Two problems related to transmission not engage have been reported for the 1998 Honda Accord. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
I drive a 1998 Honda Accord ex v6 with 140,000 miles. As of the end of December, 2009; the vehicle's gears would not engage when putting it into 'drive'. The car would roll forward for about 100-200 yds; if you tried to push on the accelerator it acted as if you were in neutral and the engine would just rev. After that, it would jump/jerk and kick into gear. I have 2 children, ages 2 & 7 that are in the car daily. I have been told by a Honda dealer that w/o at $3,500 replacement of my transmission the vehicle will likely leave me stranded on the road. I am also scared to death when pulling out on a major road and my car won't go over 3-5 mph. I'm sitting crossways in traffic hoping that it will eventually kick into gear. I have come close to causing a few accidents b/c my car won't move. The Honda transmission has a design flaw; yet Honda won't cover any of the repairs and there is no recall. This is absolutely a safety issue and my car should not be on the road.
Transmission fails to engage at low speeds.