CarComplaints.com Notes: The 1998 Honda Accord suffers from widespread transmission failure, peeling paint, & subframe rust. We recommend avoiding this model year like the plague.
The transmission begins slipping & eventually has to be replaced, typically soon after 100,000 miles & with a repair cost of over $2,000.
Peeling paint has also been a huge issue for these Accords. Most of the complaints are with darker paint colors -- especially green & blue.
Subframe rust near the front passenger side wheel has become a problem recently, due to the poorly positioned A/C drain hose directly above that area. Repair cost to the subframe is over $2,000.
8.2
pretty bad
Typical Repair Cost:
$2,490
Average Mileage:
108,650 miles
Total Complaints:
126 complaints
Most Common Solutions:
repaint entire car (66 reports)
not sure (33 reports)
Honda should fix/repaint or reimburse owners for lost value (15 reports)
to keep me as a honda owner i want re-embursement (5 reports)
I had the car repaint and the same problem is reoccurring. I have seen several green cars in the Albany, Georgia area with the same problem. Honda has to know what is wrong.
Instead of writing a HUGE commentary (because I could). I'm just going to provide some snippets of sections of a lengthy blog post that I did on my Honda's clear coat peeling. It's an absolute embarrassment to drive around.
Post with details is here: http://www.hightechdad.com/2009/05/04/honda-motors-defective-paint-job-honda-accords-clear-coat-peeling/
Some tidbits:
"A few years ago, I noticed that my Accord was starting to show some odd discoloration on the roofline. I thought this was odd because I took pretty good car of the car, with regular waxings and cleanings. It was, however, parked outside...
...What started as a discoloration (a patchy whitening) then turned into a full fledged peeling of the clear coat surface. The surface just started to flake off, easily exacerbated by a fingernail, leaving underneath a dull metal surface. This erosion of the clear coat surface continued to spread, but interestingly, not to all parts of the car. Specifically affected were the: roof, trunk and hood (in order of magnitude), but the side panels or bumpers seemed to be fine...
...Personally, I think that Honda Motors should step up and 1) acknowledge that there WAS an issue with this year and this color (or dark colored cars around this time) and 2) that they should do something about it. Offering to pay for part of the expense and only at certified auto body shops is not what I�m looking for. My car has been treated well, frequent washes and waxes and has extremely low mileage on it. Again, I have seen older Honda Accords that do NOT exhibit this type of corrosion or deterioration. There is something definitely wrong here and there should be some full retribution...
...Note: I just uploaded these photos to Flickr. If this is happening to your Honda Accord, please upload your photos and tag them with the following tags: HONDACCPEEL, HONDA, ACCORD, CLEAR COAT, and PEEL. Thanks for your help!"
Thanks for reading this!
Update from Aug 25, 2011: I wanted to update my complaint to provide some more articles that I have written about this issue.
PLEASE READ AND SHARE WITH OTHERS:
- "My Paint & Your Brand Are Eroding – An Open Letter to Honda Motors" (March 2010) - http://bit.ly/c9NExp
- "100+ Voices Unhappy About Honda Clear Coat Paint Peel Defect & Honda’s Ambivalence" (August 2011) - http://bit.ly/qsSuCD
I love my Honda and would consider buy another one, BUT...the paint job is horrible and I am embarrassed to drive my car. I call Honda and of course they stated that they did not have a recall and could not find any complaints on the paint, which I have found numerous compliant on your site. Go figure. If any one has had their car repainted, please left me know the cost and how long it took to repaint?
- Beverly W.,
Detroit, MI, US
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I have a green 1998 Honda Accord LX. The clear coat started peeling 4 years after purchase. I brought it to Honda's attention and they told me...sorry, the warranty expired after 3 yr/ 30,000 miles and then they accused me of having the car repainted! REALLY?! So I found a lawyer that had success winning cases from American car companies(paint) and he said it would be no problem. After 4 independent paint companies said they would stand behind me, Honda agreed to repaint my car and they were willing to pay half of the cost. The catch was I had to have it repainted at their facility,at their convenience and my portion was going to be $3,750!! Unbelievable!!! Well, Honda said it loud and clear...they don't care. It is a shame because it has been a wonderful car except for the finish, which has affected the entire car. I guess I am a driving billboard now!
Clear coat pealing looks terrible, it's embarrassing. Started on the roof, then the hood, now the trunk...it's like a virus is spreading. Have typically taken very good care of the car, bought it new. If this is a Honda issue, they should be taking care of this!
Raisin pearl 1998 Honda with the most embarrassing looking paint job!!! Has been a great car except for the paint. Honda SHOULD REPAINT these cars. Any time I Google damaged clear coat or oxidized paint, there are always a slew of 1998 Honda owners with the same problem. Really stinks!!!
For such a wonderful car, Honda has an obligation to fix this clear coat issue and it is long overdue! I endured the transmission problem on this particular model and paid dearly and refuse to pay for the clear coat - a known issue by HONDA! America has been good to HONDA; HONDA must step up and be equally good to all who support it!
I bought my new 1998 accord green and color is peeling off from hood, trunk and top looks ugly. And this is not the only problem. There is EGR valve issue ( check engine light) twice in 130k miles with emission test fail and Shaking engine with loose/broken engine mounts.
When i brought the car, i was so proud of it and took nice care of it. Problem started some 5 months back and the clear coat started peeling and now it looks like those Japanese assholes puked all over it rather than painting it. After the problem happened to me, i started checking if other Honda's are having this issue.. and i counted 18 Honda accords in my J.B. Hunt Transport car parking lot .. just with the same issue. Thats a @&^@&@-ing lot. period. I say Honda should do a recall and fix all our cars. I would never never never buy a Honda again nor recommend anyone to buy it. I does runs good.. but its a shame to drive one. I got a couple of quotes to have it repainted.. and MAACO's estimate is around $1700 at sprindale, AR.
98 Honda Accord green and the clear coat is peeling off as , My second Honda , Very disappointing that Honda is not accepting the fact that all of these people are reporting a valid manufacturer defect and not taking responsibility to fix their issue for customer satisfaction
Same as most everyone green 98 accord clear coat pealing from trunk and top of car my car is an awesome looking car minus the crappy paint job from Honda
We too have had the same notorious clear coat peeling dilemma. We purchased the '98 Honda Accord for our 16 year old daughter. We wanted a reliable vehicle that she could take to college, so Honda is what we chose. When we purchased the vehicle in Jan. '07, it had a bit of fading on the trunk, a small spot, well, it has spread like a disease. It is now everywhere and obviously needs to be painted. The vehicles color is raisin, a dark purple, and looks terrible. Our daughter is embarrassed by the car, even though she loves it, it is an eye sore. So, never EVER having to have ANY other car painted, I had no idea what this would run. I am quite honestly shocked to find out it could cost anywhere from $1100 and up. College is most expensive and I don't feel as if we should pay for a manufacturers defect on a car that's otherwise in phenomenal shape. Why in the world hasn't Honda done anything about this? I too look at other Hondas and see the same exact thing, I mean come on, we're not stupid. Acid rain? Bird poop? That's actually funny. Honda needs to step up to the plate and fix this problem. I considered buying a new Honda for myself, but until I see this problem has been resolved I will take my business elsewhere.
When we bought a used 1998 Honda Accord, we noticed a slight discoloration on the trunk lid. This discoloration turned into a spot, then a larger spot, and then multiple spots throughout the trunk and roof. It gets waxed every 6 months, but seems to get worse after waxing. Definitely bad clearcoat from the factory, would like to have it repainted, but don't have the cash.
I have the same problem with my '98 Accord LX. It is, well, used to be green. One complainant had his car paid for by Honda. How did this owner get that done? Share your wisdom, because I certainly don't want to spend anywhere from $900-5000 to get this fixed.
I PURCHASED A 98 HONDA ACCORD IN JULY OF 98, BRAND NEW FROM THE DEALERSHIP, THE CAR HAS BEEN TAKEN CARE OF VERY WELL , ALWAYS GARAGED AND KEPT CLEAN AND WAXED, THE CAR IS DARK GREEN AND THE CLEAR COAT IS COMING OFF THE CAR, THE TRUNK , ROOF AND SIDE DOOR ARE SOME OF THE AREAS. I AM REALLY UPSET ABOUT THIS AS I HAVE LOOKED AT OTHER MAKES OF CARS IN THIS AGE GROUP AND THEIR PAINT IS NOT PEELING. I BOUGHT THIS CAR BECAUSE I WAS TOLD IT WAS A QUALITY VEHICLE AND I AM A SINGLE PARENT WITH A SON BOUND FOR COLLEGE NEXT SUMMER AND THERE IS NOW WAY I CAN AFFORD TO PAINT THIS CAR. HONDA NEEDS TO STEP UP TO THE PLATE AND DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS AS I DON'T FEEL THIS IS A PROBLEM WE SHOULD BE HAVING. FROM LOOKING AT RESEARCH I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH THIS PROBLEM THERE ARE MANY OTHERS AS WELL.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
I had the car repaint and the same problem is reoccurring. I have seen several green cars in the Albany, Georgia area with the same problem. Honda has to know what is wrong.
- hatcher, Leesburg, GA, US