I am considering buying a 2001 Honda Accord, 4 cyl.w/ 66k miles on it. However, i've been reading consumer reports and consumer complaints about this car model and it seems there are lots of transmission problems. The owner tells me the car was recalled by the manufacturer when it had about 20,000 miles on it to put a new transmission in. He said that he never had transmission problems and that they just put a new one in because it was recalled. I can't find anything on the internet about a transmission recall on this car but there sure are a lot of complaints about 2001 transmissions out there. Some people even report being on their 3rd or 4rth transmission.

Is this problem pretty uniform across the board for all 2001 Honda Accords, or are the majority of them fine?

Would the new transmission they put in this car mean that it wont have transmission problems? I mean did honda fix the problem in the new transmissions they put in? I have read some complaints of people who had problems after fixing their transmission that had previously gone bad, or even after putting new ones in. Could this happen with a new transmission in the car that never had problems with it even with the previous transmisson?

As far as used cars go this is the best deal right now in my area. It is being sold for well below its blue book value because of some cosmetic blemishes wich mean nothing to me. I really want this car but cannot afford to put a new transmission in any time in the future as I am a graduate student.


Advice please.

Car details
2001 Honda Accord LX Coupe
4 cyl
66,000 miles

 

there is an extended transmission warranty; Click the link

http://members.troublecodes.net/hond...transwarex.gif

 

Thanks!
But that warrenty will be up in 2008 right? So, after that I should start worrying?

 

The warranty 'restarted' at the time of the trans change from the original owner.
Change out the trans fluid every 30k miles with Honda Z-1 ATF and don't worry.

A VIN status inquiry will show the date and miles of that trans replacement.

 

Thank You so much!It sounds like a good buy then. I'm glad I found this forum, and am excited to become a first time accord owner.
thanks

 

Also the majority of the transmission problems were with the V6 models. If you change fluid often as Hondadude said, you should be fine.
But do not ever let one of those oil change places convince you to have them "flush" your transmission. This is a service that shops like pep boys started doing a while back. It will likely ruin your transmission. Here is a link to a thread: https://www.hondaaccordforum.com/m_55601/tm.htm
Good luck with your purchase & welcome!

 

I called Honda with the VIN number and they have no records of this particular car being recalled or of its transmission being replaced. They said it was serviced under warranty in 2004 but couldn’t tell me what for.
The warranty on the transmission is due to run out in Nov. of 08. and as I understand it from reading the net, the warranty only applies when the owner has changed the transmission fluid every so many recommended miles (is it 30 or 48). And I don't think the person selling it has these records. So I guess this used car may not be such a deal after all.
Thanks for the help though.
if you have any recommendation on where i can run the VIN number other than CARFAX or Honda that would be helpful.
Thanks

 

alright time for some fact setting in this thread

1. ALL the issues with the transmission are either design related or improperly made parts
2. Since the filter is internal to the transmission, it is not user serviceable. There are some reports of the filter being moved to an external location (hondadude or DH can give the low down)
3. ALL, I REPEAT, ALL Accords from 98 through 2002have the potential to beaffected be it V6 or I4. V6 makes more power so it is reasonable to conclude that those transmissions will fail at a higher rate than the I4.

here are the issues

1. 2nd gear clutch pack does not receive a lot of lubrication compared to the other clutch packs
2. The differential bearings in these units suck


If you have any of these symptoms when your trans is cold, it's toast

1. Slips
2. delayed 1-2 or 2-3 shifting (a pause between gear changes)
3 CLUNKING when engaging or when slowing down to a stop.

typical senario

diff bearing wear down causing axle seals to leak while at the same time clogging the main filter. This in turn causes the 2nd gear clutch packs to get toasted causing the main filter to get even more clogged.

end result, new trans or rebuilt one