CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2004 Honda Accord suffers from widespread transmission failure & problems with the stereo backlight failing. 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.
The stereo backlight problem has been an issue ever since these Accords were only a few years old. Honda eventually issued a recall which covered the repair for 7 years/100k miles, which was nice while it lasted but now that period is over. Honda initially replaced the entire radio ($800) but eventually began replacing just the PCB which at ~$300 is much cheaper. That sounds like a deal, but keep in mind we're talking about a backlight bulb that costs $2 to fix in most other cars.
10.0
really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
62,575 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.
Rear window shattered, spontaneously, parked. Mostly 1/4 to 3/8 inch pieces, no impact center or chips anywhere. Cause UNKNOWN. With slight vibration the rear window fell into the car, except around glued edges, also including tiny slivers. While the shattered rear window held, it created a huge blind spot behind car, which is a large safety problem. Also driving could leave a trail of glass on public streets. Rear window was vacuumed up and replaced by Glass America, who also had no idea why it shattered. Vehicle was inspected and passed by Colorado vehicle inspectors on January 31, 2024. No warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure found on April 13, 2024. Car had not been driven for 10 days, parked.
This is a followup on Incident 11113944. The problem was actually an aftermarket Ipod adapter connected to the car stereo, it was draining the battery even when the car was off. Also, simply driving the car for a while (like to the mechanic) would always make the problem go away, because the battery eventually recharged. After removing the Ipod adapter and replacing the battery again, I have not had the wipers fail in ~3 years. I think Honda should provide some alert if the battery is at insufficient voltage to run the wipers, however.
Both front wipers stop working intermittently during a rain or snow storm. Nothing solves the problem - e.g. changing from on/off/high/medium/intermittent. Turning lights and fan off doesn't help. The wipers stop moving at random positions, sometimes stopping for a few seconds, to minutes. Note that both wipers stop working together; they either both are moving or both stopped. This has happened during driving (on highway and city) in at least 2 rain storms and one snow storm, within the last 5 years. My only recourse has been to try to look out the side window, because I have about 10% visibility through the windshield. I am very lucky to have not crashed. Note that this problem is hard to reproduce - the wipers normally work, except when I actually need them. I refuse to drive this car with rain or snow in the forecast. 2 dealers have looked at it and found nothing wrong. I have also had the battery changed.
The contact owns a 2004 Honda Accord. When the vehicle was started, the windshield wipers were activated and unexpectedly became inoperable. There was a recall for the 2003 Accord models under NHTSA campaign: 08V169000 (visibility). The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 41,475.
- Galloway, NJ, USA
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While driving on the highway, it started pouring rain. I turned on my wipers. When the wipers were in a vertical position they stopped. I immediately lost visibility because it was raining so hard. I was able to get to the side of the road. I put the wiper speed lever in several different positions but nothing would make them work. I checked the fuses while I waited on the rain to stop. Once it stopped raining, I returned the wipers to the down position and was able to drive safely. There are numerous complaints about the wiper motor and also the wiper switch. The wiper motor was recalled for the 2003 Accord. I feel like a similar recall should be done for the 2004 Accord.
The contact owns a 2004 Honda Accord. The contact stated that the passenger side front window failed to open or close. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to have a diagnostic test performed. The failure was located within the motor. The dealer replaced the passenger and driver side window motor to prevent the drivers side switch from failing to function properly. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer stated that the VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number 13V260000 (visibility). The approximate failure and current mileage was 100,000.
Light display went out that controls radio and HVAC components 2 years ago. Dark at night when driving and when the windows get fogged up you can not see the switch to turn on defrost because the printed circuit board has stopped working, so it requires you to turn on interior light to find the defrost button, this is very dangerous while driving at night. After researching last night I found Honda extended the warranty on this until 2011 or 100,000. So I called Honda and I was told I'm past the warranty it's whichever comes first (I never received a letter from Honda or it would have went in to get fixed) this in my opinion should be covered by the dealer as it could cause a fatality with someone fumbling with the interior lights just to get the defrost buttons on.
The passenger window began rolling up and staying up all on its own, at anytime it wanted. It would return to normal working order after I restarted the car. Then one day- it rolled down, and would not work again. I found out I could override with the keys to roll up. But id have to window lock to stay. Then one day we smell burning- we traced it to the door- and the override no longer works. Now the driver window is beginning to do the same behavior. So far I've replaced driver switch= $325 --quote for motor= 400.00--I know it will need the switch too... that is over $1000 just to get the window up"?" that is absurd!
I was driving on the freeway with rain, and the whole front panel (where the stereo, A/C, emergency light, went off. As I was tryng to find the emergency light( cause I was going slow in the rain and fix the temp. To clear de window I almost crash with another car. This shoul be taken more serious. I called and Honda said I was out of warranty. Ive been going to the dealer and they want me to pay almost a $1000, I called Honda customer service and they insist I ve benn out of warranty.this afect the concentration and visibility on the car.I've been reading and its a common problem on this model.
The contact owns a 2004 Honda Accord. The contact was traveling 55 mph in rainy weather when the windshield wipers failed. The vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer offered no assistance. The failure mileage was 58,000.
My radio and A/C display went out. I have to turn on my interior lights at night to adjust the temperature in my car. It is extremely dangerous if my windows get foggy and I cannot fix it without pulling off of the road. This car needs to be recalled. I should not have to pay $1000 for a problem that all of these models are having.
The contact owns a 2004 Honda Accord. While driving approximately 35 mph, the contact activated the defroster to clear the windshield but it would not function. The contact was unable to see the roadway and crashed into a mail box. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostics. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised that there was a common problem with the circuit board but they would not cover any repair costs because the warranty had expired. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 103,000.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Denver, CO, USA