Bought the car in 2013 with 122,000km - had it for 4 years, did above and beyond maintenance including 2L of fresh transmission fluid every 6 months knowing that these cars tend have transmission failures. Transmission crapped out none the less, transmission fluid is still clear, and smells great and there was only ever minimal shavings on the magnetic bolt - so this wasn't some preventable slow decline, but rather an obvious design flaw by Honda. this is my second honda (first was 1994 civic) not sure I will ever return to honda.

At 100,000 miles my 1998 Honda Accord began jerking and bucking when shifting from first to second gear and also when accelerating in higher gear. I was almost killed by a Semi truck behind me when the car bucked and decelerated rapidly. THESE ARE DANGEROUS CARS! The check engine light came on and In the lower gears the car would go into "limp mode" and I would have to pull off the road and restart the engine in order to drive it. I took the car to a very reputable mechanic and he diagnosed a complete failure of the transmission and told me this was a known issue with this year and model of Honda. To replace the transmission would cost $3,400.00. After researching I have come to learn that it is a manufacturing defect in the transmission that Honda has been aware of and has done nothing to rectify. I contacted Honda and was told that they "sympathize with the problem I had but because they have no recalls or alerts in their system" there was nothing they would do to help. There have been hundreds of complaints about transmission failure in 1998 Honda Accords and in my case it almost cost me my life. If you have a similar problem, please report it to the National Highway Safety Administration.

I had my 1998 Honda Accord LX for 5 years and it was a long 5 years. This car has a lot of problems. You can tell Honda did not put the best parts in this car. The transmission in this car is defective, so don't believe people when they tell you all these different remedies to try and fix your transmission. IT WILL DIE SOONER OR LATER! IT WILL HAPPEN!!!!

My car started doing this thud after I would come to a stop at a red light or any stop for that matter. Sometimes light sometimes hard and it did it for a year before the transmission finally went. My job was only 3 miles away so I didn't drive this car all the time and I treated this car like gold it looked brand new!

If you plan on buying this Accord, please do not. You will regret it! Don't be fooled by its modern exterior and good looks this car is the worst Accord Honda ever made!

I bought a used 1998 Accord for my daughter who is a single mother who cannot afford a new car. This car has a perfect maintenance record and was actually owned by a "little old lady" who was a retired school teacher. I purchased the car approximately 2 years ago from the retired teacher's estate. She was documented as the only owner and the car was immaculate. The school teacher's brother who was executor of her estate gave me all maintenance records. I've always heard of Honda's well-known record as being some of the best used cars. The car had approximately 85,000 miles on it and now has 127,000 miles. I am angered and confused how a car with such a good reputation can have so many documented problems with transmissions dating back to the 6 generation of the model, but apparently Honda has refused to rectify these issues with a recall. My daughter's Accord began to have transmission issues last month which at first was minor slipping but culminated in total failure to the point it had to be towed. I didn't check with the dealership because I knew the repair cost would be more than the cars value. The best estimate I was able to get was 2400 dollars at a chain transmission shop. I ultimately had to take it to a friend which was still 1300 dollars. Of course, my daughter could not afford this due to being a single mother and only making 8 dollars per hour. I had no options but to pay for the repairs myself which drained my savings.

1998 HONDA ACCORD LX, 4-DOOR, 4 CYLINDER - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILURE AT 92,150 MILES

I have a 1998 Honda Accord LX, 4- Door, 4 cylinder, automatic transmission. At approximately 91,000 miles, I noticed that the automatic transmission started to "slip" shifting from first gear into second gear, especially right after the vehicle was just started. This issue would get worse under medium to heavy acceleration.

Having had another 1997 Honda Accord LX, 2 door, automatic transmission, that failed at 66,000 miles, I suspected that the transmission was failing on this 1998 Honda Accord LX. The vehicle was taken to Cottman Transmission for evaluation, and the technician test drove the vehicle immediately after starting up the vehicle in the morning. The technician confirmed the severe "slippage" from first into second gear and ran diagnostic tests on all the electric components, including automatic transmission solenoids. Upon completion and additional examination of the problem, the technician stated that the automatic transmission was failing, and required a total rebuild.

Once the Honda Accord automatic transmission was removed from the Honda Accord and taken apart, it was noted that the internal metal filter was plugged with metal savings, the clutch bands were burned, and an internal electric switch was defective.

Cottman Transmission has a reputable reputation for specializing on rebuilding transmissions, and is very familiar with premature automatic transmission failures on Honda Accords involving numerous years of manufacture. The transmission failures generally occur between 80,000 to 130,000 miles. Yes, Honda Corporation is aware of this major issue, but fails to correct the cause.

The technician explained that there is no way to gain access to the metal automatic transmission filter because there is no transmission pan to unbolt and allow access. Therefore, the metal filter gets plugged up with metal savings and other gunk, plugging the filter, thus starving the transmission of vital transmission fluid, while over-heating the transmission fluid, which further accelerates transmission failure, as heat is an enemy of the automatic transmission.

Cottman Transmission recommends to have the automatic transmission fluid properly flushed between 25,000 to 30,000 miles, while installing an add-on transmission cooler to assist in reducing excessive heat. Hyden makes reputable add-on automatic transmission coolers that will fit Honda Accords and are reasonably priced. Approximately $75.00. Well worth preventive and costly repairs.

Lastly, and most importantly, having the transmission properly flushed is imperative. Most service stations use a detergent mixture during a transmission flush which can actually exacerbate premature transmission failure for the Honda Accords. This causes metal shavings and gunk to further cling to the internal metal transmission filter. Instead, specialized dealers, such as Cottman Transmission, utilize a high pressure flush with their own filters to observe the clarity and accumulation of gunk and metal savings before refilling the automatic transmission with fresh fluid. They do not use a detergent during their flush for the aforementioned reasons.

Sadly, after owning two (2) Honda Accords, 1997 and 1998, I will NOT purchase another Honda Accord that are prone to costly transmission repairs. Furthermore, Honda Corporation in California are aware of this major defect, but still manufacture the Honda Accord with an automatic transmission in which one cannot access the internal automatic transmission to change and/or clean out.

Expect no help and/or compensation from Honda Corporation as pursing that route has been futile. It would seem that Honda Corporation had been over confident in the sale of Hondas in the United States, that the "quality" of their product now suffers.

For additional information, please feel free to contact me at: wlpatch@bellsouth.net.

Interesting. Looks like Honda transmissions have been troubled for a very long time. I am a former Honda owner (1984 Prelude, 1990 Civic, 1996 Accord). Both the Prelude and the Accord needed new transmissions under 100,000 miles. (The Civic was totalled in an accident).

After needing a transmission for a second time, I walked away from my beloved Honda dealer and switched to Toyota. Low and behold, I traded my used, unsatisfactory 2004 Camry for a new 2009 Corolla, which at 44,000 miles, now has developing engine failure, a problem apparently common to Toyota owners!

I came here to check how Hondas are doing, since I actually considered going back, thinking the transmissions must surely have been corrected by now. NOT.

I bought each of these brands due to their reputations for still running beyond 200,000 miles. NOT again! So, my faith in both Honda and Toyota has been shattered, as well as my finances. Where does one find a reliable car on this planet?

I bought this car 2 years ago from my father--who did not drive the car very much at all. I didn't have it long when it starting giving me problems with the reverse and then it just went out completely. I took it back to my local dealer but since the are was over 10 years old they wouldn't even talk to be about it--thought I should just trade it in--but I can't afford a car payment right now and I surely can't afford a $2800 transmission. I had a 1999 Honda Odyssey before this though and the same damn thing happened with Reverse--since I couldn't afford to pay Honda--I found a local mechanic to rebuild the transmission for $800.00-- it lasted about a month and went out again. I went back to Honda--but they said since I had let someone other than a Honda mechanic work on the car--they could not help me. I ended up paying another local mechanic $600.00 to put in a new reverse and it went out after about 2 weeks. I ended up selling the Odyssey for salvage prices. You can't convince me that I'm that rough on a transmission--something is wrong with these cars and Honda will not admit it!!! HELPPPPP!!!!

I've owned 2 Honda Accord EX's, a 1992 that I drove to 180,000 miles before selling it and then my current 1998 Accord that that I purchased w/ 15,000 miles and it now has 140,000 miles on it. I started having a problem when putting it into drive; it would NOT engage. The car would roll forward, and if you hit the accelerator it was as if you were in neutral; then after about 100-200 yds, it would kick into gear. I took it to my local Honda dealer, the only place I've ever had the car serviced; and was told that my transmission was bad and that I would need a complete replacement. The estimate provided was $3,500 and Honda would not cover any of it. I called Honda customer service and was also told the same thing; that they would NOT cover any of the repair b/c my vehicle did not qualify for a "goodwill" repair. I asked which vehicles do qualify for a goodwill repair and was told that it was a case by case basis and that my case would not even be considered to turn over for futher review. I was told by Honda corporate to go back to the dealer and ask them for assistance. These transmissions should not be failing; it is clearly a Honda design flaw and they won't do anything about it. I've always said I would only drive HONDA; not anymore!

I have owned this Accord since 7 miles, maintained 100% to standard even choosing the dealer maintenance almost every time. at 15k mileage the engine light was on and has stayed on since then. I have had multiple tests run, spoken with Honda USA and above them a few times to see if they would spend more time to isolate the issue. I wasn't having any trouble with the trans per say except the hard gear switching that the dealer said was normal. well now I have replaced the transmission 3 times and it is getting expensive and frustrating. I like Honda but this seems to be something in the construction of the Car and not just an isolated event. I will definitely look at Toyota much closer the next time considering I have owned a few of those and have never ever replaced a transmission.

My 1998 Honda Accord LX-V6 transmission died for a second time. I had it replaced about four years ago at around 55/60 thousand miles. Now it has failed again at 119,000. I have put so much money into this car between the catalytic converter, starter, timing belt, interior lights, automatic door and winds. I was going to replace for a second time until reviewing this site. I need a reliable car. So I will now purchase another vehicle, but I will NEVER buy another Honda. There should have been a recall and Honda has really dropped the ball.