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.
The contact owns a 2002 Honda Accord. She stated that when idling she experiences unintended vehicle acceleration. She contacted the dealer, and a technician speculated that the transmission needed to be repaired at an expense of $ $1500. No repairs have been made. The failure mileage was 118250. The current mileage was 118899.
Was driving along and all of a sudden the car downshifted and drive light blinking. This was without any prior warning. The tcs light came on as well as check engine. Transmission slips all of the time now. American Honda refuses to do anything about it nor will fairfax Honda.
My 2002 Honda Accord LX is at 110K miles. I am having transmission problems. It is an automatic transmission. It never happened before nor did it have a minor problem leading to it. It just all of a sudden this year, 2009, started to jerk between stop and goes, slips out of gear and decelerates, it drops gears when slowing to a stop. I am afraid to pull out of traffic when I know I have enough time and space to pull out due to my car jerking. And also afraid of stopping at red lights and stop signs knowing that my car will jerk, slip, and go then decelerate. I have replaced my timing belt, fan belt, water pump, transmission fluid flushed and refilled, engine oil, oil pan and gasket, spark plugs. I have done all the necessary replacements for my car at 100K mile mark. And I was told if you keep the maintenance my car will always run like new. And it had run like new until this summer when my car started to jerk, slip, shift in and out of gear, and decelerate for no reason. I am not very happy after all the money, time and effort I put in this car and especially for it to suddenly not drive correctly.
Transmission torque converter failure, which causes the car to fail to accelerate or shift up gears also may cause a sudden deceleration with an unintentional down shift which may cause accidents due to driver is unable to control the speed of vehicle.
The contact owns a 2002 Honda Accord ex V6. The contact stated that when attempting to accelerate uphill the tracking warning light illuminated on the instrument control panel, then the vehicle rolled backward. He was able to safely stop the vehicle. The dealer was notified and the technician acknowledged that there was a problem with the transmission for his model; however, he added that because the warranty expired they would not assume responsibility. He is in the process of having the vehicle repaired. The failure mileage was 99,000 and the current mileage was 122,000.
- Winston Salem, NC, USA
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My 2002 Honda Accord's transmission, in August of 2007 started jerking between gear changes. I took it my local Honda dealership and had the transmission serviced, it did not fix the problem. I went back to the Honda dealership to have them look at the transmission again and was told the transmission needed to be replaced. I have drove it now for two years with periodic fluid changes but still have the hard shifting between gears. It sounds like this is an ongoing problem with this model of Accord, so I am also filing a complaint.
The contact owns a 2002 Honda Accord. The consumer stated when accelerating to high speeds, the transmission jerks very hard. Also, at lower speeds when releasing the gas pedal, the transmission, either does not downshift or jerks after a complete stop, then the D4 lights on the dashboard starts to blink. The consumer took the vehicle to the dealer and upon diagnosis they stated the transmission was about to fail and it needed to be replaced. The current and failure mileages were 99675. Updated 03/19/10. Updated 06/18/10.
Automatic trans on my 2002 Honda Accord V6 2 dr- abrupt shifting and downshifting- class action lawsuit filed against Honda of America for years 98- 2001- but they have evaded responsibility for the 2002's.
I have a 2002 Honda Accord V6 ex. At 113K miles the car has transmission problem. When accelerating, the car hesitates and then it shifts really hard. I took it to a mechanics for a check up and they said the transmission has to be replace soon. I didn't expect Honda's reliability is this bad.
The contact owns a 2002 Honda Accord. The contact stated while driving at 60 mph he noticed that his check engine light illuminated and he was unable to shift between gears two and three and one and two, he also noticed a revving sound and loss of power. The vehicle was taken to a local repair shop and inspected where it was determined that the transmission is failing. The contact was advised by the local repair shop to take the vehicle to the dealer for further inspection. The contact is in the process of taking the vehicle to the dealer for further inspection and contacting the manufacturer. The vehicle has not been inspected by the dealer and no repairs have been made. The was unavailable. The failure mileage was 45,000 and the current mileage is 69,000.
2002 Honda Accord, transmission problems. The automatic transmission, jerks, slips, refuses to engage and drops gears when slowing to a stop. It is an accident waiting to happen either when pulling out in traffic or stop in traffic.
I bought my 2002 Honda Accord exv6 at 45,000 miles, in Jan.2006. I started noticing about 2 months ago, that the transmission would shift extremely hard, and then, it went from that, to refusing to shift from 3rd to 4th, with the "D" flashing and the engine light flashing as well. It lurches forward all of a sudden, nearly causing me to hit a car in front of me, many times, and it revs really high at idle.
The contact owns a 2002 Honda Accord. The contact stated that the key can be removed from the ignition without the vehicle being in park. The vehicle was repaired according to a recall in 2005 for this issue, but the failure still exists. The recall repair was performed again at the cost of $160. The contact stated that the failure was due to a manufacturer defect. The failure mileage was 145,000. Updated 09/11/09 updated 09/15/09.
I have a 2002 Honda Accord SE. The auto trans started jerking when changing gears when the car reached 82K miles. When going from park to reverse, neutral or drive (or from drive/reverse/neutral to park) it jumps and jerks extremely hard. While driving, the car will not accelerate without jerking and rpms shooting up. I have done all of Honda's suggested maintenance, and I have all of them documented. Took car to multiple transmission shops, all said that I need a "new transmission" for around $3,200. I have been an avid owner of Honda's but this car really make me reconsider my preferences. I also heard from two other 2002 Honda owners that they had to get rid of their car because of transmission issue. After looking on the web at so many complains, I wonder if/when Honda will do something about this to protect customers' loyalty to their products...
2002 Honda Accord LX auto trans started jerking when changing gears. When going from park to reverse, neutral or drive (or from drive/reverse/neutral to park) it jumps and jerks extremely hard. While driving, the car will not accelerate without jerking and rpms shooting up. Occasionally, the car will stay in place when giving gas, will not move. Then it will catch and jerk. Took car to multiple transmission shops, all said "new transmission required". I am currently weighing my options. Bought car 1 1/2 years ago and have kept up with regular maintenance/care. One owner prior to my purchase.
2002 Honda Accord 62000 miles V6..transmission failure while driving..had to pull over quickly on an incline.. the transmission gave out with no warning..went to the dealer..confirmed transmission failure..called Honda usa "no recall, no replacement" there are many, many more complaints on this particular model..what will it take" wait for someone to die"
My 2002 Honda Accord started slipping around 90K miles and both my mechanic and this website www.carcomplaints.com/Honda/Accord/2002/transmission/transmission_slipping_and_jerking.shtml have reported that it's apparently a common issue for Honda Accord from that year to have transmission failure on the road before 100K miles. This is dangerous and unacceptable because many consumers have troubles affording the repair and may continue to drive. Even worse, this problem isn't very well known because 2002 model cars are only recently approaching 80K+ miles so the complaints aren't as widespread yet.
The contact owns a 2002 Honda Accord. The contact stated that the transmission slips and jerks in first and second gears. The vehicle was taken to a mechanic and the failure was confirmed. The Honda manufacturer advised the contact to take the vehicle to the dealer for diagnostic testing. She is currently weighing her options. The failure mileage was 124,000.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- West Hartford, CT, USA