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:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
184 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.
During a 35 mph rear end collision, the driver's seat belt gave slack and did not retract/lock. The consumer sustained injuries. Evoq filed by: Janice levsen. The consumer stated the air bag did not deploy.
On July 6th, 2004, I took possession of our new 2004 Honda Accord sedan with 132 miles on the odometer. I scheduled to have Honda accessories installed by the Honda dealership on July 15th-16th, and picked up my vehicle on July 17th. Upon picking up the vehicle (369 miles on odometer) the driver's side seatbelt would not retract. The seatbelt was completely pulled out and still would not retract. It took the dealership several hours, but they managed to replace the driver's side seatbelt which had failed. The replacement unit retracts very slowly and has to be manually maneuvered into place. Will need to schedule another appointment to have it looked at again. In addition to this major safety incident, the outside temperature gauge has malfunctioned and no longer reads the correct temperature.
- Folsom, CA, USA
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- Columbia, MO, USA