Hey, everyone --

I have a 2003 Honda Accord with 70,000 miles. Never had any problems with it, keep up the maintenance.

I drove through a deep puddle the day before yesterday, and the check engine light came on for about a minute. It went off and never came back on, so I assumed I had just gotten the engine wet. The next day, though, it would not shift into gear. It started fine, no check engine or warning lights, just would not shift out of park.

Had it towed to Honda dealership. They said needs a new throttle body, and it will be $890. From doing a bit of research, it seems throttle body failure is really uncommon.

Can anyone shed some light on this problem? Am I being ripped off?

Thanks!!

 

Is this a 4 or 6 cylinder?

A 2003 Accord V6 has drive-by-wire throttle system; whereas, the 2003 Accord 4 cylinder does not.

Not being able to shift out of park, sound like a possible issue with the Throttle Position Sensor (TPS); but, it doesn't necessarily mean you have to replace the whole throttle body. Honda only sells the TPS as part of the whole throttle body, there are a few aftermarket suppliers that sell just the TPS depending on your model.

Also, even though the Check Engine Light was no longer on, there may have been one or more stored trouble code. If you have the car back and the dealer haven't cleared any code(s), you may want to try to get the code(s) read for free at some part shops. Many do it for free, such as Auto Zone, etc.

 

Although I still don't know whether your car is a 4 or 6 cylinder, here is some info. regarding the 4 cylinder.

If the TPS reads/thinks it is off idle, the ECM (car's computer) will not send a ground signal to the interlock switch, to let it come out of Park.

On a 4 cylinder, you could disconnect the TPS connector and make sure it is dry on the sensor and connector terminals. With the connector off, start the car and see if it can come out of Park. Afterward, re-connected that plug.

You can also reset the ECM (car’s computer) and perform the idle learn procedure, to see if this may get resolved by itself.

The following is generally the Idle Learn Procedure:

Make sure all electrical items (A/C, audio, lights, etc.) are off. Disconnect battery for a short while (3 minutes would be fine). Turn ignition switch to ON (II) and wait 2 seconds. Start engine and hold engine speed at 3,000 rpm without load (A/T in P or N, M/T in neutral) until radiator fan comes on, or until engine coolant temp. reached 194 degrees F. Let the engine idle for about 5 minutes with the throttle fully closed. (If radiator fan comes on, do not include the running time in the 5 minutes.)