So, I just bought a 2001 Honda Accord from the original owner and was feeling really good about it 'cause it's in amazing condition with just 77k on it. (I looked long and hard for a quality used car and was able to pay cash for this one, which felt terrific!)

Now that I've done more research, I see that tons of these 01 Accords have had AT failure—very costly to repair.

This car is driving and handling really well, but now I'm feeling a little sick over the thought of the transmission going out at any moment. I do most of my own repair-work, but I can't do a swap on an AT. And, nor do we have the money to pay a shop for such a repair. I bought this Accord because I thought they always had very high marks for reliability.

According to Honda's website (after I entered the VIN), there was indeed an extended warranty out for this vehicle, and the status is "open," which must mean that the tranny is still original, right? What should I do? Is this thing a ticking time-bomb? Ugghhh...

 

I would install a transmission cooler for your vehicle ASAP if it doesn't have one. I had a 1998 Mazda 626 and they were known for A/T failures. My Automotive Experiences - The accursed Mazda 626 Automatic Transmission

I would also change the transmission fluid out if you don't know of the cars maintenance history.

 

98-02 has many issues with auto trannies, but if the previous owner took it easy, it should be ok, check fluid level,changing the fluid if needed. I bought an 02 when it was brand new, now has more than 150k still shift perfect 9 years later.

 

Yeah, this car looks/feels like it was really babied. I mean, how many 01 Accords are out there with 77K or less?

I'll keep an eye on the fluid and change it often and maybe I'll be okay. I'm also going to look into the tranny cooler as well, if that'll do any good.

I spent a lot of time looking at cars before I bought this one, trying to avoid a lemon. I knew the Odysseys back then had lots of AT trouble; I just wasn't aware that it affected so many Accords, too. Why would J.D. Power give this car 4-stars on powertrain quality and 5-stars on overall dependability, given a serious problem like this? (Click here to see the ratings for this car.)

 

98-02 Accord, 99-04 Odyssey, 99-03 TL, 01-03 CL,01-04 Civic has many issues with automatic, i know from experience as i deal with them headache every single day in the last 10 yrs. 98-02 Accord they do not have that many issue with transmission cooler. 03 and up when they redesign the transmission, i saw that they tends to have more problem with tranny cooler not cooling sufficient.

 

Okay, thanks for the info. Since the transmission cooler suggestion seems like a good one, can anybody recommend a good cooler for this car? I'd like to find something with good quality and straightforward installation. A link to a product online would be really helpful!

Thanks again.

 

Go to Transmission Coolers and start reading at Step 2 - Improve Thermal Cooling.

 

Thanks, tradosaurus, I reviewed that article, and it was helpful. I didn't realize that most of these units are "universal" and can fit in any number of cars. I'm going to look for a decent, stacked plate-style cooler, main thing being to find one that fits in the space available on the front side of the radiator.

Mounting-method seems to be a bit of a question mark, though (metal bracket vs. zip-ties, etc). I guess I'll just have to get into it and see what works best...