CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2004 Honda Accord suffers from widespread transmission failure & problems with the stereo backlight failing. 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.
The stereo backlight problem has been an issue ever since these Accords were only a few years old. Honda eventually issued a recall which covered the repair for 7 years/100k miles, which was nice while it lasted but now that period is over. Honda initially replaced the entire radio ($800) but eventually began replacing just the PCB which at ~$300 is much cheaper. That sounds like a deal, but keep in mind we're talking about a backlight bulb that costs $2 to fix in most other cars.
10.0
really awful
Crashes / Fires:
6 / 5
Injuries / Deaths:
4 / 1
Average Mileage:
83,933 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 2004 Honda Accord. The contact stated the lights on the instrument panel failed to function. The dealer nor the manufacturer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 102,000.
The contact owns a 2004 Honda Accord. The contact stated that the interior lights failed and he was unable to see the heat, defrost, radio and hazard lights while driving at night. The dealer advised the contact to have the control board replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure however, offered no assistance. No repairs were performed. The current mileage was 157,745 and the failure mileage was unknown.
The contact owns a 2004 Honda Accord. The contact stated the instrumental panel circuit board failed. The instrumental panel and interior lights would not come on. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who was unable to diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 112,000.
The contact owns a 2004 Honda Accord. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled due to the anti-theft system. As a result, the contact was unable to unlock the doors or start the vehicle. In order to enter the vehicle, the contact had to climb through the window. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer, where the contact was informed that the vehicle needed new ignition keys and needed to have its computer reprogrammed. The contact also stated that there were numerous complaints regarding the anti-theft system on the internet. The failure mileage was 160,000.
- Millinocket, ME, USA
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The contact owns a 2004 Honda Accord. The contact stated that the key would not turn in the ignition. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where the contact was informed that the ignition cylinder needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, but offered no assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 88,000.
I purchased a 2004 Honda Accord in October of 2008, the car was running and functioning well until the year 2010 where I started to have problems with the radio not working, the transmission failed and now in 2011 had to replace the sop ECM (per Honda dealer the memory card of the car), I have spent more than $6,000 on this car because I had so many major a minor problems with it. And even though I have followed the schedule maintenance visits to the dealer this car still reflecting problems. I have gotten everything fixed till this moment and im afraid the car will still give me problems in the future.
The contact owns a 2004 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while driving 20 mph, the radio blinked off and turned back on. The vehicle had not been inspected or repaired. The current mileage was 47,657. The failure mileage was approximately 46,000.
The contact owns a 2004 Honda Accord. While driving 40 mph, the vehicle shook. When the contact took her foot off the accelerator pedal, the shaking stopped. The failure occurred over fifty times. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer several times where the spark plugs and egr valve were replaced and the software was updated. The failure continued and could not be duplicated. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000 and the current mileage was approximately 88,000.
When turn on the A/C, left side blows very hot air, and passenger side blows cool air. I turned the A/C to full (all the way to blue) but still getting extremely hot air from left side while my wife (in passenger) started complaining that she is shivering.
While driving on a rainy day the battery signal flashes for a couple of seconds and the steering gets locked for approx 3 sec and after 3 sec it gets back to normal. It usually happens while turning and on a rainy day. This could result in a situation of life and death. Initially we thought it is just one off situation but these days the problem is increasing. We have got it checked at 2 places including pepboys and they could not figure out the problem.
I own a 2004 Honda Accord ex. The climate control, cd, radio, defroster, etc are displayed on an back-lit led display console. Over a year ago the backlight went out, rendering the display useless. Reading various car blogs, this has been a systemic problem with the Accord. So much so that Honda has recalled some VIN numbers (but not mine) in the daylight hours, this is a mere inconvenience, at night it has presented several dangerous situations while driving in trying blindly to adjust climate settings -especially the defroster. I reported this to Honda, but they said that my VIN number did not qualify. The dealer said that they will replace this light for $645. Please consider investigating.
2004 Honda Accord, 2 door, 6 sp manual transmission. While driving, occasionally when turning on turn signal, turning on the high beams or touching the brakes causes an interruption to the electrical system of the car and it just shuts off. If moving with the clutch out, the car starts back up and continues. This happens at least once every time I drive somewhere and gets more frequent the longer you drive--like on a long trip. Is exciting when putting turn signal on while passing while at speed on the highway.
Audio unit display went blank / extremely dim. This unit controls radio and, most importantly, the heating and cooling settings for the car. Covered under extend warranty (7 years /100K miles), but car has 116K miles, yet 6 years old. Since electronics failures should be based on usage hours of operation), believe this failure should be covered under the warranty.
2004 Honda exl V-6; headlights dim as a result of the eld issue which is Honda is fully aware of. The car works fine in every other aspect. Honda's explanation that this is normal and acceptable does not do anything to ease my concerns as the headlights flicker during nighttime driving. I am very disappointed that Honda is not taking the necessary steps to resolve this issue, as it is a very noticeable issue. Given the number of online postings and complaints filed directly to Honda over this issue, the NHTSA needs to apply some pressure to Honda to get them to resolve this dangerous situation on their Accord models.
2004 Honda Accord V6ex. Audio-HVAC display is dark. Honda are aware of all model 2003 & 2004 but refused to recall due to the cost. They even put a service bulletin 04-027 out in all their dealership.
Noticed upon starting car: Lights on my dashboard have darkened completely (and permanently, not intermittently). This includes the defroster indicator, dashboard buttons, climate control, radio, and clock. This is a very common problem for 03-07 Accord, hundreds of users have complained about it for years. See the following thread: www.askmehelpdesk.com/advice/T-8584.html please submit this to Honda for recall action.
The headlights on my 2004 Honda Accord go dimmer and brighter about every minute while driving or parked. This headlight problem only occurs when the A/C or defrost is on. I believe the extra load on the electrical system with these components turned on is causing the headlights to dim about every 60 seconds. It could be related to a fan or other engine component turning on and off, not sure. The dealer replaced my battery and checked the alternator but the problem still occurs. The dealer says it is normal for Honda Accord to do this, but I think there should be a recall. This is very distracting to myself and the drivers in front of me. It looks like I am flashing my lights.
2004 Honda/Accord, first incident started with interior lights not going on, then console lights not turning on, then radio turning off by itself and finally radio now makes a loud buzzing noise before turning off by itself.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Gurnee, IL, USA