NHTSA Complaint #10376713 — 2004 HONDA ACCORD

ON JANUARY 6, 2011 THE TRANSMISSION OF MY 2004 HONDA ACCORD V6 (WITH ~84,695 MILES) BEGAN SLIPPING. THE ENGINE WOULD REV WILDLY AT ODD TIMES WHEN I WAS NOT ACCELERATING, AND WOULD SLIP INTO NEUTRAL WHEN I WAS ON DRIVE OR REVERSE. AFTER DRIVING A FEW MILES IN CITY TRAFFIC THESE PROBLEMS WOULD GET REALLY BAD AND FINALLY THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE AT ALL, EVEN WHEN THE CAR WAS ON AND IN DRIVE. AFTER BREAKING DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF A MAJOR ARTERY IN WASHINGTON, DC, AND HAVING TO BE PUSHED AROUND THE CORNER BY TWO GOOD SAMARITANS, I FINALLY DISCOVERED THAT IF I SIMPLY TURNED OFF THE ENGINE AND RE-STARTED THE CAR, I COULD DRIVE AGAIN, ALBEIT SLOWLY AND WITH THESE PROBLEMS PERSISTING. AT FIRST MY HONDA DEALER MISDIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS A BATTERY PROBLEM, BUT FINALLY AFTER THREE TRIES THEY REPLICATED THE PROBLEM AND DIAGNOSED TRANSMISSION FAILURE. I INFORMED THEM OF THE RECALL ON ALL 2003 ACCORD V6'S AND SELECT 2004 ACCORD V6S. I WAS TOLD THAT MY VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL, AND THAT MY VEHICLE DID NOT HAVE THAT SAME SECOND GEAR PROBLEM. WE COMPLAINED TO AMERICAN HONDA AND ASKED THEM TO MAKE THIS GOOD. AFTER HAVING BOUGHT THIS CAR PRECISELY BECAUSE I WANTED THE MOST RELIABLE CAR ON THE MARKET AND BECAUSE HONDAS HAVE THE REPUTATION FOR GOING FOR 200,000 MILES, I WAS INCENSED THAT THE TRANSMISSION DIED AT 85000 MILES. AMERICAN HONDA AGREED TO PAY JUST $500 WHICH BARELY COVERED THE COST OF MY RENTAL CAR FOR THE PERIOD DURING WHICH I WAS WITHOUT MY CAR. I FEEL THIS SITUATION WAS HANDLED VERY POORLY BY HONDA AND THAT, BASED ON ALL THE CONSUMERS WHO HAVE HAD SIMILAR EXPERIENCES WITH THEIR V6 ACCORD TRANSMISSION, IT IS CLEAR THAT THE RECALL WAS NOT BROAD ENOUGH IN TERMS OF THE SPECIFIC TRANSMISSION PROBLEM IT ADDRESSED. *TR