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:
6 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
5 / 0
Average Mileage:
105,273 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 2004 Honda Accord. While driving at various speeds, the driver side gear failed and there was a sudden increase of engine rpms. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the transmission was faulty and needed to be rebuilt. The contact was made aware that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 04V176000 (power train). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 192,000. Updated 04/04/16 the consumer stated the vehicle nose dived as if the brakes had been applied.
While driving home from dental appt, vehicle started to lose acceleration all of a sudden; driving normally in traffic then car started to jerk/ and rpms started to get higher before slowing down. Car then slows in traffic and does not accelerate even though shift is engaged in drive. Was able to nurse my car to mechanic's shop, determined transmission failure $4100 to rebuild!! called Honda, was told car is not covered by recall, plus since it has 97K miles and 12-years it is not covered by extended warranty. Thanks Honda for standing behind your products...will be looking at new Ford this week.....thank good this failure occurred at a relatively safe side street. Could really cause a major accident!!
Car is serviced as specified, no issues (second owner for 5 years). Without warning, transmission failed. Vehicle was being driven on surface streets, made odd sound and stopped operating.
This seems to be a common issue as just looking it up today another person suffered the same issue I have, down to the exact conversation with Honda. We ahve had the '04 Honda Accord for 4ish years now. It has driven great since we bought it and tested fine with the Honda dealer before purchasing. All of a sudden we started experiencing some slipping of the transmission. We immediatly had the system flushed and filled and all seemed to be good, for about a week. 3 days before christmas, my wife was getting onto a busy section of a major highway and the transmission slipped and she was unable to accelorate nearly getting run over by a tractor trailer. She was able to pull over and get home safely. I did some research and found the recall notice based off the models make and year. Searching the VIN came back as not affected by the recall, even though we are experiencing the exact problems outlined in the transmission recall notice. I called Honda and spoke to a very friendly representative that simply informed me the same thing another customer was told the same day..."your VIN doesn't fall into the list of effected units. You should have a Honda repair center diagnose and repair the issue." I hope that an investigation is started and this is found to be a known issue and Honda works with all current owners to get this repaired before someone gets seriously injured.
I am original owner of this car purchased at beginning of 2004. 12 years later we are having transmission failure at 90,000 miles. I called Honda because their website listed the recall for my year and model but when I searched it by VIN no recall applies. They told me that the recall doesn't apply to my VIN. I asked them how they determine that. Is there a serial number cut off after which Honda made changes and they can prove my car is not effected? the answer was "all I can tell you is your VIN is not included in the recall". well, I did some research as my vehicle was having the exact same problems as described in the recall. NHTSA recall number 04V-176 has related documents on file and one of them being a letter dated June 28 2004 from american Honda motor co. Inc. Signed by a william R. willen. This letter clearly identifies my car as being included in the safety related recall and I should have received a notice of recall in late 2004. I never received any notice. Some how my car experienced no issues until 2015, but the issues did eventually show up. Now today my car was failing to accelerate on the highway and also trying to downshift to low gears at highway speeds and then suddenly failed to drive at all. We had some indications in the past couple weeks and had the transmission drained and filled 4 times to try to remedy this problem. I talked with two certified Honda mechanics who both told me the transmission was going to fail and nothing could be done. Well, they were right, but here I am in this situation now because Honda failed to recall my car in 2004 as it should have been. For years now we have unknowingly been driving a car that could have caused the driver to lose control and crash. Honda did not fulfill their duties in this recall. I suspect there are many more like mine still on the road. Honda should fix all the cars effected retroactive.
- Bremerton, WA, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
Power steering has been replaced 2 times and it still makes the same noise when the car is cold, once it warms up the noise is no longer heard. Several times while I have been driving the car loses power a clicking noise is heard and it's like the car was turned off but it's still on. It has happened both at 60 miles per hour or 25 miles per hour. I can't accelerate I have had to shut the car off and then start it back up. It has happened in the last 3 years a few times most recently being in December 2015
The headlights flicker between normal output and dim output making it very difficult to verify if the headlights are even operational at times much less see in front of you while driving. It looks as if the headlights are rapidly turning off and on. This has been happening since the car was brand new but every time it's taken to a Honda dealership, they don't know what the issue is. I have paid hundreds and hundreds of dollars repairing random things Honda "thinks" might fix the problem but it's still a major issue that affects safety of the Honda driver, passengers and other drivers on the road.
The contact owns a 2004 Honda Accord. While driving 30 mph, the vehicle suddenly lost power. The contact shifted the vehicle to drive two. The vehicle hesitated momentarily and resumed normal operation. The failure recurred three times. The contact brought the vehicle to an independent mechanic who stated the fluid in the transmission was so burned that it resembled tar. The mechanic recommended flushing the transmission without placing in it a machine to see if the failure would correct itself. The vehicle was repaired, but recurred a day later. The contact was made aware of NHTSA campaign number: 04V176000 (power train). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, but declined to assist since the VIN was excluded from the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 150,000.
The transmission is faulty. Gears downshift erratically and unpredictably while driving at high speeds. When starting up, oftentimes fails to shift up and car cannot accelerate, just redlines.
My wife was driving on a highway and she was in the second to the fastest lane on the highway and the car just locked up because of the transmission, which made her go into the next lane and the car in that lane locked up there brakes and came very close to side sweeping each other, at that point she had to get out in the middle of the highway and leave the car, which was later pulled to the side of the highway the NHTSA recall #04V-176 mfr campaign id P38 and I was aware of this issue with this car, so I always changed the transmission fluid after 5,000 miles
The transmission went out at 127,000 miles. Driving home from lowe's on 09/20/2015, all at once the RPM went up but the car slowed down. My fastest speed to get home was 30 mph. At one time I stopped at a red light and then it wouldn't go at all!! I'm having the transmission rebuilt but am out of pocket on this Accord, why"??" vn#;[xxx] apparently someone forgot this car when doing recalls on the transmission and I am requesting this matter to get resolved asap. I also own a 1991 Accord coupe, 196,000 miles: No problems at all with it. My email address:[xxx] phone #: [xxx] please don't push this under a rug and assume it will be ok now, cause it's not ok. I'm 57 years old and can't afford this to happen to me. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
First occurrence, Tuesday August 18, 2015 driving into work, transmission slipped, rpms increased with no additional forward motion by car. Then stopped and went to back into parking stall and car would not engage into reverse, finally it did started researching possible issues and found tons of recall and complaints online, driving home the car all of a sudden stuttered and downshifted violently this time it produced a check engine light (obdc: P0741), I called Honda cust service and spoke with jason, he created a case # for me and stated I would need to have it diagnosed by a Honda dealer and call them back. I called back the same number but this time option 7, customer service rep read thru my case and determined that because the VIN did not indicate being part of the recall, the age of the vehicle and mileage, Honda would not do anything to assist me. My transmission fluid smells burnt. I now have had to pay a transmission shop $3464.65 for a rebuilt transmission.
The contact owns a 2004 Honda Accord. While driving at approximately 40 mph, the vehicle stalled and an unknown warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 139,865.
As I was driving on the highway the RPM needle went up and down and the car began to accelerate on its own and then did not respond, and then accelerated again. The car continued to do this a few times. When I got off the highway and my speed was reduced to 30 mph the car stopped moving although the car was still running, I hit the gas and the car didn't go anywhere. I turned off the car and then back on, and it moved again but, continued to stop moving a few times again after that. This occurred while I was on a busy street with a lot of traffic, cars were behind me and by me suddenly stopping without notice because the car stopped on its own, could have caused an accident. When the car accelerated on its own I could have ran into another vehicle causing an accident. Attached is a link to people who had the same exact safety issue with the same make and model and year as my vehicle: Honda has a history if having problems with their transmissions with this specific vehicle.
04 Honda Accord V6- D(4) light starts blinking. Brought it into the shop for diagnoses; 4th gear pressure switch. Replaced 4th gear pressure switch. Car seems to be working better. 3 days later; car only goes under cool conditions (tranny seems to work when the car has not reached regular / recommended operating temperature). When it reaches normal operating temperature, the motor starts revving, even in D. this has happened while at a stop and on a highway. When I was on the highway and the car had already warmed up, the engine revved and then suddenly jerked back. The feeling is like a manual transmission car downshifting without pressing on the gas; it jerks then decelerates. And from there it just revs and revs, like it's not catching the gears. So I had to pull over to the side of the highway a few times, thanks to this non-working transmission. When this occurs on the small roads, I would then have to pull over and turn off the car. After a few minutes, the car will engage into gear again, but not for long. This is a probable sign of overheating within the transmission, which can probably cause the tranny to slip" not 100% sure because I'm not a mechanic. So I was referred to contact american Honda for a recall inquiry, and of course, my VIN# doesn't have an open recall for transmission, meaning I pretty much screwed myself from the start when I bought this vehicle because there's a sketchy transmission in it. Even if I got it replaced, what are the chances that the replaced one doesn't do the same thing" I understand that transmissions do not last forever on any vehicle, but if you just google: 7th gen Accord transmission, you can read all the wonderful stories about fail Honda Accord transmissions, starting from year 2003; there's a community of authors. The worst part is, I got it replaced and I still don't feel any peace at mind. Good luck
As I was driving my car would not shift gears. Specifically, I was driving on the freeway the car went from 60 mph down to 35 mph and would not slip into gear. This happened as I tried to accelerate to merge onto another freeway. It seemed as though the car was stuck in neutral which it was not. This was very dangerous because as other vehicles were traveling at high speeds my car nearly came to a halt on the freeway. Luckily, I prayed my way into gear and it worked. It was quite scary since I was traveling with my child I easily could of been rear ended. No sensor lights turned on, there were no warning lights. My car has been serviced routinely and 2 days later it happened again. It is now at the dealership. When I read up on the problem it seems to be common. On one site I saw over 200 complaints for the same complaints and same make of the car. I can only imagine how many more complaints there have been. I hope that the federal Agency and Honda act responsibly and pay for the recall on these transmission problems.
Transmission sudden total failure, without any previous indication or symptoms, while entering a freeway at an on ramp. Near end of on ramp at about 35 mph, vehicle was merging into existing traffic that was coming faster than 35mph when car stopped accelerating but slowing instead. Nearly rear end collision from traffic and subsequent traffic snarl as there was no place to go, nor any ability to make it go.
I was driving on the interstate, moved into the left lane and attempted to pass, stepping down on the gas to accelerate. Suddenly my (automatic) transmission slipped completely out of gear, my tachometer red-lined as the engine revved hard, and the card decelerated rapidly. I was nearly hit from behind but fortunate that the driver behind me was paying attention. I slowed rapidly, but my brake lights didn't come on, because I wasn't braking! my car slowed to dangerously low speeds in the left lane of the highway. Every time I tried to give the car gas it was as if the transmission was in neutral and wouldn't provide drive. Finally at around 20mph it started gripping, but if I tried to accelerate much the transmission would slip again. I was able to merge back into the right lane, which was scary because the cars behind me were going full highway speeds. I was able to pull the car off onto the shoulder of the road. I drove along the shoulder very slowly until I could make it to the first exit and limp my car to a repair shop. My transmission needed a complete rebuild. No only should this not happen on a car with relatively low mileage that has been well maintained, but this failure was dangerous! it happened completely without warning at high speeds on the interstate. It caused a rapid deceleration and a loss of control of the vehicle, and placed me in a very dangerous position trying to regain control. I researched my problem and found that Honda had issued a recall for automatic transmissions on a large number of 2003/2004 Accord. I checked my VIN number against the recall (NHTSA recall number: 04V-176) and found that my VIN was not covered by the recall, even though I experienced the exact same failure that the recall describes. Why my VIN specifically was not included in the recall is completely unacceptable considering this is a known problem.
At passing speed the car just stopped accelerating and began to drop speed suddenly. The motor revved with gas pedal pressing but it went nowhere. It coasted to a stop. No warning. No stuttering. It just dropped speed and went no more.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Hines, MN, USA