CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2002 Honda Accord suffers from widespread transmission failure, subframe rust, & problems with the airbag system (SRS). We recommend avoiding this model year like the plague.
The transmission begins slipping & eventually has to be replaced, typically soon after 90,000 miles & with a repair cost of over $2,000. Transmission failure has been a huge problem for the Accord & several other Honda models all through the early 2000s model years. Honda extended the transmission warranty to 93 months/109k miles for the 2000-2001 Accord as a class action lawsuit settlement, but owners of other Accord model years with transmission problems are out of luck.
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.
The SRS warning light likes to come on due to a defective seat belt sensor -- typically the driver's side. This sensor is covered under Honda's lifetime seat belt warranty, but some dealers charge a $100+ "diagnostic fee" or tell customers the entire SRS unit ($800) is bad.
10.0
really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
58,800 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
The contact owns a 2002 Honda Accord. While driving 55 mph, the vehicle accelerated unexpectedly. She applied the brakes, but the vehicle did not slow down. The contact had to pull over to the side of the road, shift into park, and apply the emergency brake. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and they stated that the cruise control, accelerator cables, and the opening of the throttle body needed to be replaced. The repair would cost over $1,000. The manufacturer would not assist because the vehicle was out of warranty. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 118,000.
I was driving at approximately 75 mph on the interstate with cruise control engaged. Upon coming towards heavier traffic I tapped the brake pedal to disengage cruise control. The cruise control did not disengage. I pressed the brake more strongly and the car reacted by accelerating strongly. It was a similar feeling to when cruise control is engaging and the car reacts to a hill climb by revving higher except that this was much stronger and in direct proportion to my pressure on the brake. The more I pressed the brake the more the car seemed to react to the drag by accelerating. I manually disengaged cruise control by pressing the cancel button.
: the contact stated while going 50 mph the cruise control activated causing the vehicle to accelerate to 80 mph. The contact switched the vehicle gear into neutral which caused the cruise control to deactivate. The vehicle was towed to an independent repair shop where the mechanic disconnected the cruise control. The manufacturer has not been contacted. The consumer was informed a new throttle body was needed. Updated 02/13/06.
The cruise control system, when activated does not smoothly regulate speed. Instead it sets at the desired speed and then proceeds to speed up about 5 miles per hour beyond the set speed point and then decelerate back to the set speed point in a recurring continous fashion until deactivated. On at least two occasions the cruise control was activated by simply pushing on the gas peddle. In both instances this occurred when pushing on the gas peddle near the 25 miles per hour activation speed of the cruise control system. It deactivated immediately by stepping on the brake peddle. If a driver does not realize what is happening, they may find their car accelerating and not realize that they must deactivate the cruise control by stepping on the brake or turning off the cruise control by pressing the cancel button on the steering wheel.
While driving on the highway with the cruise control at 60 mph, the vehicle accelerated at a high speed without the consumer disengaging the cruise control mode. When this occurred, the vehicle impacted a ditch and went up a hill. The emergency brake had to be engaged to stop the vehicle.
- Charleston, WV, USA
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- Pennington, NJ, USA