Honda Car Forum

I wonder how common this problem is ?????

The automatic transmission on my '03 V6 Accord has had repeated small
leaks since shortly after I purchased it. The first several times the
dealer sealed the leaks with JB Weld and the like, yet more continued to
appear. Today I was informed that they will be replacing the entire
transmission under warranty. I'm at 35,000 miles now and only weeks
away from the end of the warranty. Hopefully the rebuilt transmission
they install will be a good one.

The number of problems Honda has been having with it's automatic
transmissions is a real concern. Oddly enough, my relative is
visiting with her new '05 Civic Hybrid and it also has a leaking
automatic transmission. The same dealer is having a look at it for her.
5,000 miles on a new Civic and it is leaking ATF.

Sure makes a person wonder about the "bulletproof" reputation Honda has.

John

John Horner wrote:
> I wonder how common this problem is ?????
>
> The automatic transmission on my '03 V6 Accord has had repeated small
> leaks since shortly after I purchased it. The first several times the
> dealer sealed the leaks with JB Weld and the like, yet more continued to
> appear. Today I was informed that they will be replacing the entire
> transmission under warranty. I'm at 35,000 miles now and only weeks
> away from the end of the warranty. Hopefully the rebuilt transmission
> they install will be a good one.
>
> The number of problems Honda has been having with it's automatic
> transmissions is a real concern. Oddly enough, my relative is
> visiting with her new '05 Civic Hybrid and it also has a leaking
> automatic transmission. The same dealer is having a look at it for her.
> 5,000 miles on a new Civic and it is leaking ATF.
>
> Sure makes a person wonder about the "bulletproof" reputation Honda has.
>
> John

I remember back in 1991 when my cousin purchased a Honda Accord
Hatchback, and had nothing but problems with the automatic. In 1993 he
was fed up and converted his auto to a manual at great costs.

As early as 1998, I remember reading Car & Driver articles that stated
if you were going to buy a Japanese vehicle, make sure you get a
standard transmission, because the automatic transmissions were not
perfected at that time. Hard to believe it is 2005, and they are still
having "issues" with automatic transmissions.

"Ron Jeremy" <ronniej@big12inch.com> wrote in message
news:qs_Ae.65706$ho.7483@bignews6.bellsouth.net...
> John Horner wrote:
> > I wonder how common this problem is ?????
> >
> > The automatic transmission on my '03 V6 Accord has had repeated small
> > leaks since shortly after I purchased it. The first several times the
> > dealer sealed the leaks with JB Weld and the like, yet more continued to
> > appear. Today I was informed that they will be replacing the entire
> > transmission under warranty. I'm at 35,000 miles now and only weeks
> > away from the end of the warranty. Hopefully the rebuilt transmission
> > they install will be a good one.
> >
> > The number of problems Honda has been having with it's automatic
> > transmissions is a real concern. Oddly enough, my relative is
> > visiting with her new '05 Civic Hybrid and it also has a leaking
> > automatic transmission. The same dealer is having a look at it for her.
> > 5,000 miles on a new Civic and it is leaking ATF.
> >
> > Sure makes a person wonder about the "bulletproof" reputation Honda has.
> >
> > John
>
> I remember back in 1991 when my cousin purchased a Honda Accord
> Hatchback, and had nothing but problems with the automatic. In 1993 he
> was fed up and converted his auto to a manual at great costs.
>
> As early as 1998, I remember reading Car & Driver articles that stated
> if you were going to buy a Japanese vehicle, make sure you get a
> standard transmission, because the automatic transmissions were not
> perfected at that time. Hard to believe it is 2005, and they are still
> having "issues" with automatic transmissions.

As much as I like and respect the 'Asian Big Three' and many of their
vehicle offerings throughout their history, I will openly admit that they
haven't been immune to automatic transmissions problems. But neither have
the American automobile manufacturers. Part of the problem is the nature of
the beast itself. An automatic transmission is an extremely complex
assemblage of parts and it is actually a miracle that many of them perform
as well as they do. Manual trannys are indeed more robust, and most cars do
get a little better gas mileage that contain them. A while back the
difference was more significant than it is today in a lot of cases.

I've seen Nissans, Hondas, Chevys and Chryslers all four give transmission
problems. It can happen with any automatic transmission--regardless of the
manufacturer. And it is true that Hondas aren't bulletproof. But they're
still good cars when compared to many of the other makes out there. A
co-worker of mine could tell you LOTS of horror stories about the 2002 BMW
325i that he just traded in on a used Infiniti. It's totally unbelievable
how many problems that he encountered with that car! So much for the
"Ultimate Driving Machine" b.s. ....

Ron M.

Ron M. wrote:

> "Ron Jeremy" <ronniej@big12inch.com> wrote in message
> news:qs_Ae.65706$ho.7483@bignews6.bellsouth.net...
>> John Horner wrote:
>> > I wonder how common this problem is ?????
>> >
>> > The automatic transmission on my '03 V6 Accord has had repeated small
>> > leaks since shortly after I purchased it. The first several times the
>> > dealer sealed the leaks with JB Weld and the like, yet more continued
>> > to
>> > appear. Today I was informed that they will be replacing the entire
>> > transmission under warranty. I'm at 35,000 miles now and only weeks
>> > away from the end of the warranty. Hopefully the rebuilt transmission
>> > they install will be a good one.
>> >
>> > The number of problems Honda has been having with it's automatic
>> > transmissions is a real concern. Oddly enough, my relative is
>> > visiting with her new '05 Civic Hybrid and it also has a leaking
>> > automatic transmission. The same dealer is having a look at it for
>> > her.
>> > 5,000 miles on a new Civic and it is leaking ATF.
>> >
>> > Sure makes a person wonder about the "bulletproof" reputation Honda
>> > has.
>> >
>> > John
>>
>> I remember back in 1991 when my cousin purchased a Honda Accord
>> Hatchback, and had nothing but problems with the automatic. In 1993 he
>> was fed up and converted his auto to a manual at great costs.
>>
>> As early as 1998, I remember reading Car & Driver articles that stated
>> if you were going to buy a Japanese vehicle, make sure you get a
>> standard transmission, because the automatic transmissions were not
>> perfected at that time. Hard to believe it is 2005, and they are still
>> having "issues" with automatic transmissions.
>
> As much as I like and respect the 'Asian Big Three' and many of their
> vehicle offerings throughout their history, I will openly admit that they
> haven't been immune to automatic transmissions problems. But neither have
> the American automobile manufacturers. Part of the problem is the nature
> of the beast itself. An automatic transmission is an extremely complex
> assemblage of parts and it is actually a miracle that many of them perform
> as well as they do. Manual trannys are indeed more robust, and most cars
> do get a little better gas mileage that contain them. A while back the
> difference was more significant than it is today in a lot of cases.
>
> I've seen Nissans, Hondas, Chevys and Chryslers all four give transmission
> problems. It can happen with any automatic transmission--regardless of the
> manufacturer. And it is true that Hondas aren't bulletproof. But they're
> still good cars when compared to many of the other makes out there. A
> co-worker of mine could tell you LOTS of horror stories about the 2002 BMW
> 325i that he just traded in on a used Infiniti. It's totally unbelievable
> how many problems that he encountered with that car! So much for the
> "Ultimate Driving Machine" b.s. ....
>
> Ron M.

I just took over driving my wife's 97 Civic due to her becoming disabled and
she took over driving my '00 Accord EX V6 coupe. The funny thing is my '00
has 80,000 miles and her '97 only has 62,000 miles.

I love the manual transmission in her '97 Civic. I am getting over 30 MPG
in the City, and about 37 MPG on the highway. Except for faded paint on
the spoiler and a dry-rotted driver's side visor, there is absolutely
nothing mechanically wrong with the '97 Civic.

I just hope the transmission holds up in the '00 Accord. I think I am going
to have it checked out soon because the SRS light is on, and I want to make
sure that the transmission is technically sound.

I was really considering getting a '05 or '06 Accord V6 coupe with a manual
transmission within the next year, but, I think I want to wait until the
'97 Civic starts giving me problems. I might be waiting a while!

Chris B

Ron M. wrote:
> "Ron Jeremy" <ronniej@big12inch.com> wrote in message
> news:qs_Ae.65706$ho.7483@bignews6.bellsouth.net...
>
>>John Horner wrote:
>>
>>>I wonder how common this problem is ?????
>>>
>>>The automatic transmission on my '03 V6 Accord has had repeated small
>>>leaks since shortly after I purchased it. The first several times the
>>>dealer sealed the leaks with JB Weld and the like, yet more continued to
>>>appear. Today I was informed that they will be replacing the entire
>>>transmission under warranty. I'm at 35,000 miles now and only weeks
>>>away from the end of the warranty. Hopefully the rebuilt transmission
>>>they install will be a good one.
>>>
>>>The number of problems Honda has been having with it's automatic
>>>transmissions is a real concern. Oddly enough, my relative is
>>>visiting with her new '05 Civic Hybrid and it also has a leaking
>>>automatic transmission. The same dealer is having a look at it for her.
>>> 5,000 miles on a new Civic and it is leaking ATF.
>>>
>>>Sure makes a person wonder about the "bulletproof" reputation Honda has.
>>>
>>>John
>>
>>I remember back in 1991 when my cousin purchased a Honda Accord
>>Hatchback, and had nothing but problems with the automatic. In 1993 he
>> was fed up and converted his auto to a manual at great costs.
>>
>>As early as 1998, I remember reading Car & Driver articles that stated
>>if you were going to buy a Japanese vehicle, make sure you get a
>>standard transmission, because the automatic transmissions were not
>>perfected at that time. Hard to believe it is 2005, and they are still
>>having "issues" with automatic transmissions.
>
>
> As much as I like and respect the 'Asian Big Three' and many of their
> vehicle offerings throughout their history, I will openly admit that they
> haven't been immune to automatic transmissions problems. But neither have
> the American automobile manufacturers. Part of the problem is the nature of
> the beast itself. An automatic transmission is an extremely complex
> assemblage of parts and it is actually a miracle that many of them perform
> as well as they do. Manual trannys are indeed more robust, and most cars do
> get a little better gas mileage that contain them. A while back the
> difference was more significant than it is today in a lot of cases.
>
> I've seen Nissans, Hondas, Chevys and Chryslers all four give transmission
> problems. It can happen with any automatic transmission--regardless of the
> manufacturer. And it is true that Hondas aren't bulletproof. But they're
> still good cars when compared to many of the other makes out there. A
> co-worker of mine could tell you LOTS of horror stories about the 2002 BMW
> 325i that he just traded in on a used Infiniti. It's totally unbelievable
> how many problems that he encountered with that car! So much for the
> "Ultimate Driving Machine" b.s. ....
>
> Ron M.
>
>
oooh, i could tell you stories about that... when i was at metallurgy
school, one of our professors was a fatigue god. as in /really/. one
day, a certain bavarian car manufacturer came to him with a problem -
their transmissions were lasting too long.

long story short, money changed hands & they got their solution. it
costs them 20% to 30% more to make that transmission, but it more than
pays off in taking "old" cars off the road - their objective in all
this. next time you're on a road trip with the kids, have them keep
score on 10+ year old cars and plot the distribution by manufacturer.
you'll quickly see that this certain company's plan is /very/ effective.

read their advertising literature too. when someone refers to their
transmission as "maintenance free" and doesn't even bother with a drain
plug so you can't change transmission oil, you can be assured that
longevity is not on the agenda.

>
> As much as I like and respect the 'Asian Big Three' and many of their
> vehicle offerings throughout their history, I will openly admit that they
> haven't been immune to automatic transmissions problems. But neither have
> the American automobile manufacturers. Part of the problem is the nature of
> the beast itself. An automatic transmission is an extremely complex
> assemblage of parts and it is actually a miracle that many of them perform
> as well as they do.

True enough, but on my recent problem the failure mode is a casting
defects in the main case which allow fluid to leak through. I would
expect Honda to at least get the basic case casting right.

John

On Tue, 12 Jul 2005 20:52:38 -0500, Ron Jeremy <ronniej@big12inch.com>
wrote:
>As early as 1998, I remember reading Car & Driver articles that stated
>if you were going to buy a Japanese vehicle, make sure you get a
>standard transmission, because the automatic transmissions were not
>perfected at that time. Hard to believe it is 2005, and they are still
>having "issues" with automatic transmissions.

Sure that wasn't 1968?

J.

Did they fix this problem with the 05 Accords?? I am thinking of
getting a 05 Accord LX or EX V6 and I wanted to know if the
transmission problem was fixed on the 05's. Also, Is there a site that
I can research the problem with the honda transmissions.

Matt wrote:
> Did they fix this problem with the 05 Accords?? I am thinking of
> getting a 05 Accord LX or EX V6 and I wanted to know if the
> transmission problem was fixed on the 05's.

Honda has put in place lots of transmission fixes over the years ... but
do they have it right yet??? We will not know until we see at least 5
years of new history.


> Also, Is there a site that
> I can research the problem with the honda transmissions.
>

I don't know of a specific one, but it is discussed in many places.
Just search for "Honda Transmission Failure" and you will find plenty to
read.

John

John Horner wrote:
>
>>
>> As much as I like and respect the 'Asian Big Three' and many of their
>> vehicle offerings throughout their history, I will openly admit that they
>> haven't been immune to automatic transmissions problems. But neither have
>> the American automobile manufacturers. Part of the problem is the
>> nature of
>> the beast itself. An automatic transmission is an extremely complex
>> assemblage of parts and it is actually a miracle that many of them
>> perform
>> as well as they do.
>
>
> True enough, but on my recent problem the failure mode is a casting
> defects in the main case which allow fluid to leak through. I would
> expect Honda to at least get the basic case casting right.
>
> John

no kidding. casting porosity is not new, but allowing it to suddenly be
present after decades of doing it right indicates a *serious* management
problem.

i /love/ hondas, but i can't see myself buying anything post 2000 until
they fire their current "bean counters make all the decisions"
management team & get some engineering/quality back into the equation.
seriously. honda will /never/ compete with toyota on price, so they
should get back to competing on product offering & product quality.
that was a highly successful strategy before.

trying to "out toyota" toyota has cost them:

1. significant share of the family sedan market that was the accord
thanks to significant reliability issues.

2. significant alienation the cheaper sport/enthusiast market that used
to be civic thanks to CRAP suspension design. the econo crowd also used
to buy the civic, but that brand loyalty is now fading in favor of the
prius.

3. complete anihilation the "mid range" sport/entusiast market that used
to be integra with the abysmal rsx and given it to subaru. or even mazda!

honda are in serious trouble. such a shame. /used/ to be fantastic cars.