Which Honda Accord Years To Avoid and Why? (Explained)
Honda Motors first introduced its mid-size family sedan lineup called Accord in 1976, which has quickly evolved into one of the longest-running and most successful sedan models sold in the United States because of Honda’s creative packaging and strong value assurance. But not all the released years of Honda Accord came up with the same built-up quality and reliability.
As a result, some years of Accord models are considered the most problematic years models, and one should avoid them while purchasing.
Read the following article to learn more details about the problematic and safe years of Accord models to choose the best one.
Honda Accord Years to Avoid (List of Years)
Although the Honda Accord series has gained a reputation for being one of the most reliable mid-size cars for the family-oriented consumer groups, let me also remind you that it’s not true for all Accord car models. And note that some of them came up with several flaws and mistakes.
Thus, you ought to know which Accord years models are the most problematic and must ignore them from your consideration.
Note these following years’ models and make sure to avoid them-
- 1998 Honda Accord: Clear coat tends to peel off from the hood, roof, and/or trunk, transmission slips while shifting between gears, or complete transmission failure.
- 2000 Honda Accord: Transmission slipping or complete failure, clear coat peeling, electrical system malfunctioning, fuel system, and brakes problems.
- 2001 Honda Accord: Rough shifting, transmission slipping or failure, engine failure, interior & exterior accessories problem, and brakes problems.
- 2002 Honda Accord: Transmission tends to slip and jerk, hesitates or hard shifting, complete transmission failure, engine failure, and electrical malfunctioning.
- 2003 Honda Accord: Transmission slips out of gear, not shifting properly or complete failure, an engine problem, body or paint problem, A/C or heater malfunctioning, and brakes trouble.
- 2004 Honda Accord: Transmission slipping or failure, clear coat or body paint peeling, engine malfunctioning, A/C or heater problem, brakes problem, and electrical system trouble.
- 2005 Honda Accord: Transmission failure, clear coat chipping or peeling, paint peeling, electrical malfunctioning, brakes, and engine failure.
- 2007 Honda Accord: Failed transmission system, chipping paint and rust, premature warped Rotters, and brake wear.
- 2008 Honda Accord: Premature brakes wear, grinding noise coming at engine startup, excess oil consumption, interior & exterior accessories problem, A/C or heater malfunction, paint problem, and transmission failure.
- 2009 Honda Accord: Premature brakes wear, brakes tend to squeak like crazy, and excess oil consumption.
- 2010 Honda Accord: Engine stalls or abruptly shuts down while driving, premature brakes wear, and excess oil consumption.
- 2013 Honda Accord: Engine won’t start or fails to turn over, power steering failure while driving, and starter failure.
- 2014 Honda Accord: Starter failure or not working properly, the engine won’t start or turn over, suspension and transmission failure, and uncomfortable seats.
According to the Honda Accord Reliability Problems report, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, and 2013 are the most problematic years of Honda Accord cars.
What Makes These Honda Accord Years Worth Avoiding?
If you had a proper glance at my earlier mentioned list of worst Honda Accord years, you must have already got a hold of why those years are listed under the worst category.
But have you noticed that some problems are pretty much occurring in all of those years’ models?
Yes, you guessed right, they are the most common problem of Honda Accord Sedans, and in this section, I will be talking about those common problems in more detail.
So, let’s start the discussion-
1. Transmission Failure:
Transmission system malfunctioning or complete failure is one of the major and most common problems reported by the majority of the Honda Accord consumer group so far.
The automatic transmission failure was reported against Honda Accord’s 1998, 2000-08 models and again was mentioned for 2014 and 2016 models.
According to most consumers of Accord, they have encountered issues such as transmission erratically slipping, delaying in engagement, jerking or clunking while shifting between gears, hard or rough shifting, unusually loud or whining noise coming, significant power loss, transmission fluid leakage, transmission locked up or complete failure.
Reportedly, the main transmission slipping issue mostly occurs after the vehicle reaches around 98,000 miles, and eventually, other issues like heavy thud during gear shifting, unusual noises, and fluid leaking starts popping up.
Unfortunately, the only solution that one can try to fix the failed automatic transmission of Accord models is by replacing the entire transmission, which is a pretty costly servicing too.
In some cases, the transmission system malfunctioning issues arise within the first 90,000 miles of operation. Thus, it becomes an unfair issue for those users.
2. Engine Problems:
Users have also commonly complained about various engine-related problems, such as engine starting difficulty, excess oil consumption, check engine light keeps illuminating, premature motor mount failure, engine running hot, stalls or shuts down abruptly while operating, unusual grinding, rumbling, or clicking noise, and dies while at idle position.
Various engine troubles are mostly available in Accord’s 2001-05, 2010, and 2013 models.
Some consumers also claimed that they encountered symptoms where excess A/C engine drag, tend to catch on fire without warning, stretched timing chain, sudden unintended acceleration, broken engine brackets, oil pan leaking, engine light blinks erratically, or complete engine failure.
3. Brakes Problem:
Brakes problems commonly occur in 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, and 2009 Honda Accord models, but things get dangerously troublesome and risky in its 2008 and 2009 models.
Most Accord models reportedly came up with brakes that are prone to premature wearing or failure.
According to users reports published on several consumer forums, the brake pads tend to wear after reaching just 12,000 miles of operation.
Owners have also reported noticing symptoms, such as premature brakes wear, scrapping noise along with occasional alarms, rotors warped, squeaky or sticky brakes, soft knocking noise at slow RPM, and overly sensitive operating as well as emergency brakes, brake loss while driving or vibration while applying brakes.
Some consumers have claimed that they had to replace the brakes pads several times, which is frustrating and annoying.
4. Electrical System Malfunctioning:
According to most consumers complaint reports, minor electrical system error or connection malfunctioning is commonly available in most Honda Accord models, but things got pretty seriously troublesome with its 2003, 2008, 2013, 2014, and 2018 released models.
Consumers have encountered symptoms such as starter failure, the engine failing to start or turn over, battery rapidly draining, starter grinding or spinning while starting the engine, dead battery, door lock won’t work, and other multiple electrical connection errors.
According to Most Accord Sedan users’ reports, other common disturbances such as a clear coat or chipping paint peeling, uncomfortable seatbelts, power door lock malfunctioning, faulty ignition switch, stereo backlight not working properly, airbag issues, rusted sub-frame, defected radio and climate control, steering, fuel system, and suspension problem also arise.
Which Honda Accord Years are Safe to Buy Used?
According to the HONDA ACCORD MODEL YEAR COMPARISON detailed report published on CarComplaints.com, these following years are the safest Honda Accord options if you are interested in purchasing a used Honda Accord-
- 1979 Honda Accord
- 1986 -1989 Honda Accord
- 1991 -1997 Honda Accord
- 2019 Honda Accord
- 2020 Honda Accord
Conclusion
Honda is undoubtedly one of the world’s most trustworthy auto vehicle manufacturers and top auto seller brands till now. If you are looking for used cars in the marketplace, nothing can be a better and safer deal than its Accord car line.
However, remember to avoid those mentioned years, which I listed under the worst category, and only consider those enlisted under the safe category.
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