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 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
3 / 0
Average Mileage:
106,173 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.
When starting the car in the morning and backing out of garage, noticed a whining, grinding noise coming from under the hood, and more so when turning steering wheel. The car would also whine when driving and accelerating. Also found that the steering wheel was getting gradually harder to turn. Brought car to local Honda dealership where they replaced the 0-ring at power steering inlet joint but found the whining to continue. The power steering pump & reservoir were changed which solved the problem. Six months later, found a leak under the car and burning smell. Returned to Honda dealership and found leak coming from power steering pressure hose. Hose was replaced. About 4 years later, started noticing whining/humming noise coming from under the hood again. Immediately brought it in to an independent repair shop that specializes in Honda. They thought it was the tensioner and changed it. The car continued to whine. The power steering pump was replaced again. It took care of the noise. The pump that was replaced at the Honda dealership lasted only 35502 miles. Find this unacceptable that the 2004 Honda Accord has had 3 power steering pumps in the span of 9 years and the car has only 93722 miles.
The contact owns a 2004 Honda Accord. The contact stated that the vehicle became difficult to steer. The contact mentioned that although she replenished the power steering fluid the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the vehicle had a leak in the power steering hose. The contact was informed of recall NHTSA campaign id number: 12V222000 (steering:hydraulic power assist:hose, piping, and connections). The dealer was made aware of the failure who verified that the VIN was not part of the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 166,000.
My power steering hose (which is constructed of the same materials and routed in the same manner as the Acura TL) began leaking fluid onto my catalytic converter at the rear of the engine and a great deal of smoke billowed from the hood. I was able to pull the hose out of it's design position and away from the exhaust and drive home. This engine is identical externally to the engine in TL. The hose routing and materials are the same as well. The TL rl tsx have been recalled, why hasn't my Accord V6?
I had been driving 10 min. (70mph) on the interstate when I went to pass another motorist as soon as I turned on my blinker the car started to shutdown. After several minutes I discovered that when I applied the brakes the car would also make an sudden jerk and begin to shutdown. The car would drive completely normal as long as you did not activate either the blinkers or the brakes. I tried several other electrical accessories and none of them seemed to effect the car. After driving for several hours we exited the interstate and put the car in neutral after engaging the brake for several seconds the car died. When I took my foot off the brake it immediately restarted and the problem stopped.
Today was just another day to work. I have taken this road to work for past two years with me driving. First you get off the ramp, then stop at a stop sign, then you pass under the bridge to follow the straight road to work. However, today it was different. I first took the exit ramp and went to the end of it. Stopped at the stop sign. Checked both sides to see if it was clear for me to proceed and go ahead with making a turn. It was clear so I made a left turn and went straight. However, within next 5 yards after going straight my car's steering wheel started to shake and car pulled to the left. I could not control the car since all this happened so fast and my car hit the huge cement pole which is the base of the bridge. After talking with my husband and many others, they believe that car has somehow malfunctioned. The two theories we have is either steering wheel getting locked or left wheel giving out in some manner. This was not a new road for me. I was not a phone. I was not texting. I was not distracted in anyway. The car just had its own mind today and somehow it pulled to the left. I do not know if there are others who have had this problem, but I wanted to tell my story since I am not hurt as much. If this happened while being faster, this could have been fatal.
- Nashville, TN, USA
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I drove South on interstate 15 from victorville to fontana, California, and when I parked the car I noticed the smell of smoke coming in through the air vents and saw a bit of white smoke coming up from the back of the engine compartment hood. We discovered that the power steering high-pressure feeder hose had a leak under the bushing that fits into the engine hose clamp. The leak was small but produced enough liquid to drip onto the rear of the engine and exhaust components, which then heated the fluid and caused it to smoke. We duct-taped the hose forward of the hose clamp, which helped stop the leak and diverted the drip a bit rearward, and we drove the car home. We assessed the hose condition and consulted with Honda dealer service and parts personnel to see if there is an improved replacement hose ' apparently not. I purchased a replacement oem power-steering high-pressure feeder hose and O-rings from my local Honda dealer and had them installed by an independent mechanic. The high-pressure feeder hose with flammable power-steering fluid is poorly routed closely along the transverse-mounted engine front and across a rear corner, above high-temperature engine and exhaust components, including the pre-cat. This placement and hose failure is very much like those in recalled Acura, also manufactured by Honda, detailed in recall ids # 68810, Dec. 4, 2007; # 70296, Feb. 27, 2008; and # 82159, April 29, 2010.
The contact owns a 2004 Honda Accord. The contact stated the power steering made noise while moving the steering wheel from the left to the right. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who stated the power steering pump needed to be replaced. The contact did not have the power steering pump replaced. The failure mileage was 41,000.
The contact owns a 2004 Honda Accord. The contact stated that the vehicle would exhibit an unusual clicking noise from the front end of the vehicle when attempting a turn. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where they were unable to diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that four years after the failure while driving approximately 30 mph, the vehicle became un responsive to the contacts attempts to accelerate. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was told the transmission would need to be replaced. The contact inquired about NHTSA campaign id number: 04V176000 (power train:automatic transmission) but was told that the vehicle was not included in the recall. The dealer also advised that the front axle and tie rods would need replacing. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 29,764 and the current mileage was 94,200.
Oil consumption burns oil & engine clatters noisy valves & minor problem front end feels un stable Honda Accord 2004 V tech while I brought concerns to service I requested engine compression test and check spark plugs for any oil leaks inconsiderate of problem service dept did no compression test for engine only did a oil consumption test which I was told to pay for I still have papers of test the engine problem technician is only is willing to road test my automobile and tell me he feels no problem I know very well when I've been given the run around after that tech says compared to his 94 pathfinder it feels great !!! I don't like my time to be wasted but these tech's are pros at getting their clients frustrated to the point they know you will never be talking to them about that problem again. In my opinion they are so well versed at this type of professional job description ( con) this practice commonplace in the trade and compensated at the end of the month I know well after the fact its 2010 and the automobile has 122,000 miles and now consumes almost 2 quarts every 1000 miles and the engine is probably going to die soon and I believe your dept has many complaints of this nature. And as the freedom of information a.C.T. please disclose how many autos that match the make & model have these issues thank you
While driving on a rainy day the battery signal flashes for a couple of seconds and the steering gets locked for approx 3 sec and after 3 sec it gets back to normal. It usually happens while turning and on a rainy day. This could result in a situation of life and death. Initially we thought it is just one off situation but these days the problem is increasing. We have got it checked at 2 places including pepboys and they could not figure out the problem.
I bought my car new from the dealer. It is a four door, within a month of owning the car the cable to open the door from the inside broke on the rear left door. Today the cable broke on the driver side door so it is impossible to open the door from the inside of the car. After looking at the cable it doesn't look strong enough to last for any length of time and being unable to get out in an emergency could be very dangerous. The car has also pulled to the right since the day I bought it but after taking to the dealer more then 4 times with no results I just learned to live with it.
: the contact stated while driving 55mph there was a loss of the steering and the vehicle struck a guardrail which resulted in minor damage. No injuries were sustained. The police were on the scene and a report was taken. The vehicle was seen by the dealer. The dealer replaced the steering gearbox and tie rod assembly, but afterwards the steering made a grinding noise.
The steering wheel started jerking uncontrollably while driving, the consumer was unable to maintain control of the vehicle. The driver applied the brakes, but the pedal went to the floor. The vehicle crashed into a parked vehicle and it flipped over. The air bags did not deploy. The insurance company repaired the vehicle.
Newly purchased vehicle. Condition upon accepting vehicle was dealer to correct a steering problem with the vehicle (car constantly pulls to the right). Dealer has had vehicle for two weeks now, telling us numerous times the steering issue was fixed, however each time we find the problem still exists.
Steering pulls left/right while driving. Took to the dealer. Dealer found the problem and did an wheel alignment. But the problem was not resolved. The car still drifts.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- El Cerrito, CA, USA