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:
3 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
88,510 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.

2002 Honda Accord drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2002 Honda Accord Owner Comments (Page 5 of 7)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #48

Dec 012011

Accord 6-cyl

  • 100,000 miles

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

I purchased my 2002 Honda Accord in 2007 and was told by the dealer I purchased it from that they had repaired the transmission as part of Honda's recall. I began leaking transmission fluid and shortly after, the transmission began to hesitate. When I am moving from a stopped position, the engine rev's up but the vehicle will not move then suddenly the vehicle will take off. I am terrified of driving the vehicle. I am afraid of crossing traffic, making turns in fear that the vehicle will hesitate and not move in and I will be hit by an oncoming vehicle. This is a known recall from Honda corporation and unfortunately due to the dealer misrepresenting performing the recall work, I am now stuck with the vehicle and its repair costs.

- Mustang, OK, USA

problem #47

Feb 082012

Accord

  • miles
The contact owns a 2002 Honda Accord. The contact stated the transmission on the vehicle failed three times. The dealer stated each time the failure occurred that the transmission needed to be rebuilt. The transmission began to slip and there was also damage to the bearings. When the transmission was replaced the first time, the mileage was 21,268 miles and the second time it was 35,315. There were also metal shavings found in the transmission. The contact stated the failure was a manufacturers defect because the dealer performed all of the repairs. The current mileage was 80,000.

- Walled Lake, MI, USA

problem #46

Nov 122011

Accord 6-cyl

  • 180,000 miles
I got 2002 Honda Accord V6. Recently, I heard a sound when the transmission shift gear, like ban sound. The transmission began jerk while accelerating.... I researched on the internet and saw a lot of people with the same problem, don't know what to do.

- Covina, CA, USA

problem #45

Jul 162008

Accord 6-cyl

  • 76,000 miles

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

Bought our 2002 Honda Accord ex V6 new. At around 70000 miles, transmission started giving us problems and finally had to be replaced. Very scary when light changes and you can't get car to move! rebuilt engine cost $2500 had a 12 month 12K mile warranty. Died at around 20000 miles. Car has been a lemon. Afraid to buy a 3rd transmission, new or rebuilt and let my 16 year old drive it. Honda knows there is a problem with all the V6 they built for several years 2001-2004. When I called they could have cared less. And this is a safety issue.

- Wilton, CT, USA

problem #44

Oct 092010

Accord 4-cyl

  • miles
Contamination of the linear solenoid and its associated passages inside the transmission will cause transmission failure.

- Miami, FL, USA

problem #43

Oct 242011

Accord 6-cyl

  • 115,000 miles
I have a 2002 Honda Accord V6. My tcs, check engine light and my D4 transmission light came on so I took it to the Honda dealership and they said that there was a 'problem' with my transmission and that it would need to be replaced at a total cost of $4900. I did some research and found that this is a pervasive problem in this model - transmissions are failing around 100K, some earlier - but Honda has not issued a recall or offered to replace transmissions to my knowledge. I never thought I would need to replace the transmission on my Honda ever, but now I need to replace it way too soon. I previously had a bottom of the line 1994 Honda civic dx with 140K miles and never had any issues so I decided to upgrade to their top of the line model. I bought a Honda because I wanted it to last a long time, but now this cost along with a badly needed paint job due to the clear coat eroding (another pervasive problem in this model where again Honda has not admitted fault) is more than the $6200 blue book value.

- Oakland, CA, USA

problem #42

Dec 272011

Accord

  • 154,500 miles

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

Gear selector flashes, D4 over and over, sets check engine light with multiple codes related to transmission issue. Tested solenoids, replaced failed one, still having issue. Will not go into 4th. When it goes into 4th, id does not stay in 4th gear. Sometimes it will get to 3rd, but again doesn't stay. 2nd is the highest that works. Bucks and jerks violently, and is a pure danger to drive on the street. It has been parked and not driven since the transmission failed.

- Sacramento, CA, USA

problem #41

Dec 212011

Accord 4-cyl

  • 107,000 miles
Sudden jerking and slipping; out of control partially; check engine light on only after a while.

- Louisville, KY, USA

problem #40

Dec 132011

Accord

  • 112,000 miles
Transmission skips between 1st and 2nd and needs replaced. Only 112,000 miles and I have done every service recommended - all but one were done by the dealership! there has always been a little jerk there when accelerating but was told it was fine.

- Westerville, OH, USA

problem #39

Dec 012011

Accord 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 129,000 miles
Automatic transmission jerks when accelerating past 20mph or when putting it in reverse. After some research, I found out that this seems to be a common problem with 2002 Honda Accord yet it has not been recalled. Please look into this issue since a lot of drivers appear to be having the same transmission problem.

- San Jose, CA, USA

problem #38

Dec 082011

Accord 4-cyl

  • 94,600 miles

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

Has been making a hard shift since about 65000 miles, really noticeable yesterday at 94600 miles. Sometimes lose acceleration when driving.

- New Bern, NC, USA

problem #37

Oct 262011

Accord 4-cyl

  • 110,000 miles
2002 Honda Accord transmission failure. There seems to be a problem with Honda transmissions in that there are over 600,000 reported failures. Honda admits to the problem and offers to pay 50% of the repair if it is done in a Honda dealership. The problem is that the dealership price is double what other ase repair facilities would charge for the same repair so in effect Honda is offering nothing. Attempts to get through an appeal to Honda with letters to officers of Honda have yielded not response from them. It seems impossible to get around the "customer service" firewall. No documentation has ever been received from Honda not even the repair quote. It is all verbal with not concern for this defective transmission.

- Norcross, GA, USA

problem #36

Jul 012010

Accord

  • 110,000 miles
The contact owns a 2002 Honda Accord ex. The contact stated that while the vehicle was in drive, the contact was able to remove the keys from the ignition and the vehicle proceeded to roll forward. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but the manufacturer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 110,000 and the current mileage was 205,000.

- Foster City, CA, USA

problem #35

Nov 232011

Accord 6-cyl

  • 87,269 miles
Turning a corner of a busy intersection the car made a load wump thunk sound and stopped with the engine still running. Luckily, no one rear-ended me or knocked me into the policeman in the road conducting a license check.

- Charlotte, NC, USA

problem #34

Oct 032011

Accord 4-cyl

  • 95,500 miles
Bought this 2002 Accord w/ 57K miles from pasadena Honda dealership used selection on 10/23/09 and two years later w/ 95.5K the transmission started jerking from 1st to 2nd and out of reverse. Check engine light came on. Mechanic got no usable codes on the computer so did transmission service, but two days later, problem returned and 700 series codes appeared in diagnosis (torque converter gone bad - transmission needs replacing). D4 light also started flashing on the 3rd day after problem returned (on the way to the mechanic's!). $2800 is cost of 3 year warranty Honda parts dept. Rbuillt transmission and $1100 labor. Honda no longer offering any goodwill repair of any kind. Honda has lost me as a customer for life. Toyota rav 4 (previous car) drove to 215K without any transmission problem at all. Finally got rearended and bought the used Honda Accord next. I've learned my lesson. Toyota is a far superior product to Honda at all levels. Be warned!

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #33

Oct 132008

Accord 4-cyl

  • 143,000 miles
We purchased this vehicle in 2008 from a Honda dealership's used car lot (under a seperated name that was closed down a few months after we bought our car). Within a month, the transmission began jerking and surging. Being a mechanic, I hooked it up to a machine and found out the transmission had a code displaying. Honda's spreadsheet stated that the problem was the "1 2 shift solenoid" or if this failed to repair the issue, "replace transmission". come to find out it was a known issue, one that has caused accidents in the past, and that Honda has done very little about it to compensate customers. We had the car repaired at the shop that [xxx] (the dealership) took all their cars to. It has worked for almost 3 years. We have only gotten 32,000 miles out of this car, and are now looking at another transmission repair/replacement. I am currently in the navy, I leave my family for long periods of time, this has been the worst car I have ever owned, and the company who should be responsible for selling us a lemon refuses to do anything about it. Neither the dealership or Honda wish to take any kind of responsibility for their poor customer service. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Groton, CT, USA

problem #32

Sep 192011

Accord

  • 77,000 miles
The contact owns a 2002 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while driving approximatley 65 mph, the vehicle suddenly decelerated to 25 mph without warning. Once the contact exited the highway, the vehicle would not shift into reverse. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and they advised her that she needed a new transmission. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were approximately 77,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Potomac, MD, USA

problem #31

Sep 012011

Accord 4-cyl

  • 115,000 miles
Transmission beginning to shift hard between 1st and 2nd gears. The symptoms sound exactly like all the other complaints posted around the internet four 6th generation Honda Accord. Honda should recall these transmissions!

- Eugene, OR, USA

problem #30

Jan 012009

Accord

  • 120,000 miles
Transmission failure, it is clearly the fault of design and manufacturing. Of course it is dangerous, how many accidents, injury and deaths will it take to fix the problem?

- Cupertino, CA, USA

problem #29

Sep 062011

Accord 4-cyl

  • 160,000 miles
Transmission needs replacement. Advised by Honda 3K.

- Jacksonville, FL, USA

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