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:
4 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
3 / 0
Average Mileage:
83,801 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.
NHTSA# 10016310... 2004 Honda Accord 2.4L coupe. A water leak in the middle-front dash board. The leak had run into the ECU of my car and caused my car to lock the transmission. I was lucky to not be traveling at a high rate of speed and in a populated area. Anything could have happened with the ECU shorting in water. My car is currently in the Honda shop being trouble shot for the extent of electrical damage. Car will not start.
The contact owns a 2004 Honda Accord. While driving 30 mph, the vehicle hesitated, jerked, and decelerated. The vehicle would not move and the transmission would not switch from second to fourth gear. There were no warning indicators prior to the jerking and loss of power. The contact took the vehicle to a transmission auto repair shop and they stated that there was a discoloration of the gears, which created friction within the components of the transmission, thus leading to a heat build up. He took the vehicle to the dealer and they stated that it was not included in the recall. The repair would cost $6,000. The recall number was unknown. The failure mileage was 77,000.
The contact owns a 2004 Honda Accord. When she drove over 50 mph the vehicle was shaking. The tires were rotated and aligned; however, that didn't correct the problem. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. The manufacturer stated that the vehicle wasn't included in recall 04V176000. The current and failure mileages were 130,000.
The contact owns a 2004 Honda Accord. The contact noticed fluid leaking underneath the driver's side of the vehicle. He took the vehicle to a local repair shop and was informed that the leak was coming from the driver side axle seal. The dealer could not repair the seal because the leak would continue. He took the vehicle to a transmission shop and was advised to open up a case with Honda. Honda advised him to take the vehicle to a Honda dealer to confirm the failure. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and they agreed with the diagnosis from the previous repair shops. He was advised to replace the transmission. The manufacturer stated that his VIN was not included in any recalls. The contact believes that the transmission on a four year old vehicle should not need replacing. The failure mileage was 61,392 and current mileage was 61,422.
The contact owns a 2004 Honda Accord. While driving 35 mph and switching from second to third gear, the gear would not shift into place. The failure caused the vehicle to stop accelerating, which could have resulted in a rear end crash. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer along with a tsb he found online. The dealer stated that since the vehicle was no longer under warranty, they were unable to repair the vehicle. He believes that if the dealer is acknowledging the defect on the vehicle, the mileage should not matter. The failure mileage was 40,000 and current mileage was 47,000.
- Milford, PA, USA
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Honda case # N012008-04-1100-403 Honda at 1-800-999-1009 NHTSA campaign id number : 04V176000 my car a 2004 Honda Accord 4 door 4 cylinder. When I am drive at a speed of about 25 mph the car trembles/shakes momentarily and then continues to gain speed. If I continue driving at about 25 mph the car trembles/shakes momentarily without warning. The same issue with trembling and shaking happens also when I drive the car at a speed of about 40 mph. This issue does not occur at any other driving speed ranges. The second gear in the automatic transmission momentarily trembled the car. I have been told by the dealership that this problem can cause gear failure and transmission lockup resulting in a crash. The driving tremble problem started happening at about 50K miles. I brought the car to the dealership and the problem could not be replicated so it was not repaired. I brought the car back at 75K, 80K, 85K, 90K. Finally at 95K the problem could be easily detected by the mechanics and they wanted to try some simple changes. First the mechanics tried fuel injector cleaners. At 97K the mechanics tried changing the erg or ekg valve. At 99K the mechanic changed the catalytic converted heat shield and changed the spark plugs. The problem continue at 101K the mechanic now tells me the problem is with the transmission and that I should think about replacing the transmission because the wear of the gears can cause a tooth to chip or gear breakage which could result in the gear failure. The gear failure can result in a transmission lockup, which could result in a crash. I am upset because the car transmission was under warranty from 80K to 100K miles and I had bought the Honda care warranty. Now it is passed 100K and it is not under warranty I am given these news about failure and possible crash. Honda has a recall for 2004 Honda Accord with the exact problem my car has. I would like my car to be repaired under this recall.
2004 Honda Accord with several problems since purchase. Consumer states that it all began with the vehicle jerking, warning lights illuminating, brake pads were low, transmission replaced, broken motor mounts, and the horn stopped working. When the consumer took the vehicle back to the dealership, he noticed the SRS light was on, which may have been due to the horn not working.
Failure of automatic transmission was a direct result of poor clutches in the transmission replaced clutches have been manufactured with heavy metal lining and different material. If the clutches were of the new material, it would not have failed.
The contact owns a 2004 Honda Accord. While driving 60 mph, the speed decreased to 40 mph. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal, but the vehicle failed to accelerate. There were no warning indicators prior to the failure. The vehicle was pulled over and restarted. The contact drove home, but the vehicle would not exceed 40 mph. The dealer stated that the transmission failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was serviced in 2004 for NHTSA campaign id number 04V176000 (powertrain: Automatic transmission). The failure mileage was 76,000 and current mileage was 82,000.
The contact owns a 2004 Honda Accord. While driving 55 mph, the vehicle would not accelerate when the contact depressed the accelerator pedal. In addition, the vehicle speed decreased to 40 mph. The contact had to activate the cruise control so that he could drive the vehicle. The failure occurred without warning. The dealer stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. There is a recall for the power train: Automatic transmission (NHTSA campaign id #04V176000) however, the manufacturer stated that his VIN was not included. The current and failure mileages were 86,000.
The contact owns a 2004 Honda Accord. While driving 45 mph, the vehicle slowed down and would not accelerate. The vehicle was pulled over and restarted ten minutes later. As the contact was driving to the mechanic shop, the vehicle overheated. The mechanic stated that the transmission failed. The manufacturer stated that the VIN was not included in NHTSA recall # 04V176000 (power train:automatic transmission). The current and failure mileages were 66,000.
Transmission recall on Honda Accord. Honda inspected transmission and claimed recall fixed. Transmission ultimately failed on busy palmetto expressway, almost crashed at least 3 times. Took car to dealer. Forced to pay $865.74, Honda claimed it was for labor when Honda should have paid for transmission failure due to recall.
I was driving home my Honda Accord ex V6 (2004) and it slipped out of gear between 2nd gear and 3rd gear. I tried to get to a repair shop and within a few more miles of driving all gears stopped working stranding me in traffic. My 2004 car has approx 120,000 miles and is 3 years and 7 months old. As its not under warranty I towed to a transmission shop who say the transmission is shot and needs replacing for $1,500. It looks like now on this site that there may be a trouble with this Accord automatic transmission" can I be reimbursed for this expense"
The contact owns a 2004 Honda Accord with a current and failure odometer reading of 63,000 miles. The contact had the transmission serviced, and the next day when she drove the vehicle the transmission failed. The contact took the vehicle back to the dealer, Honda of clear lake, and they told the contact that the pc clutch failed, output shaft was stuck, and the counter shaft had no signal. The dealer told the contact that she would have to replace the transmission.
Brought new car in 2004, currently with 74,500 miles, bushings inside of lower transmission connected to driveshaft failure, consequences constant vibration while driving result in hard breaking to control, replaced driveshaft but bushings inside transmission worn due to excessive heating within transmission, recall was done on 2004 Honda Accord transmission but american Honda claims that it was VIN specific.
2004 Honda Accord LX V6 with safety recalls** while accelerating from a stop, the automatic transmission exhibited a problem shifting into second gear. The consumer did some research online and found a NHTSA recall (O4V176000) which addressed the problem the consumer was having with the vehicle. The consumer also found a recall on the frontal air bags (04V551000). The consumer never received any recall notices.
I purchased new a 2004 Honda Accord sedan with a V-6 engine and automatic transmission in February of 2004. While driving the car on Wednesday, January 17, 2007, I suddenly no longer had 3rd,4th or 5th gear. Honda refused to fix the car under warranty because I had 51,700 miles on the car, 1,700 miles over the warranty. They denied that there was a recall on this model car. I have since learned that this model has had a recall, 04V176000, that calls for the replacement of the transmission if 1) there are over 17,000 miles on the car; and 2) there are obvious signs of discoloration due to overheating. I had the car towed to a transmission repair shop, and they called to tell me that the entire transmission had "completely burned out." The shop service manager stated that "the bands should be a light tan color, " and mine were "burned black." I have since been told by Honda that my car was not covered by this recall, and they would not fix the transmission.
Transmission on 2004 Accord stopping at light would not move. Had dealer tow car. Needs new transmission with only 19,000 miles on this. This is a problem and can cause injury or death.
My vehicle began to experience transmission problems on February 14th, 2005: The gears would engage harshly when accelerating on city streets and on freeway on-ramps. There were a few instances when the engine "over-revved" on the freeway because of a shifting problem. I experienced total transmission failure on February 14th, 2005, while driving on city streets. The vehicle was inoperable, and had to be taken to a mechanic. I was told by the mechanic that the transmission underwent extensive damage and had to be rebuilt. The mechanic advised me to contact american Honda and try to get them to repair or replace the transmission free of charge, since my vehicle may have been recalled under NHTSA bulletin 04V176000. Honda would not honor my request, as it the vehicle was manufactured after the dates specified in the bulletin. However, the vehicle had an odometer reading of only 42,200 miles when the transmission failed; nevertheless, american Honda refuses to act upon my request for service and repair. I believe bulletin 04V176000 should be amended to include more-recently manufactured 2004 V-6 Accord sedans.
: the contact stated there was a recall #04V176000 on the automatic transmission for the vehicle. After the recall repair was performed the transmission began making a howling noise and has not been fuctioning properly. The noise was coming from the transfer case. This happened at various speeds and increased with RPM's. the vehicle was taken to the dealership on three occasions and the problem has not been remedied. The manufacturer has not been contacted.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Huron, OH, USA