NHTSA Complaint #10432329 — 2004 HONDA ACCORD

I HAVE A 2004 HONDA ACCORD THAT HAD A TRANSMISSION FAILURE WITH NO WARNING. IT HAD 88,000MILES ON IT AND VERY WELL MAINTAINED. I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY ABOUT 2 HOURS AWAY FROM HOME WHEN THE CAR STARTED SLOWING DOWN OR DOWNSHIFTING ON ITS OWN. I FELT LIKE I WAS JUST COASTING OR IN NEUTRAL. I PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND WAITED A COUPLE MINUTES AND TRIED TO START MY CAR UP AGAIN...IT DID. I STARTED DRIVING AGAIN AND NOT EVEN 3/4 OF A MILE LATER THE SAME THING HAPPENED. I DID THIS PULL OVER/ TURN OFF/ TURN ON THING ALL THE WAY HOME WITH MY DAUGHTER IN THE CAR ( 2 HRS AWAY WAS TOO COSTLY FOR A TOW). WHAT SHOULD HAVE TAKEN 2 HOURS TOOK CLOSE TO 4HRS 20 MINS. I CALLED MY LOCAL HONDA DEALER AND THEY SAID THAT THEY NEEDED TO LOOK AT IT TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM WHICH WOULD HAVE COST ME $120.00 TO TELL ME WHAT I ALREADY KNEW...MY TRANSMISSION WAS SHOT. I TOOK IT INSTEAD TO AN INDEPENDANT GARAGE $45.00 AND THEY SAID IT WAS AN INTERNAL TRANSMISSION FAILURE. I CALLED HONDA BACK AND THEY SAID THERE IS NO RECALL AND IT WOULD COST 3800.00 TO GET A REBUILD TRANSMISSION. CORPORATE SAID MY VIN DID NOT HAVE A RECALL AND I WOULD HAVE TO PAY. WHEN ALL WAS SAID AND DONE I PAID $4213.00 FOR A REBUILT TRANSMISSION WITH 36,000MILE OR 3 YEAR WARRANTY. I AM GETTING RID OF THIS CAR BEFORE WARRANTY RUNS OUT AND NOT BUYING ANOTHER HONDA EVER. *TR