CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2001 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 100,000 miles & with a repair cost of over $2,000. Transmission failure problems have been a huge problem for Honda Accords & other models all through the early 2000s model years. Honda eventually extended the transmission warranty to 93 months/109k miles for the 2000-2001 Accords as settlement for a class action lawsuit, but that period is over & owners of Accords 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. Also make sure your 2001 Accord has been checked for the airbag recall: excessive pressure may cause metal fragments during airbag deployment.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
6 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
7 / 0
Average Mileage:
108,886 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.

2001 Honda Accord body / paint problems

body / paint problem

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2001 Honda Accord Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #35

Dec 012020

Accord

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Honda Accord 2001 4-dr sab: Passenger side rear front engine support completely rusted away due to ac leak. Driver side rear front subframe is completely fine, no rust. Mechanic said car is too dangerous to drive unless I invest in new subframe for over $1,200. My car only has 70,000 miles on it and I'm very disappointed it hasn't been recalled for clearly a defective ac leakage. I have found many forums with the same problem including the article 'center for auto safety requesting recall of 1.5 million Honda Accord for rust issue in sub- frame and Honda Accord found with sub-frames rusted out by the nhou. I could have been seriously injured driving this car while I worked as a food delivery driver for grubhub. I deserve compensation, my passenger subframe is completely rusted out and hanging by a thread whereas my driver side subframe is completely fine. That doesn't just happen it should have been recalled.

- Howell, MI, USA

problem #34

Jul 202020

Accord

  • 220,000 miles
The passenger side rear front engine support is rusting away due to a ac leak my car was bought last year everything was fine due to hot summers and salty wet winters when this summer came my cars frame where the front support meats the back end and where the engine mount is completely rusted away dues to the years of the ac leaking directly onto the frame when I bought the car the info was not disclosed to me that Honda with the years 98-02 had this problem my frame has now completely broken and is hanging by a thread this I'd a very dangerous situation as if I'm driving and the frame breaks it could cause seriously injury or death I noticed the noise a couple weeks ago and when inspection the vehicle and doing some research I found that this is a very common thing and don't think I could have to fix the mistake Honda made having a leak that drops directly onto the frame after 19 years of that happening the car is finally breaking down because of

- Isanti, MN, USA

problem #33

Mar 062020

Accord

  • miles
Subframe will not pass inspection dew to rust on the passenger side has large holes going through

- Fairfax, VT, USA

problem #32

Jun 252019

Accord

  • 166,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Front sub frame suspension passenger side rotted. About to fall apart and/or causing right side to lose steering capability.

- New Britain, CT, USA

problem #31

Jul 012017

Accord

  • 133,875 miles
The contact owns a 2001 Honda Accord. While driving various speeds and driving over bumps in the road, the contact heard an abnormal rattling noise. Additionally, the passenger side undercarriage was rusted and the service/maintenance warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated that the engine cradle needed to be repaired and the vehicle was unsafe to drive. The local dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 133,875.

- West Bloomingfield, MI, USA

problem #30

May 012019

Accord

  • 70,570 miles
Subframe completely rusted through underneath air condition. Car 18 years old but has always been kept in the garage. Also it has only 70580 miles and has been in Florida for a few years, and used only 3 mos. Per year.

- Mount Prospect, IL, USA

problem #29

Jan 262019

Accord

  • 162,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Upon inspection by a garage, it was found that the A/C drains into front crossmember/ subframe, causing accelerated loss of structural integrity by rapid oxidation.

- Interlaken, NY, USA

problem #28

Nov 022018

Accord

  • 230,000 miles
Very rust undernee the motor suport is broke is tnger on road

- Elgin Il, IL, USA

problem #27

Apr 012018

Accord 4-cyl

  • miles
Takata recall I am writing you because I brought a car a little under a year ago. I was driving it 2 weeks ago and my breaks gave out it was my break line. I got the car looked at and my frame is rusted and caved in on my break line. I called the dealer the same day nomore then 30min after it happen. The father was not there which is the man who sold me the car at nehre service. He was on vacation he came home 5/16/18 which is 2weeks and a day of it happening. He told me that I need to call the Honda factory there was nothing he could do for me. I'm writing this complaint because by law you can not sale a car with a rusted, damaged or bruised frame. He refused to late me trade in when my payments was done which was back in September. I'm to the point where I don't know what to do. Please help me because I put 3000 dollars into this car at this man shop. Please get back to me, I almost lost my life because of this. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).'

- Demotte, IN, USA

problem #26

Nov 172016

Accord

  • miles
Trying to avoid car infront, my speed limit is 35 mph, car went down to the embankment, airbag deployed.

- Coalinga, CA, USA

problem #25

May 012013

Accord

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Paint peeling and flaking

- North Palm Beach, FL, USA

problem #24

Aug 212013

Accord

  • 95,745 miles
The car was involved in a wreck with an 18 wheeler that had a trailer on it. It pulled out in front of my car and the trailer hit the front of my car where it totaled my car. The air bag had all types of trash that sms out once the air bag exploded.auhust

- Baton Rouge, LA, USA

problem #23

Oct 132017

Accord

  • miles
Front engine cradle (passenger side) rusted through, failed state inspection. Ac had not been used for 5-6 years, just fixed before this summer. According to other similar complains, seems it was due to misplacement of ac drain (by design) which drips water to the affected area. Mileage 108800.

- Ithaca, NY, USA

problem #22

Jan 102017

Accord

  • 184,000 miles
Takata recall - on Jan 10th 2017 my son was in a car accident with his 2001 Honda Accord and the airbag deployed and stuff hit him in the face he was bleeding all over his face. The car was totaled and its now sitting in a junkyard here where we live I have pictures of the car. My son was rushed to the emergency room in reno, nv. He is ok now and he a lot of cuts, bruises and had whiplash. This car was not safe for a teen to be driving for his first car! the car lost control on the highway and bounced several times off the guard rails at 65 mph.

- Carson City, NV, USA

problem #21

Sep 172017

Accord

  • 172,000 miles
While changing the front brakes on my car I noticed the right rear corner of my subframe was heavily rusted. Upon closer inspection the subframe has rusted through in several spots. Directly below the air conditioning drain tube I was able to put a finger through the metal with little to no pressure. The location of this drain tube allows water to drip directly onto the subframe. The opposite side of the subframe has barely any rust on it at all. Searching through the internet I found many reports and stories from owners of the 1998 to 2002 Honda Accord with the same issue. A walk through a local junkyard yesterday provides further proof that this is a design flaw and Honda needs to rectify this issue promptly.

- Altoona, PA, USA

problem #20

Mar 012017

Accord

  • 150,000 miles
My mechanic said that the frame is rotted out under the passenger side wheel well making the vehicle unsafe to drive. The drivers side is fine. The air conditioning hose drips at the spot that is rusted out. This is a major design flaw and should be corrected.

- Indianapolis, IN, USA

problem #19

Jan 182017

Accord

  • 163,450 miles
Upon a standard oil change at 160,000 miles, I was informed that the front sub frame had rusted through on the passenger and driver side. I was told to talk to a body shop immediately because the car wasn't "road safe". looked into this a bit and found that this is a common problem with Accord from this time period due to the placement of the air conditioning drainpipe (which empties right onto the subframe). The car for the most part is reliable, minus the transmission that failed at 130,000 miles. But a frame shouldn't be "rusted through" after 15 years! sounds unsafe, considering the amount of these cars that are still on the road. Called Honda today and was informed the repair would cost over $1200 with no goodwill on their end. Figured this was the best alternative to the situation.

- Elyria, OH, USA

problem #18

Sep 202016

Accord

  • miles
The contact owned a 2001 Honda Accord. The contact's vehicle crashed head on into another vehicle. The air bags deployed, which caused the passenger to sustain a large cut to the left side of the forehead and right side of the head. The passenger side seat belt failed to restrain the passenger. Medical attention was required. In addition, the dashboard split in half. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to a tow lot. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

- Glendale, CA, USA

problem #17

Aug 022016

Accord

  • 144,500 miles
Took my vehicle in for inspection. Mechanic has informed me that the subframe on the passenger side has completely rusted out and is due for immediate failure. Upon researching the subframe for the 6th generation Honda Accord, multiple articles, blogs, and even a news video report by wews news channel 5, point to A/C drain hose as the issue causing premature wear. The driver's side subframe is significantly in much better condition vs the passenger side.

- Cicero, IL, USA

problem #16

Mar 312016

Accord

  • 133,000 miles
Mileage: 133,000- started my car at home and couldn't get it out of park. Tried turning it off and then on again while stepping on the breaks. Break petal release and hit the floor. Had to tow vehicle to shop. Shop found that entire under body (sub-frame) was rusted, rotted/ leaking. Brake and fuel lines totally rotted along with entire under body, especially noted- located on the front passenger side near the strut assembly, beneath the air conditioner drain. Total cost over $2,000. Also, paint pealing/ rusting off. Started at 60,000 miles. After reading hundreds of complaints online regarding these same issues, and finding that Honda is not taking responsibility (air conditioner is located right above engine) I have decided not to spend another time on this car and will never purchase another Honda for as long as I live. I guess people have to die before Honda will admit model flaw. I'm so lucky I wasn't driving when my breaks went out.

- Clinton, CT, USA

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