Greetings!

My daughter was driving her 2001 Accord LX w/ auto trans, with her dog in the car. She had to brake suddenly, causing the dog to fly into the gear shifter, slamming it into reverse. She says she was driving around 25 MPH when it happened. Now reverse does not work, and trans makes a loud whine in forward.

Transmission is dead and either needs to be replaced or rebuilt.

My question, however, is related to my insurance company's denial of the claim against my comprehensive coverage. After inspecting the transmission (removed by an AAMCO shop), they have concluded that the damage was caused by normal wear and tear, and not the incident we reported (Ha! The car is 11 years old and has over 200K miles - of course there's going to be normal wear & tear! But it operated fine before she tried to send the dog out the windshield!). One of their arguments is that the electronic trans has a feature that will not allow reverse to be engaged when the car is moving forward. I have read about that feature in other forums, and most have indicated the feature only works if the car is going faster than about 25 MPH. However, I have not been able to find any credible technical document that supports that detail. Any suggestions on where I can get that technical info? I will check with our local dealer, also.

Thanks in advance!

Marty
2001 Honda Accord LX

 

I don't know if the accord has that feature on an automatic transmission. The dealership or call Honda of America to find out the answer. Let us know what you find out, so it can help others.

 

I didn't think the shifter would go into reverse, without pushing the button in. That's the safety feature I would expect to prevent this from happening, unless the button was broken or disabled?

 

I am not sure if the 2001 Accord automatic has the reverse lockout. It does not state it as part of the owner's manual.

In some Honda and Acura owner's manual, it states the following:

"Your vehicle has a reverse lockout so you cannot accidentally shift to Reverse from Neutral or any other driving position when the vehicle speed exceeds 7 - 9 mph (12 -14 km/h)."

 

Thanks for the info so far.

Nighthawk, I agree with you. However, I did a non-scientific simulation (while the vehicle was parked!) in my wife's 2002 Accord, using my hand. With my hand extended somewhat flat, I moved toward the shift lever at a slight angle (allowing the palm of my hand to hit the corner of the button first). That slight angle was enough to push the button in and allow the lever to move into reverse. Given that a large 70-pound dog hit the lever, it is plausible that part of his body would have been able to hit the button at an angle, allowing it to move into reverse.

Probably fighting a losing battle, but I can't give the car up without a fight!

Marty
2001 Honda Accord LX