1998 HONDA ACCORD Complaints

SAFETY RECALL WAS RECEIVED BY CONSUMER ON IGNITION SWITCH INTERLOCK AND NOW SEEKING REIMBURSE FOR REPAIR ON VEHICLE. *LA *JB

WHEN OPENING THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR THE CONSUMER CUT HIS FINGER. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED. *AK *NM

AS REPORTED BY MANY OTHER CONSUMERS, MY ACCORD IS EXPERIENCING HARD SHIFTING OR JERKING IN THE LOWER GEARS (SLIPPING). WHEN THE CAR IS WARMED UP, IT'S NOT AS BAD. *AK

CONSUMER RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE CONCERNING IGNITION SWITCH FAILURE, AND MADE AN APPOINTMENT. WHILE WAITING FOR THE APPOINTMENT DATE, CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE ON AN ERRAND. VEHICLE SHUT DOWN IN A PARKING LOT. DEALER ADVISED CONSUMER TO GET VEHICLE TOWED FOR RECALL REPAIRS AT THEIR EXPENSE. *AK

THE TRANSMISSION FAILED IN MY 1998 HONDA ACCORD AT ABOUT 54,000 MILES IN NOVEMBER, 2002. I PREVIOUSLY REPORTED THIS TO YOUR AGENCY. HONDA HAS ONLY PAID FOR APPROXIMATELY HALF OF THE COST OF THE NEW TRANSMISSION WHICH WAS INSTALLED BY AAMCO. MY QUESTION IS WHETHER THE NHTSA IS GOING TO ISSUE A SAFETY RECALL ON THE 1998 HONDA ACCORD TRANSMISSION. MY REVIEW OF YOUR DATABASE TODAY INDICATES OVER 100 INSTANCES OF TRANSMISSION FAILURES ON THIS MODEL HONDA ACCORD. ISN'T THAT SUFFICIENT TO GENERATE AN INVESTIGATION BY YOUR AGENCY AND A SAFETY RECALL? PLEASE ADVISE AS TO YOUR INTENDED ACTION IN THIS MATTER. THANK YOU TARYNN YOKOMIZO [email protected]

MY 1998 HONDA ACCORD WITH 61000 MILES ON ITS AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION HAS JOINED THE GROWING POPULATION OF ACCORDS WITH FAILED CARRIER BEARINGS IN THE FINAL DRIVE (TRANSMISSION). I HAVE HAD ALL OF MY SERVICE WORK DONE AT THE SERVICE SHOP WHERE MY SON IS EMPLOYED AS A MECHANIC. THUS WHEN I DISCOVERED THE TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAK I TOOK THE CAR IN TO MY MECHANIC FOR WHAT I THOUGHT WOULD BE A SEAL REPLACEMENT, ONLY TO BE HIT WITH THE HORRIFIC NEWS THAT IT IS GOING TO COST ME $2500-$3000 TO FIX THE FAILED CARRIER BEARINGS IN THE FINAL DRIVE! I'VE CALLED THE DEALERSHIP THAT I PURCHASED THE CAR FROM (KLEIN HONDA IN EVERETT WA.) AND WAS TOLD BY TREVOR IN THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT THAT THEY ARE EXPERIENCING THIS PROBLEM WITH THE V-6 ENGINES, BUT NOT THE 4 CYLINDERS (MINE). WHEN I ASKED HIM TO HELP ME THIS THE EXPENSE HE RECOMMENDED THAT I CONTACT HONDA CUSTOMER CARE AND WISHED ME LUCK SINCE I HADN'T HAD ANY OF MY SERVICES CONDUCTED WITH A DEALERSHIP. ALL OF THIS TOOK PLACE WITHIN THE LAST WEEK, SO MY CALL TO HONDA CUSTOMER CARE WILL OCCUR ON 2/9/04. IF I DON'T GET ANYWHERE WITH THEM I DO PLAN ON TURNING THIS IN TO THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU AND EVERYPLACE ELSE I CAN FIND TO LODGE COMPLAINTS WITH. WITH THE RESEARCH I HAVE DONE OVER THE INTERNET I HAVE FOUND THAT THIS A COMMON PROBLEM THAT NEEDS TO BE RECOGNIZED BY A HONDA RECALL ACTION! *AK

WE TOOK MY 1998 ACCORD EX IN FOR REGULAR SERVICE (90,000 MILES) AND TO HAVE THE INTERLOCK SWITCH RECALL DONE. WHEN WE PICKED UP THE CAR, THE DEALER TOLD US THE TRANSMISSION WAS LEAKING AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I'VE NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE TRANSMISSION - NO LEAKS IN THE GARAGE, NO STRANGE SHIFTING PROBLEMS. WE DECLINED THE SERVICE, BUT THE DEALER CALLED AND SAID OUR RE-MANUFACTURED TRANS WAS IN AND SINCE I HAD THE EXTENDED WARRANTY WOULD BE REPLACED AT NO CHARGE (INCL. RENTAL CAR). I WAS SUSPICIOUS THAT THEY WOULD ORDER THE PART AND PUSH THE ISSUE SO STRONGLY, SO I DID SOME RESEARCH. ON WWW.ACCORDFORUMS.COM I FOUND THAT OTHERS HAD BEEN HAVING TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS WITH THIS CAR. THIS TRANSMISSION CAN SUDDENLY FAIL DUE TO A PROBLEM WITH A BEARING (IN FACT, THE SERVICE WRITE-UP STATES "TRANS FLUID LEAK, TRANS MAY FAIL DUE TO DIFFERENTIAL BEARING GOING OUT CAUSING FLUID TO LEAK"). I THOUGHT THIS WAS WARRANTY FRAUD BY THE DEALER, BUT APPARENTLY THEY KNOW ABOUT THIS POTENTIAL TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. THEY AREN'T CLEARLY EXPLAINING THE PROBLEM TO OWNERS, WHICH IS WHAT MAKES THE ISSUE SEEM SUSPECT. IN FACT, WHEN WE PICKED UP OUR CAR, THE DEALER WAS EXPLAINING THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM TO THE PERSON IN LINE BEFORE US (WHICH IS WHY WE GOT SUSPICIOUS). IT SEEMS THAT HONDA HAS A PROBLEM THAT THEY DON'T WANT TO TELL VEHICLE OWNERS ABOUT, BUT THEIR DEALERS ARE PUSHING TO FIX IT ANYWAY. OF COURSE, THEY ORIGINALLY QUOTED US $1,600 TO $5,000 FOR THE REPAIRS. AFTER WE TOLD THEM NO, WE WERE INFORMED IT WOULD BE COMPLETED AT NO COST TO US. SOUNDS LIKE A STEALTH RECALL TO ME. (THEY TOLD US IT WOULD BE FREE BECAUSE WE HAVE THE EXTENDED WARRANTY WITH NO DEDUCTIBLE THROUGH HONDA CARE. I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH I BELIEVE THAT EITHER.) WE'RE HAVING THE WORK DONE TODAY NOW THAT I KNOW WHAT THE POTENTIAL PROBLEMS ARE. I THINK OTHERS NEED TO BE INFORMED OF THIS ISSUE SO NO ONE GETS KILLED OR INJURED IF THEIR TRANSMISSION FAILS BECAUSE THEY COULDN'T PAY FOR THIS WORK. *JB

I WAS NOTIFIED TODAY THAT I NEEDED TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION IN MY 98 HONDA ACCORD. THIS SEEMS TO BE WELL KNOWN BY REPAIR PEOPLE THAT 98,99 AND 00 HAVE TRANMISSION PROBLEMS. WHY WON'T THE DEALERSHIPS REPLACE THESE WHEN THERE SO MANY PEOPLE BEING AFFECTED BY THE SAME PROBLEM.*AK

THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER ON MY HONDA ACCORD WAS REPLACED IN 2002. NOW, FEBRUARY 2004, THE HONDA DEALER TELLS ME THAT IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AGAIN.*AK

UPON EXITING A PARKING LOT AT 15 MPH ENGINE REVVED AND VEHICLE SURGED FORWARD, AND WAS REAR ENDED BY ANOTHER VEHICLE. DEALERSHIP DETERMINED THAT TRANSMISSION FAILURE CAUSED THE PROBLEM. HOWEVER, DEALERSHIP DIDN'T SPECIFY THE SPECIFIC FAILURE, THEY JUST SAID THAT TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED.*AK