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.
We're on our third set of OEM fog lights on our Accord. The lenses are made out of glass and keep breaking when rocks hit them. At the dealer they always tell us that you cannot replace just the lens, and have to replace the whole assembly which is an insane $300+labor repair.
Our first ones broke only three months after buying the car (the dealer said they weren't covered by the warranty since they're an accessory, even though they're dealer installed). The second ones broke in mid 2009, and these last ones broke in early 2011, and I've been just driving around with shattered lenses.
There are tons of posts all over the internet with hundreds of other Honda and Acura owners complaining about the same problem. I don't understand why Honda can't use plastic lenses like they do for the headlights, and like all other manufactures use (our Toyota Rav4's fog light lenses never crack). Seems like Honda is just using this as a cheap way to milk the owners for money. And for the record, I stopped paying the dealer for this. I just buy the OEM parts online, and do it myself for about one third the cost.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
We're on our third set of OEM fog lights on our Accord. The lenses are made out of glass and keep breaking when rocks hit them. At the dealer they always tell us that you cannot replace just the lens, and have to replace the whole assembly which is an insane $300+labor repair.
Our first ones broke only three months after buying the car (the dealer said they weren't covered by the warranty since they're an accessory, even though they're dealer installed). The second ones broke in mid 2009, and these last ones broke in early 2011, and I've been just driving around with shattered lenses.
There are tons of posts all over the internet with hundreds of other Honda and Acura owners complaining about the same problem. I don't understand why Honda can't use plastic lenses like they do for the headlights, and like all other manufactures use (our Toyota Rav4's fog light lenses never crack). Seems like Honda is just using this as a cheap way to milk the owners for money. And for the record, I stopped paying the dealer for this. I just buy the OEM parts online, and do it myself for about one third the cost.
- crzrsn, Shrewsbury, MA, US