1999 Honda Accord LX from North America - Comments

Note - this was a "Certified Honda Used Car"

Wheel was out of balance - took to dealership several times - they rebalanced - never was "right". Took to a tire place - found out that the wheel was actually out of round (warped) - replaced the wheel - no problems afterward.

Front Brakes had to be replaced 2 times in 40k+ miles - Dealer could not find any problems with the brakes - however outside repair technician finally commented that rotors were severely warped for quite a long time. Had an F150 prior - drove 50k miles - never had to change the brakes once.

Clutch had to be replaced at 72k miles. According to the repair technician - clutch was severely burned - most likely due prior to my purchase (old burn).

Oil leak detected @ 74k miles - Head Gasket was blown - leaked oil onto the timing belt, etc.

Needless to say - I traded in this vehicle and took a huge loss on it @ 78k miles. Traded it in on a 2004 Kia Optima LX - 16k miles to date and NO problems.

This was my first Honda that I've owned - probably will be the last.

Overall - the Accord - when not in the shop - was a nice car to drive. Mileage was acceptable - Quiet - fairly smooth ride - kind of "jumpy" over rougher roads.

Reliable? with the amount of money I spent fixing the problems with the Honda - I'd have my Kia Optima paid off by now.

The Optima is the same option-for-option as the previous Honda Accord - plus I now have a 10yr/100,000 mile warranty to boot.

Please note - I believe this specific car had issues - I have several friends with Accords that haven't had any issues. Essentially - I seriously question the validity of Honda's "Certified Car" program - obviously this car fell through the cracks.

Through the Honda certified used car program I got a new battery, breaks, and everything else checked out on my 99 Honda Accord V-6. Car is now at 130,000 miles and the only thing that has gone wrong has been the ignition recall and the alternator (Delphi).

Again (I'm the original poster of this message) - this may have been *entirely* due to how the original owner treated the car.

I had an '89 Escort (Mazda Engine) that I literally beat the hell out of (wrecked several times, etc.) - but I got 140k miles out of the thing - only changed the brakes twice - timing belt once - Clutch once - sold it for $1k and last I heard it was up to 190k miles and still running.

Compared to the Escort - I "babied" this car - used only to work and back - never wrecked - never "off-road" - regular oil changes at 3k miles, etc.

I've owned several other various makes models as well (Dodge, Chrysler, Ford, Mercury, Pontiac, Chevrolet, Kia, and most recently... Hyundai) - NONE of these makes / models have given me near the amount of trouble that this particular Honda did. *All* of them had high average mileage (20-30k+/year)

Like I said - other friends have Hondas without *any* problems - but it only takes one lemon to "sour" you... This one did it for me.

Heck - right after I traded the Honda - one of my friends, who own an Acura Sedan, was telling me I shouldn't have gotten rid of it and he couldn't believe all the trouble I had out of it. Not less than a month later - His transmission went out @ 80k miles. Luckily for him - Acura did him right and replaced it for free.

Would I recommend a Honda? Driving, etc. - Great Car - but I'd get a brand new one with a *long* warranty. I seriously think that the Honda of today is starting to have some serious quality issues...

Sounds like most of your problems are due to the car being beat on by the previous owner.

I drive my 1994 Accord with 236,000 miles 25,000 miles a year with little or no trouble. My 1999 Accord, the "certified" one, it gets driven 30-35,000 miles a year without any trouble at all.

Yes - I agree - but in addition - IMHO - these issues *should* have been caught by the "Certified Used Car" inspection. Simply checking the hoses, belts, and tires and calling it "certified" doesn't cut it.. especially now that I, as a consumer, will probably never consider Honda for an automobile purchase again...

So you think that one review from here is going to swing your mind. What about another failed car from another manufacturer? There is at least one with every company. So initially you should cross all the cars off your list and just get a horse or better yet walk.

Couldn't agree with you more regarding the quality of today's Honda products (see 2005 Accord:"When a Honda is no longer a Honda"). At least you can assume your LX's previous owner(s) caused a majority of your car's current problems! All I can do is blame Honda, who, after 6 weeks of dialogue, shifted the blame/responsibility back to me. According (no pun intended) to my cust. serv. rep.,Hondas aren't assembled as well as they were in the past, but, they're still within Honda specs/tolerances.Nice info to know with regards to any future Honda purchase plans! Oh well, at least you didn't spend any extra money on a new vehicle.

Sounds like someone didn't take care of it because HONDAS are the best thing out. I've own nothing but Honda's since I was 16, and never had any problems.

Sorry about your Accord experience. If its any consolation, friends of my have shared much worse horror stories about their Hondas. Meanwhile, my 1996 Corsica goes merrily along with over 200K miles and other than routine maintenance, has never cost my a penny for repairs! I guess that pretty much settles the whole Honda/Toyota versus GM debate!

So you bought a Kia Optima in place... Just wait about 50-60K, even though they offer a 100K warranty, they will fight you every step of the way to honor it. Every issue is your neglect or fault, and they wear you down (war of attrition) returning it to the dealer. Sorry for the not as normally great Honda, but Kia (2004) is a terrible option.

Oh man the Corsica has to be one of the worst cars on the road. My uncle loves them and bought a 91 brand new and one of the last 96's. It is no special car at all and are medicre in every way except for the standard ABS. He takes good car of his cars and the one with 115,000 miles is almost shot and the 91 was traded in at 145,000 miles for a new 2003 Malibu which has been expensive to repair. I think I will keep on driving my Hondas. My 1999 has 150,000 miles on the transmission and shows no signs of dying anytime soon. It has lasted cause we maintain it. I worked at a home improvement store and if you watched how people towed things in their cars you would understand why there has to be a site like this.