2004 Honda Accord EX from North America - Comments

Interior rattles and shakes badly.

Passenger seat broke.

Air conditioner compressor replaced twice.

I bought the Accord new in February 2005 hoping to have the same reliability that others have had with older Hondas, however this car has been a nightmare from day one.

There is an annoying popping noise from the base of the windshield every time I hit the slightest bump or the body flexes a little. There are several service bulletins about it, but my dealership cannot seem to fix it.

The door panels buzz and rattle. So does the sunroof. The recliner broke on the passenger seat, and my passengers had to ride laying down until I could get it to the dealer for repair.

The interior seems to be the most shoddy part of this car, but also, the dealer had to replace the air conditioner compressor twice, because it started to sound like someone had dropped their keys down into the motor when I had the air on.

I have an arbitration hearing in December to find out what Honda is going to do. I have requested that they buy the car back, since the number of times it has been in for repairs qualifies it for lemon laws.

The new Hondas are not built reliably like the older ones were. I won't buy another one.

Sounds like a lemon. However, the interior rattles, such as the annoying window rattle on the driver's side, are common problems.

May be you did drop your keys into the AC compressor. Twice! Maybe a little child got into the car and played with the recliner. sounds like a good way to break any seat recliner.

I'm in no way trying to make excuses for Hondas, as I am well aware that the 7th gens weren't without their gremlins... but none of the problems mentioned have caused reliability concerns. Does the car start every time you turn the key? Does it always get you where you need to go without stalling or leaving you stranded? The vehicle can rattle up a storm, have no AC or reclining seat and still be 'reliable'. I traded in my 94 Accord with 240k miles for a 2006 Accord, and couldn't be happier. The new Accord is light years ahead of the old Hondas in terms of engineering, sophistication, refinement, luxury and value for the dollars. In 10k miles, the car has been absolutely flawless. I do, however, see where Honda has cut some corners to save on production costs vs. the Hondas of old, but they improved A LOT more than they cut back!

Mine is a 2003 Accord ex-l.

I agree that the quality is not up to the previous Hondas I have owned. The dealer couldn't figure out for months why my car would simply stop running while driving (a dangerous condition at high speeds) or not start.

Many items were replaced under warranty, and now the a/c compressor is shot post warranty.

One interesting warranty item was the blown light on the radio console on the dashboard. On one of my trips under warranty, I asked the dealer to change the bulb because I couldn't figure out how to do it. They didn't change the bulb, they had to replace the entire radio/CD player (over $1,000 item) because the light didn't work.

So, no, I can't say that the car always starts, gets me where I'm going without stranding me. The sophistication, engineering, luxury, value etc, espoused by a previous post is in the eye of the beholder.

I bought this car because of my previous excellent Honda experience and the continued high ratings by independent testing; but, based on my current experience and Internet postings on other bb's, it's plain the quality has seriously slipped, and I, also, won't be in a hurry to buy another Honda for either my wife or myself.

In shopping for a replacement before too many other things go wrong, I'm leaning towards the Camry, Avalon or Lexus - all Toyota products. I hope I won't be jumping out of the frying pan into the fire.

My friend has an '04 4 banger accord... 316xxx on the clock. This vehicle performs well in every way. Uses a litre of oil every 5000 kms, but if you ask me, this is a quality auto.