Just bought this car for my daughter from a local Honda dealer used car lot. Has only 87K miles on it and thought it would be a good reliable car that would last her for a while. A few days ago she told me that sometimes it takes a while to shift from 1st to 2nd and when it does, it is a hard shift. I started searching the web and found this site with the many complaints for this model regarding transmission horror stories.

I decided to check with a local transmission shop that has been in business for a number of years, and find out if I should get rid of the car. The owner there said that he rebuilds the transmissions for under $2000. He replaces the badly designed parts with new, improved parts that make it last longer. He said the replacement transmissions that the dealer installs still have the old defective parts in them and will not last any longer than the new transmissions. That's why he rebuilds them in his shop.

He also said I may not need a total rebuild. He may be able to fix the 1-2 shift by replacing a few parts. He will diagnose the problem free of charge with a road test and computer diagnostic and tell me how much it will cost to fix.

I still need to see if the dealer will fix the problem, but at least I know that if they are going to be hard-headed about it, I have a resource to get it fixed, or if something else goes wrong in the future.

My advice is to search out an experienced, professional transmission shop to fix or rebuild your transmission if you are having problems. Sometimes dealers don't have a trained transmission guy in the shop. Don't go to places like AAMCO that just swap transmissions but haven't a clue how they really work. I experienced that mistake once.

Hope this helps someone. Car problems are such a pain!

transmission failed only 62000 miles. called dealer to ask about possible recalls or other known problems and was told not to there knowledge and no recalls. had it rebuilt for a nice $2100 hit to pocket. thought everything would be fixed but guess again car has 97000 miles on it and is slipping again. Honda needs to admit some responsibility if they ever want repeat customers.this is honestly the last Honda i will ever purchase! p.s i'm currently getting trans rebuilt enough to trade back to that dealer.

Bought car brand new in October 1999. The car was built in Japan. At 38,085 miles the car developed hard shifting problems. On 3/17/05, I took it to John Eagle Honda (in Houston, TX.) and they replaced the original tranny with a rebuilt one. On 10/28/06, only 23,000 miles later, I took the car back to John Eagle Honda due to more transmission shifting problems. They determined the second rebuilt tranny had an internal failure. They replaced the tranny with another rebuilt unit. This is... yes...tranny number THREE. Well with 115,800 miles on the car, tranny number three is currently failing, the tranny is making a whining sound sound and is having trouble shifting from reverse to drive and from 1st to 2nd gear. Tranny number three has onl;y 54,000 miles on it!

I'm now obtaining estimates to repair it. The Honda dealerships do not rebuild trannys, they just install units that are already rebuilt. The cost to install the new rebuilt tranny is at least $3800, which is sickening. A local transmission shop will rebuild it for $2300. In summary, I am the the original owner of a brand new 2000 honda accord, it currently has 116,000 miles on it and I am about to install the FOURTH Tranny in it. The average tranny life works out to be about a measely 30,000 miles.

The transmission has been a problem for years, since early on. Specifically, slipping between 1st and 2nd (I did not know until recently that that was what I had experienced for a decader or longer). I had it checked out early on (early 2000s), once if not more often, and was told all was ok, as it should be (although my two earlier auto trans cars never had a similar symptom, including my 1995 Honda Accord). Ok, so I continued to drive it.

At around 83,000, before a move half-way across the country, I had the car serviced and specifically requested transmission service because the problem seemed to be worsening a little at a time. Service (whatever it consisted of) was performed (well, I paid for it). Now at just under 94,000, the trans went downhill quickly last month. Some jerking and thunking, more slipping and in more gears. I learned today from a local dealer (auto park in Fayetteville, AR) it needs a rebuilt trans at more than $2600.

All required service was done, timely and religiously, at Honda West in Las Vegas, where I bought the car, until I moved to AR in 7/09. Service since has been at local dealers. I depend on my car running well--I keep it maintained!

The local dealer rep brought up the possibility of a "goodwill repair." It will be interesting to learn the outcome of that effort. I'm astonished to learn that trans failures, and in a fairly narrow mileage range, are apparently common in Hondas. Wow--eyes opened.

What is odd, a week and half ago, the SRS light went on. See more at that complaint. (I noted another commenter had a similar pairing of symptoms.)

I bought this car used because I fell in love with my boyfriends 1999 Honda accord 4 cyl. Boy did i get a surprise, it's been a money pit! I am still taking the bus to work or getting a ride because i can't afford to fix this car and it is the only one we (my 2 children and I) have. The transmission slips, horribly, from first to second gear and I am afraid to drive it for fear of getting hit or breaking down completely. I will never buy another car without doing my OWN research ever again. This is not the only safety issue either, the brakes were warped, had them and rotors replaced and two days later... same thing. Not so on the 1999. And the instrument panel lights wink out after car warms up. I can't see how fast I'm traveling or how much gas i have and I keep a small flashlight to look at the dash with whenever I do drive the car. Honda tells me that My make and model car does NOT have these last two problems. REALLY!?!

Transmission was replaced at 97k miles (4 years ago) for free due to recall. Now it is slipping again at 140k miles and the check engine light code gives error P0700-AT System malfunction. The same dealership (David McDavid Honda in Frisco) that replaced the first transmission recommends me replace it again but refuses to pay for it. Their way of "helping me out" because their transmission only lasted 40k is to charge me only $2200 instead of $2900. Their reasoning is "you didn't have to pay for the recalled transmission at 100k so technically your transmission lasted 140k miles". If Honda is going to have a recall (or extended warranty they call it), then they need to replace the faulty parts with quality parts that will last. 40k miles is pathetic for a new transmission. I love Honda (this is my 3rd) and have always talked them up to my friends about their longevity but now I will be looking at other brands like Toyota or Nissan. Please email me if you have any suggestions: drewcaffey@verizon.net

Honda has replaced the transmission twice on their dime. Now it is out of warranty and this defective transmission is now again broken. This is a scam by the company. They have it fixed so that the warranty was extended to 109000 miles or 7 years 9 months which ever comes first. They start this warranty from the first day of service of the vehicle. This makes no sense. If you pay for the repair out of your pocket the warranty starts from the date the part was placed. If it is under warranty the warranty covers the part as if it was an original part in the vehicle from the day it was put into service? This makes no sense. The part is new and should be warranted from the date it was placed in the vehicle no matter who pays for the repair. This is a dirty trick to cover up a defective part that they placed into "A Great Car Value". I say "boulderdash" and Honda is full of bovine stool. The head managers will not even talk to me, I will never buy another Honda again.

Update from Sep 15, 2011: I had to replace my transmission and it cost me approx $3000 dollars and this is the third one placed in 176000 miles. This is a flawed design and Honda of Torrance blew me off and told me to pound sand. I found this very disconcerting and I feel they should pay me and replace my new transmission which is starting to fail again especially when using reverse. UUUGGGGG!

When my car hit 107,000 miles the light came on to have the Engine checked, it was a problem with my transmission so it was replaced, 40,000 miles later after being serviced after 25,000 miles, it is now getting stuck between every gear, Honda says it is probably just the wrong transmission fluid in it, but it could need a new transmission. I called Honda's American Service Center trying to find out why my first transmission I had lasted 100,000 miles plus, and the new one they put in under warranty didn't last 50,000 and what they were going to do about it, and they told me as soon as it went over 108,000 miles it wasn't their problem anymore. Now I'm in between jobs and having car troubles, having to drive in the emergency lane for miles just to get to D4 to be able to get onto the interstate.

the car started giving me problem at around 40K and it got progressively worse. First there was hesitation between 2nd and 3rd, then it started vibrating when I accelerate from 1st to 2nd. Then at around 90K it started slipping. I actually stopped using this car for over a year. I was not aware of the letter that Honda claims they sent out as a result of the class action lawsuit a few years back. I called them a couple of days ago and waiting to have a supervisor get back to me. I was quoted $1850 for a rebuilt transmission but I heard that even rebuilt ones have failed. I am never buying another Honda because of my bad experience(s) with their cars. I also leased a 2007 Honda Odyssey (returned it 6/10) that had so many problems, I'm glad I did not purchase it.

Update from Oct 28, 2010: spoke with a supervisor from Honda on 10/27/10. I was told he can't do anything about it, I should go to my dealer, I told him I never brought my car there for service. I always had my mechanic service this car. The supervisor told me to get all my receipts and proof of service and show them to a Honda service manager and maybe...MAYBE.... he will consider fixing the problem. This seems like a long process for me and I don't even think it's worth my time and effort. A shop quoted me $1850 for a rebuilt transmission. Do you think it's worth it? Probably I will just junk or donate the car and NEVER BUY Another HONDA.