How are they in terms reliability? I'm looking at 03-04 Accord V6's for my mom, and would like to know if there are any specific problems to know about the transmission. Older Honda's weren't so blessed in that area, but I'm hoping they've improved since then.

 

I believe when Honda introduced the newer J series engines is when they began to have problems with the auto transmissions. Usually it applies more to the V6 vehicles than the I4 but it can still happen in either.

I'll put it this way. I have bought two new Hondas. One was an 01 4 cyl auto and the tranny died at 85K. The other is an 06 V6 auto with 25K and just the other day on the interstate it just decided not to shift out of third gear and it will be in the shop on Monday, tranny is probably dead.

I know this is a Honda website and I have owned seven of them BUT it just won't happen again. My wife will be trading the 06 in on a BMW 3 as soon as the tranny is fixed and our next new purchase will be a BMW 1 series. Say what you will but I'm sick of thin paint and **** poor transmissions.

 

I had a 92 Accord for 12 years (140k miles), changed the fluid once in that time, and never had problem 1 with it. I now have an 03 V6, (48k miles), and have no problems with this one either. I guess some people are harder on transmissions than I am.

 

That is not what I wanted to hear. We just sold my mom's 01 X5, that had been a fantastic vehicle since the day we bought it. However, we knew that trans failure was inevitable, so we sold it. Mom, said she wanted something more modest this time around, but it doesn't sound like an auto Accord is the way to go.

 

There doesn't seem to be as many problems as there were with the 6th gen, but I still see a lot of V6 auto 7th gen trans failure threads on other forums. Mostly 03-04, but I'm beginning to wonder if the newer ones will be in the same situation at that age.

 

the 03+ I4 accord transmissons are top notch