like to find out if it can be easily resolved.
I'm 99 percent sure you are going to have to replace the whole wiper stalk on your steering column. The switches in the stalk are bad and it's going to hurt you in the pocket book a little to get it fixed. Good luck!
Okay.......got the car back tonight and seems to drive okay. Thought I heard a whine when I let off the accelerator but I'm gonna wait and see. We'll cross our fingers!!
Took the dealer 2 days to do the replacement as it was the first 2003 that they had performed a replacement on. I guess this is a good thing since my Accord was manufactured in 8/03 and this dealer sells a LOT of Accords.
I'll keep everyone posted as the car now has 1,575 miles on it. (the dealer put almost 30 miles on it after replacing the transmission to make sure everything was gonna perform correctly).
Consider getting one from a junk yard-these things can be pricey-also google honda parts-bought some stuff from a dealer in RI-surface shipping to WI was 4 days and about a 35% savings. T
Hope things work out for you. 1500 miles and a new transmission is not something that anyone wants to deal with. Hopefully this is the last of your problems.
Let us know if you have any luck pursuing other reimbursement/compensation from Honda.
I have a 2003 Honda Accord V6 with about 9500 miles on it. I've kept it serviced according to the Honda manual. Every once in awhile it appears to take a long time to turn over the engine and start it. The ignition chuggs/whines a few seconds longer than it normally does then finally the car starts. The temperature doesn't seem to have any effect on the car. It's happened sporadically over the last month or two in both warm and cold weather as well as starting it at the beginning of the day and starting it after it has been run awhile. Does anyone have an idea as to what might be occurring? Is there something giving out? I don't want to believe I'm having problems with a brand new car but when the car has trouble starting it catches my attention real fast. Thanks for any help/feedback.
I believe that several people here (myself included) have experienced intermittent slow starts with their 03 Accords. I'm not terribly concerned (as long as it continues to start).
One person suggested turning the key to the point where the seatbelt warning noise and indicator lights come on, and keeping it there for a few seconds longer than normal (in case it's a case of the ignition system not immediately recognizing the key).
In my case, it begins to turn over, but sounds like it isn't getting quite enough gas for a few seconds.
It's so infrequent, however, that I'm ignoring it for now.
I read my manual thuroughly when I bought my 04 Accord EX, and there's a paragraph in there about how ignition may take longer sometimes because of the computer running emmisions testing, or something like that. I don't have it with me, just going from memory. Check your manual, your car may be doing exactly as it's supposed to.
Well, after 4,000 miles on my 2003 Accord LX I seem to be having the same squeaks and rattles as many others on this board are having. I have to admit I was a little skeptical when I first read about these complaints. But after they've happened now to me, I totally believe you guys.
Since the car was brand new, I've had a squeaking/creeking type of noise coming from the right rear area when I'm going over bumps at low speeds. It seems like it's coming from outside of the car (maybe in the suspension) but I've read on this board about something inside the car that might be causing it.
And when I hit about 3,000 miles I started getting a rattle coming out of the dashboard area (seems to be right in the middle of the dash somewhere). It mostly happens at speeds above 50 mph. I've tried pressing on areas of the dash to locate the exact spot but that's hard to do at that speed (duh).
Anyway, other than these two complaints the car is great. Excellent handling, good gas mileage, brake rotors are nice and smooth (so far). But it is a little frustrating to spend almost $20K on a car and have noises like this. And I don't hear the rattles every time I drive, but it's at least 3-4 times a week.
I had a 96 Accord and an 01 Accord and neither of them made noises like this. Hopefully Honda will come out with a fix for these things because they seem to be happening to a lot of owners. I might have my dealer check these noises out at my next oil change, but they probably will have no clue, so I may just have to live with it for now.
I'm anal about squeaks and rattles too. But if it makes you feel any better, cars that cost twice as much (Audis come quickly to mind) are just as proned to rattles. And I hear Toyota/Lexus are starting to slip in this area too. Who would've thunk Toyotas would have rattles!
I remember reading a long term review of an Audi A4 or A6 that Edmunds did (or it might have been another major publication, I forget). Anyway, they had way more problems with the $38,000 Audi than I'm having with my $18,000 Honda (if you can call a rattle a problem). So I guess I shouldn't complain.
But still, I think a brand new car should be flawless, especially from Honda or Toyota. I could see if I had 75,000 miles on this thing and it had a few creaks in it...fine, no problem. But brand new, out the door...sorry, it shouldn't be happening. Maybe I'm just too picky, I don't know.
At least my brake rotors are holding up so far. The transmission is very smooth, it handles very well, tires are doing okay so far. All in all, I'd give it about an 8.5 or so.
After perusing through some of the Volvo and BMW boards, I've come to the conclusion that Honda owners (myself included) hold their cars to almost impossibly high standards.
There were many posts on the 5-series board about various noises and squeaks, but the posters didn't seem as bent out of shape as we do here in Honda territory.
And on the Volvo S60 board, people were replacing this, that and the other thing and still commenting endlessly about great their cars are.
I don't want to downplay anyone's concerns, because car problems are frustrating. But maybe we should understand that our Hondas are just machines, and for around $20K, pretty nice ones at that.
My power window on the front passengers side will not close. While attempting to close it today, it sounded as if it was grinding and would only raise about 1/3 of the way. It sounds as if it is off the track. Was able to pull it shut --- but does not work automatically. Motor sounds like it is working. Will have to take this into a Honda Dealer. Anyone know what might be wrong and how much this will cost to fix.
Hi, Everyone, I just test-drove 3 different 2004 Accords today (two EX V6 Sedans and one EX-L 4-cyl). The first one I drove was the EX V6 NAV that I am shopping for, and the car's brake action was extremely sensitive--It rocked or shook me whenever I applied the brake. I am not kidding--I felt my upper body rock forward violently (like whiplash) from the force of the brake action. Since this bothered me the first time it happened, I applied the brakes several more times during the test drive to make sure it happened everytime, and it did, rocking me fairly strongly each time. By the time I finished my 5-minute test drive, I was suffering from motion sickness from the rocking motion. This car had 19 miles on it. Because of this, I asked to test drive another EX V6 (this one without the NAV but that shouldn't matter here). This car was just unwrapped with 1 mile on it. The brake action was smooth and I would be happy with this if this was the car I bought. Then I test-drove an EX-L 4-cyl (brand new with 0 miles driven), not expecting the rough brake action because I thought it was a fluke with that particular car, but it happened with this EX 4-cyl as well.
The dealer salesperson said this rocking motion from the braking force is normal and is typical of ABS brakes. My current car (a 1992 Civic) does not have ABS but have absolutely no jerking motion when I brake and this is a 12-year old car.)
Does anyone who have 2003 or 04 Accord sedans have similar experiences? Please let me know if you do, and what can one do about it? Is the condition possibly temporary?
Any help would be greatly appreciated, as I almost bought this car without test-driving it, and had my heart set on getting an Accord.
I have a 2003 Accord Sedan EX-L. 8k miles now. The brakes are very sensitive (better described as "grabby") at low speeds - parking lot/driveway type stuff. Does not happen at speeds over 5 mph. It takes a little getting used to but has not been a problem for me. I have not had any of the other brake problems that have been reported on these boards. After driving the car for less than a week you will learn how to modulate them at these speeds and it will no longer be an issue. This is not related to the ABS as I have driven many other cars/SUV's with ABS and they do not do this.
Sounds as if the motor is slipping or the teeth on the regulator are striped. But my thoiught is with the power window motor gears being bad..Good luck
I experience this when alternating cars (03 EX-L and 03 V6 coupe) with my wife, and it wouldn't matter which car I'm changing to. After half a mile down the street, I'd have adjusted and operation would be normal.
This suggests that the 03's brakes are unusually sensitive by design, but is something one easily adjusts to. Second, seat adjustment affects operation - a driver develops muscle memory in driving the car smoothly but change the seat settings, and the driver has to learn again - after the initial head-bobbing.
Also jack it up and do the wheel movement test-place hands at 6 and 12 oclock position and pull back and forth-then 3 and 9 oclock position-this will detect either a loose tie rod or bad wheel bearing-suspect it is the cv joint-if so u have plenty of time to replace-suggest u find a good machine shop that specalizes in rebuilding your cv joint and not the exchange route-some of the people in the exchange business are bad news-this is one of those activities that ain't more fun the second time around.
Does anyone know whether the hood on 03's and 04's can be adjusted up or down by the dealer? I've seen a number of Accords on the lot with hoods that do not line-up very well with the fender. Some hoods are either higher than the fender or too low. Can this be adjusted at all or is the fit permanent?
Cars are not cheap these days. If I'm spending $20,000 on any car (Honda or not) it shouldn't have so many rattles in it when it's brand new. Sure, after a certain number of years or miles I would expect a few noises, but not when it's fresh off the assembly line. There are some parts of the country where you can buy a halfway decent house for around $60,000 or so. If a car costs one-third of that, it should be perfect when it's brand new. Plus these rattles on the 03 Accords seem to all be happening in the same place on a number of cars, so it sounds like Honda might have cut some corners somewhere or dropped the ball altogether when it came to quality control.
My 1996 and 2001 Accords were rattle free when brand new as well as after 60,000 miles on the 96 and 20,000 miles on the 01.
Just my $.02 -- maybe it's too high of a standard but that's what I believe.
I posted a couple a days ago of a faint sound similar to a chain dragging coming from the front passenger wheel while turning left from my 01 ex v6 (35.8 miles). I just got it back from the dealer and they told me it is coming from the rear passenger wheel, which indeed it does.
However, they told me I need new rear brake pads and that the sound was coming the wear indicator touching the rotor (do the rears even have an indicator?). This sounds ludicrous to me. How can a car with 36k miles need new rear brakes? Also, the sound occurs when I don't even have my foot on the break. They also want an outrageous $225 to turn the rotors and replace the pads?
Anybody have any ideas what the noise can be? Could it be the brakes? I'm going to get a second opinion next week
I agree with Stevem 327. After almost a year of 03 Accord ownership, the squeaks and rattles still are my biggest annoyance. Having owned four Accords since 1982, this is the only one with these problems which seem to take away from the appreciation of the cars many other pleasing features.I hope Honda will reassign a few of their fine engineers to "rattle and squeak" duty so they will give us once again a quiet car.
Hi, everyone: First, atlantabenny and sockpuppet1969, thank you for your comments on the Edmunds board to my question. I am wondering: Did you ever consider not buying the 03 Accord when you experienced the abrupt body jerks from the braking force?
Perhaps this is a matter of degree (and/or personal tolerance). Benny, you mentioned you adjust to it after driving about half a mile, but I didn't adjust for the whole 5 to 10 minutes I was test driving it. I had motion sickness midway through the test drive and it didn't go away through the end of my test drive. And I have never suffered motion sickness when I'm the one behind the wheel.
I had settled on the Accord and thought I was just going through the motions in test-driving it before I buy it. Now I'm not so sure. As I mentioned, two out of the three Accords I test-drove had this jerky braking, but the other one braked smoothly like in my current car. I am just quite confused that this would be inconsistent within the same model.
Do you (or anyone else) have any advice as to how to proceed? (I could not live with the two cars I test-drove because I would throw up my lunch in stop-and-go traffic). Do you think the dealer can fix or at least dampen the hard pull? I keep thinking that this is due partly to the disc brakes being so exposed to the elements in the 03-04 models. Any truth to this?
Although I can try getting used to it (as both of you suggested), I just don't want to spend $26-27K and be subjected to this and not know FOR SURE that it won't be a problem. Thanks. Kevin
36k is quite normal for the 6th gen Accord, though on the early side versus drum brake systems.
My wife's 99 EX had rear rotors and pads serviced at about 18k, even before the fronts did. I'm not sure if it's brake apportioning, smaller rear pads or a combination. Harder pad material might work though there might be a quietness trade-off.
I fall into the Honda Dissatisfied Club with my 2003 Accord SE. At 7k miles, when the brakes were applied at highway speeds, the auto vibrated so bad that keeping it on the road became real effort. The drivers side seat squeaked at 5k, and the radio was replaced at 2k miles because it just quit on occasion. I have since rid myself of the auto (at only 10,000 miles), and am beginning to believe Honda quality is only a reputation, not reality.
I had an 86 Honda Accord in the past and swore by it. I guess things- they are a changin'. I will not own Honda again, sorry to say.
Comments
American Honda is unwilling to do ANYTHING for my Accord with 1500 miles on it other than to replace the transmission with a REMANUFACTURED unit. Nothing more and nothing less. I guess with all the transmission issues Honda is currently having in the Accord, Odyssey, and Acura TL/CL lines, they have taken a hard-nosed stance towards the customers.
I have done my research and already filed complaints with the NHTSB, FTC, BBB, signed the online petition to American Honda, and added my name to the class-action lawsuit being worked on by a firm in San Diego. The lawyer I spoke to yesterday said that my story sounded like everyone else's and that American Honda was basically treating me the same way they have treated all their customers with transmission problems. The e-mail address in the third link ( hondacomplaints@pkns.com ) is still active for the law firm and is the best way to notify them of your transmission issues.
This is a copy from the Acura Board here on Edmunds:
#173 of 173 links for tranny problem by maldorf Aug 11, 2003 (10:58 am)
http://www.detnews.com/2002/autosinsider/0209/22/autos-593168.htm
http://www.petitiononline.com/mod_perl/signed.cgi?acura
http://www.acuraworld.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2- 4415
Here are a couple of links about the tranny problem. One is the announcement of the extended warranty offered to only some of the affected customers. The other link is an online petition. The last link is about the law suit that is underway now as we speak. If you are having problems, you should get involved so that Honda realizes their mistake and makes it right.
Your dealer and American Honda appear to be treating you properly, and you decide to sue by joining a class action lawsuit? Where is your injury? How has Honda not attempted to remedy your problem? It is a given that no one wants to have transmission issues with their new car, but you yourself have admitted that Honda's policy on replacement versus repair of the defective unit is the proper approach. So, what is the hard-nosed stance, and what would you have Honda do differently?
Honda authorized the dealer to do whatever was necessary to fix the problem, so the dealer replaced all four rotors and brake pads. The brake shimmy is gone for now. I'm going to try to be extra sweet on the brakes, and possibly replace the rotors/pads with another brand after the warranty period is up (assuming they go bad again).
I also had a rattle in the right side of the dashboard. Apparently, a wire was hitting against something.
So far I've found Honda Customer Relations to be very responsive. I think it's helpful to call them before your service visit, so that authorizations can be made ahead of time. Of course, everything depends on the dealer's diagnosis, but at least the dealer knows from the outset that Honda is willing to cover the cost.
I'm so happy to have my car back again, especially after driving the dealer's poor, abused loaner, in which people have been clearly defying the no smoking sign
The only thing class action lawsuits do is make lawyers rich, and cars more expensive.
I don't think an automobile manufacturer is obligated to do anything more than cure the defect. It may be wise from a customer service perspective to go beyond this, but again, I don't feel that the obligation to do so is there. And as far as registering complaints in a number of different ways, that is each person's prerogative. Part of what I was questioning was accordboy's explicit agreement with Honda's course of action in one message, and then his subsequent actions (i.e., petition, class action, other complaints) and apparent dissatisfaction with what he once was satisfied.
thankfully, mine is a-ok.
I haven't called the service department...yet. Anyone else notice this? I did a search on the boards, and haven't found it. Thanks!
(If you figure out how to just "drive" this car, and stop obsessing over it, PLEASE let me know!!)
take a deep breath, and stop driving so erratically. haha, kidding. take it to the dealer and see if they say it is "within spec" or not. if not, wait until 35k miles, then get new front seats!
The grooves on the seat make you feel that way.
It feels like a very short but abrupt shift to the right when making a fairly sharp left turn. I always feel it on the same turn each morning. Oddly enough I never feel it shift back to the left and can't make it move either way by pushing side ways??
It's a little annoying so I'd like to find out if it can be easily resolved.
Took the dealer 2 days to do the replacement as it was the first 2003 that they had performed a replacement on. I guess this is a good thing since my Accord was manufactured in 8/03 and this dealer sells a LOT of Accords.
I'll keep everyone posted as the car now has 1,575 miles on it. (the dealer put almost 30 miles on it after replacing the transmission to make sure everything was gonna perform correctly).
Let us know if you have any luck pursuing other reimbursement/compensation from Honda.
Autobum: that's exactly what happens here, too - shifts one way but not back.
in my experience, all Hondas take longer to start than other cars. always have for some reason.
again, what is a long time? a full second? two seconds?
One person suggested turning the key to the point where the seatbelt warning noise and indicator lights come on, and keeping it there for a few seconds longer than normal (in case it's a case of the ignition system not immediately recognizing the key).
In my case, it begins to turn over, but sounds like it isn't getting quite enough gas for a few seconds.
It's so infrequent, however, that I'm ignoring it for now.
Since the car was brand new, I've had a squeaking/creeking type of noise coming from the right rear area when I'm going over bumps at low speeds. It seems like it's coming from outside of the car (maybe in the suspension) but I've read on this board about something inside the car that might be causing it.
And when I hit about 3,000 miles I started getting a rattle coming out of the dashboard area (seems to be right in the middle of the dash somewhere). It mostly happens at speeds above 50 mph. I've tried pressing on areas of the dash to locate the exact spot but that's hard to do at that speed (duh).
Anyway, other than these two complaints the car is great. Excellent handling, good gas mileage, brake rotors are nice and smooth (so far). But it is a little frustrating to spend almost $20K on a car and have noises like this. And I don't hear the rattles every time I drive, but it's at least 3-4 times a week.
I had a 96 Accord and an 01 Accord and neither of them made noises like this. Hopefully Honda will come out with a fix for these things because they seem to be happening to a lot of owners. I might have my dealer check these noises out at my next oil change, but they probably will have no clue, so I may just have to live with it for now.
But still, I think a brand new car should be flawless, especially from Honda or Toyota. I could see if I had 75,000 miles on this thing and it had a few creaks in it...fine, no problem. But brand new, out the door...sorry, it shouldn't be happening. Maybe I'm just too picky, I don't know.
At least my brake rotors are holding up so far. The transmission is very smooth, it handles very well, tires are doing okay so far. All in all, I'd give it about an 8.5 or so.
There were many posts on the 5-series board about various noises and squeaks, but the posters didn't seem as bent out of shape as we do here in Honda territory.
And on the Volvo S60 board, people were replacing this, that and the other thing and still commenting endlessly about great their cars are.
I don't want to downplay anyone's concerns, because car problems are frustrating. But maybe we should understand that our Hondas are just machines, and for around $20K, pretty nice ones at that.
The dealer salesperson said this rocking motion from the braking force is normal and is typical of ABS brakes. My current car (a 1992 Civic) does not have ABS but have absolutely no jerking motion when I brake and this is a 12-year old car.)
Does anyone who have 2003 or 04 Accord sedans have similar experiences? Please let me know if you do, and what can one do about it? Is the condition possibly temporary?
Any help would be greatly appreciated, as I almost bought this car without test-driving it, and had my heart set on getting an Accord.
Thanks very much in advance.
Kevin
This suggests that the 03's brakes are unusually sensitive by design, but is something one easily adjusts to. Second, seat adjustment affects operation - a driver develops muscle memory in driving the car smoothly but change the seat settings, and the driver has to learn again - after the initial head-bobbing.
Anybody have any ideas what it could be? I'm going to try to take to the dealer quickly because I only have 200 miles left on the warranty (35.8k)
thanks
Then the tie rod end.
My 1996 and 2001 Accords were rattle free when brand new as well as after 60,000 miles on the 96 and 20,000 miles on the 01.
Just my $.02 -- maybe it's too high of a standard but that's what I believe.
However, they told me I need new rear brake pads and that the sound was coming the wear indicator touching the rotor (do the rears even have an indicator?). This sounds ludicrous to me. How can a car with 36k miles need new rear brakes? Also, the sound occurs when I don't even have my foot on the break. They also want an outrageous $225 to turn the rotors and replace the pads?
Anybody have any ideas what the noise can be? Could it be the brakes? I'm going to get a second opinion next week
First, atlantabenny and sockpuppet1969,
thank you for your comments on the Edmunds board to
my question. I am wondering: Did you ever consider not buying
the 03 Accord when you experienced the abrupt body jerks from
the braking force?
Perhaps this is a matter of degree (and/or personal tolerance). Benny,
you mentioned you adjust to it after driving about half a mile,
but I didn't adjust for the whole 5 to 10 minutes I was test driving
it. I had motion sickness midway through the test drive and it
didn't go away through the end of my test drive. And I have
never suffered motion sickness when I'm the one behind the wheel.
I had settled on the Accord and thought I was just going through
the motions in test-driving it before I buy it. Now I'm not so sure.
As I mentioned, two out of the three Accords I test-drove had
this jerky braking, but the other one braked smoothly like in my
current car. I am just quite confused that this would be inconsistent
within the same model.
Do you (or anyone else) have any advice as to how to proceed? (I could not
live with the two cars I test-drove because I would throw up my lunch
in stop-and-go traffic). Do you think the dealer can fix
or at least dampen the hard pull? I keep thinking that this is due partly to the disc brakes being so exposed to the elements in the 03-04 models. Any truth to this?
Although I can try getting used to it (as both of you suggested), I just don't want to spend $26-27K and be subjected to this and not know FOR SURE that it won't be a problem. Thanks. Kevin
My wife's 99 EX had rear rotors and pads serviced at about 18k, even before the fronts did. I'm not sure if it's brake apportioning, smaller rear pads or a combination. Harder pad material might work though there might be a quietness trade-off.
I had an 86 Honda Accord in the past and swore by it. I guess things- they are a changin'. I will not own Honda again, sorry to say.