2004 Honda S2000 Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2004 Honda S2000, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Transmission350.0%
- Body & structure116.7%
- Powertrain (other)116.7%
- Visibility116.7%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Transmission
Reports naming the automatic or manual transmission, including shifting behaviour, shudder, slipping and transmission control modules.
From owner reports, verbatim
2004 HONDA S2000 MANUAL TRANSMISSION WILL POP OUT OF GEAR FROM 1ST TO 2ND AND FROM 3RD TO 2ND GEAR. UNABLE TO PUT THE CAR INTO GEAR UNTIL THE CAR SLOWS ALMOST TO COMPLETE STOP. THIS IS DANGEROUS. REQUESTED DEALER TO SERVICE PROBLEM MULTIPLE TIMES, BUT THEIR REPEATED RESPONSE IS THAT THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WHEN THE CAR IS COLD, AND FOR US TO DRIVE EASY UNTIL THE CAR WARMS UP. THIS ISSUE OCCURS ALSO WHEN THE CAR IS HOT AND HAD BEEN DRIVEN AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS FOR 45 MINUTES. THE PROBLEM REMAINS UNRESOLVED AND IS EXPERIENCED EVERY TIME THE CAR IS DRIVEN, WHETHER COLD, WARM OR HOT. HONDA HAS A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN ON THIS PROBLEM. DEALER REFUSES TO FIX THE MANUAL TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. *NM
TRANSMISSION IS ROUGH AND SOMETIMES "POPS" OUT OF 1ST GEAR. DURING HIGHER ACCELERATION SHIFTING GEARS OCCASIONALLY BECOME HARD TO DO. AS IF THEY ARE NOT LINED UP CORRECTLY. ALSO THE CLAMPS THAT HOLD THE CONVERTIBLE TOP UP BECOME DETERIORATED RATHER QUICKLY. THIS WEAKER LOCK BEGINS TO RATTLE AND MAKE ALL KINDS OF SOUNDS DURING DRIVING. *AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Body & structure
Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim.
From owner reports, verbatim
ABOUT A YEAR AGO I PUT MY SOFT TOP DOWN ON MY 2004 HONDA S2000 WHEN ALL OF THE SUDDEN I HEARD A LOUD POP. I COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG AT THE TIME UNTIL I STARTED DRIVING WITH MY TOP UP AND HEARD A LOT OF WHISPERING SOUNDS. THERE WAS A FINE CUT RIGHT ABOVE THE RELEASE LATCH/HINGE ON MY SOFT TOP. I BROUGHT IT TO THE ATTENTION OF THE HONDA DEALERSHIP OF WHOM I PURCHASED THE CAR FROM. THEY SAID THAT THERE WAS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH MY EXACT PROBLEM FROM THE YEAR FROM 2005 TO 2008 FOR THE HONDA S2000. SEEING THAT I BOUGHT MY CAR USED (FROM THEIR LOT), OUT OF WARRANTY, AND NOT WITHIN THE YEARS THE SERVICE BULLETIN WAS FOR, THEY WERE GOING TO CHARGE ME OVER $2500 TO REPLACE THE TOP FOR A DEFECT THAT WAS ON THE CAR. I AM PROVIDING THE HONDA SERVICE BULLETIN NUMBER FOR YOUR RECORDS: 09-033. HONDA CAN PULL UP THAT SERVICE BULLETIN AND THERE IT WILL EXPLAIN THE ISSUES AND WHAT ACTIONS NEEDS TO BE TAKEN PLACE. I HAVE DONE MY RESEARCH AND THERE ARE A LOT OF CAR OWNERS WITH HIS CAR THAT HAVE BEEN HAVING THESE ISSUES AND WAS FORCE TO PAY TO GET IT FIXED! *TR
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Powertrain (other)
Powertrain reports that are not specifically the engine or transmission — driveshafts, axles, transfer cases and differentials.
From owner reports, verbatim
THE DIFFERENTIAL WENT OUT. I KNOW THIS MAY SOUND LIKE A MAINTENANCE PROBLEM, BUT THIS IS VERY COMMON IN THE HONDA S2000 COMMUNITY. THE METAL (GEARS) IN THE HOUSING BEGIN TO BREAK APART. ALL IT TAKES IS A CHUNK OF THAT METAL TO LODGE IN TO THE WRONG GEAR AND YOUR WHEELS COULD LOCK UP AND IT DOESN'T CARE IF YOU ARE DOING 30 MPH OR 90 MPH. THIS IS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS OR EVEN DEADLY. MY CAR HAS APPROXIMATELY 130K MILES ON IT. I WAS TAKING A RIGHT TURN FROM A DEAD STOP/STOP SIGN WHEN MINE FAILED, FORTUNATELY. AGAIN. THIS IS VERY COMMON FOR THESE (DIFFERENTIALS) TO FAIL. I WAS ABLE TO GET IT OFF OF THE BUSY ROAD AND ON TO A RESIDENTIAL ROAD. IT HASN'T DROVE SINCE. TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE, THE RIGT TURN I WAS MAKING WAS AT THE END OF A CURVE MAKING VISIBILITY OF MY BEING THERE VERY LOW. AGAIN. GOOD THING I WAS ABLE TO LIMP IT IN TO A U-TURN AND BACK TO THE RESIDENTIAL ROAD WHERE TRAFFIC WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Visibility
Reports naming windshields, glass, wipers, defrosters and mirrors.
From owner reports, verbatim
TRANSMISSION IS ROUGH AND SOMETIMES "POPS" OUT OF 1ST GEAR. DURING HIGHER ACCELERATION SHIFTING GEARS OCCASIONALLY BECOME HARD TO DO. AS IF THEY ARE NOT LINED UP CORRECTLY. ALSO THE CLAMPS THAT HOLD THE CONVERTIBLE TOP UP BECOME DETERIORATED RATHER QUICKLY. THIS WEAKER LOCK BEGINS TO RATTLE AND MAKE ALL KINDS OF SOUNDS DURING DRIVING. *AK
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
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.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .