1997 Honda Accord Transmission Problems

COMPLETE HONDA ACCORD AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILURE AT 69,550 MILES BELOW INCIDENT ALMOST RESULTED IN REAR END COLLISION ON INTERSTATE HIGHWAY WHEN ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE ONTO ENTRANCE RAMP AND VEHICLE BEHIND REQUIRED EVASIVE ACTION TO PREVENT REAR END COLLISION WITH MY VEHICLE DUE TO AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILURE, FAILING TO ACCELERATE MORE THAN 20 MPH. FOUR SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION COMPLETELY FAILED FOR MY 1997 HONDA ACCORD LX, 4-DOOR, WITH ONLY 69,550 MILES. THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT ILLUMINATED, WHILE THE "D4" AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION INDICATOR FLASHED OFF AND ON AT SAME TIME. HONDA WOULDN'T DRIVE IN FOURTH GEAR AND ACTED AS IT WAS SLIPPING. VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT TO ED VOYLES HONDA, MARIETTA, GEORGIA ON SEPTEMBER 13, 2011 FOR DIAGNOSIS. HONDA TECHNICIAN(S) ADVISED THAT THE "ECM CODE" DISCLOSED THAT THE TRANSMISSION HAD COMPLETELY FAILED AND REQUIRED REPLACEMENT. *TR

NHTSA ID

10475458

Incident

Sep 13, 2011

Mileage

69,550 mi

1997 HONDA ACCORD LX, 4-DOOR, 4-SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILURE AT 69,500 MILES, SEPTEMBER 09, 2011. TRANSMISSION SLIPPING IN FOURTH/THIRD GEAR, WITH LITTLE ACCELERATION. THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT CAME "ON," WHILE AT THE SAME TIME THE "D4" AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SHIFT INDICATOR WAS "BLINKING" ON AND OFF. VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT TO ED VOYLES HONDA, MARIETTA, GEORGIA ON SEPTEMBER 13, 2011, WHERE HONDA TECHNICIAN(S) CHECKED DIAGNOSTIC CODE(S) FOR "ECM." HONDA TECHNICIAN(S) STATED THAT THE TRANSMISSION, WITH ONLY 69,500 MILES HAD COMPLETELY FAILED AND REQUIRED A NEW AND/OR REBUILT TRANSMISSION, DESPITE ALL PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE HAVING BEEN PERFORMED ON THE VEHICLE. REPLACEMENT COST EXPECTED TO BE $2,400.00 FOR A REBUILT TRANSMISSION, OR $5,500.00 FOR A NEW OEM HONDA REPLACEMENT TRANSMISSION. ACCORDING TO HONDA SERVICE ADVISOR, HONDA HAS HAD PREVIOUS AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILURES INVOLVING THIS MODEL AND YEAR. HOWEVER, NO MENTION OF ANY EXTENDED WARRANTY BY HONDA WAS MENTIONED, IF ANY. *KB

NHTSA ID

10425505

Incident

Sep 9, 2011

Mileage

69,500 mi

HONDA ACCORD 1997, AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION LOOSING GEARS, UNABLE TO MAINTAIN SAFE HIGHWAY SPEED AND ASSOCIATED HIGH RISK MANEUVERS TO EXIT THE DRIVE LANES ONTO A SHOULDER. THIRD INCIDENT, THIRD REPLACEMENT TRANSMISSION FOR THE SAME REASON. ALL HAD SUGGESTED MANUFACTURES MAINTENANCE AND SERVICE PERFORMED. *TR

NHTSA ID

10366999

Incident

Nov 20, 2010

Mileage

215,000 mi

TL*THE CONTACT OWNED A 1997 HONDA ACCORD. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE KEY SHOULD NOT BE REMOVED FROM THE VEHICLE UNLESS THE GEAR SHIFT SELECTOR WAS IN PARK. HE STATED THAT THE KEY CAME OUT OF THE IGNITION WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS MOVING WHICH CAUSED UNSAFE CONDITIONS. UPDATED 08/24/10. *LJ UPDATED 08/25/10*JB

NHTSA ID

10341770

Incident

Jul 5, 2010

Mileage

135,000 mi

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1997 HONDA ACCORD. WHILE DRIVING AT HIGH SPEEDS FOR LONGER THAN 30 MINUTES, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE RPM'S WERE HIGHER THAN NORMAL AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A TRANSMISSION MECHANIC AND IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS SLIPPING. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED BY THE DEALER. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 108,000. UPDATED 09/25/08 *BF THE TORQUE CONVERTER WAS REPLACED. UPDATED 09/26/08. *JB

NHTSA ID

10238302

Incident

Aug 7, 2008

Mileage

108,000 mi

I AM HAVING AN ISSUE WITH MY AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION ON MY 1997 HONDA ACCORD EX COUPE. I HAD MY TRANSMISSION SERVICED RECENTLY AND APPARENTLY THE CODE P0740 CAME UP WHICH IS RELATED TO THE TORQUE CONVERTER. WITH MANY HOURS OR RESEARCH AND SPEAKING WITH AMERICAN HONDA THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH ALL THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS ON HONDAS 1997 AND NEWER. THIS PROBLEM RESULTS IN THE TRANSMISSION NEEDING REPLACEMENT. THE CLUTCH SLIPS AND TAKES SHARDS OF METAL OFF LEADING TO A CLOG IN THE FILTER. THE PROBLEM WILL CAUSE TOTAL TRANSMISSION FAILURE AT ANY TIME. WHEN I CALLED AMERICAN HONDA THEY WERE UNWILLING TO HELP ME WITH THIS ISSUE. THEY STATED THAT IT WAS A KNOWN ISSUE BUT THERE WAS NOTHING THAT THEY WOULD DO FOR ME. MY ONLY OPTION NOW IS TO SPEND 3000.00 TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION WHICH SEEMS UNFAIR SINCE THE CAR IS IN OTHERWISE FANTASTIC SHAPE. *NM

NHTSA ID

10165174

Incident

Jul 10, 2006

Mileage

115,000 mi

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION NEEDS REPLACING @ 85,000 MILES. ALL MILEAGE SERVICES AS NOTED IN MANUAL HAVE BEEN FOLLOWED. HONDA DEALER HAS DONE A MULTIPLE FLUSHING SERVICE -- PROBLEM STILL EXISTS.*AK

NHTSA ID

10116680

Incident

Apr 8, 2005

Mileage

85,000 mi

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AT 80,000 MILES. SERVICE PERFORMED PRIOR TO NORMAL CYCLE PER OWNERS MANUAL AT 45,000 MILES. LOCAL HONDA CAR DEALER PERFORMED SERVICE NOTED ON A SERVICE BULLETIN (5 FLUSHINGS) AND DID NOT WORK. *JB

NHTSA ID

10109903

Incident

Feb 5, 2005

Mileage

80,000 mi

I HAVE A 1997 HONDA ACCORD, MODEL LX-V6, VIN [XXX] WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM PHILADELPHIA AND NEARING HOME WHEN AFTER STARTING FROM A STOP LIGHT IN D4 (AUTO) THE CAR VIBRATED VIGOROUSLY AND STALLED. (THE VIBRATION AND STALLING WAS LIKE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN OPERATING A MANUAL TRANSMISSION CAR AND RELEASING THE CLUTCH SUDDENLY.) I PULLED OVER AND STARTED THE ENGINE FROM PARK TO D4 AND AGAIN I HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. I REPEATED WITH D2 AND THE CAR DID NOT STALL ALTHOUGH THE ENGINE WAS MAKING SOME NOISE. I DROVE THE CAR TO A NEARBY HONDA DEALER, PLANET HONDA IN UNION, NJ AND EXPLAINED THE PROBLEM. THE CAR WAS LEFT AT THE DEALER FOR 2 DAYS BUT THEY WERE UNABLE TO GIVE A REASON FOR THIS. THE NOISE IN THE ENGINE STILL APPEARS AND THE DEALER IS SUGGESTING REPLACING THE WHOLE TRANSMISSION. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD AND IF THE PROBLEM OCCURRED ON THE HIGHWAY INSTEAD OF A LOCAL ROAD IT COULD HAVE BEEN HAZARDOUS. *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

10086684

Incident

Aug 9, 2004

Mileage

74,000 mi

I REMOVED IGNITION KEY , THINKING TRANSMISSION WAS IN PARK, AND EXITED FROM CAR. THE CAR ROLLED AWAY. I DISCOVERED IT WAS IN DRIVE. HONDA HAS A RECALL # 03V423000 FOR THIS IDENTICAL PROBLEM. THE PROBLEM ON MY CAR HAS BEEN VERIFIED BY THE DEALER. I AM BEING TOLD THAT THE RECALL DOES NOT INCLUDE 1997S , ONLY 1998-1999. I AM HEREBY INFORMING YOU THAT THE PROBLEM ALSO EXISTS ON 1997S (DEMONSTRATABLE ON MY VEHICAL WITH 59K MILES.) 1997'S SHOULD ALSO BE INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. MY CASE NUMBER WITH HONDA IS NO12003-12-1000057. I WOULD LIKE TO GET THIS RESOLVED IMMEDIATELY SO THAT I CAN GET A FIX TO A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SITUATION. THANK YOU.*AK

NHTSA ID

10050726

Incident

Aug 9, 2003

Mileage

55,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING TRANSMISSION WOULD SLIP WHEN CHANGING GEARS. HAD TAKEN VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP, AND MECHANIC INDICATED THAT OIL WAS LEAKING ONTO THE TRANSMISSION WHICH CAUSED THE GEARS TO SLIP. *AK

NHTSA ID

10040406

Incident

Sep 17, 2003

Mileage

3,500 mi

AIR BAG ARE DEFECT. ALSO THE TRANSMISSION WAS DEFECTIVE UNTIL WE PAID $800.00 TO REPAIR IT. *JB

NHTSA ID

10039140

Incident

Mar 15, 2001

TRANSMISSION ON MY 1997 HONDA ACCORD LX V4 FAILED PREMATURELY AT 58000 MILES, AND HONDA REFUSED TO HELP IN ANY WAY, EVEN THOUGH THEY HAD HISTORY OF SUCH PROBLEMS, AND EVEN HAD AN EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR SUCH PROBLEMS ON NEWER HONDA AND ACURA BRANDED VEHICLES.THE REASON FOR REFUSAL WAS THAT THEY DIDN'T PROVIDE GOODWILL ASSISTANCE TO VEHICLES MORE THAN 5 YEARS OLD.BUT THE BOTTOM LINE WAS THAT I HAVE MAINTAINED THIS VEHICLE WELL SO THIS WAS A MANUFECTURING DEFECT, AND THERE WAS CERTAIN QUALITY AND DURABILITY THAT WAS EXPECTED FROM ANY PRODUCT, AND THE MANUFECTURER SHOULD BE HELD LIABLE FOR ANY PRODUCT THAT FAILED, EVEN IF IT HAPPEND OUTSIDE OF WARRANTY. THE FACT THAT THEY PROVIDED 7 YEARS/100000 MILES EXTENDED WARRANTY ON NEWER VEHICLES, SET UP A PRECEDENT, THAT WAS THAT THEY EXPECTED A DEFECT FREE TRANSMISSION TO LAST AT LEAST THAT LONG.*AK ALSO ALARMING IS THE WAY IN WHICH FAILURE OCCURED. ON 7/27/03, SUNDAY THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT SHOWED UP, I DECIDED TO TAKE THE CAR TO MY MECHANIC RIGHT AWAY, AND SO ON MONDAY MORNING I COULDN'T EVEN GET OUT TO THE MAIN ROAD FROM MY DEVELOPMENT AND THE CAR JUST LOST THE GEAR. THIS HAPPENED WITHOUT ANY WARNING SIGN, AND THE INCIDENT COULD HAVE TURNED FATAL, IF THE FAILURE OCCURED AT FREEWAY TRAFFIC AND SPEEDS.

NHTSA ID

10032863

Incident

Jul 28, 2003

Mileage

58,500 mi

AFTER COMING TO A STOP AT A STOP SIGN, THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE WHEN I PRESSED ON THE GAS PEDAL. WAS FORCED TO DOWNSHIFT TO MAKE THE CAR MOVE; D3/D4 WERE NOT WORKING AND ENGINE MERELY REVVED AS THOUGH I WAS IN NEUTRAL. PROBLEM OCCURS INTERMITTENTLY. DEALER WAS UNABLE TO FIND PROBLEM AND DID NOT REPAIR. TWO MONTHS LATER, THE TRANSMISSION HAS BLOWN OUT COMPLETELY AND MOST GEARS DO NOT WORK OR PRODUCE LOUD GRIDING NOISES ALONG WITH SEVERE JOLTING. DT

NHTSA ID

770237

Incident

Sep 29, 2002

WHILE TRAVELING 70 MPH, OWNER WENT TO REACH FOR THE RADIO AND ACCIDENTALLY HIT GEAR SHIFT. LEVER MOVED AND WENT INTO NEUTRAL. MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THIS DESIGN FEATURE IS WITHIN SPECIFICATIONS. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. *AK

NHTSA ID

8017667

AFTER COMING TO A STOP AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT, THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE WHEN PRESSED ON THE GAS PEDAL. DEALER SAID THAT THE CAR NEEDS A NEW TRANSMISSION. THIS CAR HAS ONLY 35,000 MILES WHEN THIS TRANSMISSION FAILED AND THE COST IS NOT COVER UNDER WARRANTY..

NHTSA ID

753812

Incident

Oct 10, 2001

THE BRAKES MAKE A LOUD CLICKING NOISE (SIMILAR TO THE SOUND HEARD WHEN CARS RUNNING OVER THE SEWER MANHOLE COVER) DURING THE FIRST BRAKE WHEN THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN PARKED FOR A WHILE (2-3 HOURS) OR AFTER THE GEAR HAS BEEN SHIFTED TO REVERSE AND BACK TO DRIVE. DEALER CANNOT FIND THE PROBLEM.

NHTSA ID

750701

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION COMPUTER FAILED. YH

NHTSA ID

782004

Incident

Mar 1, 1999

CONSUMER WAS DRIVING VEHICLE INTO A PARKING LOT WHEN BUMPER HIT THE POLE THAT POSTS HANDICAP SIGNS, VERY SLIGHTLY DENTED THE BUMPER OF VEHICLE. ALSO BOTH AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. CONSUMER WAS WEARING SEAT BELT. ALSO BURNED HER RIGHT ARM AND BROKE HER GLASSES. *AK CONSUMER STATED THERE WAS ALSO A PROBLEM WITH THE TORQUE CONVERTER AND CATALYTIC CONVERTER.*JB

NHTSA ID

815259

Incident

Jul 10, 1997

THE VEHICLE WAS PUT INTO REVERSE AND THE VEHICLE STARTED TO GO IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. HAD TO USE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO STOP. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. *AK

NHTSA ID

814189