2004 HONDA ACCORD Complaints

WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT ON THE FREEWAY AT 65 MPH, THE PASSENGER SIDE CURTAIN AIRBAGS DEPLOYED WITHOUT EXPLANATION (BOTH THE BAG THAT DEPLOYS THROUGH THE CEILING LINER AND THE BAG THAT DEPLOYS THROUGH THE SIDE OF THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT). DUE TO THE VIOLENCE AND CONFUSION OF THE DEPLOYMENT EXPLOSION, I FIRST THOUGHT THAT THE RIGHT SIDE OF MY VEHICLE MUST HAVE BEEN CRUSHED IN A COLLISION WITH AN UNSEEN SEMI-TRAILER TRUCK. EARS RINGING FROM THE CONCUSSION, I INITIALLY FOUGHT TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE, BUT SOON REALIZED THAT THE TIRES WERE STILL INTACT. AS THE SMOKE CLEARED, I SAW THAT THE NEAREST VEHICLES WERE 100+ YARDS AHEAD OR BEHIND MY VEHICLE. AT THE NEXT EXIT, I INSPECTED THE VEHICLE UNDER A STREET LIGHT. THERE WAS NO APPARENT DAMAGE TO THE EXTERIOR. DURING LATER INSPECTIONS BY AN INSURANCE ADJUSTOR AND THE HONDA DEALERSHIP, NO CAUSE FOR DEPLOYMENT WAS FOUND. THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE UNDERCARRIAGE AND HENCE NO EVIDENCE THAT AN OBJECT HIT THE UNDERCARRIAGE TO TRIGGER THE DEPLOYMENT. THE ONLY EXTERNAL DAMAGE WAS A SMALL GOLF-BALL SIZED DENT IN THE ROOF OVER THE RIGHT CENTER PILLAR. THE DENT WAS APPARENTLY CAUSED BY THE STRONG TORQUE THAT THE DEPLOYING SIDE-CURTAIN AIRBAG APPLIED TO THE WELDED ROOF MOUNT TO WHICH THE AIR BAG PACKAGE BOLTS. HENCE, ALL INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE (>$3000 USD) WAS CAUSED BY THE FALSE AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT ITSELF. THE INSURANCE COMPANY CONCLUDED THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF A COLLISION AND REFUSED TO COVER THE DAMAGES. THE HONDA DEALERSHIP SIMILARLY REFUSED TO COVER THE DAMAGE SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY. THE DEALERSHIP FURTHER CLAIMED THAT THE AIR BAG CONTROLLERS DO NOT SAVE THE STATE OF THE SENSORS WHEN A DEPLOYMENT IS TRIGGERED, AND HENCE IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO DIAGNOSE FAILURES. I FIND IT DISTURBING THAT SO-CALLED 'SAFETY' EQUIPMENT IN A PROPERLY MAINTAINED VEHICLE CAN SELF-DESTRUCT AND POTENTIALLY KILL THE OCCUPANT AND NEITHER THE INSURANCE COMPANY NOR THE MANUFACTURER TAKES ANY RESPONSIBILITY. *TR

WITHOUT WARNING MY AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION WILL SLIP OUT OF GEAR. DOESN'T SEEM TO BE RELATED TO SPEED OR LENGTH OF TIME DRIVEN. JUST RANDOM. IT COULD HAPPEN 20 TIMES A DAY OR NOT HAPPEN FOR WEEKS. I HAVE CONTACTED HONDA AND THEY SAID IT IS NOT A RECALL ISSUE, ALTHOUGH I HAVE FOUND LITERALLY HUNDREDS OF THE SAME COMPLAINT ONLINE. WAS TOLD THAT THEY MIGHT BE ABLE TO OFFER ME SOME ASSISTANCE ON REPAIR, BUT NOT 100% AND NOT A COMMON ISSUE. *TR

WHILE ACCELERATING IN 2ND GEAR, THE TRANSMISSION SLIPS CAUSING THE ENGINE TO REV, BUT THE CAR REMAINS IN A NEUTRAL STATE. FEELS LIKE THE TRANSMISSION IS SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL WHILE DRIVING AND THEN SHIFTED BACK INTO DRIVE. ONCE THE TRANSMISSION CATCHES, THE VEHICLE SHIFTS EXTREMELY HARD. THERE IS A LOUD WHINING NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT OF THE CAR WHILE ACCELERATING, THAT DIDN'T EXIST BEFORE. AFTER TAKING THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE TRANSMISSION IS FAULTY. THIS VEHICLE HAS ALREADY HAD THE TRANSMISSION REPLACED BECAUSE OF A SAFETY RECALL WHICH PERTAINS TO THIS EXACT PROBLEM. HONDA REFUSES TO FIX THE TRANSMISSION BECAUSE THEY STATE THE TRANSMISSION HAS ALREADY BEEN REPLACED. *TR

FOR 3 DAYS PRIOR, I NOTICED A SECOND OR TWO LAG TIME BETWEEN THE CAR GOING FROM REVERSE INTO DRIVE. I DIDN'T THINK MUCH OF IT. THEN ABOUT 10 MINUTES INTO DRIVING AT ABOUT 40 MPH THE TRANSMISSION DROPPED TO A LOWER GEAR AND THE CAR ABRUPTLY DROPPED TO ABOUT 10 MPH. FORTUNATELY, THERE WAS NO ONE BEHIND ME OR THEY WOULD HAVE SMASHED INTO MY CAR. I THEN TURNED AROUND AND WENT HOME WITH HAZARDS BLINKING. DURING THE ENTIRE TRIP BACK, THE TRANSMISSION CONSTANTLY SLIPPED GEARS AT ALMOST EVERY SPEED. *TR

HONDA ACCORD V6 TRANSMISSION FAILURE AFTER 107,000 MILES, WHERE THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT STAY IN DRIVE A HIGHWAY SPEEDS. A COMPLAINT WAS REGISTERED WITH AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CORPORATION, WHO DENIED THERE WAS A PROBLEM. A SURVEY OF ACCORD V6 TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS INDICATED OVER 100 FAILURES HERE AT NHTSA, AND THOUSANDS OF COMPLAINTS AT OTHER FORUMS. THIS PROBLEM APPEARS TO BE CONSISTENT WITH EARLIER FAILURES OF HONDA ACCORD TRANSMISSIONS, WHERE THEY EXTENDED THE POWERTRAIN WARRANTEES TO 109K MILES FOR REPLACEMENT. *TR

OUR 2004 HONDA ACCORD SEDAN V6 - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILURE. 195,000 MILES THE PRIMARY PURPOSE OF THIS CORRESPONDENCE IS TO REGISTER A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE THAT OCCURRED TO MY WIFE AND I ON MARCH 20 2011, AT 3:30 PM. WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, MY 2004 HONDA ACCORD HAD A TRANSMISSION FAILURE AND LOCKUP. WHILE MY WIFE AND I WERE TRAVELING NORTH ON 95 NORTH THE CAR SUDDENLY MADE A CLICK NOISE AND JERKED AS IF SOMEONE HAD JAMMED ON THE BRAKES AND THE RPM'S RACED. MY HUSBAND ATTEMPTED TO SLOW DOWN BY TAKING HIS FOOT OFF THE GAS PEDAL AND NOT TOUCH THE BRAKE. THE CAR VIOLENTLY JERKED AGAIN AS IT SLOWED DOWN. AS HE ATTEMPTED TO GET ONTO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD, THE CAR VIOLENTLY LURCHED 4-5 MORE TIMES. WITH EACH OF THESE SUDDEN, UNEXPECTED JERKS, WE WERE THROWN FORWARD. THANKFULLY, OUR SEAT BELTS WERE ON, WHICH PREVENTED US FROM BEING THROWN FORWARD INTO THE WINDOW. WAITING TO HERE FROM THE SALEM NH HONDA DEALERSHIP TO SEE WHAT THE REMEDY WILL BE (REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION WITH A REBUILT ONE IS MY GUESS). THIS WAS THE FIRST AND ONLY TIME WE HAD ANY TROUBLE WITH THE TRANSMISSION, I THINK THIS IS SUCH A SERIOUS ISSUE WHICH, IF CIRCUMSTANCES WERE DIFFERENT, COULD HAVE CAUSED SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH. THIS SHOULD NOT HAPPEN NO MATTER WHAT THE MILEAGE IS ON THE CAR. THIS SOUNDS LIKE A KNOWN PROBLEM TO HONDA AND THEY SHOULD DO AN OTHER RECALL LIKE THEY DID WITH THE 2003 MODELS AND FIX THIS PROBLEM.*TR

VEHICLE EXHIBITED "HARD" DOWNSHIFTS WHILE DECELERATING. TRANSMISSION LOST TOP GEAR WHILE DRIVING, LEADING TO SUDDEN DECELERATION AND POTENTIAL FOR REAR END COLLISION. *TR

TRANSMISSION WENT OUT ON 2004 HONDA ACCORD WITH ONLY 80K MILES. WAS ON BUSY ROAD AND I WAS LUCKY THAT I WASN'T HIT AS I JERKED AND SLOWED AND SOUGHT A WAY TO GET TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. NO INDICATION THE TRANS WAS FAILING UNTIL SYMPTOMS BEGAN AND GOT WORSE IN A HURRY. CONSEQUENCES ARE TOWING TO SHOP AND EXPENSIVE REPAIRS WHICH ARE BEING MADE NOW. HONDA SAID I HAD TO BRING IT IN TO THEIR SHOP AND THEY HAD TO DO ANY REPAIRS. NO PRICE OR OFFER OF FINANCIAL HELP..JUST A "MAYBE" HONDA WOULD OFFER A "GOODWILL" DISCOUNT. DECIDED NOT TO TRY HONDA AS OTHERS ONLINE TOLD OF THE EXCEEDINGLY HIGH CHARGES HONDA IMPOSES. FEEL IT WAS A SAFETY RISK THAT SHOULD NEVER HAD HAPPENED. HONDA APPARENTLY HAS A HISTORY OF TRANSMISSION FAILURES FOR SEVERAL YEAR MODELS. SEEMS THEY PROFIT FROM NOT CORRECTING THE PROBLEM IF THEY REQUIRE THEM TO REPAIR AND CHARGE MORE THAN ANY PRIVATE SHOP. *TR

VEHICLE: HONDA ACCORD V6, 2004 PROBLEM: AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILED WHILE ON A BUSY STREET AND NEARLY WAS REAR ENDED AND LEFT ME STRANDED ON BUSY ROAD. HONDA IS NOT ADMITTING ANY FAULT AT THIS MOMENT WHEN THIS MODEL HAS A RECALL DATED 2004 WHICH I WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS WORKED ON AT THEIR DEALERSHIP IN 2010. THIS DEFECT IS A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE THE TRANSMISSION WAS DROPPING OUT OF GEAR WHEN ON AN INTERSTATE TRAVELING AT 70MPH. *TR

NO INDICATION OF AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION ISSUES. AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILURE OCCURRED ON INTERSTATE AT 70 MPH, PRESSED ON ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. WAS ON INNERMOST LANE, HAD TO CROSS 3 INTERSTATE RIGHT LANES DURING COMMUTING HOUR WITH NO ACCELERATION (WAS LIKE DRIVING IN NEUTRAL). ABLE TO GET TO NEXT EXIT. WAS ON A DOWNSLOPE SO ABLE TO COAST DOWN. AT THE BASE OF THE HILL, STOPPED. COULD NOT DRIVE THE VEHICLE ANYMORE, PRESS THE PEDAL IN D AND R AND WOULD NOT MOVE CALLED TOW TRUCK TO TOW ME TO HONDA DEALERSHIP 40 MILES AWAY CONSIDERED AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILURE. THIS IS THE FIRST OCCURRENCE OF TRANSMISSION FAILURE WITH THIS VEHICLE. HONDA SERVICE REPAIR HAD TO REPLACE ALL AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION PARTS. AS OF DATE, HONDA CORP. WILL NOT WARRANTY THE PARTS AND LABOR. *TR