Honda #1 Purchased new - Accord EX-V6 coupe:
Main relay solders going bad, (causing intermittent start and stalling issues)
Leaking water pump
Automatic Transaxle fix (2x under warranty)
Head job! (excessive oil consumption, noise)
Wheel bearing, +tie rods.
I won't mention a few bad dash lights, broken climate control display, interior rattles etc.

Honda #2 also purchased new - Prelude Si:
A/C troubles, and a control arm that came apart + failed ball joint +rusting exhaust by 45k miles.

Both cars were maintained well by Honda dealers, garaged, etc. And I hate working on or driving them, I'll give the S2000 a free pass though. At least that car has something to offer. Why do people assume anything Japanese is automatically reliable, and everything else is a crap pile?

If anything, Mitsubishi EVOs (just about the worst reputation for reliability) seem to be rock solid in comparison. -Cue Mark. OK, rant over.

4/8/2010 4:34:41 PM

Nissan makes some junk
Subarus are actually Australian
Toyotas run themselves into walls

Honda wins best Japanese car company by default

4/8/2010 4:43:52 PM

Quote :

"I'll give the S2000 a free pass though."

thats the worst fucking one.

[Edited on April 8, 2010 at 4:46 PM. Reason : hiu]

4/8/2010 4:45:44 PM

I don't know about that...both of my S2000s have been super reliable

4/8/2010 4:52:42 PM

Well, I think if a car's worth driving, I'm willing to put up with a bit of a headache...

4/8/2010 4:53:26 PM

Quote :

"Honda #1 Purchased new - Accord EX-V6 coupe:"

I have a 2001 that was about 6 months old when I bought it. Never had any major issues, and I've treated it like shit.

Also have an older Civic that's been a trooper.

4/8/2010 5:10:46 PM

Somebody fucked up and forgot to check in with Ahmet about Honda's before deciding their reputation

Quote :

"If anything, Mitsubishi EVOs (just about the worst reputation for reliability) seem to be rock solid in comparison. -Cue Mark."

touch wood [no homo] [and not that kind of wood]

[Edited on April 8, 2010 at 5:47 PM. Reason : .]

4/8/2010 5:47:08 PM

every car company has their lemons, its just what percentage of the entire output that consists of that matters. Chrysler is 50% good/50% trouble, Honda is maybe more like 85%/15% just my 2c

4/9/2010 2:25:04 AM

i really think that the companies who have higher reliability ratings are because they are driven by boring old poeple

most of the people i know with hondas my age have had issues.
01 accord- constant overheating
90 prelude- piston rings fried
97 prelude- pistons rings fried/ bent burnt valves
01 accord- transmission failed
i could go on and on . the only person i know who hasn't had issues with his honda is my friends dad who gets 100% of his work done at the dealer before the maintenance is scheduled and he drives about 6k miles per year.

i think at this point with the exception of new models the car companies are pretty comparable as far as reliability.

[Edited on April 9, 2010 at 3:01 AM. Reason : .]

4/9/2010 3:00:54 AM

I've got an '09 Accord EX V6 with 20k miles on it and have only had one issue-the rear brakes. It is a known issue and Honda just lost a class action lawsuit due to rear brakes wearing out in 10-12k miles. Mine went out at 11k miles, and the dealership replaced the rear pads and rotors for free.

Other than that, zero complaints.

4/9/2010 9:31:51 AM

I have a pretty high opinion of Honda, however I don't find anything they build these days attractive or exciting and doubt I'll ever buy another one.

My firsthand experience is such:

-1985 Accord 2dr. Purchased in 1997 with 114k, sold in 1999 with 130k(?) miles. Had no issues that I can really remember. The AC compressor went out and that's about all I remember.

-1992 Integra GS-R. Purchased in 1999 with 135k miles. Currently own with 281k. Only weak spot on this car I can think of are the CV joints and the radiator. Replaced the radiator 3 times and CV boots / axles too many times to count, though part of that blame might lie with me for lowering the car a bit. It's an old car so a lot of things have worn out, but they've definitely outlived their designed lifespan. Replaced: steering pump, steering rack and pinion, timing belt (3 times), engine mounts, shock absorbers, front brake calipers once, rear calipers twice, brake master cylinder once, one wheel bearing and the clutch once (at 150k). This car is a rock star. It's been autoxed for 4 full seasons (10-12 autoxes/year), attended a DE track event, been to 4-5 test and tunes at Rockingham and attended the first RallyX event of this year. I've stalled the engine twice from sucking water into the intake, the car's slid off the road into a ditch (up on two wheels), I've been rearended by a Semi as well as a MkI MR2 and everything still runs great. The AC compressor went out 2 years ago and the ABS a few years before that but everything else still works. The engine (and VTEC) are still strong and burns no oil. For 1-2 years I had problems with the disc brakes warping but somehow that situation has fixed itself. I need to replace the front brake calipers for the 2nd time, however what is currently on the car aren't OEM parts.

2007 S2K. Been a great car other than having the convertible top replaced. I've heard some things about AP1 transmission synchros being really weak but otherwise its a great car (thus far).

My sister's owned an Accord for years with no issues, and my dad has an S2k with no issues. However he did own a 1998 Prelude that has had a re-occuring problem with the 5th gear synchros wearing out repeatedly (brother now owns it)

[Edited on April 9, 2010 at 9:53 AM. Reason : k]

4/9/2010 9:49:03 AM

That reminds me, the above mentioned Accord also had brake issues, fixed under warranty as well. I forgot about it's EGR induced check engine light but who's counting...

4/9/2010 9:53:38 AM

If I had to pick two things that Honda is bad about (in general) the first things that come to mind are brakes and automatic transmissions.

4/9/2010 10:02:15 AM

I have 159k on my '03 Accord. No major problems yet, knock on wood.

4/9/2010 10:05:19 AM

V6 Accords and TL's circa 2000 are notorious for the transmission problems

Friend had an 88 Acura Legend that was really reliable. Civics are pretty reliable too but they do have some ignition related problems

4/9/2010 1:54:37 PM

oh I forgot to mention the fuel pump relay module. it stopped working whenever the interior of the car got really hot. which meant when you got in your car after it sat outside for a while in the summer it would not start till the interior had been aired out.

simple fix once i figured out the problem, lol.

4/9/2010 2:15:56 PM

Quote :

"If I had to pick two things that Honda is bad about (in general) the first things that come to mind are brakes and automatic transmissions."

Most people I've known that didn't think their Honda drove well or didn't like it had automatic transmissions, so I'll back that one up.

I also feel like Honda automatic transmissions are crap for driving. A Mercedes automatic, aside from the fact that it IS an automatic, doesn't bother me. Honda automatics seem to be the jerkiest pieces of crap. I guess the one in my dad's Ridgeline isn't terrible, but it's not as smooth as I feel like an auto should be either.

4/9/2010 2:41:33 PM

fools' runnin a honda 2000...

4/9/2010 3:02:58 PM

I've re-soldered 3 main relays (3 diff cars), and replaced 2 ignitors(sp) (2 diff cars).

I actually keep a spare distributer in my car. At least with coil packs you can get home on 3 cylinders. My little baby is 18 years old now!!!!!!!!

4/9/2010 3:32:52 PM

I had one honda....a 1989 Accord. it got me through college with no major problems. only wear items and one clutch. sold it with 240,000 miles for $1800 when i bought my M3.

4/9/2010 3:44:07 PM

94 accord that was flogged hard my me, ivan, and nick any time it was driven. no problems. treated it like the piece of shit it was. 35k miles with no oil change, ebraked, revlimited, and shifted clutchless every day. no problems. most maintenance free car i have ever owned. they guy that bought it from me called me 2 days later and said the suspension needed rebuilt and it was overheating. i figure he did drive it hard enough.

4/9/2010 9:39:49 PM

i had a 94 accord too. great car! funny thing is that when i get insurance quote it was more than m3. apparently it was the most stolen car in NC according to my state farm agent. thing was bullet proof, but boring.

but back to topic...i had more troubles with toyotas than with hondas. i think honda stopped making quality cars after late 90s.

4/9/2010 11:01:54 PM

Honda's, in my experience, can take more neglect and abuse than most other manufacturer's brands..

From what I have seen over the years, they are more expensive to get into initially, but hold their value better and are pretty cheap and easy to mod and maintain, for the most part.

That being said, Honda has had their share of issues with the some transmissions and other things, and their new designs are lacking, IMO, But overall, as a whole, they just tend to be pretty damned good cars.


Reputations come from the past.

4/10/2010 10:57:46 AM

both of my roomates in college had rebuild the engine kinds of problems with their 1998 civic and 2001 accord.
one had massive compression loss ( piston ring failure i would suppose ) and the other bent a rod (on a stock motor i don't know how you could do that but it happened)

4/10/2010 11:26:01 AM

Quote :

"IT IS REPUTATION"

4/10/2010 4:28:01 PM

My CD player broke on me this morning. The OEM 3 year old CD player that I NEVER use.

Fucking great

5/3/2010 1:27:48 PM

Quote :

" automatic transmissions are crap"

5/3/2010 1:52:33 PM

We had an '84 and a '91 Accord in my family. The '84 got sold when the carb needed replaced at something like 140K, but it was also 18 years old at the time. Other major issues--needed the intake manifold replaced in ~99 and the A/C kind of sucked for a while and then stopped working completely in the mid 90's. Quite within reason for its age. The '91 needed a transmission rebuild at ~170K (automatic, yes) in 2004 or 05. Again, acceptable longevity for that component. It was still running strong and probably had another 100K of life left in it at least when it was totaled in 2007 with around 185K on the clock.

Based on those two, and some good experiences friends have had with them, would buy another, no question. Too appliance-y for me (though I'd consider a Civic Si or an S2k) but for a non car geek like my girlfriend, will be high on the shopping list.

[Edited on May 3, 2010 at 4:21 PM. Reason : yr]

5/3/2010 4:20:20 PM

I bought my sister's old 99 accord coupe and it treated me really well. My current golf is shitting itself at 65k right now.

Thinking about doing another accord coupe (08 probably) or something like a s40, a3, legacy, etc.

5/3/2010 6:40:58 PM

Subjective experience is subjective

5/3/2010 6:47:02 PM

Given the gross neglect that most Hondas receive, I'd say they do outstanding. There are an awful lot of folks that think they don't have to do anything but change the oil because it's a Honda...and then they wonder why the damn thing breaks...It's a Honda; it's not supposed to break.

And other than the documented history behind the Acura TL/Honda V6 tranny, most Honda automatic failures are due entirely to neglect. They have one of the most unique designs around...and it's also one of the more bulletproof.

Did you know that a lot of dirt circletrack racecars use a Honda automatic clutchpack on first gear?

5/4/2010 9:23:24 AM