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2003-2004 Honda Accord – Automatic Transmission (NHTSA Recall #: 04V176000)
Summary
A 1 million+ vehicle recall was issued in 2004 because the automatic transmission that was installed in the 2003-2004 Honda Accord seemed to be prone to early failure. Severe gear damage/breakage could cause the transmission to unexpectedly seize, which could obviously lead to an accident.
Consequence
Due to insufficient transmission fluid flow, excessive heat can buildup between the countershaft and the secondary shaft second gears (ATF absorbs heat and carries it away from moving parts), which can result in decreased material strength, chipped gear teeth, and in extreme cases, complete gear failure (i.e. it breaks). Unusual noises will typically signal a problem. However, a broken gear can cause the transmission to completely lockup, which would bring the car to a sudden halt.
Remedy
When the recall was announced, Honda instructed its dealers to do one of two things: 1) Vehicles with less than 15,000 miles received a special ATF oil jet kit, which was installed on a fluid return line. This kit was designed to prevent the problem by injecting cooled transmission fluid directly onto the second gears. 2) If the vehicle had more than 15k miles, the dealer would inspect the gears and either install the jet kit or install an entire remanufactured transmission. If you’re unsure if the fix was performed on your car, you can call Honda Customer Service at 1-800-999-1009. Be sure to have your VIN number handy, and refer to Honda recall #: P38
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