Transmission failure with the Honda Accord, Civic and Odyssey is a widespread problem in models made from 1999-2004. The 2003 Honda Accord, 2001 Honda Civic and 2002 Honda Odyssey appear to be the worst years for transmission failure.

This is an issue with automatic transmissions and owners are reporting an average repair cost of $2,291. More than half the reported problems are happening under 90k miles, with 1 in 5 breaking down before the odometer hits 70k.

Signs of Transmission Problems in Your Accord or Civic

• Leaking Transmission Fluid
• Transmission Slips or Won't Engage
• Car Stutters or Jerks While Accelerating
• Transmission Pops in and out of Gear
• Check Engine Light is On
• Car Will Turn on but Can't Get it to Move

What Causes This Transmission Problem

If your engine will rev up, but the car won't shift into gear or move it could be a defective torque converter. In fact, the majority of Honda owners with transmission problems are saying the torque converter is failing and essentially burning up the transmission fluid, rendering the entire transmission useless.

What is Honda Doing to Fix the Problem?

Honda has offered some owners out-of-warranty compensation for the transmission repairs. Rather than going through your local dealership, it's best to contact Honda Customer Service at (800) 999-1009 and ask for a "goodwill repair". If you can provide proof that you followed Honda's recommended maintenance schedule, Honda may offer to pay a portion of the repair bill -- typically 50%, although some 2003 vehicle owners have reported having up to 75% covered.

Watch out for Honda dealerships' abnormally high repair bill though. As one owner put it, "Honda has offered to cover half the repair cost. The problem is they want $5,000 to fix it. Are they nuts???" An independent repair shop will generally do the same replacement for $2,500 or less. Just make sure you get a comparable warranty on parts because the rebuilt replacement transmissions can fail just as quickly, if not sooner.

2004 Honda Transmission Recall

In 2004, Honda finally admitted to the problem with their 600,000 vehicle recall. Honda decided to recall the transmissions, at an estimated cost of $153 million to the company, after finding “10 transmission failures” according to Honda spokesman Chuck Schifsky. We're not sure where Mr. Schifsky is getting his information, because we've seen hundreds and hundreds of owner complaints. Honda later expanded the recall to include nearly 1.1 million vehicles.

The models covered were the 2002-4 Odyssey; the 2003–4 Pilot; the 2001–2 Acura MDX; the 2003–4 Accord V-6; the 2000–4 Acura 3.2 TL and the 2001–3 Acura 3.2 CL.

Unfortunately Honda's transmission repairs, especially for those engines that had less than 15k miles before the recall, were not guaranteed to keep working. According to the Wheels blog on NYtimes.com:

In a complaint filed with the Center for Auto Safety, Jeremy Berens of Vienna, Va., said his 2003 Accord was recalled when it had fewer than 15,000 miles on the odometer. But it failed in December, with the mileage at about 67,000, as he tried to merge onto a busy highway.

“I was nearly rear-ended and had no warning,” he wrote in his complaint. “Honda has not properly fixed the recall that occurred in 2004 and are failing to recognize that a problem exists.”

He said Honda agreed to pay 40 percent of the repair after the district manager interceded on his behalf, but it still cost him $2,750.

2006 Honda Transmission Class Action Settlement

In 2006 a class-action lawsuit was settled against Honda in the Superior Court of California for Alameda County. The suit claimed that Honda misled consumers by selling them vehicles with defective transmissions. Honda settled the case without ever admitting a defect and denied the charges.

Owners covered in the lawsuit were given an extension of the transmission warranty to 93 months or 109,000 miles (whichever comes first), starting when the vehicle is first purchased or leased. According to court records, the plaintiff’s lawyers received nearly $5.5 million in addition to expenses, according to court records.

The models covered were the 2000–1 Accord; 1999–2001 Odyssey; 2000–1 Prelude; 1999–2 Acura 3.2 TL and 2001–2 Acura 3.2 CL. The problem is most of those vehicles are well past the 93-month time limit and some owners are unhappy because they're left to cover the bill when their transmissions fail outside the warranty extension, with repairs sometimes costing up to $4,000.

Actions You Can Take & Possible Recourse

This step is crucial. Don't just complain on forums; The sites below actually manage your complaint in ways that allow useful statistics and they report dangerous trends to the authorities. Law firms often contact these sites for help with Class Action lawsuits. Make sure to file your complaint on all three sites, we can't stress that enough.

1. Step 1: File Your Complaint at CarComplaints.com

   CarComplaints.com is a free resource dedicated to uncovering car problem trends and informing the consumer. File Your Complaint

2. Step 2: Notify the Center for Auto Safety

   The Center for Auto Safety is an organization that informs consumers about auto safety issues. Notify the CAS

3. Step 3: Report a Safety Concern to the NHTSA

   The NHTSA directs highway safety and has the authority to force recalls to be issued following investigations. Report Your Concern

Spread the Word

CarComplaints.com was recently quoted in a New York Times blog post which investigates the issue.

What is a torque converter and why does it cost so much?

When you come to a stop in your vehicle, drivers with manual transmissions use a clutch to disconnect the engine from the transmission so your engine can continue to spin while your wheels do not. Drivers with automatic transmissions don't have a clutch and instead rely upon the torque converter to perform the same task. According to HowStuffWorks:

A torque converter is a type of fluid coupling, which allows the engine to spin somewhat independently of the transmission. If the engine is turning slowly, such as when the car is idling at a stoplight, the amount of torque passed through the torque converter is very small, so keeping the car still requires only a light pressure on the brake pedal.

Essentially, when the torque converter fails your car isn't going anywhere.

Preventing Transmission Problems

The automatic transmission is a complicated beast and is prone to problems. Any repair to an automatic transmission can be complicated and expensive. The following steps can help prevent transmission problems in many cases:

• Regularly look at your driveway or parking spot for transmission leaks.
• Change the fluid as your owner's manual suggests. Also change it out when it becomes too dark or dirty. Another reason to change it often it, you can only change about 65% of the fluid at any one time because there is always transmission fluid left in parts like the torque converter.
• Never shift to reverse or park while the car is moving forward.
• Always make sure to be holding down the brake when shifting from park to drive or reverse.

Worst Years for Honda Transmission Failure

The following years have the most reported problems on CarComplaints.com. Before you buy any of the following years it would be worthwhile to get the transmission checked or serviced:

• 2003 Honda Accord transmission failure
• 2002 Honda Accord transmission failure
• 2001 Honda Accord transmission failure
• 2000 Honda Accord transmission failure
• 2001 Honda Civic transmission failure
• 2002 Honda Civic transmission failure

Compare Honda Civic problems from different model years

Have Your Say

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