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.
7.9
pretty bad
Typical Repair Cost:
$2,500
Average Mileage:
94,950 miles
Total Complaints:
354 complaints
Most Common Solutions:
recall should be issued, replaced @ Honda's expense (188 reports)
replace transmission (53 reports)
not sure (45 reports)
replaced transmission (32 reports)
replaced transmission, split cost with Honda (14 reports)
Honda refused to repair under warranty, had to pay (9 reports)
I call this next story of horror the "First Car Blues"
When I bought my Accord all by myself in 2018 with 120,000 miles on it, I was certain that it would go another 120,000 miles. It's a Honda. Where could I go wrong? I named it Fuji, and it would be my first car, I was 16 when I bought it. I loved that car, it was fast and comfortable. It was the coupe model with leather, sunroof, V6 and all the goodies with a sporty design. It was mine, and I loved it to death. Obviously though I didn't do enough research as this issue is extremely widespread.
I saw this in early 2019, and thought my Accord was different. It would be the one that makes it to 300k miles. I believed and believed. It drove happy for about a year with my heavy daily use until the odometer reached 133,000 miles. Then one day in July of 2020 I was driving to work when I turned a corner and the transmission jerked and a trophy case of warning lights came on... Instantly I knew... My heart sank faster than the titanic. I made it to work, and besides that one jerk and a persistent check engine light it drove okay. But this wouldn't last...
The following few days the issue would get worse, very fast. The car would start ok, but then it wouldn't shift gears normally, often erratic or not at all. Then the worst is when the thing barely could move. Every time I came to a full stop I prayed that it would slip back into gear and go. But my prayers must've been going to the devil because the light turned green but all the car did was rev. It finally went but with a loud bang and barely any acceleration. I got home that day and set up an appointment with my mechanic, this wasn't safe to drive at all!
A week later I got my car into the mechanic and as before it started okay before its snowballing decline into barely driving, but it managed to pulled itself into my mechanic. I waited, nervous like someone waiting for the results of a surgery. The prognosis? Not good. Even worse than I ever could've imagined. My transmission was done. On its last legs according to my mechanic. The quote to get a new unit exceeded the amount the car was worth, around 4500+ USD. I was heartbroken. I drove it home, knowing it would be my last drive. I couldn't fix it, nor would it make sense to. I had to get rid of it. So with heavy heart, I cleaned out my things like a laid off office worker. Seeing the car completely empty without my dashcam, without my plush worm in the backseat... Hurt me and I put away all my things with a walk of shame. I called the scraper and got 200$ for the car. When I watched them take it away, a breeze of wind blew by my face and a single tear streamed down my face. The wind felt like that car was driving away without me: on its final journey to a bitter end.
Even months after this happened, I mourn the loss of the car. Every time I see one still on the road I think "Lucky Bastards" with a hint of jealousy and remorse. If there's one thing I learned from all these cars, they have the same problem. If age doesn't kill them...That shotty 4 speed automatic will. Even though this car was sh*t, I don't think all Hondas are bad, I'd gladly own another one without transmission issues but nonetheless, please, save the heartbreak and stay away from this car. Your wallet, anxiety, and heart will thank you. F in the chat for Fuji the 2002 Honda Accord Coupe V6.
R.I.P. Fuji - Gone too soon.
June 2001 - July 2020.
Honda Accord 2002 EX-L V6, a month ago around 145K mileage Transmission started jerking abruptly and when the gears shifted. A driving hazzard, and transmission need to be replaced. Researching it seems that most 1998-2002 Honda Accords V6 had the same problem. Definitely a known issue with this model/transmission. Honda should owe up to this and pay for the transmission replacement.
I am just disappointed because my sister told me to get a Honda because they are great cars and they last forever. Then I saw this site with all these complaints on this model. I had to get a used one so I was limited in what I could spend because I have bad credit and I didn't want to have to make payments so I went on craigslist and found this one. The guy who sold it to me is a mechanic and said he gets cars at auctions then sells them. I was kind of skeptical when I took it for a test drive because it had some cosmetic issues, for instance, the panel for the electronic windows is loose and I have to unlock the car on the passenger side with the key, the key does not work on the driver side. I bought it anyway and so far I had the timing belt replaced by the guy who sold me the car so he gave me a good deal on the job. I recently had to have the radiator replaced and now I am having the transmission rebuilt. The transmission has been slipping since I got it but nothing major until recently it was jerking a lot and it felt like it was going to stall whenever I came to a stop and of course the engine light came on and one time the d4 light was flashing. The guy who replaced my radiator checked it and said it was a solenoid out in d4 and that he could replace it like he experienced before with another car, the problem comes back and that it would be better to just replace the transmission. He told me to drive it in d3 for now until I can fix it which I have been doing for a couple of months now. I just took it to a transmission shop that I was referred to by the guy who sold me the car and they found 3 codes which are:P0720, P0730 and P1738 which are sensors that they could replace for $300 but it might not fix the problem and they suggested that I have them rebuild the transmission, so that is what I am going to do next week and they are only charging me $1200 because I was referred by the other mechanic that they know. I hope this corrects the problem. I would like to trade it in and get a better Honda. Any suggestions would be great.
The automatic transmission slips and jerks when shifting gears--it is worse when I stop, the engine idles, and then severely jerks when I accelerate, but the jerking motion also happens going up inclines. It is so bad, it has caused broken motor mounts, which I've had to repair. I have no doubt that the transmission is eventually going to fail, which could be hazardous while driving. Though I take good care of my car, I thought that maybe it was just older and the transmission was naturally failing, but doing some research, I found this to be a common problem with Honda's transmissions in general, but particularly with the '02 Accord. It has been happening since 2013 at roughly 90,000 miles, but I will put today's date as it still is happening. I feel like this issue is so prevalent among Honda owners that Honda really should do right by their customers and recall the transmission.
- greensa13,
Ashland, KY, US
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Ok so first off, I know many people that have said Hondas are great cars , me listening to them bough a Honda accord 2002 ex v6 , worst car I have driven , my dads old Toyota camry v4 1996 drives 10 times better than the Honda , I am very disappointed worst transmission i have ever felt . slips while switching gears from1st to 2nd and 3rd , theres times when it stays stuck on 1st or 2nd and never goes into 3rd , Honda has to fix this issue , if they do not i will never buy a Honda again.
I bought this car thinking Hondas where build to last a longtime. Not the case the same day I bought the car all of a sudden my RPMs drop, so I floored it. They just shoot up with no gain of speed. I almost got hit from behind because I lost speed. It was scary. I didn't know what happened. I get home, hop on the net and there are literally billions of complaints. I want a recall for 02 Accords.
The transmission slipping and jerking started in December 2015. A Mechanic drained and replaced the fluid, the car is still doing the same thing. He told me Hondas are known for transmission failure and he advised transmission replacement.
2002 Honda Accord. Automatic Transmission shifts hard going into second gear. The faster you drive the harder it shifts. Honda fix your broken transmission. You know there's a huge problem with the 2002 Honda accord V6. By the Honda corporation not taking responsibility for the inferior product they put out you will lose millions in non repeat customers your credibility is spiraling downward. Redeem yourself and recall the 2002 honda accord transmission.
I bought this car from a private party back in 2013 so I'm not sure what the maintenance was before then. However, everything worked. I took my car for a transmission fluid flush to Tempe Honda in Tempe, AZ and shortly after I got the car back, the problems started. The service light came on and registered a P0740, torque converter control solenoid. I had that replaced as well and the linear solenoid pack. These were not cheap; $250 a piece. I called the service manager at Tempe Honda as well as researching the internet. I found that Honda's design for these transmissions is atrocious at best. No filter, no pan, and now because of the flush, I have clutch debris clogging the ports and the solenoids and my tranny is done. I called several Honda mechanic shops and they all say the same thing. Since I have no maintenance records from the previous owner, it's going to cost me anywhere from $3K to $5K to fix, depending on the shop and the warranty. Honda will never admit that their design is crappy at best but they need to own up to it, just like the airbag problem and issue a recall for these transmissions. It would cost them a mint to redesign and rebuild, but that's what they get for allowing this design to go through. Just my two cents...
We should have a class action lawsuit against Honda Mo.because of bad transmissions.This has been going on for many years and involves thousands of customers.
I went online to see if others were having the same transmission problems and through this website saw that they were. I called Honda and was told that I would need to have a dealership confirm the issue before anything could be discussed. I took it to Walnut Creek Honda and they verified that the transmission would have to be replaced at a cost of $4,650. I then called Honda of America again and was told that, because of the mileage, it couldn't be sent along to even consider a "goodwill repair". They have lost all their goodwill from me despite the fact we own a 2010 Acura TL and recently sold a 2012 Honda Fit. No more Hondas or Acuras in our future.
Honda does not care if you get killed all they care about is getting MONEY from you . They should be sued and have to give anyone that bought a 2002 Honda Accord a new car !!!!!!!!!
2nd time with only an addition of 24K miles! They say that the last place didn't replace the Solenoid. I called Honda gave them my vin number since this is the 2nd time and all they said was take it to a Honda dealership. Why, so they can charge me even more and still not cover it?
Was an O.K. car, other than getting stuck in the snow frequently. Before that could even occur, the transmission was jerking when moving out of 1st gear to 2nd. It's the reason I decided against a Honda when I was car shopping last year.
AT 53,481 MILES The transmission was replaced under Tameron Honda (Birmingham, AL) extended warranty that I had purchased. At 75,000 miles Tameron did the 75,000 mile transmission service (even thought the transmission had only 21,519 miles of use.
I had Robeman's (a certified Honda Repair Service shop) do the 115,000 mile service (mileage on car 113,102) which included the transmission service. Now at 127,419 miles the transmission is slipping and the gears not working.
I have never had a car with this kind of problems.
I purchased my car in August 2002, it was new but used as a demo, had 5,000 miles on it when I purchased the car.
I will have it 13 years in August and it only has 70,000 miles on it, all in all it's has been a good car. In July 2014, I changed the timing belt and thermostat and water pump cause Honda recommends to do that at 7 to 9 years and I didn't want the belt to break and than have to replace the engine, but this transmission problem came on all of a sudden without any warning.
I bought this Honda off a friend of mine. Never had issues till now. Had shop read code and came up wit p0780. Cost me 4k to fix and that was my savings I had built up. I think these Honda people should of paid for it since its a everlasting problem.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
STAY AWAY FROM THIS CAR AT ALL COSTS
I call this next story of horror the "First Car Blues"
When I bought my Accord all by myself in 2018 with 120,000 miles on it, I was certain that it would go another 120,000 miles. It's a Honda. Where could I go wrong? I named it Fuji, and it would be my first car, I was 16 when I bought it. I loved that car, it was fast and comfortable. It was the coupe model with leather, sunroof, V6 and all the goodies with a sporty design. It was mine, and I loved it to death. Obviously though I didn't do enough research as this issue is extremely widespread.
I saw this in early 2019, and thought my Accord was different. It would be the one that makes it to 300k miles. I believed and believed. It drove happy for about a year with my heavy daily use until the odometer reached 133,000 miles. Then one day in July of 2020 I was driving to work when I turned a corner and the transmission jerked and a trophy case of warning lights came on... Instantly I knew... My heart sank faster than the titanic. I made it to work, and besides that one jerk and a persistent check engine light it drove okay. But this wouldn't last...
The following few days the issue would get worse, very fast. The car would start ok, but then it wouldn't shift gears normally, often erratic or not at all. Then the worst is when the thing barely could move. Every time I came to a full stop I prayed that it would slip back into gear and go. But my prayers must've been going to the devil because the light turned green but all the car did was rev. It finally went but with a loud bang and barely any acceleration. I got home that day and set up an appointment with my mechanic, this wasn't safe to drive at all!
A week later I got my car into the mechanic and as before it started okay before its snowballing decline into barely driving, but it managed to pulled itself into my mechanic. I waited, nervous like someone waiting for the results of a surgery. The prognosis? Not good. Even worse than I ever could've imagined. My transmission was done. On its last legs according to my mechanic. The quote to get a new unit exceeded the amount the car was worth, around 4500+ USD. I was heartbroken. I drove it home, knowing it would be my last drive. I couldn't fix it, nor would it make sense to. I had to get rid of it. So with heavy heart, I cleaned out my things like a laid off office worker. Seeing the car completely empty without my dashcam, without my plush worm in the backseat... Hurt me and I put away all my things with a walk of shame. I called the scraper and got 200$ for the car. When I watched them take it away, a breeze of wind blew by my face and a single tear streamed down my face. The wind felt like that car was driving away without me: on its final journey to a bitter end.
Even months after this happened, I mourn the loss of the car. Every time I see one still on the road I think "Lucky Bastards" with a hint of jealousy and remorse. If there's one thing I learned from all these cars, they have the same problem. If age doesn't kill them...That shotty 4 speed automatic will. Even though this car was sh*t, I don't think all Hondas are bad, I'd gladly own another one without transmission issues but nonetheless, please, save the heartbreak and stay away from this car. Your wallet, anxiety, and heart will thank you. F in the chat for Fuji the 2002 Honda Accord Coupe V6.
R.I.P. Fuji - Gone too soon. June 2001 - July 2020.
"VTEC: BAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH"
:(
- Joshua F., Aurora, CO, US