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.
Transmission first had an issue in Dec. 2007: skipping a little and the check engine light came on. My mechanic advised to drive it some and take it back in if the check engine light came back on. For 3 years nothing happened and then the check engine light came on, same issue. I brought it into to a new mechanic who advised that the transmission was going and I would need a full replacement. These engines were included in a $5.5 million class action settlement which also extended their warranties to 93 months or 108,000 miles but because my car is outside of 93 months old (although under 108,000) I get to pay fully for the $4,000 transmission replacement.
Morale: The lawyers received $5.5. million, some Honda owners got a slightly extended warranty, the majority of Honda purchaser get stuck with fixing transmissions already known to be defective. Why would I ever buy a Honda again?
Honda is the worst!!!! You know you have a faulty transmission on the 1999-2002 accords and yet you don't do anything to help the public with this issue. Yes I am one of those customers that had your so called recall done and yet 3 years later I am having transmission problems... This is dangerous, period!
I thought it was a nice car after all it was new back in 2001 when I got this car. But now I know is old car, problem start showing up. Is pain in the ass get everything fix. The transmission needs to be replaced.
My engine light came on and my transmission started jerking from 1st to 2nd. My mechanic said he would start with axle seals to see if it fixed the problem. This worked for 2 months then engine light came back on and it jerked until it was warmed up, I had to get hips replaced so I parked the car. Now I have to get something done and am finding out this year of Honda Accord 2001 has this exact problem only to be told I'm past the 7 year, whatever mileage warranty. I need help. Please.
- ang007bondgirl,
Bel Aire, KS, US
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
Honda had a class auction suit because of this problem back in 06 the law suit took place in Cally and was awarded to the consumer for full free repairs for this exact problem how is it that they want 5,000 dollars to fix the same issue in nyc? this is very unprofessional.
i bought a used honda accord one year ago from a guy who was the original owner. i had reservations, but the car has been great for a year. all of a sudden, the check engine light starts blinking rapid fire and it felt like it went into neutral. after about 20 seconds it would kick into gear. i took it to the garage and they told me it was the "a and b shift selonoid" that needed replaced. they found that out after DRIVING it for a week here there and everywhere. so they replace that, and the car runs so bad you cannot get it off the lot. so..$750 later..and still no answer. and its still at the garage.they are now going to replace the computer. and i suspect after reading everyone elses story, its going to be a transmission change soon.
i'm getting rid of the car the minute it runs. i thought hondas were supposed to last!!!! i had a civic that went 225,000 miles and was still in good shape when i sold it! never any of these problems..never. i had a hyundai which i originally thought wasn't as good of a car, but it was WAY better than this. i will never buy a honda again. never.
Had Check Engine sign ON for last few months, bought over to auto garage twice, one said: he doesn't have proper equipment to check, visual check doesn't make any sense. Another one tried on his computerized equipment to find out reason why check engine lights ON, he said - it shows 2 faults and codes are P1166 - P 1167 and it will cost you fortune ( he said aprx $500 ) just to fix for remove and work on these 2 codes only. then no guarantee for further problems after fixing these 2 problems. Now, next months will be inspection due - dont know what to do. Is anyone out there to help and suggest if any answer or suggestion on this issue, please help.
Had a 99 accord, but the transmission wasn't shifting properly so my auto guy says to trade it in before it gets worse. Got a 2001 Accord V6, and at just over 124,000 miles something feels not quite right. This went on for a couple of months before something was really, obviously, not right. The drive 1 shifter light started flashing, the tranny was not shifting properly and the check engine light came on. Took it to a local repair shop for a diagnostic and they said it was the third pressure switch. This was replaced for about $500 bucks and I continued to drive my car, with the check engine light coming back on a couple of times, and the repair shop resetting, saying nothing else is wrong. Finally this shop decided the transmission had totally failed and needed to be replaced or rebuilt. Took it to a Honda dealer who said the codes that the first repair shop pulled showed the transmission had a "major shift malfunction" and they would not have gone further with a minor repair because the codes showed the transmission was shot. Dealing with the first repair facility is a whole different story. Sent a message to Honda in Japan asking why the check engine light doesn't come on when minor things are beginning to happen, but only come on when there is a catastrophic failure of the transmission. A representative called me directly. Also asked the representative if there were recorded issues with the transmissions for the 2001 Honda Accord V6. She stated there were no major complaints, which if I had looked online at:, 2001 Honda Accord V6 TSB, (a friend recommended) I would have seen an entire database of complaints. Are we to accept a $20some thousand dollar car is only going to last just over 100,000 miles before a very major repair is required? This repair cost me $2100 dollars,and I am very gentile with my cars. Looks like any actions that were taken to refund some of the repair costs of this defect have expired. Is there anything else going on that I should know about? I really don't want to be stuck with the entire repair costs.
One fine day when I started from office the engine light came on and the car was not moving easily and making sound. Next day I took to the honda dealer and they told me the transmission needed to be replaced for 2700+tax.
I have bought this car from another guy 6 months back and it has got only 71000 miles.
I'm having problems with the transmission, torque converter. I'm finished with Honda. I wish I would have read some of these posts prior to buying but now I'm stuck with this 3,800 problem again because it was just fixed in 2007 and a 330.00 car payment. Thanks Honda for letting me down once again.
We got the Honda because we thought all Hondas were good cars. Then, the transmission started acting up. We did some researching online and found that early 2000s Hondas had transmission problems. Why weren't there any recalls? We are going to sell this car and get a Toyota.
thank you for the chances to tell u about this problem . I paid 6000 dollars and now has a tranmission problem at my cost , thats awful and Honda should stand behind there transmission problem because million of people won't be buying anymore of there cars unless this problem is deal with , its Honda problem , because this will come to a accident issue in time, just waiting for people to get killed , so a law suit will come soon. thank you chet
Recently my honda accord 2001 model, V6 has had transmission issues. I checked with the dealer asked him what could be the cost of the same. he told car would need transmission rebuild and it would cost me around $4500. Why didn't Honda guys recall if the model has the transmission issue ? only god knows why they sold to the customers with the defect in transmission
I bought a honda expecting excellent quality. Fortunately I got that with the rest of the car. The engine checks out at 87% quality and the transmission unfortunately was at a %47.
The tranny required an "overhaul" but I opted for the complete rebuild to prevent future problems.
COMBINE YOUR TIMING BELT CHANGE AND WATER PUMP CHANGE!!!!! SAVE MONEY!
paid 3500 for new transmission..then bamn again D4 light flashes and check engine light came on..what i did was i went to best buy and bought a code reader for cheap and kept reseting it and light went away but the problem is that when you drive the accords hard like pedal to the medal the engine can take the beating but transmission is too weak and the solenoids melt or break and get loose in the tranny that screws up slowly.. pull out the tranny oil dipstick and wipe it with a clean paper towel and see if you can see shinny metals in the oil..if so then your most likely f*cked.but try to warm up your vehicle every morning for about 6-10 minutes before heading out and the D4 sign will not flash..if it does and your driving and cant pull over just put it in N(neutral) and quickly turn off and back to the on position with out cranking and your car will hopefully catch the spark and reset instead of stopping and powering off then on and losing a minute of your day...
also if you ever had your gauges flash then you have faulty wiring..i had disabled my daylight running lights and no problem but everytime i turned on my headlights manually it wouldnt flash..you can either replace the alternator (it wont flash for a month or two) and try selling to a sucker to rid of your problems or find someone to redo all of your wiring from engine to your dashboard..all it really is is faulty wiring..honda wont fix my sh*t.
Once my warranty on the car was up. Its like Honda sets you up for failure, I have always had faith in this company but I will never ever purchase another Honda car especially an Accord. Buyers beware the older models before 2000 are way more reliable. The rebuilt engine is giving me just as much problems. I give up!
Like others, this car is a second car with low miles (only 78,000) for a Honda and shouldn't have transmission problems. Yet the the Check Engine light came on, with the gear selector light flashing on D4 only, and we were told the transmission is deteriorating and will need replacement to the tune of $3000. Honda did not mention this is a "known problem." We are also experiencing airbag problems since the recent recall for the front airbag inflator. We've had Hondas for years and are not happy!!!! Incidentally, we were told that we can continue to drive the car until it gets worse--that's a little scary. If we do, what if we get stranded far from home?
What am i suppose to do now. I cant drive my car with the check engine light on and the d4 light flashing. It's going to cost way to much to fix it. then on a very low budget $0 no $ to even try to fix it I'm stuck with no car 3 kids and one pissed off Honda owner why did i ever buy another Hondas when i had the same trouble with my last Honda
My transmission had to be replaced in my 2001 honda accord in 2006. I bought it in 2003 and other than the transmission, I had never had a problem. At 99,092 miles my honda care warranty that I purchased when I bought the car was about to expire( it would've expired at 100,00 miles). The honda tech did not want to honor the warranty. Needless to say he changed his mind real quick when he found out who he was messing with! Even if my warranty had expired, there was an extended warranty available for the particular make, model and year. Had I not known about the extended warranty or that my original warranty hadn't expired, they would have allowed me to pay 3000.00 for that transmission. I WILL NEVER BUY A HONDA AGAIN! N-E-V-E-R!
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
Engine light came on, so I ended up replacing transmission, upper lower control arms and power steering pump. It was a very costly repair.
- Donna L., Kingsport, TN, US