PrivatePartyValue value lookup
PPV / cars / honda / accord / gen-6-1998-2002

Honda Accord Gen 6 (1998–2002)

What ownership is like, what breaks at what mileage, what the repairs cost, and what to check before you buy one.

← All Honda Accord generations

1998–2002

Gen 6

For the sixth generation Honda split the Accord into separate Japanese, North American and European/Australasian models (Wikipedia). The US car launched as a 1998 model. Our model years for this generation are 1998 to 2002. Engines include a V6; a 2002 recall covers V6 timing belt tensioners.

NHTSA complaints per catalog listing run from 10.60 for 2001 to 56.32 for 1998, against a generation median of 19.60. 1998 is 2.9 times that median (1,239 complaints across 22 listings), but we track only 22 listings for it and our rule needs 30, and no enriched ads exist for it, so it is not flagged. 1999 is 22.19 (1.1 times the median) and 2000 is 19.60. These rates are high in every year because the cars are old and have had 25 years to collect complaints; compare years inside this generation, not against newer ones. Top complaint areas are the power train, electrical system and engine.

What happens at what mileage

MilesItemCostNotes
Not verified Automatic transmission failure (slipping, no reverse, hard shifts) $1,700 for a used replacement unit under a Honda Care contract with a $100 deductible (one owner report); out-of-warranty repairs sometimes up to $4,000 (HondaProblems, a 2015 article). CarComplaints counts 150 transmission failure complaints on the 2002 Accord alone. Honda extended the transmission warranty to 93 months or 109,000 miles for 2000-2001 Accords as part of a class action settlement; that coverage has long expired, and other years were not included. Ask for service records and test shifts cold and warm, including reverse.
any Recalls on early cars: transmission cover (98V018000), front ball joints (99V069000), rear lower control arms (00V184000) Free at a Honda dealer when the recall is open 98V018000: a casting irregularity in the right-side transmission cover on 1998 sedans and coupes built from late 1997. 99V069000: ball joints that can wear out prematurely and, in the worst case, separate. 00V184000: rear suspension lower arms that could break from improper welding. Confirm each by VIN.
any Recalls: ignition switch (02V120000, 03V423000, 05V025000) and V6 timing belt tensioner (02V226000) Free at a Honda dealer when the recall is open The ignition-switch recalls cover degraded switch contacts and interlock wear that can let the key turn without the transmission in park. 02V226000: on V6 cars a misaligned water-pump tensioner pulley could contact a cylinder head bolt and damage the timing belt. Confirm each by VIN.

Buying one — check these

Years flagged

No year in this generation was flagged. A year is flagged by our rule only when all three hold: (1) its NHTSA complaints per catalog listing is at least 2.0x the median for its generation, (2) the share of ads that mention a problem is above the generation median, and (3) we track at least 30 listings for that year. The cutoff was fixed before we looked. Ad mentions are not failures, and a flag is a reason to inspect harder, not a verdict on any one car.

Sixth-generation Accords in our catalog clear around $2,000-3,500 depending on year (277 cleared sales, 1998-2002 model years). The lowest yearly median is 1999 and the highest is 1998 (a small sample). We track 48 active listings.

Federal complaints, 1998–2002 model years (NHTSA)

YearComplaintsTop components
1998 1,239 Electrical System, Power Train, Engine And Engine Cooling
1999 1,154 Electrical System, Power Train, Engine And Engine Cooling
2000 1,215 Air Bags, Power Train, Electrical System
2001 943 Air Bags, Power Train, Electrical System
2002 1,066 Power Train, Air Bags, Structure

source: NHTSA complaints database (api.nhtsa.gov). Complaints are owner reports, not confirmed failures.

Other Honda Accord generations

Own a Honda Accord, or pricing one? See what they're actually selling for →

Questions people actually ask

What Honda Accord years should you avoid?

We don't tell you to skip a year; we flag by a fixed rule (see 'How we flag years'), and no Accord year trips it. The near-miss is 2023: 3.18 NHTSA complaints per catalog listing (232 across 73 listings) against a Gen 11 median of 1.16, which is 2.7 times, and 3 of 49 enriched ads (6.1%) mention a problem against a 1.0% median. All three of those mentions are the 'rust' flaw, so it fails our rust-excluded check, and 73 listings is a small first-year sample. Other close calls: 2003 has 13.79 complaints per listing (2,013 across 146), 4.4 times the Gen 7 median of 3.15, but 11.8% of its ads mention a problem against a 15.7% median. 2008 has 5.85 (1,521 across 260), 3.8 times the Gen 8 median, with 6.6% of ads against 7.5%. 2018 has 6.67 (2,013 across 302), 2.3 times its median, with 0.5% of ads against 2.0%. Lists that name 2003-2005, 2008-2009, 2013 and 2018 are pointing at real complaint clusters; our rule asks for the ads to agree too.

How much does an Accord V6 transmission replacement cost?

CarComplaints averages $2,990 at about 110,000 miles across 207 complaints on the 2004. Dealer quotes in owner threads were $4,100 (2005 V6) and $4,350 (2003), the latter cut to $2,350 after a goodwill appeal to American Honda. CoverageX gives $3,500-$6,500 for a replacement automatic and $2,300-$6,000 for a rebuild; one owner paid $1,700 for a used unit through a service contract. The mileage window is not settled: one 2005 EX-V6 failed at 168,000 miles.

What are the Accord VCM problems?

VCM is Honda's cylinder deactivation on the V6. HondaRide says it causes oil consumption, fouled spark plugs and failed active motor mounts; CarMechan describes uneven cylinder wall wear on the 8th-generation V6. CarComplaints counts 32 fouled-spark-plug complaints on the 2008, average repair $180 at about 59,550 miles. CoverageX links VCM oil burning to 2008-2017 V6 Accords. We found no verified price for a VCM-related engine replacement.

Which Accord has the 1.5T oil dilution problem?

The 2018-2020 1.5L turbo. CoverageX calls 2018 the worst and says it was mostly resolved from 2021. Honda's software update TSB 18-086 covers 2018-2019 (VehicleBar); one owner paid $300 for the dealer service (AccordXClub). CarComplaints lists 11 gasoline-in-oil complaints on the 2018. Ask whether the update was done.

How much does an Accord starter replacement cost?

RepairPal gives $591-$963 for a 2013 Accord; Samarins gives $360-$620 for 2013-2017. CarComplaints averages $620 at about 54,600 miles across 117 starter failure complaints on the 2013. HondaProblems describes starter grinding on 2013-2015 cars at around 50,000 miles.

Which Accord years have the most recalls?

We did not rank years by recall count, because one recall often covers many years. The ones to check by VIN: the Takata air bag inflator recalls on 2001-2012 cars, the 2003-2007 V6 power steering hose recall (12V222000), the 2005-2010 secondary shaft bearing recall (11V395000), the 2023-2025 Accord Hybrid software recall (25V785000), and the fuel pump recalls spanning 2013-2024. Free at a Honda dealer when open; run the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.