29th Aug 2008, 08:35
One of our secretaries at work has had a problem with an ignition switch on her Honda Accord that left her stranded. I guess this makes all Honda Accords crap too.
15th Mar 2009, 00:14
7:57 speaks the truth. On this very website you can discover that Honda Accord automatics fail prematurely. They last about 100k miles or so and then they are dead. Just read the blue faced reviews and you'll see what I mean. The '98 and up models also have issues with the check engine light coming on.
My Mom's friend has an '04 Accord which cost almost $30k brand new, and from day one her car has made a farting noise you can hear inside the cabin. Now how embarrassing is it that whenever someone new gets in her car she has to say "You'll have to excuse my car, it has gas." If only I were making this up!
My experience with American cars has been 50/50. I've had some that were fantastically reliable and affordable to keep running, and others that were very problematic, but in the least still cheap to repair.
On the other hand, I've not had very good luck with Japanese cars. The engineering is more fussy and as a result, more costly to keep running properly. Where American cars might nickle and dime you to death at times, Japanese cars can $1 and $5 you to death. I feel the same way about most European cars, with the exception of older Volvos. Simple, proven technology seems to work best.
14th Feb 2018, 20:20
I have a Monte Carlo and the key gets stuck sometimes too. It won't be a recall because it isn't a safety issue. If it gets stuck, there typically is a wire on the shifter that becomes bad, and it will not signal to let the key turn to remove. If this happens, take the cover off the steering column (most pop off) and there will be a solenoid by the key tumbler; there will be a button on the bottom of that you can push to release the switch and get the key out. Easy temporary fix until you can get the wire fixed on the shifter.
25th Aug 2008, 07:57
Good comment 1:00. I agree with your sentiments.
Certainly the ignition switch problem should not have happened and GM is rightfully addressing it. But, there seems to be a double standard, which I detect may be at play in this review, in how some Americans evaluate domestic vs. imported cars. If this were a problem on an imported vehicle, I suspect the reviewer would probably shrug it off, saying all cars have problems, and cheerfully get it fixed. But, since the problem happened to an American vehicle, the reviewer uses it as a judgment against the whole American car industry, and vows never to buy one again.
Well, that would be a mistake. Firstly, it is good to support your country by buying domestic vehicles. Yes, there are still a few of us left that feel that way, although I am not that old (I was brought home from the hospital in a new 1975 Ford Granada). But, equally importantly, while knowing full well of the double standard they must overcome, domestic manufacturers have been working very hard at providing great quality, and the Japanese manufacturers, particularly Toyota, are experiencing free fall in quality, as is evidenced by all the complaints on this site and Consumer Affairs:
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/automotive/toyota_engine.html
Import quality is a myth. Back in the 80's and early 90's, the Japanese made some functional vehicles (albeit I would never buy one) that were based on tried and true technology they were able to copy from everybody else over the years. But, once new regulations were put in place requiring new technology to be developed that the Japanese could not copy from anybody in/after the mid 90's, they immediately began a death spiral. Many people are starting to catch on, but some people still cannot let go of the circa 1980's myth that Japanese cars are supposedly superior. They never were. Buy one today and you will have a lot more problems than an ignition switch.