Driving home at night in heavy rain with family when the SRS light came on followed less than a minute later by the ABS light. Less than 1 minute later car died on the road. Battery was so dead that starter would not even turnover. Had to be towed home. It was determined the next day that the delphi alternator was putting out no voltage. It had blown open 4 of its 6 diodes in the rectifier assembly. Behind the back cover of the alternator when opened up. Car needed a new alternator at 68,000 miles. I was told by many that this was a very common problem with the '1998 to '2002 Accord V6 models which used this delphi built alternator. Complete alternator failure caused the SRS and ABS lights to come on due to a low voltage condition in the car's electrical system possibly rendering both of these important safety systems useless with the warning lights on. The battery light never came on. I replaced the alternator with a Bosch unit as I did not want the problem to occur again. I called Honda in ca to inform them of this problem on 1/18/06. I still have the defective oem alternator.

- Wallingford, CT, USA

While the consumer husband was driving, the vehicle stopped with no warning. He was sitting in traffic and then pushed the vehicle to the side of the road. It was then towed to the dealership, and they found the alternator failed. The alternator was replaced. Updated 12/07/05.

- Carrollton, TX, USA

My 2000 Honda Accord V-6 has approximately 85,000 miles on it and I have had very few problems. Always took to dealer for maintenance/repair. I had the alternator replaced in June 2005, and within 2 weeks of getting the car back, the SRS light came on. I called the dealer and they said I should bring the car in right away. I paid $68 to have the system "tested" and was told I needed to replace the entire computer system for the air bags at a cost of $575, or I could have them reset it and it may or may not come back on. I asked what happens when the light was on and was told that the airbags just won't work. I opted for the reset. Now, 2 weeks later, the light is back on. I have done some internet research and have found that not only is this a known problem, but the "cures" that are suggested by the dealer are all over the map. I find it incredible that Honda is not responsible for this defect in a mandated safety device. My family will hold Honda responsible if I am injured or killed due to a non-inflating airbag. I do not believe the company is taking the airbag issue seriously. My daughter was thankfully not killed in a serious accident last June in her civic, whose airbags did not deploy when she was hit with such force that it tore the front engine housing off her car and resulted in a total loss. The Honda folks told us then that sometimes the car isn't "hit the right way" and the sensors don't register that the airbags should deploy. I think the same government that requires these devices be installed on all cars (and the ones we pay for when purchasing the cars) should hold the car makers/dealers responsible for making sure they are operable.

- Plainfield, IN, USA

Purchased new 2000 Accord ex V-6, 4 dr-replaced transmission at 10,000 miles, then again around 55,000 miles. Now on third transmission and wondering how long this one will last. Also, now the SRS light is on and they say the seat belt has to replaced, as well as now the alternator and tensioner are being repalced ($600 job!). based on some other complaints, it seems the two are related, as well as the alternator problems being a result of the transmission problems.

- Marion, CT, USA

The seat belt, brake, door, emergency and SRS lights were constantly burning at different times on the consumers 200 Honda Accord. The dealer replaced the alternator.

- Jonesville, VA, USA

I purchased a new 2000 Honda Accord V6 in June of 2000. It is now 4 1/2 years old and has fewer than 18,000 miles. About 1 week ago I started hearing a whine or whirr and took it to the dealer today (12/15/04). It checked out to be a bad alternator, and they said it would be over $500 to fix!! I found seven complaints on this site and all of them (including mine) share a defective air bag light which comes on intermittently. Mine has been coming on since almost day 1. Honda dealership told me back then it was due to some clothes or cushion blocking some sensor at the back of the seat and was nothing to worry about. I have had maintenance done every 3 months or so, the most recent of which was December 4, 2004. At that time, there was no whine, no engine warning lights, or any indication of anything wrong, but I was told I needed a new battery. I was surprised to hear that, but now I know why. It was a few days after that I began hearing the noise that was today diagnosed as a bad alternator. Again, good maintenance record, fewer than 18000 miles, no warning lights, bad alternator. I am driving 300 miles this coming Saturday and am scared to death--hoping that it is fixed completely and that nothing else goes wrong. I hope this gets some attention from NHTSA!.

- Washington, DC, USA

The SRS airbag light came on at approximately 69,000 mi.the car was taken to dealer and no fault codes were found on the computer. I had the delphi alternator load tested and determined that could be the culprit. During this time, I also had both of my headlamps burned out within weeks of each other. I replaced the alternator with an aftermarket one and have not had any problems since.

- Allenton, WI, USA

Alternator failure. Driving 60 mph alternator failed along with battery. Vehicle completely shut down at 60 mph at night in the desert. Vehicle almost caused major accident. Alternator replaced three times already. Possible passenger side air bag issue.

- Las Vegas, NV, USA

Delphi alternator failed. First noticed due to noise coming from alternator. With no dash warning lights on, voltage measured as low as ~8 volts, and engine then stalled completely when high beam lights were switched on. Confirmed wiring good, removed discharged battery, recharged battery, battery condition load-tested good, and warning light finally came on only after running engine at idle and then ~3000rpm for ~5 minutes. Voltage monitoring confirmed only battery voltage had been present long before warning light came on. Alternator should not have failed this soon, but not having an immediate warning indication that charging system has failed is a very unsafe condition. (luckily the car stalled in my garage, not minutes before in middle of traffic.

- Newark, DE, USA

The alternator went out on the car with approximately 55,000 miles which is way too soon. The check engine light came on a couple of weeks later and had to replace the egr valve (covered under warranty). The right headlamp has been replaced at least 5 times since owning the car. It has been checked for an electrical short and nothing could be found. The factory-installed cd player failed at approximately 37,000 miles. I have always heard good things about the Honda, but I have not been too pleased with all the little nitpicking stuff. The original tires were replaced at the approximately 50000 mile mark. The new tires were dunlaps which failed within 8 months. Hopefully the new ones will make it.

- Bartlett, TN, USA

Sudden battery failure causes loss of power, steering, and all-around control of the car. Alternator has been replaced by selling dealer three times within one year. Dealer insists that the alternators have all gone bad. No diagnosis for what may be causing alternator failure.

- Waxhaw, NC, USA

Summary:on the 2000 Honda Accord after having problems with the alternator the air bags would be useless in a crash unless Honda services the vehicle and erases the failure code the computer is reporting. I recently had the alternator in my 2000 Accord ex V6 replaced because it was not working. After it was replaced the SRS (air bag) light was on and would not turn off. I then went to the local Honda service center and they told me that because the alternator was not powering the computer that controls the airbags with the correct voltage it triggered the failure light. I was then told that while the light is on the air bags are disabled and would not be deployed in the event of a crash. I then told the employee that this was the stupidest thing I have ever heard, and is there any way to reset the system. I was told the car would have to be serviced and hooked up to their computer system to reset the cars internal computer (at a cost of $89). I set up an appointment to have this done next week but got to thinking how this is truly a safety issue. The system should reset itself when everything is normal so the consumer does not have to drive around in a car with air bags that do not deploy in the event of a crash. To have the car disable this vital part of its safety features because the voltage dropped below a certain point makes no sense. I can see it detecting an error but then when everything is back to normal it should reset. Now the car is working perfectly but because the computer detected that one error now the air bags will not work at all until Honda resets it (and takes $89).

- Cape Coral, FL, USA

One month after my warranty expired I had two major problems. First my alternator was completely replaced as soon as I started getting some sound. The very next day I got a check engine indicator on. Which resulted in some emission parts being ordered to be replaced today when I came out of the delaership my SRS indicator started to display. I hope the airbags wont malfunction...

- Lawrenceville, NJ, USA