1998 Honda Prelude

CAR IS 1998, WITH ONLY 35,255 MILES. ACCORDING TO MECHANIC, TRANSMISSION IS BAD. NEED TO REPLACE TRANSMISSION. CALLED HONDA OF AMERICA TO SEE IF GOODWILL WILL BE MADE DUE TO LOW MILEAGE WITH TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. READ IN FORUMS, SEEMS LIKE PRELUDES HAVE HAD A HISTORY OF TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS WITH THE MODELS OF 1997 - 2002 YEARS.*AK

TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER (LUCAS HONDA) FOR 90000 MILES SERVICE, NO PREVIOUS PROBLEMS. AFTER MANUAL TRANSMISSION FLUID CHANGE PULLED AWAY FROM THE DEALER AND THE FIRST TIME THE CAR WAS PUT INTO 5TH GEAR THE TRANSMISSION MADE A LOUD GRIND. IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER AND GOT CAR TAKEN BACK TO DEALER WHERE THEY DENIED LIABILITY. RESEARCH LATER FOUND THAT THE MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS HAVE A RECALL FOR THE SHIFT FORK WHICH THEY BLAME FOR MY PROBLEM, HOWEVER I PAID 900 DOLLARS TO HAVE THE 5TH GEAR,AND SHIFT FORK REPLACED. *AK

I HAVE A 1998 HONDA PRELUDE WITH A AUTOMATIC WITH THE SPORT SHIFT TRANSMISSION. THE ONE THAT COMES WITH THE BASE MODEL PRELUDE. I WAS DRIVING MY CAR AND I FELT THE TRANSMISSION NOT PULLING NO MORE THEN THE ENGINE REV HIGH AND THEN I LET MY FOOT OF THE GAS AND THE TRANSMISSION SLAPPED BACK INTO GEAR. I HAD THE TRANSMISSION REBUILT AND IT IS STARTING TO DO IT AGAIN. I TOOK THE CAR TO HONDA AND THEY SAID THERE WAS NOTHING FOR THEM TO DO BUT PUT A NEW TRANSMISSION IN THE CAR AND IT WOULD BE VERY COSTLY AND I HAVE TALK TO PEOPLE WITH THE CAR AND THEY HAVE THE SAME PROBLEMS . SO I WOULD THINK THERE WOULD BE A RECALL BECAUSE IT IS A VERY HAZARDOUS TO THE DRIVER. *LA

I HAVE OWNED THREE HONDAS. A 1988 ACCORD, 93 ACCORD, AND NOW CURRENTLY THE 98 PRELUDE. OF ALL THREE THE PRELUDE HAS GIVEN ME THE MOST PROBLEMS. I HAVE SPENT OVER $1500 IN REPAIRS SO FAR IN HAVING THE CAR 8 MONTHS. NOW MY TORQUE CONVERTER NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. ON DOING RESEARCH I HAVE FOUND THAT HONDA IS HAVING SOME SORT OF MAJOR TRANSMISSION PROBLEM BETWEEN THE YEARS 98-01 YET THEY ONLY ISSUED EXTENDED WARRANTIES ON THE 00-01 MODELS. WHY? THE 97-01 PRELUDES ARE ALL EXACTLY THE SAME WITH THE SAME TRANSMISSIONS AND ALL. SO WHY WERE THEY NOT ALL INCLUDED IN THE WARRANTY. I FIRMLY STAND BEHIND HONDA'S QUALITY AND REPUTATION TO THIS DAY, BUT IF THEY HAVE A NATIONWIDE PROBLEM THEY DO NEED TO MAKE SURE AND INCLUDE ALL MODEL YEARS AFFECTED TO KEEP THEIR REPUTATION GOOD. IT SEEMS THE OLDER MODEL YEAR HONDA'S WERE BUILT BETTER THAN THE NEWER ONES FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND. I DO NOT QUITE UNDERSTAND THIS BECAUSE MOST CAR COMPANIES STRIVE TO MAKE THEIR CARS BETTER AND MORE RELIABLE EACH YEAR. I JUST WISH HONDA WOULD HAVE MADE SURE TO COVER ALL THE AFFECTED CARS UNDER THE EXTENDED WARRANTY AS TO KEEP CUSTOMERS SATISFIED. *NM

TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETINS SUMMARY MAKE: HONDA MODEL: PRELUDE YEAR: 1998 SERVICE BULLETIN NUMBER: 010400 NHTSA ITEM NUMBER: 618985 SUMMARY DESCRIPTION: SUBJECT REGARDING A LEAKING TORQUE CONVERTER. *TT TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETINS SUMMARY MAKE: HONDA MODEL: PRELUDE YEAR: 1998 SERVICE BULLETIN NUMBER: 00090 NHTSA ITEM NUMBER: 615735 SUMMARY DESCRIPTION: SUBJECT REGARDING REAR SUSPENSION CLUNKS. *TT MAKE: MODEL: YEAR: SERVICE BULLETIN NUMBER: NHTSA ITEM NUMBER: SUMMARY DESCRIPTION: SUBJECT REGARDING AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SHIFT PROBLEMS - SLIPPAGE, FLARE, HARD UPSHIFT. *TT SUMMARY DESCRIPTION: SUBJECT REGARDING MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP COMES ON WITH DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE P0133. *JG

1998 HONDA PRELUDE TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. I JUST RECENTLY BOUGHT A 98 HONDA PRELUDE. THIS IS BEAUTIFUL. I KNOW THE PREVIOUS OWNER, AND SHE WAS A GOOD DRIVER THAT NEVER EVEN UTILIZED THE VTEC, MEANING THE RPM NEVER WENT ABOVE 5000. NOW I HAVE IT, AND IT HAS 63000 MILES ON IT. THIS IS MY SECOND CAR SO I TREAT IT WITH MUCH CARE. BUT NOW SUDDENLY, THE GEARS DON'T SHIFT RIGHT. ITS AN AUTOMATIC AND WHEN THE GEARS ARE SHIFTING OVER IT FEELS LIKE A MANUAL TRANSMISSION WITH A WORN OUT CLUTCH, THE ENGINE REVS UP A BIT AND MISSES THE NEXT GEAR AND SETS IN A LATE. IF THE CAR IS FLOORED, WHEN THE RPM HITS 7000 THE GEAR DOESN'T CHANGE! YOU HAVE TO LET GO OF THE ACCELERATOR AND LET IT SLIDE IN TO THE NEXT. THIS IS TERRIBLE ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE. AS FAR AS I KNOW THERE HAS BEEN A RECALL ON THE 99-00 PRELUDES AND I'M TRYING TO GET SOMETHING DONE ABOUT MY 98. *NLM

WHILE DRIVING, MY CAR WILL OVER REV, AND JERK INTO GEAR. IF I LET OFF OF THE GAS IT WILL SLIP INTO GEAR LESS HARSHLY. I BROUGHT MY CAR TO HONDA OF COVINGTON IN COVINGTON, LA, AND THEY INFORMED ME THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS FAILING DUE TO THE INSTALLATION OF AFTERMARKET PARTS, SUCH AS A COLD-AIR INTAKE, HEADER, AND EXHAUST MUFFLER. MY LOCAL MECHANIC SAIS THIS IS LUDICROUS, AND THAT A SIMPLE ADDITON OF 10-15 HP WOULD NOT CAUSE A TRANSMISSION FAILURE. I HAVE NOT MODIFIED OR ALTERED IN ANY WAY THE INTERNAL COMPONENTS OF THE CAR. EACH MODIFICATION WAS A SIMPLE BOLT-ON AND AT THE TIME OF PURCAHSE WAS IN ACCORDANCE WITH HONDA. I CALLED HONDA TECHINICAL SERVICE MANY TIMES AND ASKED IF I PUT A CERTAIN AFTERMARKET PART ON MY CAR WOULD IT VOID MY WARRANTY. EACH TIME HONDA TOLD ME THAT ASD LONG AS THE INTERNAL COMPONENTS OF MY CAR REMAINED INTACT, I WOULD NOT BE IN TROUBLE. THEY ALOS INFORMED ME OF BUYING AN AXLE-BACK EXHAUST INSTEAD OF A FULL CAT-BACK, TO BETTER INSURE THE SAFETY OF MY WARRANTY. NOW I AM INFORMED THAT MY TRANNY WOULD NED TO BE REPLCED OR OVERHUALED AT A COST OF MORE THAN $5000, AND NOW HONDA HAS GONE BACK ON THEIR WORD, AND DECIDED TO NULL MY WARRANTY BASED ON THE ADDITION OF AFTERMARKET COMPONENTS. I HAVE SINCE CONTACTED A LAWYER AND PLAN TO SUE HONDA.*AK

WHILE DRIVING MY CAR IN REGULAR DRIVE IT SUDDENLY DIDN'T PULL NO MORE AND THE ENGINE JUST REVVED. I LET MY FOOT OFF THE GAS AND THEN IT WENT BACK INTO GEAR. THE CAR CONTINUED TO DO THIS AND THEN IT STARTED TO UPSHIFT THEN SUDDENLY DOWNSHIFT TO THE LOWER GEAR CAUSING A VERY SUDDEN JERK AND CHANGE IN SPEED. I TOOK MY CAR TO HONDA OF CLEVELAND IN CLEVELAND, TN. I TOLD THEM WHAT HAPPENED AND THEY SUGGESTED TO HAVE A DIAGNOSTIC TEST RUN. I AGREED AND THE RESULTS WERE CODES P700 AND P730 INTERNAL FAILURE AND INCORRECT GEAR NEEDS TRANSMISSION OVERHAUL OR REPLACEMENT. I WAS SHOCKED WHEN THE SERVICE ADVISOR TOLD ME THIS. I EXPLAINED TO HIM THAT I COULD NOT UNDERSTAND HOW THIS COULD HAVE HAPPENED. I ASKED HIM IF IT COULD BE A DEFECTIVE PART. HE ANSWERED NO. I ASKED IF IT COULD BE COMPUTER RELATED AND HE SAID NO THAT IT WAS A FAILURE INSIDE THE TRANSMISSION. I ASKED HIM WHAT FAILED. HE COULDN'T TELL ME. HE JUST TOLD ME WHAT THE DIAGNOSTIC TEST CAME UP WITH. THE SERVICE QUOTE FOR A REMANUFACTURED TRANSMISSION INSTALLED WAS FOR $5365.26 WHEN I HEARD THIS QUOTE I SAID "IS THIS MADE OUT OF GOLD". I TOLD HIM THE REASON I BOUGHT A HONDA WAS TO AVOID PROBLEMS LIKE THIS. I ALSO HAD ASKED THE SERVICE PERSON IF HE HAD HEARD OF OTHER PEOPLE WITH THIS TYPE OF CAR HAVING THIS PROBLEM AND HE SAID HE HADN'T. AFTER SEEING THIS SITE AND OTHERS I REALIZED THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM. I HOPE THIS COMPLAINT HELPS.