I have a '99 Accord 4 cylinder that's been causing us problems lately. Not to long ago, it started to stall randomly. I then realised that it's not really staling, but all the electrical goes dead. As far as I can see, the blinkers, gauges, power steering and power brakes, throttle and A/C go dead. The only thing that I noticed that stays on is the radio, power windows/locks and e-flashers.

So it does this completely randomly as far as I can see. I could be stopped at a light, in the middle of driving and it especially does it a lot just when I'm turning the car on (I have to turn it 3-4 times before it actually stays on). When I'm driving and it dies, it takes me anywhere from 2-3 to 15-20 tries before it stays on. I find its worse when it's raining or really damp out.

Anyway I was just wondering if anyone can shed some light on this before I take it in to get repaired.

Thank you,
Sebastien Couture

 

Hey Sebastien,

I have had the same problems with my accord when its wet outside. So i replaced the splash guard and built a shield for my cold air intake to prevent water from going in the intake and I still seem to have it happen, but alot less often. So if anyone lets you know what it could be let me know. Its not just your car.

 

I had the exact same problem as you two about 2 years ago.
You need to take your car to a local honda dealer and ask them about the ignition recall. They are suppose to fix it for free.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">American Honda Recalls Vehicles to Replace Ignition Switches
Certain 1997 to 2000 Honda and Acura Vehicles Affected

TORRANCE, Calif., May 23, 2002 -- American Honda Motor Co., Inc. today
announced a voluntary recall of certain Honda and Acura models to replace an
ignition switch which may cause the engine to stall. The recall involves
about 1.3 million of certain 1997 to 2000 models of the Honda Accord, Civic,
Prelude, CR-V and Odyssey. Also included in the recall are some 1999 Acura
TL sedans and certain 1997 to 1999 CL coupes.

The situation is created by electrical contacts within the ignition switch
that wear prematurely causing the switch to malfunction. An affected vehicle
will likely experience difficulty in starting for a period of time prior to
experiencing any engine stall. Normally, the vehicle can be restarted
immediately.

Most customers will not experience problems with their ignition switch prior
to repair -- less than 3/10ths of one percent of affected vehicles have
experienced switch problems.

Owners of affected vehicles will be contacted by American Honda and asked to
take their vehicle to an authorized dealer to be repaired free of charge.
The repair involves the replacement of the electrical contact portion of the
ignition switch while retaining the original lock and key assemblies.

Owners will be notified by mail when parts are available for their model.
Because of the large number of vehicles involved, it may take several months
to make the replacement parts available for all vehicles. Mailings will
begin in June and should be completed by September.

Details regarding mailing dates and affected vehicles will be available on
the Honda and Acura Web sites today. Owners will be able to access this
information by logging in to the Owner Link section of http://www.honda.com or
http://www.acura.com and entering the 17-digit vehicle identification number found
on their dash. Customers may also contact their Honda or Acura dealer with
questions.

There have been no accidents or injuries reported to American Honda related
to this issue.

</TD></TR></TABLE>

 

I've heard about this recall thing from a few people in forums here and there. I live in Canada though. Is this problem suppose to happen for Canadian models as well?