Owner-reported complaints naming the transmission system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming the automatic or manual transmission, including shifting behaviour, shudder, slipping and transmission control modules. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1997 Honda Prelude submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 38 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
The 25 most recent of 38, in the owner's own words
ITS THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION IT ONLY HAS 136000 MILES ON IT AND I NEED A NEW ONE THAT'S REALLY LOW MILES FOR A 97 NEVER HAD A PROBLEM LIKE THIS EVER WITH ANY OF MY CARS. I HEARD ITS WITH ALL THE HONDAS. *TR
WELL BASICALLY I BOUGHT MY 97AUTOMATIC PRELUDE, AND NOT MORE THAN A MONTH LATER OF HAVING THE CAR THE TRANSMISSION STARTED TO MALFUNCTION. BASICALLY IT WOULD SOUND LIKE A SCREW DRIVER WAS BEING FORCED INTO THE GEARS OR SOMETHING. ON TOP OF THAT IT WAS REVVING RIDICULOUSLY HIGH AND NOT MOVING ANYWHERE. MY FOURTH GEAR WAS GONE THEY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON. NOT TO MENTION WHEN THE PROBLEM WAS ADDRESSED TO THE DEALER THEY SAID BRING IT IN AND THEY WILL ERASE THE CODE "GOOD AS NEW" TO BE EXACT. BUT HONESTLY AS A CONSUMER A LOYAL ONE, I FEEL LIKE I SHOULD BE COMPENSATED BY HAVING MY TRANSMISSION REPLACED OR FULLY REBUILT. CAUSE EVERYONE KNOWS AS WELL AS HONDA MECHANICS WHO HAVE FILLED ME IN WITH THE SS TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS BEING THE CAUSE OF BAD BEARINGS AND BAD INTERNALS AND BAD TORQUE CONVERTERS. SEEING AS ME BEING THE CONSUMER AND BEING CONSTANTLY PUT IN A SITUATION BEEN AM I GONNA BREAK DOWN ON THE FREEWAY ON THE WAY TO WORK OR YET EVEN WORSE AT NIGHT PAST MIDNIGHT WHEN I'M OFF. NOW LET ME REMIND U IT'S STILL A LEASE AND THERE ARE SOME FACTS I KNOW AD RESEARCHED ON LIKE "THE MAGNUSON-MOSS WARRANTY ACT (15 U.S.C. 2302)" WHICH STATES: THIS FEDERAL LAW REGULATES WARRANTIES FOR THE PROTECTION OF CONSUMERS. THE ESSENCE OF THE LAW CONCERNING AFTERMARKET AUTO PARTS IS THAT A VEHICLE MANUFACTURER MAY NOT CONDITION A WRITTEN OR IMPLIED WARRANTY ON THE CONSUMERS USING PARTS OR SERVICES WHICH ARE IDENTIFIED BY BRAND, TRADE, OR CORPORATE NAME (SUCH AS THE VEHICLE MAKER'S BRAND) UNLESS THE PARTS OR SERVICE ARE PROVIDED FREE OF CHARGE. THE LAW MEANS THAT THE USE OF AN AFTERMARKET PART ALONE IS NOT CAUSE FOR DENYING THE WARRANTY. HOWEVER, THE LAW'S PROTECTION DOES NOT EXTEND TO AFTERMARKET PARTS IN SITUATIONS WHERE SUCH PARTS ACTUALLY CAUSED THE DAMAGE BEING CLAIMED UNDER THE WARRANTY. FURTHER, CONSUMERS ARE ADVISED TO BE AWARE OF ANY SPECIFIC TERMS OR CONDITIONS STATED IN THE WARRANTY WHICH MAY RESULT IN ITS BEING VOIDED. THE LAW STATES IN RELEVANT PART: ??NO WARRANTOR OF. *TR
MY 1997 HONDA PRELUDE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION DIED OUT. WHEN I LOOKED ON THE FORUMS, HONDA IS VERY WELL AWARE OF THE FAILURE BY DESIGN OF THEIR HONDA PRELUDES. *TR
I'VE DRIVING MY PRELUDE FOR 4 YEARS. VERY SOON AFTER I GOT IT I NOTICD THE SHIFTING WAS JERKY. SOON AFTER IT BECAME JUMPY AND NOW WHEN I DRIVIE MY CAR FROM COLD ITS BOLTING INTO GEAR WITH A TREMENDOUS JERK. I FEEL ITS ON ITS WAY OUT.
THE TRANSMISSION IN MY 1997 HONDA PRELUDE AUTOMATIC SS CRAPPED OUT ON ME AFTER KICKING AND SLIPPING FOR A FEW MONTHS SO I HAD IT REBUILT...AND NOW A FEW MONTHS LATER IT'S ALREADY SLIPPING AND KICKING AGAIN. IT COST 1500 TO HAVE IT REBUILT THE FIRST TIME, HONDA ALREADY ADDRESSED THE 00-01 PRELUDE AUTO TRANSMISSIONS IN A RECALL, WHY HAVEN'T THE ADDRESSED THE ISSUES IN THE PRIOR YEARS? IT'S THE SAME CAR AS THE 00-01, NO CHANGES WERE MADE TO THE BODY, ENGINE, TRANSMISSION, AND YET THEY REFUSE TO ADDRESS THIS WIDESPREAD ISSUE AMONG PRELUDE OWNERS. I FOR ONE AM TIRED OF IT, HONDA OWES IT TO THEIR LOYAL CONSUMERS THAT THEY CONFRONT THIS ISSUE HEAD ON. *TR
I HAVE A 1997 PRELUDE THAT HAS HAD 1 TRANSMISSION FAILURE IN NOV. OF 2005 & IT WAS REBUILT. IT CURRENT IS FAILING THE SAME WAY THE FIRST TRANSMISSION FAILED. IT IS MAKING NOISE & STARTING TO SLIP WHEN IT IS COLD. $1700 TO FIX THE 1ST TRANSMISSION BY A TRANS SHOP. I AM JOINING A CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT IF IT IS NOT TAKEN CARE OF FROM HONDA. THIS CAR ONLY HAS 65,000 MILES ON IT! *TR
MY 1997 HONDA PRELUDE SPORTS SHIFT AUTO TRANSMISSION FAILED AND NOW IT NEEDS TO BE TOWED. *TR
I RECENTLY BOUGHT MY HONDA PRELUDE BACK IN NOVEMBER 18, 2007 FROM A USED DEALERSHIP. THE CAR CAME WITH 167K MILES AND NOW I'M AT 169K. THE MAIN REASON WHY I AM FILING A COMPLAINT, IS THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION IS GOING OUT. I TAKE MY CAR TO WORK, SCHOOL, DRIVE MY MOM TO WORK, AND EVEN MY YOUNGER BROTHER TO SCHOOL. THIS IS THE ONLY CAR WE HAVE. THE TRANSMISSION SLIPS AND JERKS AT LOW RPMS FROM 1K-3K IN 1ST-2ND GEAR. I'VE DONE RESEARCH ON 97-01 HONDA PRELUDES AND THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION HAS THE MOST FAILS. IF MY AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION GOES OUT I WOULDN'T HAVE THE FUNDS TO REPLACE IT WHILE I'M STILL PAYING FOR INSURANCE AND MONTHLY PAYMENTS. I BELIEVE THAT HONDA SHOULD REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION WITHOUT COST EVEN WITH CARS WITHOUT THE EXTENDED WARRANTY. ALSO I HEAR THAT THE 99-01 AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS WERE STRONGER THAN THE 97-98 YEARS AND WERE ALSO GIVEN AN EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR THE 99-01 YEARS WITH UNDER 100K MILES. *TR
THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS IN 1997 HONDA PRELUDES ARE WEAK AND FAIL EASY. THE REASON IS CHEAP PARTS AND METALS IN THE TRANSMISSIONS THEMSELVES. THE 97 PRELUDES WERE RECALLED IN TURKEY, AND REPLACED WITH A NEW M6HA UNIT. MINE IS CONSTANTLY SLIPPING AND TEARING UP. I'M LOOKING AT A CONSTANT PROBLEM THAT COSTS A LOT OF MONEY. I BOUGHT THIS CAR FOR ITS QUALITY AND PRESTIGE IN THE HONDA WORLD, BUT DUE TO THE LACK OF QUALITY AND WORKMANSHIP IN THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS, MY OPINION OF PRELUDES HAS DRASTICALLY DROPPED. I WOULD NOT CARE IF I HAD AN AUTOMATIC OR A MANUAL, I JUST WANT A CAR THAT WORKS LIKE THE HONDA COMPANY LACKED TO MAKE IT. THANK YOU. *NM
1997 HONDA PRELUDE WITH ONLY 67,000 MILES. STARTED TO MAKE A MINOR BUZZING NOISE WHEN IN PARK OR NEUTRAL. TOOK IT TO MY INDEPENDENT HONDA MECHANIC WHO TOLD ME THAT I HAD A BEARING GOING IN THE TRANSMISSION. IT WOULD REQUIRE A REBUILD OF THE TRANSMISSION. COST $3,900. HE SUGGESTED THAT I SELL THE CAR QUICKLY AS IT WASN'T WORTH THE COST OF REPAIRS. THAT'S WHAT I DID. SOLD IT TO A HONDA DEALERSHIP. HONDA NEEDS TO RECOGNIZE THE PROBLEM WITH THESE TRANSMISSIONS. NO MORE HONDAS FOR ME.
1997 HONDA PRELUDE TRANSMISSION FAILURE. HONDA REFUSES TO ASSIST CONSUMERS WITH FAULTY TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS INHERENT IN THE VEHICLES. TRANS WILL SLIP OUT OF GEAR, OR NOT ENGAGE WHEN ENTERING FREEWAY, CAUSING A DANGEROUS AND LIFE THREATENING CONDITION. WHEN SOMEONE GETS KILLED BECAUSE OF THESE TRANSMISSIONS, AMERICAN HONDA WILL THEN BE FORCED TO RECALL THESE HORRIBLE CARS.*AK
97 HONDA PRELUDE
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
TRANSMISSION FAILED PREMATURELY... CAR SLOWS DOWN SIGNIFICANTLY DURING GEAR SHIFT IN THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. THIS CAUSES THE DRIVERS FOLLOWING THE VEHICLE TO BRAKE UNEXPECTEDLY. *LA
MY 1997 PRELUDE SS HAD A TRANSMISSION ISSUE AND IT DECIDED TO GO ON ME, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD, WHILE TRAFFIC WAS BEHIND ME. SO, I DECIDED TO CONTACT HONDA AND MAKE THEM SEE THE ISSUE, INSTEAD I RECEIVED A NO ANSWER, WHICH WAS A PRETTY LAME EXCUSE TO NOT REPLACE A TRANSMISSION FAILURE IN ALL 97-99 HONDA PRELUDE CARS, SO, THE SERVICE MANAGER DECIDED TO RETRY THE HONDA USA NUMBER, AND THEY GOT ME THROUGH AND REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION UNDER A NON-TRANSMISSION WARRANTY. SO, MY POINT IS THAT HONDA MUST COMPLY WITH A TRANSMISSION WARRANTY ON ALL THESE CARS, AND NOT JUST THE NEWER MODELS, BECAUSE IT IS UNFAIR TO HAVE A TRANSMISSION WHICH WILL EVENTUALLY FAIL, AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN. SO, WITH ALL THIS SAID, I WANT TO MAKE SURE SOMETHING WILL BE DONE REGARDING THIS ISSUE. THANKS. *LA
1997 HONDA PRELUDE THE CLUTCH SPRING RETAINER BROKE RENDERING THE CLUTCH INOPERABLE PLACING STRESS ON THE TRANSMISSION AND DAMAGING THE INTERNALS FROM THE SPRING BEING LOOSE IN THE SYSTEM
MY AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION ON MY HONDA PRELUDE IS BEGINNING TO FAIL AFTER ONLY 80000 MILES. IT WILL OCCASSION JOLT AND CAUSE ERRADIC ACCELERATION AND DECELERATION WHILE TRAVERSING THE FREEWAYS. I BELEIVE THIS TO BE A CONSIDERABLE HAZARD TO ME AND HAVE SINCE STOPPED DRIVING THE VEHICLE. *AK
PROBLEMS WITH BALL JOINTS, BRAKES, AIR CONDITIONER, RADIO, WINDSHIELD AND SEATS.*MR IN ADDITION, THE ENGINE BURNED OIL, THE VEHICLE HAD A HARD TIME GOING BACKWARDS. CONSUMER HAD NUMEROUS INCIDENTS WITH THE VEHICLE GOING OUT CONTROL. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED MULTIPLE TIMES, BUT THE PROBLEMS CONTINUED TO EXIST. *PH *JB
1997 HONDA PRELUDE SPORT SHIFT TRANSMISSION FAILURE. CAR HAS ONLY 60,000 MILES AND THE TRANSMISSION IS FAILING. CAR IS BEGINNING TO JERK FORWARD WHEN SLOWING DOWN TO A COMPLETE STOP IN TRAFFIC OR AT A STOP LIGHT.*AK
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION BEGAN SHIFTING EXTREMELY HARSHLY. AUTO TRANSMISSION FAILED PREMATURELY.THE TRANSMISSION WILL SLIP INTO NEUTRAL WHILE SHIFTING FROM GEAR TO GEAR. WHILE UNDER ANY KIND OF ACCELERATION, THE TRANSMISSION WILL SLIP INTO NEUTRAL AND THE ENGINE WILL CLIMB RPMS BEFORE THE TRANSMISSION ENGAGES, CAUSING IT TO SLAM INTO GEAR. ALSO THE TRANSMISSION WILL CAUSE THE CAR TO STALL AT A STOP, CAUSING THE CAR TO SHUTTER AND DIE IN CERTAIN SITUATIONS.*AK
THE FOUR SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION IN MY 1997 HONDA PRELUDE IS DEFECTIVE. IT SHIFTS ABRUPTLY, SLIPS, AND HAS CAUSED INSTANCES WHERE MY SAFETY HAS BEEN JEOPARDIZED. RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET HAS REVEALED NUMEROUS PROBLEMS WITH THIS TRANSMISSION. A COMPANY SUCH AS HONDA SHOULD RECOGNIZE THIS AS AN INHERENT PROBLEM, AND OFFER CONSUMER ASSISTANCE, SUCH AS THEY ARE DOING WITH THE 2000 THROUGH 2003 MODELS ( 100,000 MILE EXTENDED WARRANTIES). I AM A YOUNG CONSUMER, WHO ONCE TRUSTED HONDA, AND WILL NOT REGAIN THAT TRUST UNLESS THEY STAND BEHIND THEIR "EXPENSIVE" PRODUCT. MY CAR IS CURRENTLY AT A LOCAL HONDA DEALER AND THEY ARE QUOTING COSTS OF FROM $1,000.00 TO $3,000.00 TO REPAIR. THE DEALER HAS ALSO STATED THAT THEY ARE SEEING NUMEROUS INSTANCES OF FAILURE WITH LATE MODEL HONDA AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS. I CANNOT AFFORD A HIGH CAR PAYMENT, AND CONTINUE TO PAY HIGH REPAIR BILLS FOR A LATE MODEL CAR. HONDA MOTOR COMPANY NEEDS TO ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM, OR POSSIBLY FACE A CLASS ACTION SUIT IF INHERENT FAILURES BEGIN TO CAUSE SEVERE ACCIDENTS. TOYOTA HAS BEEN ASKED/REQUIRED TO FIX THE OIL PROBLEMS WITH THERE 4 CYLINDER CAMRYS, SO WHY SHOULDN'T HONDA FACE UP TO AND ADMIT THEIR INHERENT PROBLEMS WITH THEIR AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS. *NLM
FAULTY TRANSMISSION IN 1997 HONDA PRELUDE SS AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. *JB
I HAVE A 1997 HONDA PRELUDE SPORT-SHIFT AUTOMATIC. LIKE MOST OWNERS OF THIS TYPE OF VEHICLE, THE TRANSMISSION WENT OUT. THE GEARS BEGIN TO SLIP AND WILL NOT ENGAGE. THE DEALER WANTED $4000 TO GET A REBUILT TRANSMISSION. I HAD IT REPLACED, BUT THEN ABOUT 20,000 MILES LATER, IT WENT OUT AGAIN. THIS TIME THE FIRST GEAR DID NOT ENGAGE. I AM BASICALLY AFRAID TO DRIVE MY CAR AROUND ANYMORE. I DO NOT WANT TO GET IT REBUILT AGAIN BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT IT MAY AS WELL BREAK AGAIN. HOWEVER, THE 2000-01 HONDA PRELUDES WITH THIS TYPE OF TRANSMISSION GET AN EXTENDED WARRANTY AND I FIND IT VERY UNFAIR THAT THE SAME EXACT CAR WITH THE SAME EXACT TRANSMISSION GETS AN EXTENDED WARRANTY, BUT THE 1997-99 PRELUDES DO NOT. IF HONDA KNOWS OF THE FAULTY TRANSMISSIONS, WHY NOT REPLACE ALL OF THE TRANSMISSIONS INSTEAD OF THE LATER YEAR ONES? I USED TO LOVE HONDA VEHICLES, UNTIL I LEARNED OF MANY OTHERS WITH THIS SAME EXACT PROBLEM. *JB
MY CAR SUDDENLY STARTED SHIFTING ODDLY AND GOT MORE VIOLENT AS TIME PASSED. THIS WAS DANGEROUS BECAUSE AFTER REVERSING OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY, THE CAR WOULD JERK AND BASICALLY HAVE A BIG CLANG. THE CAR ALSO DIED OUT WHEN I WAS DRIVING. AFTER I REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION AT 80000 MILES, IT IS NOW STARTING TO SHIFT HARD AGAIN. *JB
WHILE DRIVING, THE TRANSMISSION SLIPPED, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO SURGE FORWARD. TS THE TRANSMISSION STALLED, DIDN'T SHIFT GEARS PROPERLY, AND WOULD JERK, ALL WHILE IN MOTION AND/OR SPEEDING UP. SCC
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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