1998 HONDA ACCORD Complaints

THE CONSUMER'S 1998 HONDA ACCORD V-6 DEVELOPED TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. *CC THE CONSUMER FOUND OUT THAT THE 1999 AND 2000 MODELS WERE BEING REPAIRED UNDER A SILENT RECALL. THE CONSUMER WOULD LIKE TO KNOW WHY HER VEHICLE IS NOT BEING COVERED BY HONDA. *NM

TL* - THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING THE 1998 HONDA ACCORD AT 45 MPH THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, AND THE CONTACT PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE VEHICLE HESITATED THEN SURGED FORWARD. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, WHO RAN A DIAGNOSTIC TEST ON THE VEHICLE AND RECOMMENDED A NEW TRANSMISSION. THE FAILURE HAD OCCURRED 45 TIMES.*AK

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE PULLING INTO A PARKING SPOT, THE DRIVER DEPRESSED THE RESUME BUTTON ON THE CRUISE CONTROL WHICH REACTIVATED THE CRUISE CONTROL. THIS CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO ACCELERATE AND CRASH INTO A WALL. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO THE DEALER WHO DETERMINED THE CRUISE CONTROL WORKED AS DESIGNED.

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE ACCELERATING, THE VEHICLE JERKED. WHILE TAKING THE VEHICLE IN FOR AN OIL CHANGE THE DEALER DETERMINED THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION ASSEMBLY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE SEAT BELT WAS SLOW TO RETRACT AND THE REAR BRAKES WERE SERVICE. UPDATED 11/30/06. *JB

DURING THE LAST 6 MONTHS I BEGAN HAVING PROBLEMS WITH MY IGNITION LOCKING UP AND CAR WOULD NOT START & OCCASIONALLY THE CAR WOULD STOP RUNNING WHILE IN MOTION FOR NO REASON. THE DASH LIGHTS WOULD ALL FLASH AND THEN LOCK-UP & DIE. I CHECKED ONLINE AND DISCOVERED THERE HAD BEEN TWO RECALLS ON MY 98 HONDA ACCORD LX, IGNITION SWITCH AND INTERLOCK. I PHONED MY LOCAL DEALER, HONDA OF OCALA AND THEY GAVE ME AN APPT. FOR 10/20/06. THEY TOOK A LOOK AT MY CAR AND THEN TRIED TO SELL ME OTHER SERVICES. I ASKED THAT THEY ONLY FIX THE TWO RECALLS AS SCHEDULED. I WAITED FOR 1 1/2 HOURS AND THEN WAS INFORMED THAT THE IGNITION SWITCH WAS BAD BUT I WOULD HAVE TO PAY $205.00 IF I WANTED IT FIXED BECAUSE IT HAD ALREADY BEEN FIXED. THEY COULDN'T TELL ME WHERE OR WHEN THIS WAS. I REFUSED TO PAY FOR A RECALL THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE DONE FREE OF CHARGE. AFTER MAKING ME WAIT ANOTHER 35 MINUTES MY CAR WAS RETURNED. I ASKED ABOUT THE INTERLOCK RECALL, HAD IT BEEN FIXED? HE SAID NO YOU'LL HAVE TO CALL AND MAKE ANOTHER APPT. THIS APPT. WAS FOR BOTH RECALLS. THEY HAD MY CAR FOR OVER 2 HRS AND DID NOTHING. I WENT HOME AND CALLED HONDA OF AMERICA. I SPOKE WITH A REP THAT TOOK MY COMPLAINT. ON 10/23 I WAS TOLD BY BOTH REPS THAT MY ONLY OPTION WAS PAYING LABOR AND GETTING IT DONE AT HONDA OF OCALA. I DID NOT WANT TO RETURN TO THIS SPECIFIC DEALERSHIP DUE TO THEM TREATING ME SO MISERABLY AT THE FIRST APPT. I HAVE NO RECORDS THAT THIS RECALL WAS EVER FIXED. MY PARENTS WERE THE PREVIOUS OWNER'S AND THEY DON'T EITHER. REGARDLESS THE PART IS OBVIOUSLY DEFECTIVE AS THIS IS NOT NORMAL AND SHOULD BE COVERED IN FULL, FREE OF CHARGE BY THIS RECALL. *NM

DRIVING EAST ON TOLL ROAD 408 IN FAR RIGHT LANE GOING APROX. 60 MPH AND TRANSMISSION (B7XA) DOWN SHIFTING LOCKING THE FRONT WHEELS. LOST CONTROL OF THE CAR AND SPUN BACKWARDS ACROSS ALL LEFT LANES OF TRAFFIC AND THEN BACK ACROSS ALL RIGHT LANES OF TRAFFIC AND ALMOST HIT A LIGHT POLE. TRANSMISSION IS SLIPPING AND WILL NOT SHIFT CORRECTLY...TRANSMISSION IS FAULTY AND HONDA KNOWS IT BUT WILL DO NOTHING ABOUT A RECALL TO PROTECT PEOPLE/OWNERS. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE ATTEMPTING TO START THE VEHICLE, IT INTERMITTENTLY WOULD NOT START WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP, WHO WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM WITH THE STARTER ASSEMBLY. ALTHOUGH A DIAGNOSTIC TEST WAS PERFORMED, NO FAILURE CODES WERE PRODUCED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED.

DECEMBER 2004: REC'D A LETTER FROM HONDA, INC. STATING: CERTAIN 1998-99 ACCORDS DO NOT MEET STATE AND FEDERAL EMISSIONS REGULATIONS. DURING SOME DRIVING CONDITIONS, YOUR VEHICLE MAY EMIT A LEVEL OF EMISSIONS ABOVE STANDARDS SET BY THE EPA AND CARB. TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM, YOUR HONDA DEALER WILL ADJUST THE AIR BLEED SCREW ON YOUR VEHICLE'S THROTTLE BODY. THIS WORK WILL BE DONE FREE OF CHARGE". <P> APRIL 2005: TOOK CAR TO ADDRESS THE RECALL/ISSUE. DURING THIS TIME THEY INFORMED ME THAT THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER WAS DETERIORATED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE COST FOR THIS WOULD BE APPROXIMATELY $900. THE CAR HAD AN 80,000 MILE WARRANTY, BUT THEY DETECTED THE PROBLEM WITH THE ODOMETER STANDING AT 81,181. <P> I TOOK MY CAR TO MY NORMAL MECHANIC AND HE TOLD ME I SHOULD ASK THE DEALER TO HONOR THE WARRANTY, BECAUSE HE KNEW FOR A FACT THAT A LOT OF HONDA ACCORDS ARE NOTORIOUS FOR HAVING FAULTY CATALYTIC CONVERTERS. I DID AS HE SAID, AND THE DEALER REFUSED TO HONOR THE WARRANTY RETROACTIVELY. <P> JANUARY 2006: I AM INFORMED THAT IN 1998 AN AGREEMENT WAS ENTERED BY HONDA, THE EPA AND THE CARB. THEY ADMIT THAT THE CARS HAVE ISSUES WITH THE EMISSIONS AND OFFER CAR OWNERS AND EXTENDED WARRANTY, FREE INSPECTIONS AND FREE REPAIRS, INCLUDING ALL PARTS AND LABOR. UNFORTUNATELY ALL HONDA OWNERS ARE NOT TREATED ALIKE, SINCE THE COSTS THEY COVER ARE ONLY FOR CERTAIN 1995, 1996 AND 1997 MODELS. THIS IS COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE TO ME SINCE THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS OF CATALYTIC CONVERTER FAILURE FROM HONDA ACCORD OWNERS. <P> I AM SEEKING A REPLACEMENT OF THE FAULTY CATALYTIC CONVERTER PLUS ALL LABOR. THE RECALL OF THE THROTTLE BODY AIR BLEED SCREW COULD VERY WELL HAVE BEEN THE CAUSE OF THE CONVERTER TO EXPIRE PREMATURELY, AMONG OTHER UNKNOWNS. I AM OF THE OPINION THAT HONDA INC. SHOULD RETROACTIVELY HONOR THE EMISSIONS WARRANTY ON MY 1998 ACCORD. *NM

I AM A OWNER OF 1998 HONDA ACCORD AND HAVE JUST STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS WITH MY TRANSMISSION KNOCKING, CLICKING WHEN I CHANGE GEARS, AND IT JUMPS OUT OF GEAR AS I AM GOING DOWN A HILL. I DID SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND OUT THAT THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE ARE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE. WHEN I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER THEY EVEN WAS AWARE OF THE SITUATION WITH THE FAULTY TRANSMISSION THAT THEY HAVE BEEN PUTTING IN PEOPLE CARS, BUT ACT LIKE IT IS NOT A BIG DEAL. YOU THINK YOU ARE BUYING QUALITY WHEN YOU BUY A HONDA, BUT THAT IS NOT THE CASE. I HOPE NO ONE GETS KILLED BEFORE THEY TAKE ACTION. IF I HAVE AN ACCIDENT WHILE DRIVING WITH MY KIDS IN THE CAR AND IT LOCKS UP, I WILL BE MOVING ON UP TO THE NEXT STEP BECAUSE I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THEY WOULD NOT STAND BEHIND THEIR FAULTY JUNK AND NOT RISK SOME BEING HURT OR EVEN KILLED. *JB

KEY WILL NOT START THE CAR - IGNITION PROBLEM - CAR DIES GOING DOWN THE ROAD AND ALL OF THE LIGHTS START TO FLASH. *NM