KnownCarProblems2004 Honda Accord Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 1,018 complaints with NHTSA about the 2004 Honda Accord, most often about the transmission (34% of complaints, typically around 100,000 miles). It is 7th of 27 Accord model years by number of complaints and has 13 recalls.
Most common 2004 Honda Accord problems
Transmission
348 complaints · 34%Half of these problems showed up before 100,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission, manual transmission, axle assembly, clutch assembly.
While driving my 2004 Honda Accord v6 it just stop driving in the middle of the highway no warning ,putting my life at danger as trucks and trailers were coming at my car I was terrified. Honda cars seems to have a problem and they should warn consumers when they are purchasing.
2004 v6 Honda Accord with transmission failure, but the Honda customer service said, " your VIN number is not included in the recall". However, the car has the problems listed in the recall and is requiring a transmission replacement with 92, 000 miles.
Air bags
251 complaints · 25%Half of these problems showed up before 88,000 miles. Parts named most often: frontal, side/window.
I have complained to Honda about my transmission slipping, almost stalling out and then taking a huge jerk...it normally happens when letting up off my gas...this has been ongoing for almost 2 years; last night I had the ride of my life in only a matter of seconds! I was stopping by the bank to get cash from the atm…
: the contact stated while driving 65 MPH on a dry freeway, the driver's air bag deployed without incident. The contact did not hit anything in the road nor drive over a bump in the road prior to the incident. The air bag light had not illuminated. The vehicle was pushed off of the road and remained on the side of the…
Electrical
146 complaints · 14%Half of these problems showed up before 85,000 miles. Parts named most often: ignition, instrument cluster/panel, wiring, starter assembly.
I own a 2004 Honda Accord ex. The climate control, cd, radio, defroster, etc are displayed on an back-lit LED display console. Over a year ago the backlight went out, rendering the display useless. Reading various car blogs, this has been a systemic problem with the accords. So much so that Honda has recalled some VIN…
The contact owns a 2004 Honda Accord. The contact started the vehicle and noticed that the headlights were activated and the instrument panel lights failed to illuminate. The contact planned to take the vehicle to an authorized dealer for diagnosis. The manufacturer was not notified of the problem. The approximate…
Steering
66 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 122,500 miles. Parts named most often: column, hydraulic power assist system, hydraulic power assist, gear box (other than rack and pinion).
I drove south on interstate 15 from victorville to fontana, california, and when I parked the car I noticed the smell of smoke coming in through the air vents and saw a bit of white smoke coming up from the back of the engine compartment hood. We discovered that the power steering high-pressure feeder hose had a leak…
The contact owns a 2004 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while driving 30 MPH, the steering malfunctioned and the passenger rear wheel seized causing her to lose control of the vehicle. The vehicle crashed into a ditch and the air bags deployed. No injuries were reported. The contact stated that she had recently…
Brakes
60 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 17,500 miles. Parts named most often: foundation components, antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, antilock, fluid.
I have a serious compliant regarding my Honda Accord. On june 13, 2005 my wife noticed a squealing noise coming from the right rear portion of the car. She scheduled an appointment for june 14 at desert Honda in las vegas. The service rep reported to me that the rear bakes were in need of replacement, this despite the…
On june 13, 2005 my wife noticed a squealing noise coming from the right rear portion of the car. She scheduled an appointment for june 14 at desert Honda in las vegas. The service rep reported to me that the rear bakes were in need of replacement, this despite the fact that the car had only 16,271 miles. I find this…
Speed control
58 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 69,000 miles. Parts named most often: accelerator pedal, cruise control.
Tl contact owns a 2004 Honda Accord. While driving less than 35 MPH, the vehicle suddenly accelerated to 60 MPH. The contact depressed the brake pedal with both feet, but the brakes failed to respond. He was finally able to stop the vehicle by pulling into a safe area and slamming the gear shifter into the park…
Just happened sept.5th. No action taken thus far.; 2004 Honda Accord accelerated w/o my foot on gas and then w/I a few minutes, it wouldn't go at all. 3 women stuck on major 2 lane highway on the way back from beach on labor day week-end. Very dangerous and scary and unsafe. I would say that the transmission is faulty…
Engine
56 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 98,500 miles. Parts named most often: engine, exhaust system, cooling system.
On january 2, 2004 we purchased a Honda Accord ex. The car is red in color. Total cost was $25,998.50. We have enjoyed this car since we purchased it and about 6 months ago we made the decision to replace the timing belt. That was on april 8, 2011 as the mileage neared 100,000. Since that time (probably in may 2011)…
I have a 2004 Accord ex-l v6. I began hearing a strange noise from the transmission with a loss of motive power at speeds between 25 to 45 MPH.. My Honda dealer said it had an internal fault and would replace transmission for $3800. I had a transmission repair shop repair transmission for $2900. The torque converter…
Visibility and wipers
47 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 61,500 miles. Parts named most often: windshield wiper/washer, power window devices and controls, defroster/defogger/hvac system, rearview mirrors/devices.
I have a 2004 Honda Accord sedan ex, during the tropical storm hanna, I was driving in heavy rain, when my windshield wipers stopped working. Very dangerous situation and this could have been tragic. There is a recall on all 2003 Honda accords for faulty windshield wiper motors, but no recall on the 2004. My mechanic…
Light display went out that controls radio and HVAC components 2 years ago. Dark at night when driving and when the windows get fogged up you can not see the switch to turn on defrost because the printed circuit board has stopped working, so it requires you to turn on interior light to find the defrost button, this is…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2004 Honda Accord recalls
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began august 12, 2019. Owners may contact honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are q5a and y58.
Full defect summary
Honda (american honda motor co.) is recalling certain 2003 acura 3.2cl, 2002-2003 3.2tl, 2003-2006 mdx, 2001-2007 honda accord, 2001-2005 civic, 2003-2005 civic hybrid, 2001-2005 civic gx ngv, 2002-2006 cr-v, 2003-2011 element, 2002-2004 odyssey, 2003-2008 pilot and 2006 ridgeline vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with driver frontal air bag inflators assembled as a recall remedy part or replacement service part, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal airbag inflator, free of charge. The recall began august 12, 2019. Owners may contact honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are e5d and x5c.
Full defect summary
Honda (american honda motor co.) is recalling certain 2003-2006 acura mdx, 2005-2012 rl, 2003-2007 honda accord, 2001-2005 civic, 2003-2005 civic hybrid, 2001-2005 civic gx ngv, 2002-2006 cr-v, 2003-2011 element, 2007-2008 fit, 2002-2004 odyssey, 2003-2008 pilot, and 2006-2014 ridgeline vehicles. The vehicles are equipped with passenger frontal air bag inflators assembled as a recall remedy part or replacement service part, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An explosion of an inflator within the driver frontal air bag module may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver, front seat passenger or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began april 10, 2019. Honda owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is o41. Acura owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Acura's number for this recall is u40.
Full defect summary
Honda (american honda motor co.) is recalling specific 2003 acura 3.2cl, 2013-2016 ilx, 2013-2014 ilx hybrid, 2003-2006 mdx, 2007-2016 rdx, 2002-2003 3.2tl, 2004-2006, and 2009-2014 tl, 2010-2013 zdx and 2001-2007 and 2009 honda accord, 2001-2005 civic, 2003-2005 civic hybrid, 2001-2005 civic gx ngv, 2002-2007 and 2010-2011 cr-v, 2003-2011 element, 2007 fit, 2002-2004 odyssey, 2003-2008 pilot, and 2006-2014 ridgeline vehicles. The affected vehicles received a replacement driver air bag inflator as part of a previous takata inflator recall remedy or a replacement driver air bag module containing the same inflator type as a service part. Due to a manufacturing error, in the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver frontal air bag, these inflators may explode.
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An incorrectly installed air bag may deploy improperly in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the passenger frontal air bag module assembly, free of charge. The recall began june 22, 2018. Owners may contact honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are k1p, and m1o.
Full defect summary
Honda (american honda motor co.) is recalling certain 2003-2012 honda accord and pilot, 2010 accord crosstour, 2001-2011 civic, 2002-2011 cr-v, 2003-2004, 2006-2008 and 2011 element, 2007 and 2009-2013 fit, 2010-2012 insight, 2002-2004 odyssey, and 2012 ridgeline vehicles. The front passenger air bag may have been installed incorrectly during replacement.
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An air bag module does not meet the advanced air bag requirements can increase the risk of injury or death in the event of a crash.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the air bag module as necessary, free of charge. The recall began on may 2, 2016. Owners may contact honda customer service at 1-800-999-1009. Honda's number for this recall is jz3.
Full defect summary
Honda (american honda motor co.) is recalling certain model year 2004-2007 accord vehicles manufactured october 1, 2003, to august 17, 2007. The affected vehicles may have been assembled with an incorrect passenger frontal air bag module that does not comply with the advanced air bag requirements. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard (fmvss) number 208, "occupant crash protection."
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the passenger seat occupant or other occupants possibly causing serious injury or death.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on july 1, 2015. Owners may contact honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are ju4, ju5, ju6, and ju7. Note: vehicles that have already received a replacement passenger air bag inflator as part of the recall remedy for an earlier campaign such as 14v353 or 14v700 (honda recall numbers s95, jh6, jh7, jh8, jh9, jj0, jj1, jj2, jj6, jm5 and jm6) are not included in this recall. However, this recall does supersede 13v132 and 14v349. Note: on december
Full defect summary
Honda (american honda motor co.) is recalling certain model year 2001-2005 honda civic vehicles manufactured march 21, 2000, to january 20, 2005, 2001-2004 honda civic gx vehicles manufactured june 14, 2000, to august 19, 2004, 2003-2005 honda civic hybrid vehicles manufactured february 24, 2002, to january 18, 2005, 2003-2007 honda accord vehicles manufactured february 21, 2002, to august 28, 2007, 2002-2004 honda cr-v vehicles, 2002-2003 honda odyssey vehicles manufactured june 19, 2001, to july 12, 2003, 2003 acura mdx vehicles manufactured september 19, 2002, to june 19, 2003, 2003 honda element vehicles manufactured june 25, 2002, to july 31, 2003, and 2003 honda pilot vehicles manufactured november 26, 2001, to august 21, 2003. The affected vehicles have a passenger side frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupt
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on july 1, 2015. Owners may contact honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Owners may contact acura customer service at 1-800-382-2238, select option 4. Note: vehicles that have had their driver frontal air bag replaced previously as part of a recall remedy prior to september 12, 2014 need to have their air bag replaced under this recall as well. Vehicles that, on or after september 12, 2014, received a remedy for a prior driver frontal air bag inflator recall already rec
Full defect summary
Honda (american honda motor co.) is recalling certain model year 2001-2007 accord, 2001-2005 civic, 2001-2004 honda civic gx, 2003-2005 honda civic hybrid, 2002-2006 cr-v, 2003-2011 element, 2002-2004 odyssey, 2003-2008 pilot, 2006 ridgeline, 2003 acura 3.2cl, 2003-2006 acura mdx, and 2002-2003 acura 3.2tl vehicles. The affected vehicles are equipped with a dual-stage driver frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion and other factors, including manufacturing variability that, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture.
Air bags
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passengerâs frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger side air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began january 26, 2015. Owners may contact honda customer service at 1-800-999-1009.
Full defect summary
American honda motor co. (honda) is recalling certain model year 2001-2005 honda civic, 2003-2004 civic cng and element, 2002-2005 cr-v, 2002-2004 odyssey, 2003-2005 accord, pilot, civic hybrid, and acura mdx, 2005 acura rl and 2006 honda ridgeline vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in geographic locations associated with high absolute humidity. Specifically, vehicles sold, or ever registered, in alabama, florida, georgia, hawaii, louisiana, mississippi, south carolina, texas, puerto rico, u.s. Virgin islands, saipan, guam, and american samoa are addressed by this recall. Upon deployment of the passenger side frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.
Air bags
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passengerâs frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the inflators in all affected vehicles, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin during august 2014. Owners may contact honda customer service at 1-800-999-1009.
Full defect summary
American honda motor company, inc.'s (honda) is conducting a limited regional recall for certain model year 2003-2005 accord, civic, cr-v, pilot and acura mdx, model year 2003-2004 odyssey and element, and model year 2005 acura rl, and 2006 honda ridgeline vehicles originally sold, or ever registered in california, and equipped with takata-brand air bag inflators. Upon deployment of the passenger side frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.
Steering: hose, piping, and connections
Risk: If this occurs, power steering fluid can leak onto a hot catalytic converter, leading to smoke and possibly an under-hood fire.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will install a new heat resistant power steering hose, free of charge. The original recall began in june 2012, and owners of those vehicles may obtain the free remedy. Sufficient parts are not yet available for owners of the vehicles covered by the september 2012 expansion, but are expected to be available in early 2013. Honda will notify owners of these vehicles beginning on october 26, 2012, and will notify these owners again when parts are available so those vehicles can be brought to dealers for applications of the free remedy. Owners may contact honda
Full defect summary
Honda is recalling certain model year 2007 and 2008 acura tl and model year 2003-2007 accord v6 vehicles. In may 2012, honda filed a defect report to recall certain model year 2007 and 2008 acura tl vehicles. In september 2012, honda informed the agency that it was including an additional 573,147 vehicles including certain model year 2003 through 2007 accord v6 vehicles. The total number of vehicles being recalled is now 625,762. Prolonged under-hood and power steering fluid temperatures may cause the power steering hose to deteriorate prematurely, resulting in cracks and power steering fluid leakage.
Air bags: sensor/control module-inactive
Risk: A failure of the sps causes the air bag system to default to full inflation pressure, regardless of the seat position. Full deployment of the driver's air bag can increase the risk of injury for smaller drivers in a frontal crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the seat position sensor wiring subharness. The recall will begin on or about february 8, 2007. Owners may contact honda at 1-800-999-1009.
Full defect summary
On certain vehicles, the seat position sensor (sps) detects the driver's seating position and adjusts the air bag inflation pressure accordingly. The wiring harness for the sps was attached to the seat frame in the wrong location and may have been over tightened. The sensor wire may break and cause the air bag warning light to be illuminated, and the sps to fail.
Air bags: frontal
Risk: A torn air bag may not offer the same level of protection, in the event of a crash, thereby increasing the risk of injury to the driver.
Fix: Dealers will install a protective fabric flap between the air bag module cover and the inner module. The recall began on november 30, 2004. Owners should contact honda at 1-800-999-1009.
Full defect summary
On certain sedans, a tear in the fabric of the driver's front air bag occurred after apparent contact with the inside surface of the air bag cover during deployment.
Transmission: automatic transmission
Risk: Gear failure could result in transmission lockup, which could result in a crash.
Fix: On vehicles with 15,000 miles or less, the dealer will update the transmission with a simple revision to the oil cooler return line to increase lubrication to the second gear. On vehicles with more than 15,000 miles, the dealer will inspect the transmission to identify gears that have already experienced discoloration due to overheating. If discoloration exists, the transmission will be replaced if discoloration is not present, the dealer will perform the revision to the oil cooler return line. The recall began on april 21, 2004, for pilot, odyssey, and mdx owners. Owners of the accord vehicle
Full defect summary
On some mini vans, sport utility and passenger vehicles, certain operating conditions can result in heat build-up between the countershaft and secondary shaft second gears in the automatic transmission, eventually leading to gear tooth chipping or gear breakage.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Desiccated air bag inflator rupture
Summary
From 2000 through 2017, takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("psan") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004l. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 blomquist report at www.NHTSA.gov/sites/NHTSA.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.consequently, all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substa
Air bag inflator rupture
Summary
The office of defects investigation (odi) opened pe14-016 in june 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.all six vehicles were operated in florida or puerto rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag systems.during the course of pe14-016, odi determined that five additional vehicle manufacturers used inflators of a similar design and vintage also supplied by takata. No evidence of field failures was found in vehicles produced by these five additional manufacturers.nonetheless, at odi's in
Air bag inflator rupture
Summary
The office of defects investigation (odi) opened pe14-016 in june 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.all six vehicles were operated in florida or puerto rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag systems.during the course of pe14-016, odi determined that five additional vehicle manufacturers used inflators of a similar design and vintage also supplied by takata. No evidence of field failures was found in vehicles produced by these five additional manufacturers.nonetheless, at odi's in
Frontal driver air bag
Summary
During two of 13 NHTSA research & development compatibility crash tests, the driver-side frontal airbag failed to properly deploy due to a large tear in the airbag fabric.both r&d test vehicles that contained a failed air bag were 4-door, 4-cylinder (l4) vehicles.subsequent static and dynamic tests conducted by honda revealed that during severe crash conditions, the airbag fabric can snag the inside surface of the airbag module cover at the emblem attachment points.honda reports that the air bag module and cover design are unique to the 4-door, 4-cylinder subject vehicles.on november 17, 2004, honda notified the agency that it would recall 228,932 model year (my) 2004 and 28,428 early-my 200
Questions about the 2004 Honda Accord
- What are the most common problems with the 2004 Honda Accord?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: transmission (348 complaints, typically around 100,000 miles); air bags (251 complaints, typically around 88,000 miles); electrical (146 complaints, typically around 85,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2004 Honda Accord have?
- 13 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from June 27, 2019 (air bags). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2004 a bad year for the Honda Accord?
- It is 7th of 27 Accord model years by number of complaints, with 1,018 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.