Eight problems related to frame rust have been reported for the 1998 Honda Accord. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
The ac drip tube is aimed right at the front passenger side subframe and rusts it out over time. Just recently I had the subframe totally fail and snap in half due to this rust. The scary part was that I had just gotten off the highway and was only going 5 mph when it happened. If it had happened five minutes sooner this would have been a much worse situation. Notice in the picture I attach that the whole corner of the subframe is rusted out even though the rest of the frame and body is rust free. This happened while making a turn in a flat parking lot at about 5 mph. This is a well-documented issue on all 97-02 Honda Accord and 00-03 Acura cl vehicles since they are the same body/platform. I went to a junkyard recently to see if I could find a good subframe to replace mine with and every single Honda Accord and Acura cl in the lot was rusted out exactly the same way. This clearly is a safety issue since the subframe has three of the four engine mounts on it and the suspension is all connected to it as well.
The contact owns a 1998 Honda Accord. While driving various speeds, the upper control arm squeaked and was about to detach without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the subframe was rusted out and the vehicle was unsafe to drive. The technician recommended that the entire subframe be replaced. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that the vehicle was out of warranty. The failure was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 84,800.
Passenger side subframe has rusted just behind where the lower control arm connects. This rust is not visible when viewing from the underside of the vehicle when on a lift, making failure of the subframe imminent. Honda should admit a design flaw exists with the ac discharge and replace these bad frames. What a disgrace. Sad to say I will be switching brands. I prefer companies who step up to the plate to protect their customers. This failure is very hard to detect until it's too late. Shame on Honda. I already had my ball joints fail (recall exists for them) and I only hope my subframe holds out a little longer.
After bringing the car in for routine maintenance on the brakes, I was notified that the passenger side sub frame is completely rusted through and the car is no longer safe to drive. It was a huge surprise as the car has had regular maintenance and does not have significant rust on any other location. I was told that any pot hole or large bump could have broken the frame and completely dislodged the engine. I was told it was a design issue that caused isolated rusting on an important part of the frame.
I was driving on the highway at normal speed and as I was making a turn I heard a loud popping sound from the front of my vehicle. I took the car to an independent mechanic who after inspecting the vehicle informed me that my passenger side sub-frame arm had rusted off and snapped. This came as a surprised, because the car was inspected for a state inspection less then a week before the said incident and it had passed the state inspection. I was told the vehicle was not safe to drive. I was told by the technician that the ac hose were placed directly above the sub-frame and every time the ac was used it would leak onto the sub frame and cause it to rust. The other sub-frame arm had no indication of rust at all. This is a case of complete negligence by the manufacturer. The manufacturer has designed a flawed product and has filed to address the issue and take accountability for their actions. No recall was issued. No statement made. The owner cannot be held responsible for the cost of the repairs as the product that was manufactured by Honda has initial design flaws which directly attributed to the frailer of a major structural component of the vehicle. There is no doubt in my mind that the manufacturer had and has been fully aware of this problem. A recall must be issued to prevent most of all fatalities and help alleviate the financial burden placed upon the owners as the repairs are often times very costly.
Tl- the contact owns a 1998 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds a clanking noise was present coming from the front end of the vehicle. While inspecting the vehicle the contact discovered that the front passenger side of the sub frame had rusted and corroded causing the frame to separate. The cause of the failure was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 185,000. Jft.
The contact owns a 1998 Honda Accord lx. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer for routine maintenance when he was informed that the subframe had rusted completely due to water and salt accumulation. The dealer replaced the subframe. The current and failure mileages were 97,648. Updated 3/11/11.
During a recent oil change and vehicle inspection, the Honda dealer found that the right front sub-frame had rusted through. The driver side had no signs of rust damage. The technician judged the car as unsafe to drive since total failure of the frame could occur at anytime. The technician said he had previously seen this failure on the 1998 Accord lx sedans. The estimated repair cost is $2,200. 00.