m.bedardnh

Sales date was 1/6/09. Got a call from Honda North America. The rep agreed this should be covered as long as the codes read P0301-P0304 (misfires on cylinders 1-4). Drove over to the Honda dealership after we hung (the service department never answers the phone and doesn't call you back) and had them print out the diagnostics sheet. PCM Code P0301.

Hopefully they make good on this. The rep still had to discuss with the dealership.

Ladyshandon

YES!
B.S.! Contact the attorneys below- they have to pay for ALL of the damages and updates needed! Honda is NOT "standing behind their products", they are court ordered to make the minimal repairs involved- nothing more- they are denying that this is their fault when it is- the VCM-

There isn't a recall on this problem, there is a service bulletin--

Honda Class Action Settlement of Soto v. American Honda Motor Lawsuit Over Engine Misfire & Premature Spark Plug Fouling In Certain Honda Accord, Honda Odyssey, Honda Pilot, Honda Accord Crosstour and Honda Crosstour Vehicles

See Client Settlement Site > Home or call (888) 888-3082
**Class Counsel at Berk Law PLLC c/o Steven Berk “Honda Misfire Case”
2002 Massachusetts Ave NW
Suite 100
Washington, DC 20036, call (202) 232-7550 or call (888) 888-3082


This just happened to me- (2009 Accord EX-L V6 w/Navi- 90K)- I did ALOT of research on the issues involving this bulletin, some info I've included- I am devastated by this- I what I thought was research on this car before buying it- WRONG. the impression I got was that all that needed to be done to resolve this was a simple software update- WRONG. I love my Accord but I refuse to take the risks of losing so much money I have invested in it- The dealership only did the minimum repair which was replacing the #3 plug- (a band-aid) & told me theres a 50/50 chance of it happening AGAIN. They refused to check for any further engine damage, compression, etc- The mechanic argues with me- saying this was no big deal- ?? REALLY?

I had to pay a mechanic to come out to the cars location which was stranded in the middle of nowheres to check for the right codes & for a rental car the entire week- I'm a diabetic and single mom- I bought this car because of what was once Hondas good reputation & reliability- not anymore- There are some guys on the driveaccord forums talking about putting a VCM disabler in their engines but Im not too sure how thats going to work out for them since its been recent- Im disgusted with Honda- I've owned several, but Honda is no longer the same as they were back in the day- If anyone knows of anything different then let me know- as it is right now, I'm sick to my stomach over this and done with Hondas.

P0301 - Cylinder 1 Misfire Detected

The problem is this:
When the engine switched down to Eco mode, two cylinders shut down to save on fuel mileage. I first noticed foul out plugs at 39,000 miles. The plugs were replaced and the vcm was updated. Was told it fixed the problem. I'm now at 69,000 miles and guess what, same problem.
Here is what they don't want you to know.....
When the engine goes into Eco mode the two cylinder heads shut down but the fuel injectors are still dumping fuel into the heads. By dumping raw fuel into the head with out the cylinder firing causes the fuel to be mixed with oil. This gives you a rich fuel/oil mixture causing the engine to run rich and burning the oil at a greater rate. Also burns out the spark plugs. By updating the VCM with newer software only reduces the amount of fuel released from the fuel injectors when switching to Eco mode. The problem will still exist but now your plugs will foul out every 30,000 miles instead of every 15,000 miles.
Having the knowledge of the combustion engine basic operation helps when dealing with the service centers. My block is being replaced due to damage done by misfiring. Hopefully this helps. And no the vcm cannot be shut off. The engine was designed to work with Eco mode.

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/201...l/#more-898410

After reading the article, here is my reasoning (in order to occurance):
-Less combustion in the inactivated cylinders leads to improper sealing of the piston rings on downstroke. (Ignition cycle of a 4 cycle engine helps to seal the piston ring)
-Worn out piston rings leads to oil leaks through the piston rings
-Oil enters combustion chamber and ignite
-Spark plugs prematurely foul (as this is a 4 cycle not a 2 cycle engine), oil is not suppose to be burning in there
-Fouled spark plugs lead to misfires
-misfires lead to engine damage.

"There is no "fix" as the problem is with the VCM technology and Honda can't/won't deactivate the VCM. The big issue isn't even that the spark plugs are fouling, which is irritating enough. The real issue is that oil is getting into the cylinders, wrecking them over time while the engine burns enormous amounts of oil, much of which likely happened without the driver's knowledge, doing further engine damage. The solution offered quietly by Honda seems to be to replace the lower engine block, typically charging the owner $500 of the $4,500 bill. This is often after a number of "oil consumption" tests. Honda Motor Corp's position is that it is normal to burn up to 1 quart of oil per 1,000 miles, which is laughable. In reality, the lower engine block replacement only "kicks the can down the road" as the root problem remains and the issue will rear its head again. The software fix doesn't work, at least it did not do so for me. I had the piston misfire on cylinder #3, got the software update and was back again 3 months later with the same issue on cylinder #4."

Ladyshandon

They will- don't let them jerk you around- my Accord recently left me stranded in the middle of nowheres, I called the nearest dealership which was about an hour away and told them to come get it & that I wasnt paying for the towing- read the wording in the lawsuit- problem is, they should of been ordered to replace the entire engines with one without the VCM- all they are doing is a quick fix (band-aid). I feel as though I'm driving a time bomb- once the 8 yrs is over, you're on your own if this causes further engine damage- Honda screwed up and refuses to admit to it- the VCM is JUNK.

GoLowDrew

I'm waiting for some high school kid to figure out how to swap out the Accord J35 V6 with one from the Acura TL.

m.bedardnh

Honda North America has agreed to cover the Piston Ring replacement and everything that entails. I was speaking to a Honda tech from another dealership, and he and the other techs believe the problem is with the original rings, which can't handle the additional stress from the VCM system. They now use a new ring that's supposedly sturdier. I still have 18 months before I'm at 8 years, we'll see if I have any more issues in that time.

Thanks All!

Ladyshandon

I've been thinking the SAME EXACT thing for the past 2 weeks! LOL Think it's possible?? That would be SWEET

Ladyshandon

So- do we have to WAIT for this disaster to hit first before replacing? Doesn't make sense to me- they should just replace since it costs more to repair once they give out (?)

GoLowDrew

Yes. Considering how people swap engines between Civic-Integra-CRV, etc, and Accord - TL is pretty much a direct fit (guessing here).


The thing is, owners would have to wait until these cars are worth $2,000 for them (mad-mechanics) to tool around. 8th Gen Accord still command $16K-$13K used. That's still a lot of money.

Ladyshandon

True that.. this is a bummer-- I'm afraid to drive my Accord the "fun way" anymore...Need to give Honda ANOTHER call about them newer rings

braxus

Reading this post makes me want to re-evaluate getting this generation (2008-12) of Accord. Do the 2013 and newer V6 Accords also have this issue with the misfire/ rings/ oil burning or has it finally been rectified in the latest generation?

KimM79

I bought my Odyssey brand new (2013) and just took it in Saturday for a misfire on the 2nd cylinder. I keep reading about how this is an ongoing issue despite "fixing it". I bought a Honda so i wouldn't have problems. Joke's on me! I also had a relief valve replaced about 2 months ago and in addition to the misfire, I need to have a sensor replaced that they are telling me isn't related and despite an extended warranty (I'm at 61,151 miles) I have to pay $197. Seriously thinking of ditching this car but I feel like they simply don't make things like they used too.

GoLowDrew

Mine happened at just above 60K+ miles on my V6. The misfire is related to the VCM. If you want to turn the VCM off, PM me. The device cost under $100.

I've been running with the VCM off on my 2014 Ody for 15K miles now.

I'm not sure about the relief valve or if it's related.

foumer

Hey GolowDrew you think this ring problem might also affect the manual 6speed motors?

burnoutboy

iTrader: (22)

Living that '07 life. No issues so far.

poorman212

So, since you found your way out of GDD and the CRV section - tell us what you have?

ninjamike

I'm not able to PM you because I'm a new user. Could you please message me with the way to turn off VCM? Thank you so much!