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:
3 / 0
Average Mileage:
84,983 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.
I purchased a 2002 Honda Accord LX from an original owner, two months ago. As of now the speedometer reads just over 65000 miles and the engine revs high until it hits 20mph and then bangs into second gear and then does the same thing going into third. When coming to a stop it again jumps forward and thereby could possibly hit a pedestrian or Ram into the car in front of it. Any car that unpredictably jerks/lurches forward and could Ram into the car or a person in front of them is a safety hazard. After researching this problem online I noticed that I'm not alone with this problem and I believe it's a manufacturing defect and this has to be recalled and replaced at Honda's expense. I received one quote for approximately $1800 and am getting another one tomorrow. Thank you for your prompt attention to this safety concern.
The contact owns a 2002 Honda Accord. While driving approximately 10 mph the vehicle lunged forward when it transitioned from first to second gear. The failure recurred whenever the vehicle was driven so it was taken to an authorized dealer where he was informed the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and the failures continues whenever the vehicle changes gears. The failure and current mileages were 65,000.
Check engine light came on took it to dealer was told it needed transmission replaced at a cost of $3700. Car had been slow in shifting gears and some jumping when stopped in traffic. Veh. 2002 Honda Accord V6 with only 69,300 miles.
2002 Honda Accord ex V6 with 60,000 miles has defective automatic transmission. Vehicle will not accelerate smoothly, making merging onto highway and local roads continuously hazardous.
I have a Honda Accord 02'. the transmission slips like crazy and I drive the car like its an angel. No matter how fast or slow I accelerate from a stop the transmission will thump switching gears. When I go to pull out into traffic it take the trans a second to catch leaving me rolled out in the road for a few and I don't know if one day its not gonna catch and I get hit. I would like a recall on this its super dangerous!
- West Bloomfield, MI, USA
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I own a 2002 Honda Accord ES loaded with everything. Today, I experienced a transmission malfunction. When the car stops, the transmission disengages while it is still in gear and running. To make the car move forward or backward, I have to rev the motor up to about 1800 RPM's before it will engage. This causes the car to lunge forward when it finally engages and it will certainly cause a wreck. The symptom occurred very gradually and I didn't know it until today when it wouldn't go into gear. Now I know it wasn't just my imagination. I have my car at the shop right now over this incident, and I am told that it is common with these cars by my mechanic. He states it is dangerous and I should replace the torque converter and repair the transmission. This car has about 85K on it. It looks and runs like new -- except the transmission problem. The car is destined to be in an accident because of an uncontrollable engagement of the transmission. This is dangerous. Honda should step up and fix the car with an after market product that will provide the service we expect from Honda.
When driving my 2002 Honda Accord, the transmission slips and jerks. When traveling under 20 mph, the RPM sometimes goes high before the gear sets in place causing the vehicle to jerk or lunge forward. Not good when you have a newborn in the car and the jerking is causing their heads to jerk. Please help.
In mid-July of 2010, I began having sporadic transmission issues with my vehicle. On an irregular basis, the automatic transmission would shift in a very rough manner, jolting the vehicle and leading to a dangerous lack of reliability with acceleration with no forewarning. The problem would last approximately 15 minutes and then would rectify itself. When I contacted the dealership, they claimed that there would be no way to diagnose the problem if the check engine light was not on (no computer code being tripped) and they could not replicate the issue. On Sept. 13, in the middle of my commute, the check engine light came on and the car would not shift out of first gear, putting me in a dangerous position on a major road. The dealer claims that the computer code states a failure of the torque converter. Allegedly, as the converter was deteriorating, the pieces of metal were falling off of it and into the transmission, causing the shifting problems. Dealer claims that, at this point, the torque converter has damaged the transmission to the degree that both need to be replaced. If it would have been possible to diagnose the faulty torque converter at an earlier date, the transmission may have been saved.
Check engine light comes on & turns off every so often for about 2 months. Took car into dealership & they said it came back with an undiagnostic code. On the 3rd month check engine light came on & stayed on. A couple weeks after I felt the transmission slipping & jerking. I called the car dealership to report the problem & they said due to me not purchasing warranty when I purchased the car less than 4 months ago, it was going to be pretty expensive to fix. I'm still searching around for an affordable transmission fix. For the meantime, I'm having to warm up my car for 15-20 minutes before driving it to prevent less jerking & slipping when I accelerate. I feel Honda should put a recall on this make & model (2002 Accord auto trans) as there are many people out there aside from myself with this expensive problem.
Car is a 2002 Honda Accord LX. When I was driving it I felt a sudden jerk like I was hit from behind. When I tried to accelerate to pull to the side the car would not accelerate. I got it down to the Honda dealer where they informed me that my transmission was suffering from internal failure and I would need a new transmission. My car only has 60,000 miles and all service and maintenance records. In further reading online it seems as though I am not the only one who has experienced these problems with the 2002 Honda Accord.
1. there were no events leading up to the failure of a transmission. 2. the transmission failed in the middle of the interstate during traffic instantaneously. This event led to a non responsive throttle and once responsive would led to a jolt of enormous whiplash. This led me to a deposition of trying not to get hit from cars behind for not accelerating correctly and hitting the car in front of me from the jolt. Also when my car would come to a stop it would jolt forward. With the transmission failure occurring at such a random time it forced me into the most dangerous situation I have experienced in any vehicle. 3. the vehicle, Honda Accord, has only 85000 miles on it and talking to many different specialist they all state how abnormal it is for a transmission to fail. The vehicle is currently be service to fix the problem.
There are over 400 complaints logged on carcomplaints.com specifying variations of transmission troubles and/or failures in all models of the 2002 Honda Accord. These complaints are of the exact nature of other model years of this vehicle that have been covered by a manufacturer's recall. This model year has not been recalled even though the conditions and results are exactly the same. The transmissions start jerking, hard-shifting at various speeds and various road conditions. All reports submitted by owners describe similar circumstances and similar actions taken, namely contacting either a Honda dealer or transmission specialist. Most consultations suggest that the transmission will eventually fail and the only remedy is to replace the transmission. In all reported cases, the vehicles have been operated under normal conditions and there are no cases of operator negligence. Since this is a widely-publicized manufacturing defect with no causation stemming from owner negligence, it is not unreasonable to expect Honda to expand its recall to include the 2002 model year of the Accord vehicle. This will assist those customers who, at the very least, expected a high level of reliability and most likely became (or remained) customers of the Honda product because of the company's long-standing track record of producing quality products.
While coming to a stop car began to buck. While stopped check engine light illuminated and the green band around the D on the dashboard began to flash.
2002 Honda Accord, 4 cyl, coupe, SE: Flashing D4 light, and check engine light come on. Car feels as it is "slipping" into and out of gears, when taking off aggressively accelerating, and stopping.
I bought a Honda because at the time they had a good reputation for being reliable car. My tranny would catch some from the start but in got worse. I took it into my local dealership and they said they didn't see any problem and no recalls were issued. I took it to another dealership in a different town and same thing. They acted like they had not heard of any problems. Then I find out that they are seeing issues with the V6 which does not pertain to me. Yet if Honda has tranny problems with some many different makes and models wouldn't that tell you they make a faulty transmission. I think they need to step up to the plate be accountable for this and take care of Honda customers.
90,00 miles / transmission failed. Hard shift very bad.impossible to get on highway.will need to spend $3500 to replace. This transmission in very bad. I am handicapped and getting stuck somewhere or not being able to get on a highway safely is a big hazard.
I own a 2002 Honda Accord SE with 96+ miles on it and I already have my check engine lights on with transmission problem (tcc). Initial slippage/jerking of acceleration causes a threat while driving and I would strongly recommend this model to be recalled. Reference: www.carcomplaints.com/Honda/Accord/2002/transmission /transmission_slipping_and_jerking.shtml.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Coral Springs, FL, USA