As with the others in this class, the failure of the transmission at just over 60,000 miles is completely unexpected and extremely disappointing. The Honda repair shop wanted $3,200 - AAMCO did it for $2,700 - anything more than a $100 is completely unacceptable given the historical, implied and expected reliability of Honda vehicles. I'm in the process of coordinating with Honda. I hope to get a good portion of the costs covered somehow by Honda as this repair is thoroughly unwelcome - especially given the layoff I'm facing in a month!

Just bought this car 13 days ago. Have only put 400 miles on the car. It is my fiance's car and she has been complaining about jerking since we bought it but everytime I drove the car it drove fine. Then today I drove and the transmission completely went out. The check engine light came on, automatic transmission defect code, and the TCS light came on also. The car was slipping very badly and I had to put it in first just to get it to move. I took it to a local transmission shop and they test drove and checked the fluid and told me the tranny needed replaced. I called Honda America and they said there is no recalls and it is not under warranty so there is nothing they can do. The dealership where I bought it said they will not do anything as did the local Honda dealership. After doing research and seeing how common this is I can't believe Honda is not offering a recall. I own an Acura Integra and my fiance just totaled her Honda Prelude which is why we bought this car. Up until today I would only buy Honda and would recommend them to anybody. I think I'm switching to Toyota now!

My schoolteacher wife bought the 2002 Honda Accord 4 cylinder brand new. She was the only driver and her driving style is rather gentle. The automatic transmission started slipping (not shifting correctly) when the car had only 90,000 miles on it. At 97,000 miles it slipped so badly that we could barely get it to the dealer for repair. The fluid level was fine and all routine service was performed at Honda per schedule. The Honda technician said the transmission was shot and that the only option was a Honda re manufactured transmission. The cost: $3000.00. We begged for help and pleaded that ourselves and extended family had bought four new Honda's from them. They contacted Honda and agreed to pay about half. Our final bill was $1732.00 for the re manufactured transmission (that came with a 36,000 mile warranty. I'm very disappointed in this major mechanical failure. Honda's are supposed to be indestructible. My 1996 Nissan Infinity I30 has over 176,000 miles with never any serious issues. It's sad when the auto transmission on a 2002 Accord fails in less time than an auto transmission on a 1966 Ford. On a positive note, we've never had any other issue with the car.

My first Honda. I purchased it brand new and the transmission went out at 95k miles. I called the dealer where I purchased the car. I did have my scheduled maintenance done there over the years and also replaced the timing belt there. Naturally my extended warranty had expired. The service department told me that since I did have my service done there and because the vehicle had less than 100k miles, there was a good chance Honda would help me. I had my car towed there and they informed me that it was in fact a bad transmission. They put in a call to Honda for me and they agreed to pay 50%. My cost was $1200 that I had to charge. Although I appreciate them helping me, it seems this is an issue with Honda transmissions and I'm hesitant to purchase another Honda.

My transmission started to shift hard last May at 75,000 mi;les but has got worse during the last six months. I now have 80,000 miles and Honda will not fix it. My friend has a 2001 Honda Accord and has had three transmissions starting at 37,000 miles replaced by Honda under extended Warranty. The same Transmission is in the 2002. This is my second new Honda but I will not buy another. This is BS on Hondas part. They know they have a problem and are ignoring it. This will cost them a lot more than a recall would. I wonder if all the people having problems as me would be interested in an ad campaign against Honda in the major cities in America showing the public what Honda has done to us. If anybody has any other ideas please email me at

nedgecomb1@yahoo.com

Nick Edgecomb Taft CA 93268

I just bought a 2002 Accord. Before I bought it I checked Carfax. The car was bought and serviced regularly at Autowest Honda in Fremont Ca. Only 71k miles. Good enough for me. I bought it sight unseen. Turns out the transmission is bad. I took it to Autowest Honda. They confirmed it was shot. Would cost $4200 to fix. I couldn't believe it. I asked if there was anything they or Honda of America could do for me. No. Nothing. Sorry about your luck. After researching it, I found out that Honda was sued for faulty transmissions in 97-2001 Accords. They settled out of court. Never did anything to correct the problem. 2002 has the exact same transmission. Whats up with that? Seems like an automatic win for us 2002 owners. Whats happening out there?

I bought my car new, maintained it well...had some problems with it shifting hard and hesitating...was going to take it in shortly when the stupid thing died on me leaving me and my two year old in peril...I missed work without pay since I didn't have a ride and couldn't use emergency pay or anything. I managed to hobble it to the dealer and they quoted me $3300 for a used transmission and were not helpful. I had it repaired for less but was out of a car for over a week and had to spend over $200 on a rental. I got it replaced with a used transmission with 76k on it and it is starting to do the same thing within 6 months. I hate Honda. I paid $22k for a reliable vehicle which I didn't get, it has left me in a very sore spot because I had to charge the repairs....I will never buy another Honda and I let everyone know exactly how horrible they are. My managers sister had the same model and her transmission had to be replaced at 75k miles.

Just another V6 Accord automatic failure for the books. This one failed around 85k miles. Called the Honda rep, of course it isn't covered, its an 02, those are GREAT! (siiiiigh) Took it to the local dealer and, to my surprise, they started to work with me on it. Asking for service records to try and plead my case to Honda. Calls me back the next day and said they agreed to pay half, which would come out to be $1200.00 for a rebuilt with a 3 year/36k mile warranty on it.

Do not buy this car (from 98 to around 04) if you don't feel like wasting cash on it. Everything else in it has been great, but this is a costly repair that really nullifies the other reliability factors. Don't take our word for it here, feel free to search for it else where, you will get many hits on "V6 automatic transmission Honda failure"

My 2002 Honda Accord with $60000 miles had transmission problem, It was slipping ans jerking and oil leaking.We have done all the maintenance properly. We though we did not need to change oil transmission by following instructions under normal weather conditions, but Honda said we have to change it last year under severe weather conditions. I spent CN$4000.00 to replace a rebuilt one, but Canada Honda refused to reimburse any cost.

The failure transmission was sent back to Honda right away when I got the replacement by Honda dealer service center, Honda has so many problems on this typical transmission, they are even short of supply, I have wait for a week to get my replacement , This typical

I requested to check the the reason of failure of the transmission, I was told by Honda customer service I need to pay for the checking and I also have to be responsible for all the cost no matter what reason it is. It was awful! absolutely the worst experience I never had before.

According to repost result, failure of transmission is absolutely the design defect for this typical car. it should be recalled by Honda.

I bought my used 2002 Honda in 2003 with 15,000 miles because I heard Hondas were great cars. I did not have any major problems with the car other than the engine light coming on and needing a switch replaced. Over the last several months, I noticed the transmission slipping, but I thought this is a Honda with less than 100,000 and that the transmission could not possibly be going out. On April 18, 2008, the transmission began to slip badly and the check engine light came on. I took the car to my mechanic. He check the car and said that I needed a new transmission. Before he started the repair, he mentioned that his daughter also had a 2002 Honda with 66,000 miles and that Honda replaced her transmission at no charge. He also mentioned that many of the Honda manufactured during this period were having transmission failure because only one filter was placed on or in the transmission. This caused dirt to filter back into the transmission, which could lead to the transmission failing. He made a phone call to Honda and was told that they would not replace my transmission because the car had 96,000 miles. I wrote a letter to Honda and a customer service representative called me several days later and said that Honda would review my complaint and let me know if they would stand behind the transmission. A couple of days later, Honda called me back and said that they could not compensate me for my transmission repair. Since my transmission failed, I have talked to two other Honda owners that had to replace their transmissions. I believe that Honda should stand behind their cars and compensate individuals who had to replace their car's transmissions.

I have had several Hondas over the years and have purchased them for their apparent reliability. Now, after hard shifting between 1st and 2nd gear, I took my wifes car to the local dealership and the transmission is shot. I have since read all the similar complaints and the issues with the recall of 1999-2001 vs no current recall of the 2002. A transmission failure on a Honda with 88K miles should be a rare occurrence, but it is obviously typical for all Honda vehicles with this transmission. My sister had a 2001 Odyssey and the transmission went out at 80K as well, and I am now sure it is the same transmission as the 2002 Accord. Honda should be an industry leader and cover all costs for the replacement. The dealership was as helpful as I could expect, based on all the other similar complaints and has agreed to split the cost. I will be out of pocket $1400 to receive a rebuilt transmission with a 36K warranty. I have no reason to believe that this will not occur again. I plan on selling the car and buying Toyota's in the future and telling everyone I know that my family's experience with Honda's will lead me to never buy one again.