NHTSA Complaint #10011042 — 1997 HONDA PRELUDE

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