2004 Honda Accord LX-E 3.0L from North America

Summary:

It has been OK and served the basic purpose of transportation

Faults:

The A/C control module / circuit board has had to be replaced at a cost of over 1,500.00. It is failing again, as the driver's side vents will blow heat at the same time the passenger side is blowing A/C, when the system is set to A/C and the same temp for both.

The struts have had to be replaced a couple of times, although probably to be expected with this many miles.

The cruise control buttons stopped working; the button to turn cruise on and off would not stay depressed. A toothpick has taken care of that - keeping it pushed into the "on" position so cruise can be enabled or disabled.

The chrome knob on the shifter has broken off and has to be taped into place, so the car can be put into park.

The main issue is that the navigation system has failed completely. This is apparently a relatively common failure and it will cost in excess of 400.00 to repair. In addition to the navigation system, almost all of the comfort controls on the car are managed through this module. We cannot set the clock, and cannot change the heat/AC modes for vent or fan speed. We have lost the ability to use preset radio stations or change the speaker balance.

General Comments:

It has been durable other than the items that failed. It gets us where we need to go, although we will not rely on it for long trips any longer.

Comfort is a C+, and not really comfortable for long trips.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 14th September, 2015

2004 Honda Accord EX 2.4 liter from North America

Summary:

Good car except for a few issues

Faults:

For the most part the car has been pretty reliable.

The sun glass door drops down and doesn't stay up.

The passenger map light will stay on if you slide the switch to where when you open the door and the interior lights come on, so I leave the switch in the other position.

By mid summer the headliner began its slow decent into the passenger compartment. I have it clipped up in the back, but it needs to be replaced (~$500.00) or 3M spray glued into place.

The parking brake will stick if you use it (rear caliper needs to be replaced since it is integral with the caliper), burning up the rotor.

Driver's seat will slip slightly in a hard brake or fast start.

Had to have the clutch master cylinder replaced after the car sat in a parking lot at the airport for 4 days, then couldn't shift. When I did finally shift it, I had to pump the clutch like an old well handle to build pressure till I had it repaired.

Front control arm bushings have been replaced.

The latest on the issue trail is the car is now running rough in the RPM range 0 - 2000, then no power above 3000 RPM. It produced a code of P1009 at the local Autozone, where I was promptly told "The code reader says go to the dealer. Whenever I've seen this code it's cost a lot of money to fix." Googling the code produced a description that ranged from the VTEC oil solenoid or switch issue, VTEC strainer clog, or my personal favorite, timing belt slippage.

General Comments:

It's been a great car between issues, but doesn't seem as reliable as my 1996 Accord I just donated to a vehicle auction for wounded warriors. That car gave me minimal issues except for the automatic transmission that slipped. That car reached 300,600 miles. Would have kept it, but the transmission would slip out and you would have to pull the car over and let it sit for 20 minutes.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 29th December, 2014

30th Dec 2014, 22:25

If you are going to buy one of these, get one with the manual transmission. The automatic transmissions of this year and model are very problematic, and can cost up to $3000 to replace.

26th Jan 2015, 15:37

You have to agree that certain wear and tear can be expected after 300k miles, gearbox slippage included.

27th Jan 2021, 10:35

True, an automatic transmission is very costly to rebuild. I replaced mine at 224,000 miles. I regularly maintained it since I purchased the car at 146,000 miles, but it gave out.