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:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
74,180 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.
My daughter was driving on the freeway and without stepping on the gas, the car kept accelerating. When she tried to brake to slow down, the car would shudder and kept trying to accelerate. It was not a floor mat problem. She got up to 85mph!! she had to down shift (automatic transmission) to try and slow down to get off the freeway in yorba linda, ca. Thankfully, she got off safely and managed to stop the car. She had aaa tow the car home. Even the tow truck driver could not get the car in neutral and said he felt the car revving. Sounds just like the Toyota incidents, but was not aware of Honda having this issue. This is very serious!!! so very grateful that my daughter did not get hurt or injure anyone else. I know this is not a mistake of pressing the wrong pedal. Is there any other problems with Honda like this? we will be towing the car to our mechanic soon.
Pulled up to a boulevard stop in a subdivision; made a complete stop and then made a left-hand turn. Auto began accelerating to a tremendous speed and I was unable to stop it. Within 2 blocks, I turned off the ignition and shifted into park and auto kept on accelerating. I came to a dead end and had to made a left turn and, at the speed I was going, the turn ended up a 2-wheel turn. After about 50 feet the auto finally came to a stop.
I was driving my car and my transmission started slipping. I keep up with all of the scheduled maintenance for this car. I got the transmission rebuilt and now less then 3 months later the car is starting to jerk again and the drive light on the dash is starting to blink. I also have this error code that won't go away saying there is something wrong with the fuel tank. I got the gas knob changed and the error goes away but when you hook the computer up to it, the code still comes up. The air bag light also comes on and off when it wants to.
While I was taking an exit of the highway (traveling about 30-35 mph), gradually applying the brakes, the vehicle's brakes all of the sudden were locked up and the car was out of control. It spun around, steering was locked and engine was cut off. Fortunately, there we're no cars behind me and damage was minimal. Only the rear bumper was hit by the guard rail on the ramp. Took the vehicle to the Honda service center. They did not find any fault in the vehicle. However, I have noticed one thing after I got the vehicle back from the shop - fuel efficiency went up. When I purchase the vehicle, it was averaging about 32-33 mpg. But in pass three to four months the average as about 28 mpg. Initially though was that fuel efficiency was low because of warm weather and A/C turned on. Interestingly, the fuel efficiency went up to 32-33 mpg after I got the vehicle back from the shop. The A/C's on and the driving environment have not change. Fuel efficiency has been consistence for laser few fill-ups.
After purchasing the vehicle the consumer smelled gas. The consumer noticed there was a leak and took the vehicle to the dealer. The dealer changed the bearings, however the problem has not been resolved.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Upland, CA, USA