Bulletins


BulletinBulletin dateReplacement BulletinItem no.SummaryAdded
POWER TRAIN
0401200404/01/200410009024Stalling in reverse or drive after doing service bulletin 02-003. honda. servicenews. april 2004. *tt09/08/2004
POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
0401200404/01/200410009028Automatic transmission diagnostic trouble code p0740 after automatic transmission r&r. honda. servicenews. april 2004. *tt09/08/2004
0401200404/01/200410009033Don't test-drive with the malfunction indicator lamp or d indicator on. honda. servicenews. april 2004. *tt09/08/2004
120212/16/200210002575Straining the automatic transmission fluid (atf) to diagnose automatic transmissions. *tt09/05/2003
01010301/01/200310001790Check (atf) automatic transmission fluid condition to diagnose (a/t) automatic transmissions. *tt *jb07/18/2003
0001206/26/2001624599Subject regarding harsh shifting automatic transmission. *et11/08/2001
16100010/16/2000615815Information on the discontinuation of the cvt (continuously variable transmission) fluid. *tt01/31/2001
0001204/04/2000612545Vehicle may experience symptoms of transmission shifting harshly, or staying in first gear. *mjs06/08/2000
POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - CONTROL MODULE (TCM, PCM)
06010306/01/200310002699Grade logic control information. *tt09/11/2003
16110011/16/2000615786This bulletin contains cvt service news, service bulletin index used when diagnosing and repair transmission complaints. *tt01/30/2001
9906912/19/200099069615714On some vehicles, when the engine is cold and the transmission is in drive or reverse, the idle fluctuates between 900 and 1600 rpm. *tt01/29/2001
9906804/11/2000612566Vehicle may experience surges while driving at highway speeds with the engine running between 2,000 and 3,000 rpm. *mjs06/08/2000
POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - TORQUE CONVERTER
01040004/01/2000618985Subject regarding a leaking torque converter. *tt05/10/2001
POWER TRAIN - CLUTCH ASSEMBLY
90309/16/200310005021Hard to engage 1st gear, grinds into reverse. tech line summary. *tt01/26/2004
POWER TRAIN - MANUAL TRANSMISSION
20402/16/2004100142302nd to 5th or 3rd to 5th gear upshift. *nm04/29/2005
100310/01/200310004970Manual transmission hard to shift into 1st gear, grinds into reverse. honda servicenews. *tt01/22/2004
50205/16/2002638006Subject regarding 3rd and 4th gear synchronizer hub installation. *tt12/09/2002
0200306/25/200299068633596Shudder, judder, surging, shock, noise or idle fluctuation. this bulletin also replaced 99-069. *tt09/23/2002
01010201/01/2002629295Subject regarding gears grinding when shifting information - black synchro ring placement. *tt04/01/2002
01040004/01/2000618993Information on manual transmission gear ratios. *tt05/10/2001

Consumer Complaints


Fail datemilesoccurencesPurchase date
POWER TRAIN
03/22/2011
 Bought used june 2011 with about 169,000ish, was assured that everything was checked out. drove back home with no problems, and then the problems began. within two months the battery died, had to replace. in jan of 2012 car began to overheat and i noticed a 2 crack on the top of the radiator, replaced. now transmission hesitates and rpms go way up when shifting into fourth gear. i drained and changed the fluid with the recommended honda fluid, and now the high rpms and slipping are occurring in all forward gears. i feel like a voice in a freaking tornado when it come to any reasonable solution to my problem. this has been a major blow to honda's reputation for me. this seems to be an issue that needs to be addressed and an immediate safety recall needs to be taken out.
07/01/1998
 This and other hondas i own consistently misrepresent the speed at which the car is actually travelling. i used to be inadvertently caught in the passing lane going what i thought was the legal speed limit, only to have other drivers ride on my rear bumper. i finally had the speedometer checked on this car when i took it in for an emissions test. i feel this is a safety issue; in addition it smacks of outright fraud since it appears that hondas get better gasoline mileage than they do, and they run out of warranty several thousand miles sooner than they should. it also causes extra mileage fees to kick in sooner for those who lease.*ak
POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
09/14/20081200001
 Honda, civic dx, 1998, transmission problems. transmission refuses to smoothly operate. when the transmission is shifting from first gear over to second to third, and to fourth, the rpms's revs up/speed up between gears and then slams into gear. have 120,000 miles on car. *tr
11/18/2007114400202/28/2000
 1) transmission failure in a 1998 honda civic lx for the second time and with only 115,000 miles. 2) transmission was replaced prior when car had 59,000 miles. 3) transmission (third one now) replaced for the second time. *tr
05/11/200459000104/25/1998
 I have a honda civic dx 1998, with 60000 miles now presenting with a failed transmission. several trips to the dealership for that very same complaint resulted in no problems detected with the transmission. the problem began two days after the manufacturers warranty expired. *jb
12/01/1999606/28/1999
 While driving, the consumer heard a loud noise coming from the front of the vehicle. the consumer applied the brakes and the vehicle accelerated uncontrollably. the consumer was able to maintain control of the vehicle and drove it to the dealer for inspection. the mechanic determined that the transmission needed to be replaced. the transmission has been replaced 6 times. *ak *jb
04/19/200459010109/30/2003
 Honda, civic lx, 1998, transmission problems. transmission refuses to smoothly operate sometimes when you are shifting from first gear over to second to third, and to fourth, the rpms's speed up between gears. sometimes it will go completely out of gear. if i drive very cautiously and carefully this most of the time will not happen. it started happening a few days after buying the car. i'm a senior citizen, that checked consumer reports and thought this was a reliable car. i'm now receiving all sorts of estimates such as completely replacing at $2500 . any guidance on this matter would be greatly appreciated. this is happening in city driving, only once on freeway. thank you.*ak
02/12/200448900102/23/1999
 I have a 1998 hondo civic with 50, 000 miles. it has recently developed a jerk when shifting from gear to gear and from gear to gear and also when down shifting. i have conducted all manufacturer's recommended services which include transmission flushes. however, even my preventively measures could not save this obvious manufacturer's defect. the car is no longer under warranty and has not been through any abuse. there are other complaints of this nature involving the same vehicle throughout the internet. please consider a recall for this is an expansive defect that has coasted this consumer over $1000 to fix.*ak
01/12/200453000106/08/2002
 1998 honda civic ex w/ 55,000 miles. vehicle began shifting harshly @ 53k. brought to dealership, reported dtc p0730. dealer recommended replacing automatic transmission for over $4000. found tsb 00-012 which recommended flushing transmission & replacing linear solenoid. followed tsb recommendation. helped for 2 days but problem returned. tsb 00-012 suggested honda might offer goodwill consideration for cars out of warranty. i asked dealer to split the cost with me which i have heard has worked for some other people with this same problem. they referred me to centralized honda cust srv which denied my request. meanwhile i have found the following information on several transmission rebuilder sites regarding my transmission model (b4ra): common complaints in the a4ra, b4ra, and m4ra transmissions are harsh upshifts, downshifts and forward engagements, while reverse engagement is fine. these problems can be caused by a broken cpc (clutch pressure control) valve spring. the spring is located in the secondary valve body, and not available from honda. sonnax has developed a replacement spring 88894 that has a wire diameter larger than the oem design. this significantly reduces the stress on the spring, preventing future breakage. to me, this suggests that this model of honda transmissions contains a faulty part, resulting in much higher than normal transmission failures. i believe that honda should stand behind their products & extend the warranty for the automatic transmissions affected by this problem & not just provide random goodwill assistance to a select few who complain the loudest. honda's denial that this is even a problem (even though there is a tsb identifying a huge group of potentially affected cars & transmission rebuilders have seen the problem so often that another company has actually seen fit to create a better replacement part) has turned me from a virtual honda evangelist to a very dissatisfied customer who would be hard-pressed to purchase another honda.*ak
10/14/2003110/21/2002
 One week after having car into dealer for the 52,500 check up it started jerking violently between gears as i accelerated and decelerated. took car back to dealer to have them look at it and was told that it needed a new transmission.*ak
05/09/20020
 Transmission doesn't shift properly vehicle slips while driving causing the rpms to go up. dealer said nothing wrong would not put on computer went to them 3 times same complaint same reply went to aamco transmission they put on computer said there was a problem, went to auto repair shop they found a code bad solenoid took to dealer 4th visit they replaced a solenoid problem still there. cant sell car driver too bad so im stuck. all this occurred before warranty ran out now warranty is out. transmission does this every time it gets driven. *jb
08/12/200370000005/06/1998
 I have a cluth problem with my automatic transmission. i was told that this is unusual at 70,000 miles. i have seen similar complaints about this. the check engine light came on a few months after i bought the car and i was told by the dealer that nothing was wrong. i now wonder if that might have been an error.*ak
01/01/200378000
 My 1998 honda civic ex (80,000 miles) is having tranmission troubles. it will rev up but the car will not speed up very well, when it shifts into 2nd gear the car shakes and abruptly shifts into 2nd gear. i had the fluid changed at the end of december and it seemed to fix the problem but a week later it was back and getting worst fast. the dealer told me i needed a whole new transmission and it would cost $3600 plus labor. i took the car back without the service down and searched the internet and have come across hundreds of people posting complaints of the exact same problems, some of them have 2002 with 10,000 miles and have these problems. i find it hard to believe that this is not a factory defect.
10/07/2002207/01/2098
 Transmission was replaced on 2000 + failed again (internal failure) on 2002. mr
01/24/200267200204/18/2001
 The owner is having problems with hesitation with possible cause being the automatic transmission. the owner did keep the car serviced/maintenance with the last item being a tune-up. liberty honda has been performing any and all maintenance on the vehicle. the vehicle is not being driven due to the transmissions' performance. mr consumer felt dealership used dirty transmission fluid which may have ruined the transmission and caused hesitation and wanted to charge consumer $4000 to replace transmission. however, dealership claimed that the 2 accidents vehicle was involved in caused the hesitation. vehicle's transmission was replaced at another dealership at a lower cost to consumer. *tt
06/02/2002
 Transmission will grind when putting it into reverse and at times will slip. contacted dealer. *ak
 Gears were not shifting properly. dealer refusedto look at vehicle. please add vin. *ak
01/01/2002104/04/2000
 While traveling, consumer applied the gear and the vehicle wouldn't move. the mechanic stated that the first drum had to be replaced on the transmission. nlm *tt
107/01/1998
 Two screws loosened, allowing the handle used to shift between park, reverse, n, drive, etc. to come off while driving on interstate highway 490. i drove to a gas station, applied the parking brake, and reattached the handle myself. however, if this happened while the vehicle was backing out of a driveway, it would have been difficult or impossible to get into drive and traffic would be blocked or an accident would have happened. if vehicle was in drive in an urban area where only parallel parking (no lots) exists, shifting into reverse (to properly back into space) would have been difficult or impossible and vehicle might have to stop in a traffic lane for to be repaired in the street or to be towed.*ak
1
 Vehicle has experienced major transmission problems. cj
12/01/2000107/01/1998
 Clutch in automatic transmission burnt out and transmission needs to be completely replaced. *ak
05/01/2000
 Due to a defective transmission system, vehicle slips while driving which causes rpms to go up. this may cause a crash. dealer said they need to replace transmission. please provide further information. *ak
04/22/200010/01/1997
 I have had problems with my vehicle rolling back on inclines. now my transmission must be replaced.
07/01/1998
 Transmission intermittently slips,in motion and idle position--idle speed is erratic--in reverse,car makes a whining noise-windows don't always work
02/15/200005/01/1998
 No summary listed for above vehicle. *ak
10/20/1999101/01/1998
 Transmission continually experiences slippage when trying to accelerate, unable to be fixed by dealership at this time until honda can find resolution. mjs
05/18/1999109/01/1998
 In the first incident the steering hose and rack were leaking (at 10,000 miles). i was told at my appt. for an oil change and steering inspection that they didn't have time to do both, so they wanted to change the oil and look at the steering later. i insisted they do the opposite and half an hour later i was told that i could not safely drive my car home. currently, my transmission computer was found to be faulty after i reported a severe vibration accompanied by a constant sound. this too was shrugged off over the phone as being typical of the cvt automobiles. twenty minutes after i had picked the car up after it was repaired i returned it to the dealer as it was shuddering and idling down to 0 rpm's, almost dying at stoplights. this has yet to be resolved as they don't seem to know what to do in regard to these transmissions. *ak
03/04/1999
 While driving the vehicle at 60mph in march, the vehicle would not decelerate after brakes were applied. checked cruise control which was not on. checked gas pedal to see if stuck. had guided vehicle to off ramp & manged to turn it off. shifted into neutral & nothing worked. took vehicle to dealer & mechanic could not duplicate problem. vehicle is now jerking also, 6 months later. *ak
10/05/1998108/25/1998
 Elecrical transmission connector failed. yh
05/01/1999501/01/1998
 Intermittent problems, with centeral computer contorl, battery sometimes completely drains, sometimes does not, transmission does not engage sometimes , dealer uncooperative. *ak
05/01/1999501/01/1998
 Intermittent problems, with centeral computer contorl, battery sometimes completely drains, sometimes does not, transmission does not engage sometimes , dealer uncooperative. *ak
08/30/1998108/30/1998
 Transmission failed causing vehicle to surge.
01/07/1999106/01/1998
 Owners inspection of disassembled transmissin reveals that reverse shift fork had been riding on reverse gear, apparently causing partial engagement during vehicle operation in any mode. metallic particles from disintegrating gear damaged stub axle at outer bearing area. dealer and manufacturer's representatives dispute this. *ak
12/27/1998108/01/1998
 Since the day we bought it, the transmission intermittently jerked (sometimes violently) when downshifting, especially around 40 mph. it also downshifted at odd times, like going down hills. i took the car to the dealer on 12/12 & they reported no problem found. on dec 27 the engine made lots of noise but had little speed & my family had to drive the handicapped car the short distance home. the dealer said the computer reported that the transmission ration was wrong. they said the more they worked on it, the worse it became. they couldn't fix it even with the help of honda experts, so they intended to replaced the transmission. unfortunately, the dealer wrecked the car & they have had the car a month. we want a new car because we don't trust the reliability of the car but honda & the dealer aren't cooperating. *ak
110/08/1998
 Automatic transmission slips backward while in drive at idle.
09/03/1998
 Transmission is intermittently not changing gears. when it reaches high gear transmission would stay in low gear. dealer notified, and condition has been resolved. *ak
1
 Design of transmission allows engine to downshift, when this happens it feels as if the brakes and engaging.
POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL)
04/08/2001
 While shifting gear shift spring popped out. dealer has been notified.*ak
POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - LEVER AND LINKAGE - COLUMN SHIFT
11/28/200353000206/01/1998
 While driving it was hard for consumer to shift gears, and the transmission intermittently slipped gears. the dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak when the vehicle was stopped at a traffic signal, it would have to be placed in park while waiting for the signal to change. *sc
POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - PARK/NEUTRAL START SWITCH
10/01/19990
 While in drive on a slight incline car will roll backwards. same with reverse. dealer says that theres nothing wrong with the car. *ak
POWER TRAIN - AXLE ASSEMBLY - AXLE SHAFT
01/17/20012
 While driving driver noticed pieces of metal coming from car. took vehicle to dealer, and was told that front wheel bearings went out.*ak blower motor for ventilation fan has failed twice in the past year . consumer replaced two blower units at his cost. *yh
POWER TRAIN - CLUTCH ASSEMBLY
02/07/200211/01/2000
 Clutch slipped, causing 2nd gear to grind. *ak
POWER TRAIN - MANUAL TRANSMISSION
07/28/2002
 Consumer states that the transmission does not shift properly. took to dealer and dealer stated there is a defect in transmission. *mr
02/07/200211/01/2000
 Clutch slipped, causing 2nd gear to grind. *ak
09/01/1998208/01/1998
 When the vehicle is parked on an incline, it rolls to the bottom of the incline.