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:
4 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
4 / 0
Average Mileage:
69,359 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.
On Wednesday, JULY 27, 2022, I was riding on the highway and the left side curtain airbag exploded. There was no other vehicles involved, no accident. My left curtain airbag is hanging out my window and I need to get it repaired ASAP and it's affecting my seatbelt in the driver's seat. I need to know if my make and model has a recall for 2004 Honda Accord. For now, I have the curtain pinned to the roof of the car. The airbag just exploded and now there is a red sign on my dashboard with the seatbelt emblem and showing the airbag on the steering wheel.
On October 25, 2020, the bolt holding the drivers seatbelt unscrewed itself during normal use, stripped the bolt threads, and failed. It appears to have been in a position to fail for many miles. If an accident had occurred, the seatbelt would not have worked. The seatbelt components are mandated under 49 cfr 571.209. I have attached photos of the seatbelt buckle bolt. I have a simple solution to prevent this from occurring in the future, however, I can't seem to find anyone who cares about the technicalities. It would be great to speak with an engineer about this. The Honda dealer and customer service rep were worthless. They refused to sell me a replacement part unless I signed a liability waiver. I of course refused, because they have the liability. I guess they didn't like it when I told them they had a legal responsibility to provide the part and that I directed them to pick up the phone, call the production plant, and have the person sitting next to the bucket of bolts send me a replacement bolt...so I could install it myself. I purchased a 7/16-20 unf bolt through mcmaster carr and had to turn a new shoulder on a lathe. It's not as good as the proper shoulder bolt, but it is safe right now. Are there any avenues through NHTSA that would allow me to provide a solution to Honda, and to get a proper replacement bolt? it's a dangerous situation that is likely to manifest during a traffic crash.
My airbag light on the dashboard has stayed on all of the time since 2008. Not sure of exact date. Airbag light goes off on occasion but most of the time the airbag light stays on. I've never got a recall notice on this issue. I've checked my VIN when there's a recall on airbags for my year 2004 Honda Accord ex and it never shows that my 2004 Honda Accord ex has a recall issue with airbags. My airbag comes on when I start up the vehicle, sitting still or driving on the roadway. I've also noticed that sometimes when I'm driving the shoulder seat belt on the driver side will lock up on me constantly. I'm afraid the shoulder belts going to lock up on me while driving and cause me to have an accident because I'm being held tight against the seat belt.
SRS light comes on and seat belt buckle needs to be removed and replaced and steering column needs to come off to figure out why light continues to come on. Seems like this is happening to many other 2004 Honda Accord and needs to be addressed. I'm told my air bags won't deploy until it is fixed.
- Largo, FL, USA
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Seat belt will not reset the light is on constantly the wind shield wipers control the water will never pump the water out however the pump is good. The radio works however you can not see the panel and lights, that includes the air conditional and heater lights. The pain on all of my Honda's are coming off or fading with a white color and spots all over.
The SRS light of my car come on and goes off all the time. Sometimes when I am driving, suddenly will turn on for a while. I usually pull over and turn off the engineer and turn it on back and wait a few. This happens constantly, and I have read the manual, this has to do with the front air bags, and according to the manual book can be 'an alert to a potential airbags, side curtain airbags, front seat belt tensioners or the driver's seat position sensor and the front passenger's weight sensors' we have check it all the time and it just goes on all the time as it comes off all the time. I have gotten to a point that concerns me a lot.
My car got into a minor accident a neighborhood. The airbag on the passenger seat came out. Everyone including the police thought it was odd because there wasn't anyone sitting on the passenger seat. The driver's side on the other hand, the airbag did not come out. And the airbag light is off even though the passenger airbag came off. I have a question as to why that is? also my seat belt became too tight and does not allow me room to moves.
The contact owns a 2004 Honda Accord. When the vehicle was started, the driver's seat belt warning indicator illuminated and remained lit until the vehicle was turned off. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer and manufacturer were not notified. The failure mileage was unknown.
I purchased a Honda Accord 2004 V6, with 44,954 miles, certified at carson Honda, in carson California on Feb.9, 2006. This is my first car purchase from a dealership.I sometimes us to see the airbag light on and the last time I saw I on was about 2 weeks ago. I did call american Honda in torrance, ca. I had concern re. The takata airbag recall. They asked me the mileage of my car I told the rep.,it had about 170,000, he thought it was funny, because the car had so many miles. I did tell them that I had seen the airbag icon on and I had trouble with the transmission which had to be replaced, they said there are no recalls and end of call. Where can one see old recalls on car? I did receive a card called" important legal notice for owners of vehicles with takata airbag inflators". chapter 11 case. 17-11375(bls) my car is not in the recall am and am very concerned about the safety of passengers and myself. American Honda or carson Honda are not helping me with my concerns. I feel that vehicles with this takata airbag should be replaced. Is is very scary hat people have died instead of been saved.
I PURCHASE A CAR FROM SUNSHINE AUTO NEW LINK FINANCE ON WEST TENNESSEE ST TALLAHASSEE FL ON MARCH 22 2016 I PURCHASE THIS AUTO OFF GOOD FAITH FROM THE SALE WOMEN AND OWNER AFTER TAKING VEHICLE HOME I NOTICE THE VEHICLE WAS BARELY PULLING LIKE IT WAS LOW ON FLUIDS I ALSO NOTICE 2 RECALLS AIR BAGS N ONE BACK SEAT BEAT WORKING AS REQUIRE BY LAW IT WAS ALSO PENTLY MOTION ON HIGHWAY TURNING N RIDING DOWN ROAD THIS COMPANY RUNS A FRAUD SCAMS N OWNER CLAIMS HE ALWAYS OUT STATE N BUSINESS CLOSED DOWN AFTER FRAUD CUSTOMER OUT THERE MONEY COMANY HAS BEEN UNDER 8 DIFFERNT NAME SINCE 2011 PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CALL [XXX] ANY MORE QUESTIONS. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
While driving the speed limit to take my children to school this morning 02-18-2016, my Honda was in the last gear but suddenly downshifted into a power gear causing the car to jerk. My children and I were almost rear ended but the F-150 truck behind is swerved to keep from bitting us. I was very afraid also cause the seat belt around my children tightened to the point where my baby boy started crying cause it was like it choked him. After dropping them off, I got to the stop light which is on a hill and the car would not move. Put in park and cut off and car then went into gear but did not change fears to where it reved up the rpms. Cruised down hill to my home and decided to back up and the car would it even back up. I would like to know what can be done cause there seems to be a problem with Honda and all the can tell me is that there is no recall I. my car except for the power steering. I did research and there are hundreds of complaints about similar problems if not the same.
SRS light comes on intermittently when I am driving. According to NHTSA campaign number: 07V001000; component: Airbags. The driver's seat position sensor harness was improperly routed. I need to have the dealer replace and reroute the driver's seat position sensor.
I noticed that the SRS light was intermittently illuminating on the dashboard of my 2004 Honda Accord. It turns out that the driver's side seat belt buckle switch is defective, according to the dealer. Honda states in their seat belt limited warranty: Time period: This warranty continues for the useful life of the vehicle warranty coverage: Honda will repair or replace, at its option, any Honda seat belt component that fails to function properly during normal use. This includes all parts and labor charges. My Honda dealer (fairfax Honda 703-934-8500) informed me that this wasn't under warranty because the component needing repair was an electrical component. However, the Honda warranty clearly states any Honda seat belt component, and does not differentiate between electrical and mechanical components. Furthermore, because of this defective component, the air bag system will fail to deploy properly in an accident. I feel that since Honda has instituted a lifetime warranty on any seat belt component failure, they should have to repair this defect without any charge to me. I would appreciate NHTSA looking into this matter.
Air bag warning light stayed on for sometime before I could get an appointment at a repair shop. Auto repair mechanic explained that the driver side air bags would not function due to a faulty driver side seat belt buckle. Buckle was replaced on 12/17/14 & air bags were enabled.
I was pulling into a parking space in a parking garage. When I was about 3/4 of the way into the parking space, I put my foot on the brake. Apparently my foot slipped or I had put it on the gas pedal instead of the brake. My car surged into the concrete wall about 5 feet in front of me as I pushed harder on the gas pedal because I thought I was pushing the brake. None of my 8 airbags went off and I do not believe that my seat belt tightened its tension at impact. I suffered a shattered patella, 3 broken toes, a bruised sternum and a black eye. If the airbags and seat belts had worked properly I believe my injuries would be less severe as they would have kept me from flying forward at impact. The impact was strong enough to crack the transmission case, break one engine mount, break the air conditioner, destroy the bumper and hood and cause repairable damage to the quarter panels. Your crash test reports and Honda's safety information do not seem true to me due to my personal experience.
I have noticed the air bag light comes on, took it to Honda dealership and they told me that the code is 61-10. They would order the seat belt part (special order). I was under the impression that seat belts would be covered by the warranty for the life of the car. Dealers told me "it's electrical problem in the seat belt, not mechanical" and Honda does not cover this even the language in the warranty does not express this at all. I was very disappointed how Honda would not honor the warranty. Wondering how they received high marks for customer relations. The only recourse I have is spend the $260 and never, never buy another Honda again !
There are plenty of online posts regarding the SRS light intermittently coming on in Honda vehicles. Dealership stated that problem was due to a faulty sensor inside the seat belt buckle. Considering the magnitude of reports, there should've been a recalled issued. Although the new car warranty booklet clearly states on page 31 that there is lifetime coverage of any seat belt component "that fails to function properly during normal use, " Honda has refused to honor it per conversation w/[xxx] @ 800-999-1009 on 1/23/13 @ approximately 9:05am et. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Bradenton, FL, USA