I've been recommending Hondas to friends for years - good value and very reliable. So I finally bought my first Honda, a new 2007 Accord V6 6-speed manual. Nice car.
The day I took delivery, the transmission started jumping out of first and second gear. All I had to do was lift off, at low speed, like in usual bumper to bumper traffic. It could pop out 2 or 3 times in a block. They eventually replaced the trasmission and all seemed fine for a few months.
With the onset of the first winter, occasionally (when I was creeping down a specific hill at low speed, say at 1200 - 1500 RPM) it started popping out of first gear again. It's hard to replicate (it's done it maybe 20 times, always on that same hill, at low speed only, and only out of first gear) but the Honda dealer's shop foreman has seen it do it.
The dealer put in special Honda transmission fluid (they wanted me to pay for it as "fluids aren't covered under warrantee" but I refused) with no effect. The issue is supposedly being considered by Honda engineering. I don't think they know what to do next. The shifter mechanism has been replaced, the engine/transmission alignment has been checked - everything is apparently fine, but it still pops out of gear. And remember this is the second transmission.
No hand on the gear shift, no foot near the clutch, it just goes pop - into neutral.
Otherwise it seems like a good car. Which feels like being featured in one of the "other than that" jokes.
I've driven stick shifts for 45 years and have never had any another car jump out of gear.
The car is now almost 2 years old, which seems like a long time to put up with a major malfunction. If someone from Honda is reading this, I'd just like to have my car fixed. And if you can't fix it you should replace it or buy it back.
Ecotourist