Honda reliability

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Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR


Honda drivers expected bulletproof vehicle they paid big buck for, and they hear it was so reliable for so many years. They would be very upset for any repair bill and would complaint loudly to everyone for anything went wrong, even if original brake pad didn't lasted 100k miles was Honda fault.


85,000 miles here on a 2010 Civic. Third set of pads/rotors up front. I guess I'm just a spoiled whiner.
 
Friends 1990 Honda Accord (white) is still on the road with approximately 450k miles. Transmission was replaced with a used one but can't remember when. Engine is the same.

I own a 1991 Honda Civic with 506k miles. Tranny went out at 380k and was replaced with a used one.

My Honda Civic broke down on the Fwy a few weeks ago.
Was towed home. Possible head gasket after 500k miles.

88-91 Civics and Accords are little tanks
 
I had an 89 Accord with 353K miles on it when I totaled it. Yes, quite the tank. Transmission went out at around 300K miles. Replaced with a reman from Howard Engineering. Expensive, but definitely the nest rebuild job on an automatic I had ever seen.
 
Originally Posted By: Shrubitup
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR


Honda drivers expected bulletproof vehicle they paid big buck for, and they hear it was so reliable for so many years. They would be very upset for any repair bill and would complaint loudly to everyone for anything went wrong, even if original brake pad didn't lasted 100k miles was Honda fault.


85,000 miles here on a 2010 Civic. Third set of pads/rotors up front. I guess I'm just a spoiled whiner.


Have you upgraded the brakes or continue to use factory stuff? Still on original calipers?

My father had an issue with rotors on his '99 Grand Cherokee. '99-'02 Grands are known to eat front rotors and warp them after 5000 miles. After a few rotor replacements we upgraded the calipers, used slotted and drilled rotors, and different pads. It made a world of difference in the brake life.
 
156k on my TSX, built in Japan. Just had a caliper go bad, a starter, and now the radiator leaked (plastic meets the aluminum), nothing too major since I bought the car in 09. Interior and exterior look almost new, and the car isn't garaged. No rust to speak of either. Engine and tranny flawless, no leaks.
 
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I don't see why having a Honda that was made in Japan is any advantage. I don't remember the 1997-2001 CRV being a great car for example. I think Honda was in a hurry to make more money from small SUVs and they sacrificed quality to make them. The 2002 and later generations were good, and many of them weren't made in Japan. I have seen them made in England, the USA, Canada, and Mexico.
 
I'm pretty sure my friend's 04 or 05 Acura TL was made in Japan. The tranny was rebuilt twice already and this weekend he came over to visit us, I could not help but notice the knock coming from the engine (it was started at 0C-32F) when he was leaving. And he is pretty diligent about maintenance. Honda's legendary engineering at its finest
crackmeup2.gif
 
My new to me CRV seems to be a step above my Focus in consumables quality. The Focus has now had a couple motor mounts done, both front ball joints, both front sway bar links, new rear brake cylinders and shoes and drums. Shocks are probably coming soon.
The CRV is on almost all original suspension, motor mounts, except for front sway bar links. I think its had front rotors and a couple sets of pads. Suspension and steering still feels tight and the shocks are working well too.
Basically the CRV feels newer than the Focus even with alot more miles on it. In theory a CRV is jacked up AWD Civic but its interior quality is more in line with an Accord.
 
I can't speak for any other Honda models, but the 2007 Ridgeline I bought new in 2006 has been nearly flawless.

The vehicle (yes, Chevybadger, it's not a truck) is 9 1/2 years old with 75K miles. Today it's getting it's first set of front brake pads (Sangsin ceramic) and ACDelco rotors, all purchased at Oscaro. It got a new battery after 5 years, new tires at 60K miles and new rear brake pads & A/T and diff service at 62K miles. I had the full timing belt service done at 9 years. Mechanic told me it was just in time as the hydraulic tensioner had lost most of the fluid and was ready to fail (big engine problem avoided).

Other than these routine items and routine oil changes and filter changes, it had one recall for front suspension bolts. The ONLY thing that has broken are the spring clips that keep the rear seat legs folded up.

BTW it uses zero oil.
 
I have a 1992 Accord, one of the "golden days of Honda" years. It's needed some repairs over the years, but overall it's been very reliable. Never left my family or me stranded. It mostly needed things like radiators, CV axles, some sensors and gaskets. Nothing major. You can tell the body and interior materials are top quality. My interior still looks brand new, and there's not a speck of rust on the whole body, even though this car lived its entire life in the rust belt. (I'll admit, it DID have some rust on the quarter panel where they all rust, but it was a very small area that was just starting to bubble. I had a body shop cut it out and weld in new metal. Good as new) Honda used some impressive undercoating all over the underside of the body. All of the undercoating is still there and in great shape. The only other rust I had to deal with was the exhaust. It has 183k miles now.
 
Originally Posted By: Cujet
And yet, real world Honda owners report reliability an order of magnitude better than certain other "beloved" brands.

In fact, people can claim that Honda has gone downhill. However the reliability statistics strongly indicate otherwise.

Check out www.truedelta.com for real world, long term reliability information. It's the only place you'll find such accurate info.

For the 2010 model year, the Chevy Equinox has 68 reported repairs, the Honda CRV, 5. (per 100 cars)

Don't tell me Honda is going downhill, the facts don't bear that out.

The information gets even more interesting when you delve into the actual repairs and the cost. Honda has FAR FEWER major repairs.


That generation of Equinoxs had issues with timing chains and most likely the reason for that. I would argue that the new Equinox is probably the same if not more reliable than the CRVs.

I just checked and 2015 and Honda has 11 and Chevy 14.
 
It seems Honda vehicles made in Japan in the '80 and '90 were more reliable than ones made in USA.

I had 1986 Accord LXi and 1991 Accord SE both were made in Japan, they didn't have any repair only schedule maintenance and wear&tear items for about 10-12 years I owned them. 2004 S2000 didn't have any failure part after 12.5 years.

My daughter 2014 Accord 4-cyl LX may need a new/rebuilt/used alternator, this car is less than 2 years old, but it has more than 40k miles on odometer.
 
Originally Posted By: exranger06
I have a 1992 Accord, one of the "golden days of Honda" years. It's needed some repairs over the years, but overall it's been very reliable. Never left my family or me stranded. It mostly needed things like radiators, CV axles, some sensors and gaskets. Nothing major. You can tell the body and interior materials are top quality. My interior still looks brand new, and there's not a speck of rust on the whole body, even though this car lived its entire life in the rust belt. (I'll admit, it DID have some rust on the quarter panel where they all rust, but it was a very small area that was just starting to bubble. I had a body shop cut it out and weld in new metal. Good as new) Honda used some impressive undercoating all over the underside of the body. All of the undercoating is still there and in great shape. The only other rust I had to deal with was the exhaust. It has 183k miles now.

Forgot to mention my Accord was made in USA.
 
My 91 Civic Hatchback Si with 506k was assembled in Canada.
I think that 88-91 Hondas are great regardless of where they were assembled.
 
'03 Accord 2.4 was solid til north of 150k, output shaft, suspension parts, $500 exhaust part just down from the header, 02 sensor..then north of 200k I lost it in divorce and my ex had the chain skip a tooth resulting in a $2300 used engine transplant.

real solid for the first 150k though.
 
I'm done with Honda. My wife had a 2003 accord, the trans died around 140k. Typical problem for the v6. Well maintained too. Honda wanted $5k to repair.

I had an 08 civic. Paint was peeling off even though I kept it washed and waxed. Again, typical problem. In fact, they extended the warrantee, but I brought it in one month past the warrantee and Honda would do nothing for me.

See ya, Honda.
 
Originally Posted By: jeepman3071
Originally Posted By: Shrubitup
Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR


Honda drivers expected bulletproof vehicle they paid big buck for, and they hear it was so reliable for so many years. They would be very upset for any repair bill and would complaint loudly to everyone for anything went wrong, even if original brake pad didn't lasted 100k miles was Honda fault.


85,000 miles here on a 2010 Civic. Third set of pads/rotors up front. I guess I'm just a spoiled whiner.




Have you upgraded the brakes or continue to use factory stuff? Still on original calipers?

My father had an issue with rotors on his '99 Grand Cherokee. '99-'02 Grands are known to eat front rotors and warp them after 5000 miles. After a few rotor replacements we upgraded the calipers, used slotted and drilled rotors, and different pads. It made a world of difference in the brake life.


Asked the shop about this, they didn't know. I will look into more and consider it. Parts and labor shouldn't be too expensive.
 
Our 2009 Civic has only needed a new battery and block heater. But it's mostly a town car, so has only done about 30,000 miles so far.
 
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