8.0
pretty bad- Typical Repair Cost:
- $700
- Average Mileage:
- 14,700 miles
- Total Complaints:
- 4 complaints
Most common solutions:
- redesign grill (2 reports)
- repair A/C condenser (1 reports)
- replace A/C condenser, install protective cover (1 reports)
Got in my car one Saturday morning, turned on the AC and warm air was coming out of it, thought nothing of it. Went to the dealership figured a car with only 11k miles everything will be taken care of. Got the call from the service adviser and Bamm! He said there was damage to the air compressor and it would take two days and $750 to fix but we can get it done for $650.
I checked around and found that this is a very common issue with 13-15 Accords. The best fix mechanics have told me is to put a screen mesh where the gaps are so it doesn't happen again. The reason I bought a new car was to get rid of repair bills and of course a big bill comes 8 months after delivery. This along with some other minor repairs that have taken place since I got the car and its not looking good for Honda.
- Evan L., Tampa, FL, US
In December 2014 I purchased a new 2015 Honda Accord. On July 9, 2015 my AIR CONDITIONER stopped working. I live in Florida where the summer is extremely hot making even the shortest of trips very uncomfortable. I took my car to the dealership the next morning for service, knowing that I have a 3 year/36,000 mile warranty in addition to an extended warranty. I was sure that the repair would be covered under warranty.
I was informed that a rock/pebble had pierced my condenser which put a pinhole in it, and it is NOT covered under warranty. Honda indicated that the cost to fix the condenser is $716.85. I went to the dealership twice to speak with the General Manager to see if this can be resolved given that my car is only 8 months old with only 9000 miles and I was told to go through my insurance company. I also reached out to Honda of America and was told that the damage was caused by road debris and is not covered under warranty.
This is an obvious design flaw. The Honda air-conditioning condenser is unduly prone to damage caused by "normal" road debris that does not affect other auto manufacturer's condenser design. As with other auto makers, the front bumper clip is wide open to any kind of road debris and the condenser sits right behind the front air intake with NO protection at all. However, this typical design poses a problem for the Honda condensers and will happen over & over again, and Honda refuses to do anything about it calling it normal and working as designed! This should be a recall.
- Denise W., Boynton Beach, US
The condenser is now ALUMINUM, much softer than copper, and a hole was punctured due to debris coming in from grill. This is a stupid design!! Either place chicken wire to make the holes smaller or use copper in the condenser so rock debris will not easily puncture the condenser.
I will be calling Honda to register a formal complaint.
I have owner Acura's and Honda for 20+ years and this is absolute BS design which could easily be avoided.
- Tom B., 46062, IN, US
Soon after buying a new Honda the wife came home and reported that the A/C wasn't blowing cold air. I took a look the fuse box, belt and everything looked OK. The next day I called the dealer to take the car in under warranty and the service person left me with an impression that this may NOT be covered? We bought the "Gold Plan" warranty, road hazard, 120,000 miles due to a recent domestic car purchase that was a sensor nightmare and we purchase the Honda and warranty to avoid any unexpected costs. Next I did a web search a there it was, condenser damage on Honda cars, suv's and vans. The next day I got my creeper out and a good flashlight and started to examine the condenser. I noticed some oil at the bottom and followed it up the condenser where there was a small impact and a hole about the size of pencil tip. Called my dealer and asked for a quote and was told that the road damage would not be covered under any warranty and it would be around $800 for repair. I took it to a local reputable repair shop and saved a few bucks but the main reason why I didn't take it to the dealer was this: I told them I wanted to prevent this from happening again and they were not interested in helping even though they know about the class action against them on other models. My local repair shop understood and was willing to work with me. I am a retired Engineer and I knew this is very preventable. I purchased some small stainless steel mesh, cut a pattern to fit lower grille, and then had the mechanic install it using simple zip ties to the inside of bumper when the condenser was being replaced, at no charge to me! The condenser was a Honda part, no aftermarket parts were used or available for that matter. I will add to this post as we just got the car done last night, and will have a picture of grille with mesh installed, and a pic of the mesh part I used. I believe some recent weather up here on the "hill" lead to some icy roads and then after the cinder was applied it was the root cause of the damage. I made sure the screen would not allow anything bigger than 1/8 of an inch to get thru, and hopefully anything that small would not have the mass to do any serious damage.
- Richard W., Frazier Park, CA, US