Transmission Not Engage Problems of Honda Accord - part 1

I was driving on an express way, and all of suddenly the transmission would not engage and slip to neutral while my engine rev up to higher rpm. My speed limit went from 50 to almost zero, but luckily traffic was light and I was able to move to the shoulder safely. Same thing happened to my son a couple of days ago. I had my transmission fluid changed yesterday hoping this will prevent it from happening again.

See all problems of the 2004 Honda Accord 🔎.

After my 2013 Honda Accord with cvt transmission sits for awhile (1- 2 days) without being moved, the transmission will not engage. It doesn't matter if it is in reverse or neutral. When I press on the gas pedal, the engine revs but the car doesn't do anything. After about 30 seconds, the car will move, but very slowly although the rpms are high. The car is fine after about a minute. My car now has 45,000 miles but it has had the problem since 30,000 miles. I have taken it to the dealership twice, but the service manager said "it is at factory specifications and they can't get it to duplicate the problem. " I also called the Honda hotline, but they could or would not help. They told me I would just have to work with the dealership. My town only has one dealership; so, I guess I'm out of luck. Don't buy a Honda with the cvt transmission.

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Transmission failure while I was in heavy traffic. Engin would rev up but the transmission would not engage. This caused a stressful and dangerous situation with traffic since I could not move any faster than 10 to 15 miles per hour.

See all problems of the 2006 Honda Accord 🔎.

2nd gear will not engage.

See all problems of the 2000 Honda Accord 🔎.

When car has been sitting for a long period (overnight or during the day while at work) the cvt transmission initially does not engage. The tachometer shows increased engine revs but the car barely moves. After ~ 30 seconds transmission starts to work normally. This happens intermittently (~ 3 - 4 times per month). Dealer could not reproduce problem (not surprising given frequency of occurrence) and claims there is no problem whatsoever. I'm concerned about the reliability of the transmission and whether this problem will manifest itself in a more dangerous situation.

While driving on the interstate my car lost power from the engine. The rpm's went higher but there was no power even though the engine continued to rev. There were no warning indicators on the dash to try to understand what was happening except for the rpm gauge. The transmission had completely disengaged just as if it were in neutral even though it was in 'drive'. The scariest part was that I was stuck in heavy traffic driving at highway speeds at night during a rainstorm and there were no visible warnings to observe other than the tachometer and sound of the engine revving up. I understand now that the transmission has started to fail prematurely due to overheated transmission fluid and needs to be replaced at a high cost.

See all problems of the 2005 Honda Accord 🔎.

After the vehicle has been parked for a while the transmission will not engage properly. It happens in both reverse and drive. When I put my foot on the accelerator the engine revs really high (4,000 to 5,000 rpm) but the car barely moves at all. The problem goes away after about 20 - 30 seconds even after shifting gears from reverse to drive. The problem seems pretty random (I. E. It doesn't happen all the time), but I have figured out a way to make it happen more frequently. If the car is parked on an angle such as the driver side lower than the passenger side such as in sloped parking lot, or the front higher than the back on an incline like my driveway. I am concerned that there is a defect in the transmission. This is safety related because with the engine at a very high rpm if the transmission finally "kicks in" it would create a dangerous situation - image a car unexpectedly lunging forward or in reverse out of control.

While traveling over a bridge at 55mph. The transmission suddenly disengaged and the car almost came to a stop with no warning. Very lucky no one hit me.

See all problems of the 2003 Honda Accord 🔎.

Automatic transmission disengages from drive line. ( it felt like the transmission had been placed in neutral). It doesn't do it when cold. If engine is turned off and started after 5 minutes car will move. Transmission specialist quoted $2000-$2500 to rebuild trans. He said the trans filter was not accessible from outside the transmission and the clutch pack disintegrates and clogs the filter rendering the transmission unreliable. Transmission fluid had been replaced as per Honda recommendation, now it smells burned and is brown instead of red. Honda quoted $500 trade in value towards another newer car. Honda wants $3000-$4000 to replace with rebuilt unit. Research indicates that this is a not uncommon for this model over many years. How many fatal crashes have occurred due to this problem but were attributed to other causes?.

Was driving on a highway at approximately 60mph when the vehicle would not accelerate but the rpm's would increase when the gas pedal was pressed. Appearing almost as if the vehicle was in neutral. I checked the shifter to make sure I was still in drive which it was. Tried to shift the gear to d3 and d2 however there was no change. While this was happening the speed of the vehicle was reduced to about 30 - 35mph when I was almost rear ended as it was during rush hour traffic. I was able to coast the vehicle to the side of the road, where a state trooper stopped to see if everything was ok. I placed the vehicle in park while speaking with the trooper. I attempted to place the vehicle in drive to try and get back onto the road however the vehicle did not engage and would not move forward. I placed the vehicle in reverse and it jerked backwards. I turned the vehicle off and immediately restarted it. I was able to place it in drive and get back on the highway until I reached 60mph and the problem started again. I again pulled over, turned off the vehicle, restarted it and would continue for a few miles until the vehicle acted up again. I had to repeat this process about 4 times until I got to the dealership where the vehicle now sits. It appeared that this wasn't a problem while I stayed under 60mph as when I hit local roads and the speed limit was 30mph the car did not act up.

While merging onto i75 off of square lake rd north of detroit, transmission momentarily failed then engaged with a jolt in a low gear making this normally routine maneuver quite treacherous. Luckily there was no accident or injury. Shortly thereafter transmission underwent complete rebuild at my cost. I have since discovered that this malady is quite common with this model and year at approximately this mileage.

With no other signs or warnings, my transmission stopped working as I was driving down a busy street. The engine revs but the car does not engage. I was able to drift over to the side of the road, where it seemed to stay in first gear. After limping along for a few minutes, all it would do was rev. I coasted to the side of the road again and turned the car off. I started it up after a minute or two of freaking out, and it seemed to work normally again. After about a minute, the same symptoms returned. Had it towed to a mechanic and we drained and replaced the transmission fluid, which was dark. This solved the problem for another fifteen minutes, until it failed again. Now I am looking at 2-3k repair to have a Honda Accord that works. According to the internet, this is a common problem with the make and model of my car. A partial recall for 2004 Accords with transmission problems does not include my VIN#.

My wife and I and 5 year old daughter was driving on ih35 on the left lane at 70mph when the transmission suddenly failed. My wife was driving and said she was loosing power and had presence of mind to pulled over to the right side. All the cars were going really fast. Thank god we were able to pull over and did not get hit from behind. After stopping the car would not engage to drive and revved up only so had it towed to a Honda facility. There we were told it was total transmission failure. They charged me 4500 dollars. I did not have a choice as we were travelling and 250 miles away from home and did not have a choice as the other places we called said they could not even take a look for a few days till Monday as it was a Friday afternoon. I did do my research and called a few transmission places and was told it was a 2500 dollar job. Double insult transmission fails at 95k and charged 2000 more. Last time I buy a Honda.

My transmission does not engage in drive when in the cold weather. After the car and restarting it starts working but check engine light was on. I took the car to the Honda dealer and they called Honda service dept. Supposedly, my ecu is faulty and needs replacement. But my transmission could also need replacement after fixing my ecu. Now I am afraid driving my car thinking what if transmission fails while I am on the highway. My transmission has already failed once at around 40,000 miles in 2005. I thought it was a one-time thing and got the repair done at that time. Unfortunately, my model Accord v6 2002 was never the part of Honda transmission recalls despite having exactly same problem. Also, I do not trust Honda check engine light codes. For years my srs light for passenger seat belt was always on. Everytime dealer told me that I ecu has failed. After driving my car for 5 years with unsafe conditions, Honda finally had a recall of srs module and now it the light is gone. With the same ecu.

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Tl-the contact owns a 1999 Honda Accord. The contact was driving approximately 80 mph, and his knee accidently hit the gear selector which caused the gear to shift from drive into the neutral position. The gear shifter lever control was not engaged during the time of the unintended failure. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The contact planned to notify the manufacturer of the malfunction. The approximate failure mileage was 132,000. Js.

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Driving in traffic on the freeway, the automatic transmission suddenly disengaged and pressing/releasing the throttle caused the engine to rev freely, as if the transmission had been placed into neutral. Once the car slowed down (coasted) to about 20 mph, the transmission re-engaged somewhat, and gently depressing the throttle allowed me to slowly accelerate to keep up with traffic (about 40 mph). When the transmission shifted between 2nd and 3rd, it appeared to slip quite a bit--the tachometer ranged between 1900 rpm and 2600 rpm until 3rd gear engaged. The transmission now refuses to go into overdrive (5th gear), and the transmission is continuing to slip, both while shifting gears, as well as when driving at a steady rate. Took the vehicle to the local Honda dealership, and they quoted $4452. 00 to replace the transmission with a Honda remanufactured unit. I called Honda customer service to see if they could offer any assistance on the repair, and was politely told "no" due to the age and mileage of the vehicle.

Car down shifted abruptly. Pulled off to side of road. Won't go into reverse. Car goes in drive but reverse will not engage.

I was driving approximatley 45 mph when the rpm's shot up and then immediately dropped and the transmission disengaged and I had no power to the wheels. I had to drive the car very slowly back to my house and I could not get the car up to the speed limit. I have very limited power to the wheels. Very dangerous if I was on driving on the freeway as it felt like the car also dropped into low gear by itself.

Transmission downshifted without warning into lowest gear causing the car to jerk and decelerate very rapidly, which resulted in lost control of the vehicle. After coming to a stop transmission would not engage, leaving the car disabled in the middle of the highway.

Driving on 495 at night with heavy traffic in a construction zone when the transmission failed. Car started coasting and I could not reengage transmission. I managed to coast to a stop between 2 barrels. Transmission worked after shutting car off and restarting. Failed again after several minuted. Problem was diagnosed as a blown transmission at the dealers. Transmission replaced at my cost minus 25% credit from Honda.

My 2004 Honda Accord ex v6 with 74,000 miles had transmission failure on the freeway. I was going 65 mph and without warning the rpm's revved up to 6000, the transmission disengaged, and my car almost stopped. Fortunately, it went back into gear and I was able to pull over without any additional problems. I had my car towed to a local transmission repair shop and was told I needed a new transmission. I decided to have them rebuild it with a cost of $3,300 rather than install a brand new one due to the expense. I am so grateful there was no one in back of me on the freeway but I am extremely upset that I need a new transmission at only 74,000 miles.

2003 Honda Accord ex v6. Current mileage 78,500. Purchased new, single owner/driver. Recently I pulled out onto a roadway and began to accelerate, when the transmission failed to engage when shifting into 3rd gear, en route traffic caught up to me and my abrupt failure to accelerate in with traffic (on a 3 lane congested road with a lot of traffic), could have caused an accident with the cars approaching with my vehicle that was abruptly stranded and non-mobile in the middle of the road. I had several cars which almost rear ended as I was trying to get my car off the road and there was no warning that this failure is going to occur. I believe this to be a serious safety issue and am very concerned. I was able to get the car off the road and called a tow truck to take it to a Honda dealership. When we called around to other mechanics, we were told he was seeing "an epidemic" of transmission problems in this 2003 year / model of Honda. I had to have the entire transmission replaced, total cost around $3,900 to $4,200, of which I paid $1,900 and Honda shared the rest, even though I believe they should have borne the whole cost. I just went over my 7 year warranty by 2 months and only had 78,500 miles on my car.

Driving down road at 37mph transmission disengaged and engine started to rev high. Lost all forward motion in vehicle. The transmission will continue to disengage when it heats up. I took it to Honda dealer and they told me that the clutch had burned out. I found online that the transmissions may fail due to lack of thread-locking compound on nut for low clutch.

On numerous occasions the engine's rpms increase but the transmission does not engage. Have taken the vehicle to dealer, each time the tech's are not able to duplicate the problem. On occasions I have come very close to causing an accident on the highway as the vehicle is not able to accelerate to the prevailing speed of the other vehicles. I'm concerned for my and other people's safety.

Transmission failure, difficulty shifting into 3rd gear and higher. Gears do not engage, rpms increase, no acceleration.

Transmission failure - gears would not engage in a 2003 Honda Accord. Gears shifted and revved back up then shot back down. Almost got killed by tractor trailer that was behind me. I was on thornton rd. Which is a two lane major roadway, which is heavily traveled by large trucks for industrial purposes. The area of roadway is very dark. I am a police officer and what I just experienced in my 2003 Honda Accord scared me half to death. I can't even imagine what may have happened to me if I didn't think quickly. Thank god my children were not in the car with me at the time of the incident. Honda needs to seriously address this problem immediately before someone gets killed or badly injured. A teenager with minimal driving skills would have panicked and may not have known what to do. This is very serious situation and someone needs to be held accountable. Honda now has a reputation for their vehicles having severed transmission problems. They continue to overlook the problem as if it is not there. What will it take for them to address this issue now? Toyota should be the example! also, there was no warning to this! no orange or red indicator light that something was in need of being looked at. Something is very wrong here!.

2003 Honda Accord ex v6. Current mileage 62,000. Purchased new, single owner/driver. At approx 60,000 miles began with intermittent shifting failure. It will fail to accelerate when it shifts from 2nd to 3rd gear. It varies in time when it will re-engage and it has left me in a dangerous situation several times and there is no warning for this failure. It has been reported numerous times and seems to be a common problem of this year and model. Recently I pulled out onto a roadway and began to accelerate, when the transmission failed to engage when shifting into 3rd gear, enroute traffic caught up to me and my abrupt failure to accelerate/merge with traffic, caused an accident of several of those vehicles that were approaching with wet road conditions to my vehicle that was abruptly stranded and immobile. I was nearly rear ended and had no warning that this failure is going to occur. I believe this to be a serious safety issue and am very concerned. Please advise.

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.

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3rd gear repeatedly either fails to engage or remain engaged. Has happened repeatedly. . . 3rd gear & synchro(?) replaced after updated fluid didn't help. First happened at 6k, then 15k, then at 19k.

The car has only 100,000 miles. First the transmission was not engaging when shifting from 2nd to 3th gear, I had the transmission fluid changed to see if this would fix the problem. This did nothing until today 6/23/09 while I was driving on the highway the front wheel locked up as if I would've shifted down to 1st gear. I stopped the car and the check engine light came on the d on shifter started blinking and now all the car does is to go in parking or 2nd gear. It does not take reverse or any other gear therefore the car is uses.

The contact owns a 2000 Honda Accord. While driving approximately 65 mph, the speed control was engaged. The driver attempted to disengage it by depressing the brake pedal and there was a sudden forceful acceleration. The vehicle became uncontrollable. The contact depressed the brake pedal and the vehicle slowed down. He pulled over and turned off and restarted the engine. The vehicle resumed normal operation. In addition, the vehicle failed to operate in reverse. The vehicle has not been repaired. The VIN was unable to be entered into the system. The failure and current mileages were 125,000.

While driving in busy traffic, the transmission on my 2003 Honda Accord started to behave in a very erratic way. First the transmission would not engage causing the engine to rev to about 5000 rpm and then it would suddenly engage causing the car to jump forward causing me to have to apply the brakes immediately. I was very concerned by this action. After brief experimentation I determined that if I applied gradual acceleration and kept the rpm to under 2500, I could get the car to travel without jerking. Its the first time I have ever owned an automobile where I felt concern for my personal safety. After first encountering this problem, I was able to drive the car to the Honda dealership within 2 hours of first observing the problem. I was informed by my Honda dealer that the first stage of my transmission was bad and the transmission would have to be replaced. After doing some initial research on the web I am alarmed at the transmission failure rate for the 2003 Accord. I am even more surprised that your office has done nothing to bring this issue to the attention of other 2003 Accord owners and to hold Honda accountable for what appears to be a quality control/ design issue. . Read more...

The contact owns a 2006 Honda Accord. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle failed to shift into third gear. The contact also mentioned that when he attempted to shift into third gear, the shifter would not engage or immediately disengage independently. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The mechanic did not diagnose a failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 50,000. The current mileage was 110,000.

My Honda Accord 2002, with 65,000 miles, started to jerk forward, when stopped on a red light you feel the car wants to jump forward, several times I was afraid of rear ending other cars in front of me, so I tried to keep extra distance from the other cars. Anyway, I took the car to auto repair shop "merchants" and I asked them to check the car, they recommended flushing all the fluids (oil, brake fluid, trans fluid, radiator), the cost to me was about $800 which included new brake pads. The car drove ok for couple thousand miles, then it started the slipping, jerking again. At about 70,000 miles I took the car for oil change at good year where they told me that trans fluid is, dirty (black) and they recommended flushing the trans. I took the car back to "merchants" and showed them the report from good year, the said that they will repeat the job (flushing the fluids) at no charge. After flushing the trans for the second time, the car drove ok for few days, then it started jerking, slipping, and specially when I make a turn the car will slow down as if the gear is not engaged, when I push on the gas I get no reaction (speed wise), some times I have to switch between different gears to get it engaged, recently, many times I have to go to full stop and shift into p then to d fro the gear to get engaged. The situation was very dangerous several times and about to cause accidents, for sure attracted the attention of other drivers and many of them showed angry gestures. It is an accident waiting to happen any time I drive the Honda Accord. Couple of days ago, the tcs light came on for long time, yesterday the tcs light went off, but the check engine light came on and stayed on. I am not sure what is the problem, but I am convinced that the trans is failing, I hope that Honda will honor a trans replacement, since the car is low mileage, about 72,000 miles. I will be taking the car tomorrow to a Honda dealer in northern virginia.

Car will not engage into second gear when cold, other times shifting into second is notching. Honda states that car is per their specifications.