I recently purchased a 2003 Honda Accord LX from a dealership, and I am generally happy with how the car drives. It is an automatic, and has 29000 miles. I noticed one thing that worries me a little, and I want to ask for your opinion. Here is the description:

When the car is in parking mode, and I start the engine, the engine runs smoothly, at about 1400 RPMs, very quiet. When I engage the transmission to "drive", one feels a little increase in vibration in the steering wheel, but I consider that normal, as it happens in most automatics I tried.
The problem appears mostly after I warm up the engine for a few minutes. With the car stopped, when the engine idles between 700-850 RPM, and the "drive" is engaged, there is a sudden increase in vibration one can really feel into the steering wheel, and this is kind of annoying. When the engine works above 900 RPMs, or when it drops around 600 RPM (which is the norm after the car is well warmed up), with the "drive" engaged, the vibration is gone and everything seems fine and quiet. Occasionally, even after a longer drive, when the idling engine happens to wander around 700-800 RPM (say, at a stop light) I can feel these higher vibrations again.
Now if I engage the gears in "reverse", or put the gears in neutral, vibrations I just described seem to disappear. They can be felt only with the car stopped, in "drive" mode, and only at those RPMs (700-850).

As the car is still under all sorts of warranties, do I need to take it in for repairs? Is there something wrong with the gearbox, or such a phenomenon is somewhat normal for automatic cars? May the gearbox or the engine or some part of it is loose, and requires some tightening?
When the engine/gearbox vibrates as described, I don't hear any particular noise increase, or rattling.
Thank you in advance for your help and any advice.


Modified by ohen13 at 1:39 PM 3/18/2005