1998 Honda Prelude

IN JANUARY OF 2000 AFTER 3 TRIPS TO THE HONDA TELLING THEM THAT I HAD A TRANSMISSION PROBLEM (AND BEING TOLD THEIR WAS NOTHING WRONG), MY TRANSMISSION FAILED. THE SYMPTOM WAS THAT IT WOULD INTERMITTENTLY HARD SHIFT INTO 4TH GEAR FROM 3RD WHILE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND LOOSE POWER. THE UNIT HAD THESE SYMPTOMS FOR APPROXIMATELY 24000 MILES, BUT WAS FIRST BROUGHT TO HONDA WITH 9000 MILES ON. HONDA REFUSED TO DEAL WITH THE PROBLEM AND TOLD ME THEIR WAS NOTHING WRONG. AT THE TIME, I INDICATED THAT I WAS CONCERNED ABOUT SAFETY WITH MERGING INTO AND OUT OF TRAFFIC, BUT MY CONCERNS FELL ON DEATH EARS. AFTER THE ORIGINAL TRANSMISSION FINALLY FAILED (2 DAYS AFTER THE LAST TIME I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND COMPLAINED OF THE PROBLEM), A NEW TRANSMISSION WAS FINALLY INSTALLED A MONTH LATER. THE REPLACEMENT TRANSMISSION HAS 58,000 MILES ON IT AND HAS BEGUN TO EXHIBIT EXACTLY THE SAME SYMPTOMS AS THE ORIGINAL TRANSMISSION. BEING CONCERNED ABOUT GETTING THE RUN AROUND, I DECIDED NOT TO TAKE THE CAR TO THE ORIGINAL DEALER (MADISON HONDA, MADISON, NJ) BUT TO PARAMUS HONDA, PARAMUS, NJ. I EXPLAINED THE PROBLEM AND THE SPECIFIC SYMPTOM (THAT CAN BE RECREATED EVERY TIME), THEY DIAGNOSED THE UNIT AND TOLD ME NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH IT. ADDITIONALLY, HE UNIT HAS BEGUN TO INTERMITTENTLY JITTER WHILE DRIVING IN 4TH GEAR, CAUSING A LOSS OF POWER. HONDA SEEMS CONTENT TO IGNORE THIS PROBLEM. THE DEALERS APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN TOLD BY HONDA OF AMERICA NOT TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSIONS UNTIL THEY COMPLETELY FAIL. THIS POLICY IS PUTTING HONDA'S CUSTOMERS AS SEVERE RISK. DRIVING IN NORTHERN NJ REQUIRES BEING ABLE TO MERGE INTO THE TRAFFIC AND SO ON. FAILURE OF THE TRANSMISSION TO PRODUCE POWER HAS ALMOST GOTTEN ME KILLED ONCE. HONDA DOES NOT SEEM TO CARE. ONCE AGAIN I'M GETTING THE RUN AROUND EVEN THOUGH IT COULD LEAD TO MY DEATH.

CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE BEGAN EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSMISSION, THE PROBLEM WAS CAUSED BY A BEARING INSIDE OF THE TRANSMISSION, AFTER THE WORK WAS COMPLETED, CONSUMER BEGAN EXPERIENCING MORE PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSMISSION NOT SHIFTING SMOOTHLY, AFTER BEING REFERRRED TO ANOTHER MECHANIC IT WAS DETERMINED THAT ADDITIONAL PROBLEMS DEEPER INTO THE TRANSMISSION HAD NOT BEEN ORIGINALLY FOUND BY THE FIRST MECHANIC AND THE ENTIRE TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE REPLACED, CONSUMER IS REQUESTING REIMBURSEMENT FROM THE MANUFACTURER, BECAUSE HE LEARNED OF AN EXTENDED WARRANTY ON TRANSMISSION THAT THE MANUFACTURER WAS OFFERING, HOWEVER IT ONLY APPLIES TO 2000-2001 MODELS.*JB

FOUR-SPEED AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION ABRUPTLY DOWNSHIFTED ON ITS OWN CAUSING THE CAR TO RAPIDLY BRAKE THEN ACCELERATE WITH NO DRIVER CONTROL. AT THE TIME, I WAS TOLD BY HONDA THAT THEY HAVE NEVER HEARD OF THIS HAPPENING, THE CAR WAS OUT OF WARRANTY, THERE WERE NO REPLACEMENT TRANSMISSIONS AVAILABLE FOR SALE, AND I WOULD HAVE TO GO TO AN INDEPENDENT TRANSMISSION SHOP TO HAVE IT REBUILT. THE TRANSMISSION SHOP SHOWED ME THE FRICTION SURFACE ON THE CLUTCHES DISINTEGRATED, CLOGGING THE PUMP AND FILTER WHICH CAUSED THE ERATIC SELF-SHIFTING. I WAS TOLD THIS WAS FAULTY MATERIAL USED IN THE TRANSMISSION. I NOW SEE IN THE LOS ANGELES TIMES THAT THERE HAVE BEEN A NUMBER OF PROBLEMS WITH HONDA AND ACURA AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS THAT THE COMPANY HAS BEEN TRYING TO KEEP QUIET.*AK

AUTO TRANSMISSION NEW TECHNOLOGY, GEARS CAN BE UPSHIFTED OR DOWNSIFTED MANUALLY. WHEN THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTS INTO 4TH. IT WON'T CATCH AND WOULD JUST REV. TRANSMISSION SHIFTED HARD (JOLTING) THROUGHOUT THE GEARS. REVERSE WON'T CATCH UNTIL AFTER THE CAR STARTS TO ROLL IN REVERSE DIRECTION. SCRAPING METAL NOISES COULD BE HEARD WHEN THE CAR STARTS MOVING IN IDLE. TRANSMISSION ALSO PRODUCE WHUFFING, AN RC NOISE WHILE IN PARK OR IN NEUTRAL- A SIGN OF TRANSMISSION BEING SHOT. FAILURE OF 4TH GEAR AND THE ONGOING SYMPTOMS MAKES THE CAR A HARZARD ON THE ROAD BECAUSE OF THE UNPREDICATABLE JOLTS IN SHIFTING OR THE GEAR NOT CATCHING WHEN SPEED IS REQUIRED WHILE DRIVING ESPECIALLY ON THE FREEWAY. THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT. MANY AUTO PRELUDE OWNERS ARE HAVING THIS PROBLEM. HONDA HAS TAKEN CARE OF CUSTOMERS WITH TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS IF THEY WERE STILL UNDER WARRANTY 3YEARS OR 36000MILES OR IF THEY BOUGHT HONDA CARE, EXTENDED WARRANTY 6YEARS OR 100,000 MILES. HONDA WASN'T ABLE TO ASSIST ME WITH MY PROBLEM. THE SERVICE REP TOLD ME TO TRADE IN THE CAR AND GET RID OF IT BECAUSE IT COST $4000 FOR A REBUILT TRANNY. SO, I'M LOOKING AT ABOUT A ADDITIONAL $4000 PLUS LABOR TO HAVE IT FIXED. RELIABILITY, QUALITY PRODUCT HAS ALWAYS BEEN A TRAIT AND REPUTATION OF HONDA, I'M AM VERY DISAPPOINTED IN THE DEFECTIVE MANNER THE TRANSMISSION WAS BUILT. I HAVE NOT HEARD NORMALLY OF OTHER AUTOS HAVING THEIR AUTO TRANNY SHOT AT BARELY OVER 50,000MILES, NOT EVEN 3 1/2 YEARS OLD. PRELUDE COST ABOUT $25000, SO $4000+LABOR IS ALMOST 20% OF THE CAR COST. JUST PLAIN UNREASONABLE!!! I HAVE ENDURED LONG EMOTIONAL HOURS IN TRYING TO RESOLVE THIS FINANCIALLY BURDENSOME SITUATION. THE CAR WAS BOUGHT BRAND NEW, I'M VERY HAPPY WITH THE CAR...JUST WISHING THAT I BOUGHT A MANUAL PRELUDE INSTEAD BECAUSE OF THIS POOR WORKSMANSHIP AND PRODUCTION OF THE TRANNY. ONCE AGAIN, THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED CASE....I CAN GET IN TOUCH WITH MANY PEOPLE ON THE INTERNET WITH THE SAME SITUATION. THANK YOU *SIGH. " *AK

INSTRUMENT PANEL GAUGE INDICATOR LIGHT FOR THE ACTIVE TORQUE TRANSFER SYSTEM TURNS ON AFTER START OF ENGINE AND DRIVING A SHORT DISTANCE (ABOUT A MILE - DOES NOT TURN ON INITIALLY AT ENGINE START). INDICATOR LIGHT DISCREPANCY OCCURRED THE SAME DAY AS THE INSTALLATION OF THE MANUFACTURERS SPARE TIRE ON THE DRIVERS SIDE FRONT WHEEL AND LESS THAN 10 MILES ACCUMULATED ON THE SPARE TIRE. INDICATOR LIGHT CONTINUED TO TURN ON AFTER NEW STOCK SIZE TIRE INSTALLED. *AK

THE PROBLEM WITH TRANSMISSION FLUID.. THE DEALER REFUSES TO FIX THE PROBLEM, EVEN THOUGH THE ORIGINAL TRANSMISSION NEVER DID THIS. OSHA AND THE EPA INDICATE THAT LONG TERM EXPOSURE TO TRANSMISSION FLUID FUMES ARE HAZAROUS. I REQUIRE YOUR HELP IN ORDER TO HAVE THE TRANSMISSION REPAIRED, AS IT IS UNDER WARANTY AND HONDA REFUSES TO FIX THE PROBLEM. DRIVING THE CAR IS UNSAFE.*AK

HONDA HAS IDENTIFIED THAT THE 1998 AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION HAS A MANUFACTURER'S DURABILITY DEFECT. THEY HAVE BEEN REPEATEDLY REFUSED TO DEAL WITH THE PROBLEM, COSTING CONSUMERS $2700.00 EACH TIME THE TRANSMISSION FAILS. MORE OVER, THEY HAVE BEEN TRYING TO KEEP IT QUIET. I HAVE SPECIFIC DOCUMENTATION OF THE ISSUE, AND WOULD BE HAPPY TO SEND IT TO YOU! *AK( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: 205/50/16 )