Honda Motors Defective Paint Job – Honda Accord’s Clear Coat Peeling

Posted by Michael

Posted on May 4, 2009

I’m typically not one to complain out things. Bad things happen and I frequently find it better to just look at the bight side of things. Sometimes this gets me into hot water though, as I miss opportunities to make things (including myself) better. To that end, I’m hoping that the end result of this negative blog post will result in something positive.

Back in December of 1997, my wife and I bought our first car together, a 1998 Honda Accord 4-door EX Sedan. I traded in my beloved cherry red Honda CRX-si for a car that was more practical, and, unfortunately, more boring. But this was ok. We planned on having a family and a 2-seater car (the CRX) was just not very safe or convenient for a family. So we settled with what then was a beautiful dark green color Honda Accord.

As time passed, the car became mine and my wife got a Honda Odyssey which was a much better “mommy taxi.” She shuttled kids to and from school, play dates, activities, etc. I used the Accord to drive a few minutes a day back and forth to the train station. As of this writing, the 11 year old car has only 58,000 miles on it while our 2001 Odyssey has about 105,000.

A few years ago, I noticed that my Accord was starting to show some odd discoloration on the roofline. I thought this was odd because I took pretty good car of the car, with regular waxings and cleanings. It was, however, parked outside. We needed to have the Odyssey in the garage to allow for easy kids and grocery schlepping.

What started as a discoloration (a patchy whitening) then turned into a full fledged peeling of the clear coat surface. The surface just started to flake off, easily exacerbated by a fingernail, leaving underneath a dull metal surface. This erosion of the clear coat surface continued to spread, but interestingly, not to all parts of the car. Specifically affected were the: roof, trunk and hood (in order of magnitude), but the side panels or bumpers seemed to be fine.

I have seen many old cars, including older Honda Accords, that show not signs of deterioration of the clear coat. When I confronted my local Honda dealership, they, too were a bit surprised but had to go to a Regional Manager to even consider doing anything about it. In the end, they did acknowledge that this was not normal wear & tear and offered to pay for a portion of the paint job.

I decided not to take the partial acknowledgement or payment. In my mind, this is something that is defective and Honda Motors needs to step up to correct this.

I have done some research and have found others with the same circumstances and characteristics. So I ask, it this just a coincidence or was there truly something wrong with that year’s application of clear coat and paint? Here are a few listings of people with similar complaints:

Carcomplaints.com – multiple complaints on 1998 clear coat peel
Allexperts.com – complaint of clear coat peel; (lame) answer, keep out of sun
Honda-Tech.com – thread that shows the EXACT SAME thing as my accord with pictures; another thread about factory green Honda Accord X clear coat peel; thread that discusses how “cancerous” the clearcoat peel actually is (funny too); another thread on a Technical Bulletin on peeling paint.
Yahoo Answers – thread about peeling clear coat

There are other complaints of this nature as well if you search for them.

Some pictures

First, back in 2006 or so, I was considering selling my 1998 Honda Accord EX (something I really didn’t want to do). I’m actually glad I kept it. It runs great and aside from the clear coat, I have no other complaints other than basic wear-and-tear. However, here are some pictures that I took of it long before the peeling started.

Just a few years later, here is what it looks like:

The passenger’s side looks ok.

Another shot of the passenger side.

Driver’s side looks ok as well. The sides of the Accord actually look pretty good.

Hood line starting to show the clear coat peel.

Roofline shows the clearcoat peel better. Down to the metal.

More on the roofline. It’s pretty bad.

Another shot of the roof.

There is very little clear coat remaining on the roof.

One more shot of the roof.

Here is the trunk peeling.

Another shot of the trunk.

You can see how the peel starts along the trunk lines.

Close-up of a peel in progress.

One last shot of the front.

And, of course, I have to throw in a picture of my vanity plate. “T3CHDAD” = Tech Dad in l33t speak. Details on that here.

So, why did I take time to post this article? Mainly because I wanted to raise attention of this Honda clear coat issue. Also, I wanted to see if the powers of Social Media and networking can eventually get the eyes and ears of Honda Motors, some dealerships or an auto paint company who wants a bit of publicity helping out a cause. Personally, I think that Honda Motors should step up and 1) acknowledge that there WAS an issue with this year and this color (or dark colored cars around this time) and 2) that they should do something about it. Offering to pay for part of the expense and only at certified auto body shops is not what I’m looking for. My car has been treated well, frequent washes and waxes and has extremely low mileage on it. Again, I have seen older Honda Accords that do NOT exhibit this type of corrosion or deterioration. There is something definitely wrong here and there should be some full retribution.

Note: I just uploaded these photos to Flickr. If this is happening to your Honda Accord, please upload your photos and tag them with the following tags: HONDACCPEEL, HONDA, ACCORD, CLEAR COAT, and PEEL. Thanks for your help!

If you are reading this post, thanks for taking the time to do so. If you have connections in the auto industry, please make sure others see this. If you are connected to the powers that be at Honda Motor Corporation, PLEASE get this in front of them. It is a shame to their brand (of which I have been extremely loyal). However, I’m ready to jump brands if this is the type of durability that Honda has. The motor is great, but that is only part of the equation.

HTD Says: Please help me spread the word about this clear coat peeling issue of Honda Accords. It has to stop or be acknowledged and corrected.

Below are some of the images that have been uploaded to Flickr using the tag “HONDACCPEEL”. Want your picture there? Just upload public images with the tags: HONDACCPEEL, HONDA, ACCORD, CLEAR COAT, and PEEL

Fix It, General, Review

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Tylene Warner

I had a Honda rep. take a look at the paint coming off of my black 2002 Accord today. It is turning a whitish, gray color just above the windshield and on the trunk lid. He told me it was "clear coat degradation". It is due to the sun and pollution that we have here in SoCal. There's nothing that Honda can do about it. He suggested I try polishing the areas and see if I can get down to the black underneath the discolored clear coat.

Zestar Corporation

It is true that the environment over time will wear
down the finish of a vehicle. It is also true that if the insufficient thickness of clear was applied from the factory, the vehicle finish will not last.
Three Paint Suppliers dominate the exterior finish of vehicles in North America. Our research concludes that millions of vehicles were released to consumers, auto dealers and automakers below specification. We know this because our technology is used for automotive paint durability purposes. Our simple premise is this: Was the vehicle a factory paint defect at time of delivery? That information exist in databases and is easy to retrieve. A "Truth in Finish Disclosure" should be required with the purchase of any new vehicle. Without review of the factory data, it is not known if the fault is a result of the environment or an improperly applied factory finish.

u812

Not just Honda but all metallic paints in general do not last especially grays, and if you live inNV or AZ you lucky if it last 10 years.
Best to have it repainted in a good shop between 2k and 3k

Tylene Warner

I took my 2002 Accord (black) in for servicing yesterday and mentioned the areas at the roofline and trunk lid where it is turning white. The answer was "it's an 8 year old car...not much you can do about that". Or "every car manufacturer has this type of problem". The service manager overheard my conversation and came out to look at the car. He said the Honda rep. would be out in a week or so and I could bring my car by then. He couldn't promise anything, but at least someone is going to look at it! I'll keep you posted!

Greg in MA

Hi Tylene.

Good luck with that. In September 2009 Honda paid for 2/3 the cost to repaint all tops (roof, hood, trunk, tops of fenders and quarter panels) of my 2003 green Accord with 80k miles. I paid $700 and they paid $1400. I dealt with a factory rep here in Massachusetts, who was great. Let me know if I can assist you at all.

Greg in MA

Zestar Corporation

It would be great to request fron the Honda Representative the objective criteria (film thickness data) that is associated with your vehicle. Typically they are maintained in electronic databases and are easily retrieved. Inquire of the film (paint) thickness measurements that were taken for each of the four layers. A total thickness reading does not provide a complete picture. Measurements below specifications of each of the individual layers are needed to determine if the vehicle is a factory defect. Its our understanding from Ford's facebook page on the New Fiesta they are providing this information. Hopefully, since Ford provided this information, maybe Honda will as well.
Good Luck!!!

hightechdad

That is good news. I took mine in as well recently and may schedule the same lookover. Please be sure to post pictures to Flickr if you haven't already! The more the merrier!

madmiamiman

I have a 2005 Accord Ex with the same described clearcoat problems. I have been to my local Honda dealer here in South Florida, and they had my car evaluated by the regional factory service rep. He said that it appeared to be due to my neglegance. After going into detail about my regular car care, he acknowloedges partial responsibility and offered to pay $800 towards the $2900 painting estimate, which wasn't even for the whole car, and he gave me 30 days to accept it.

I went to their painting division, where they stated that the whole car needed to painted for the job to be done right, for the total of $4300. I am infuriated because I asked the rep to reconsider his $800 offer since the price was more. No answer was ever given, and when I called the customer service number they brushed me off.

It is complete BS, and they are still using the same crappy clearcoat, and/or paint combination, and have continued to not acknowledge this problem. As another writer mentioned about getting their car repainted and Honda paying a portion, that's great. I would be thrilled to pay even $1000 to get the factory paint redone, but not 2/3 of $4300, that's unacceptable for a factory defect.

I have owned three different Hondas and leased 3 Hondas over the last 20+ years. I have had such great experiences with Honda until now. I will not be looking at Honda first the next time I am looking to my next vehicle purchase.

Zestar Corporation

Automotive painting is a science.

A typical finish consists of four layers:
1) electrocoat - provides corrosion protection
2) primer - protects electrocoat, stone chip resistance, adhesion
between basecoat and elctrocoat
3) basecoat - provides color to the vehicle
4) clearcoat - sunlight protection, scratch resistance, gloss
and appearance properties

Film thickness is a criteria used by the auto industry to ensure durability.

Each of the 4 layers must be at the proper film thickness specification.

If any of the individual layers is below specification. The vehicle would
be considered a factory paint defect.

A visible manifestation of low film thickness is paint peeling, body rusting and stone chipping.

Since the mid 1990s the auto industry while retaining ownership of the paint facilities have outsourced the process and quality responsibilities to multiple paint suppliers.

Outsourcing in this application is defined as a process in which a company
assigns its in-house operations to a third party.

Specifics on automotive paint suppliers roles within the facilities may be found in textbooks published both in Europe and America. The most recent textbook being released in 2008.

The paint suppliers actively market and advertise their outsourcing expertise with terms such as "Cost Per Unit" or "Pay As Painted" supplier programs. Outsourcing [Cost Per Unit] programs are common throughout Europe and America within the auto industry.

Not all vehicle flaws are associated with the paint itself, vehicle design and weathering will
impact the vehicle's finish.

It is our opinion that the automaker, auto dealer and consumer should not receive a vehicle painted below the automaker's film thickness specifications of any of the four layers that comprise a vehicle's finish.

We have analyzed the film thickness data of over 11,000 vehicles and have found that the measurements are below the automakers' specifications.

Low film thickness will cause paint failures.

Investigation summarized in press releases:
Billions Discovered for Recovery by Automakers
http://www.mmdnewswire.com/auto-industry-6716.html

and
New Books Reveal Vehicle Paint Quality Flaws Associated with Outsourcing
http://www.mmdnewswire.com/vehicle-paint-qualit...

A quick internet search for the following:

Toyota Paint Problems, Toyota Paint Peeling
Ford Paint Problems, Ford Paint Peeling
GM Paint Problems, GM Paint Peeling
Chrysler Paint Problems, Chrysler Paint Peeling
Honda Paint Problems, Honda Paint Peeling
Nissan Paint Problems, Nissan Paint Peeling

will return results back in the millions.

Public Interest best served by a "Truth in Finish Disclosure"
with the purchase of any vehicle.

The automakers trust their suppliers.

They should receive a finish painted to their specifications....

Automakers, auto dealers and consumers should receive a vehicle that
is not a factory defect at the time of purchase.

hightechdad

Wow, that is crazy! Please be sure to take pictures and post it to Flickr with the tags I mentioned in the article!

Christie

I have a 2003 Honda Accord that I bought brand new and it's doing the EXACT same thing. Mine's green!!

hightechdad

Please be sure to post pictures of your Honda to Flickr and tag them with the keywords listed in the article, THANKS!

Tylene

I have a 2002 black Honda Accord. Same problem with the paint becoming white on the roof (in the center, just above the windshield) and areas on the trunk lid. It is washed and waxed as needed AND parked in my garage!! It is SO irritating to see this happening! Has anything new happened with you trying to get Honda to pay for a paint job?

hightechdad

Thanks for the comment. Nothing has happened with my issue. I plan on
doing a follow up post on this soon. Please be sure to post your
photos to Flickr. Honda should really be listening especially with the
Toyota stuff going on!

devendrab

Thanks for the article and raising awareness. I have a 1997 Honda Accord 4-door LX Sedan.
Exact same problem, hood, roof and trunk. Sides look ok so far. This started happening about a year back and now a full blown problem. I had maintained the car well. Much older cars from other brands look ok. Didn't expect this from Honda !!
I don't really want to invest in the paint job, I asked around, it will be almost close to the residual cost of the car.
Will post pics asap.

hightechdad

I appreciate you posting the photos and leaving a comment. I'm hoping to continue raising awareness of this issue (especially in light of all of the Toyota recalls).

Carol Vertesch

I have the same problem with my 99 Honda Accord, dark green. It just started. I was going to go to the dealer, but obviously that doesn't work. I've had Honda's the past 16 years and this is the only car that has done this. Must be something with the paint for green. Hope something can be done!

Candace

I have a 1998 Honda Accord V6. It is dark purple in color. We purchased this car 6 years ago and about 6 mo ago the clear coat started to peel away on the roof and around the edge of the trunk. Since mine started doing this I know notice Honda Accords around the same year EVERWHERE that are doing this! Some are much worse than others. We took our car in to a body shop for an estamate to see how much it would cost to have it repaired. The paint guy told us that in '98 Honda started using a clear coat with a different base and since then this has been a major problem they see time and time again. After speaking to him. I then took the time to write Honda a letter concern this probelm. I told them how much we love our Honda's, that this is my second Honda I have personally owned, that i come from a family who drives Honda's and planned to give this Honda to my daughter in 3 yrs and then personally purchase a new Honda. However, I would not feel comfortable purchasing a new Honda if this was going to be the out come of the paint job on Honda's. I figured such a reputable company would not want cars looking this bad driving around as advertisment for their company. 5 days later i recieved a call from a RUDE customer service rep. and was told becasue there is no recall--they can not help me! In my letter I said I can not stand behind a company that will not stand behind their product and their customers. She said that is my opinion. I told her to "Google" Honda Accord Paint Problems and you will see that it is NOT just MY opinion but the opinion of almost ever Honda Acccord owner in or around that year of Accord. Needless to say, I will not be purchasing another Honda made vehicle. I know there is not a recall on them but maybe there SHOULD BE!!!!!

hightechdad

Thanks for your comment! If you haven't already, please take pictures
of your Honda and post to Flickr as described in my post. And if you
see other similar cars, document those as well. The more "evidence" we
compile as a group, the better. Thanks!

Candace

Unfortunately, I had it painted just a few weeks back and forgot to take pictures. big bummer but I wish EVERYONE luck in getting this resolved.

Kman

Same crap on our end. My wife and I leased a 2008 Honda Accord LX and last week I dropped my child's stuffed animal on the ground outside the car's rear passenger door. When I bent over to pick it up I noticed paint chipping from the frame's underside and side. It is an area that is about 8" long and 2" wide. You can see rust under one end of the chipping. This car is only 16 months old for crying out loud. We just took it in to our dealer, (which is under new ownership since June 2009) and they said, "oh well you have hit something and caused this to happen." BS!! If we hit something to cause that type of damage I am pretty sure we would have known it and looked at it immediately to prevent further problems. They are now telling us that it will be $215 to have the area repainted or $525 to fix it the right way. What ever that means? I am headed in their to talk with the service manager directly later today since this information was relayed from my wife who is rather ticked off when trying to explain it to me. Sounds like I am in for a ride from both the dealership and Honda Corporate. Thanks for your blog. I will try and report back with my end situation.

Greg Horton

I just want to remind others that in Sept 2009 I did get Honda to pay for 2/3 of the cost to paint all tops on my 2003 Accord with 80k miles on it (so out of warranty). It cost me $700 which I thought was fair and was a good precedent to see that Honda would pay for this type of thing. I dealt with a regional rep through my dealership.

Good luck!

williamstlck

I have the same issue on our 1999 Honda Accord (green). Like many others have said...i'm annoyed honda won't step up, won't ever buy another honda & am confident there is an issue with the clear coat that was used. This is clearly a loss for honda as they have lost out on many future purchases....this is the only problem we've had w/ the car and would have bought more hondas in the future if they would have stepped up. This was my first brand new car purchase & I spent 30k for a car w/a defective paint job. The interesting thing is that I had to get a new hood, that was painted by a local body shop, months after I got the car....needless to say, there aren't ANY issues with the paint on the hood. However, there's issues on the roof, trunk and top portion of the sides of the car. I've observed this same issue on most other green and black accords and civics from around the same time period. I don't notice this on other cars....This problem started with our car at least 4-5 years ago, so our warranty was expired. When I called Honda (local dealership where I bought the car and 800#), they of course did nothing. My husband says he will continue to drive this car to and from work in an effort to provide bad publicity for Honda....I will post pics. as soon as I have an opportunity.

hightechdad

Thanks for the details. Sounds very much like my situation. I wonder when this thread and the Flickr photos will hit a critical mass to where Honda listens (or some smart lawyer sees a class action case pending or something.

Mark

Thanks for creating this little page. I jumped on and threw some shots of my black 2001 Honda Leper (Accord) to Flickr with the tags you noted. I bought mine as certified used from a Honda dealership in 2005. Granted, I have lived in both Texas and Florida during the time I have owned it - however, the other thousands of much older cars I see on a daily basis can't be wrong. Funny how almost every car I see with this issue is a Honda. My first car was a '91 red Civic hatch - had it for 9 years with absolutely no issues cosmetic or mechanical. I figured I would be a Honda buyer forever based on this experience.. but no - besides the paint, which I can almost tolerate - I had to shell out $2500 a few months ago for a new transmission. I called Honda customer service and they blew off both complaints citing the car to be too old and "natural" wear and tear. I told the rep I would not be buying Honda again and she said "OK, bye."

Mark

Thanks for creating this little page. I jumped on and threw some shots of my black 2001 Honda Leper (Accord) to Flickr with the tags you noted. I bought mine as certified used from a Honda dealership in 2005. Granted, I have lived in both Texas and Florida during the time I have owned it - however, the other thousands of much older cars I see on a daily basis can't be wrong. Funny how almost every car I see with this issue is a Honda. My first car was a '91 red Civic hatch - had it for 9 years with absolutely no issues cosmetic or mechanical. I figured I would be a Honda buyer forever based on this experience.. but no - besides the paint, which I can almost tolerate - I had to shell out $2500 a few months ago for a new transmission. I called Honda customer service and they blew off both complaints citing the car to be too old and "natural" wear and tear. I told the rep I would not be buying Honda again and she said "OK, bye."

outsource iphone development

Generally Hondas are good in their work but after seeing these snapshots i m shocked totally... don't know what to say...

KF

I am having the same problem with my 2003 Honda Civic LX - blue. It is looking really bad. I can't believe Honda will not correct this problem and so many people are having it.

ashleysf

I have my 1997 Black Honda Accord LX that has paint peeled everywhere. IT seems that this happens only on the darker shades of paint of Accords of this year. My neighbor's white accord of the same vintage still looks good. I am so embarrassed to drive my car and every day, the damage gets worse. I bought this car because I like Honda - maybe it is time to stop giving my money to them and buy other cars???

Peter

I have 1997 hond accord green color and is doing same thing.
My roof top color iand trunk color is also fadding.
Actually I was looking for good painting shop and I found this link to read.
Now I know for sure that it is honda motor color quality or process problem.
I don't know honda dealer will accept this as their problem or not?
Peter

xtina019

Wow! So hard to believe we are all having the same issue and nothing is being done! I love everything about my black 2002 Accord SE, but the paint situation is so frustrating! My car looks so awful and embarrassing on the outside, but it runs beautifully and the inside is perfect. Spending $3000 on a new paint job just seems like a waste. If I'm going to drop 3k it will be towards a new car. I would have no reason to even consider a new car if it weren't for this. I love Hondas, but this just seems like a deal breaker to me. Something needs to be done or Honda is going to lose a lot of customers.

AKSF

Same problem here with a 2000 Accord EX Black. Don't even have 65,000 miles on it, and it's in great shape, except it looks like it's 25 years old with all the peeling paing. Just went out and took photos and will load them to the Flickr page and tag. Honda said it would be almost $5K (here in S. Florida) to paint since I'm way out of warranty. Started happening in 2006.

hightechdad

Thanks for the information and I appreciate you loading the pictures
to Flickr. We are definitely getting a good bunch of "evidence" to
talk to Honda about.

Barbara

I have the same issue with my 2002 Honda Accord. I have been in contact with Honda on this issue and are not willing to assist me. If you have any solutions, let me know.

Barbara

I have the same issue with my 2002 Honda Accord. I have been in contact with Honda on this issue and are not willing to assist me. If you have any solutions, let me know.

orthoqueen12

I have the same problem with my 2003 Accord!! Talked to the dealer when it was under warranty and they blew me off saying it was a result of the Florida sun!!! I have spots on my roof, trunk, and hood- clear coat peeling off with white underneath. It's now 6 years old and looks crappy because of the paint job. I had a 1999 black Accord and paint never did that. I plan on keeping it as long as it continues to run so am considering getting it spot painted before it starts rusting.

Name

i have a 2003 black accord and the roof in the last month has started to turn white in several spots. 45,000 miles

Nancy Shay

I have a 1995 Honda Civic. My clear coat is peeling off in sheets. 6 years ago I had an accident and the hood was replaced. 2 years later the hood clear coat peeled. I went back to the repair shop and had the clear coat redone for free. Then the front fenders started to peel and now the hood clear coat is peeling off again in sheets like tissue paper. It's a real shame. My car only has 56,000 miles on it. It must be something with the clear coat not adhering to the paint.

christie_sears

I am yet another victim of clear coat failure. I have a 1998 dark green Civic DX. I am taken aback by how many people have had this same issue. I thought it was something I had done (or not done). I bought the car from a used car dealer with 185K miles on it (super high, I know). The paint looked good when I first got it. Now, my poor car has "skin cancer". The rear bumper is bubbled and mostly peeled off, the trunk is starting to go, the roof is peeling and white on one side, and the hood has cracks all over it. The doors seem fine for the most part though. My car now has over 200K on it and runs like a champ but looks like crap. I will post pictures later since I'm at work right now.

curtstratton

I have a 2000 Accord EX that's dark green and was garaged for the first 5 years. I've had to park it outside for the last 4 years, and the paint is doing the same thing on the roof. After reading all these posts, I'm worried it's just going to spread. I've been thinking of getting a new paint job to fix it, but now I think I'm going to take it to my local dealership and complain. Thanks for all the feedback!

Vince

I have a black 2000 accord the was bought new and the clear coat is chipped completey off the roof, mostly off the trunk and is going down the sides. The hood is fine because we had it fixed due to an accident around 03.

codyyyy

This is great. I have an '05 Accord, Graphite Pearl. The clearcoat is peeling off the front bumper and, as of yesterday, the passenger 1/4 panel. The paint has also faded horribly on the area above the driver side door. I am planning on taking it to the dealership in the next few days.

Anybody else with a newer model Honda had any luck? Do I need to mention this 'goodwill warranty'?

codyyyy

Okay, I buffed the fading out myself over the past 2 nights. I still have the peeling clearcoat though...

I am planning on taking it to 1 of 3 local Honda dealerships Friday afternoon to see if they have any goodwill at all towards my 4 year old paint peeling off. If the first dealership doesn't, I guess I'll take a few crosstown trips to other dealerships.

Greg Horton

Honda might pay. They paid for 2/3 of mine, with 83k miles on my green 2003 Accord. I paid $750 to get all tops painted a few weeks ago. I talked to a regional rep at my dealership.

Ridgecliff

Greg, that's exciting that you got someone within the Honda dealership network to address the issues we're all having with our paint jobs proactively. Can you share where your regional rep is located? I'm wondering if they're nearby any of the people here. Heck, maybe if we all reach out to that one regional rep you worked with, it will move up the pipeline.

I have a 1998 EX Accord, dark green... it's so embarrassing to drive, especially since the car is in great shape otherwise and only has 75K miles! Yes, it's an older vehicle I suppose but it runs just fabulously- but with the paint job as it is deteriorating, to paint it would costs as much as to sell it!

Marc

Why isn't some law firm catching on to this and launching a class action lawsuit? Honda isn't going to respond to individuals (I naively tried). I keep hoping to find a class action suit.

Name

My 1998 Accord has had the very same thing happen on the hood in the last few months.

Dave in NC

ed

I have a 1998 Honda Accord LX 4dr sedan. I bought it new. The clear-coat on the roof started peeling several years ago. No it got so bad that driving around is absolutely embarassin, and sell it is hard.

hightechdad

If you can, please post pictures on Flickr with the tags I mention in
the article. Thanks!

iwanttobuyitnow@yahoo.com

My Black 2004 Honda Accord has the exact same problem. Although it is not as advanced as the pictures you've posted, the rubbing off of the clear coat on the hood of the vehicle looks identical. Since I purchased the car brand new from the dealership--and I have read many other complaints on the internet--I called American Honda Corporation directly. When I explained the situation to them, they told me there were no recalls and there was nothing they could do about it. When I mentioned the "Good Will Program" (which is apparently some sort of "TOP SECRET" program that Honda doesn't want us to know about) that will cover certain repairs if Honda knows there has been an issue but is unwilling to recall the vehicles, they told me my mileage (96,000) was to high to qualify for any type of assistance. I don't understand whether I've driven 40,000 miles or 96,000 miles--I'm not asking them to replace a component of my vehicle; we are talking about the paint. The length of time is the same regardless of mileage, and to me, 5 years of owning a car that was purchased brand new does not justify peeling paint! I've taken care of my car--I haven't left it parked under trees and there haven't been a bunch of bird droppings on my car that have caused this (as others have suggested). It is apparent to me that this is a defect that Honda has been unwillingly to fix. I am very disappointed, and I must say that this will definitely make me think about buying another Honday (and this is my 3rd).

vinh

I have a 1998 Honda Accord EX V6 that shows the peeling of the paint like the ones you show in your article. I have been very tempted to replace it since it isn't appealing. My wife never drives the car because its embarrassing to drive it. I only drive it to the park-n-ride to meet up with my vanpool. The only upside to the peeling paint is that my car hasn't been a victim of vandalism.

I got a quote of $2700 to repaint the whole car but I think I rather spend that money on a newer car. I am definitely staying away from the Honda brand for my next car! If Honda would support particle cost of the repaint, I might reconsider them again as I like the reliability.

Greg Horton

Hi all,

I posted here awhile ago about my green 2003 Accord with failing clearcoat. The car has 83k miles on it now (I bought it brand new and paid for extended warranty) I ended up meeting with a regional Honda rep at the dealership I bought my Accord at, and they had me get a repaint estimate which ended up being about $2200. They took pictures and I told them my story, and they came back and offered to pay for 2/3 of the cost to repaint the tops of the car. I knew from reading here and elsewhere that Honda has not offered to pay anything, and with the high mileage I felt that was fair so I agreed. So last week I took the car in and paid $750 to get the tops of the front fenders, hood, rook, tops of rear quarter panels and trunk repainted. I got the car back Friday and it looks like new. I have posted photos of the paint issues on Flickr (http://www.flickr.com/photos/40694147@N06/sets/...). I know this looks just like what so many of you see on your cars. I hope that you might be able to use this information to help get at leat some of your costs covered for paint jobs. If you any questions or I can help you out please let me know. Good luck!

Greg in MA

hightechdad

Thanks for posting those pictures. Can you please add the tags I
mention in the article to your Flickr set? That way we can be sure to
have all of these pictures together. Thanks!

Greg Horton

Sure. I added all of the tags you suggested and can see my photos with many other on Flickr now.

Greg Horton

I also just posted a "Thanks to Honda" on my Twitter page (budgrant0). Just trying to get it out in the open that they did acknowledge that this was a defactive paint job that they should pay at least part of the cost to fix.

"
Thanks Honda of America for acknowledging the defective paint job on my 2003 Accord , and partially paying to repaint all tops of my car
"

hightechdad

One of my buddies took a video of an Accord showing same clear coat peel issues: http://bit.ly/UTL1E

aniyah darielle

Are any of you calling this in to Honda? They will not issue a recall until they have enough complaints. complaining on the internet is not going to get us any JUSTICE. Please call 1-800-999-1009 and report this, I too have the peeling paint on the hood, and it's very embarrassing and upsetting.

Gordon H

Dark Green 1997 Civic - exact same problem. Paint disappearing from roof and starting to go on trunk. I have called Honda about this and they say it was caused by sun. Until the last year, I always garaged car at night. Days it was parked outside, but if sun were the cause of this issue, wouldn't every car regardless of make have the same issue? After this experience, I will never buy another Honda again.

defective_product_lawyer

This is cool! And so interested! Are u have more posts like this? Plese tell me, thanks

Ryan

I just found this site as I was searching for a solution to the same problem, with my 1999 Accord V6. I am out of town for a few weeks, and will try to post some pics once I return, but know that you have another person who will join in a class-action suit.

Also, a suggestion to everyone who has yet to repaint and wants to avoid $3000 costs: based on my research if you sand down your old paint job yourself, and prime it yourself if you have the time, a Signature job from Maaco should hold up ($1300). Assessments on their paint jobs seem to say that their paint jobs bubble and peel quickly because they do not complete proper prep work. I am considering taking this course of action when I return. I realize this is a lot of work, but it saves a lot of money.

hightechdad

Interesting idea and thanks for the suggestion. Can't wait to see the
pictures.

Patrick

Well all. I got a final response from Honda. I wrote them a nasty-gram and sent pictures of my 2002 Accord (Black) with 45K Miles on it that looks like it has seen war time. I told them we own 4 Honda's, one of which we already had painted (1998 Forest Green Accord, sound familiar?). I also sent a copy to Perma Plate. No response from them. Anyway, Honda called and said they are sticking to their decision to do nothing. My response was that they have defective clear coat and if they are unwilling to admit, let alone do anything about it, they are not the type of company that I would do further business with. I flat told him that we are not going to buy another Honda again. He said he would make a note of it. I said, don't bother and hung up. Note to all out there: Unless you want to spend 4 to 5 grand in 5 years on paint job, DON'T buy a Honda.

rgoshey

I have the exact same problem with my green 1998 Accord EX. It started on the trunk at both corners right near the back window. Later it showed up on the roof. The hood of the car is not as bad as far as the white showing up but the hood definitely has lost its shine even though I took good care of it over the years. I was at Pathmark the other day and there were three other green Accords in the parking lot with the exact same problem! I found it most embarrassing just recently when I had to attend a funeral and all my relatives noticed how bad my car looked in the parking lot. However, I do feel the problem is sun-related as this only happens on the top surfaces of the car. The sides of my car still look brand new!

angela2003

OMG. My blk 2003 Honda accord also. I want to start a class action lawsuit. Honda would not offer to do anything and yes that includes corporate honda america. They were actually worse than the dealer. My car's VIN # has an A at seven characters to the right as a previous poster apparently this was manufactured in Ohio about the same date. Can we all start a class action lawsuit? How do you start that?

jimlee68

My god - I can't believe this is still on-going. My wifes 1997 Accord has the same issue, mainly on the hood and front driver's side panel. looks absoultely AWFUL! I can't believe that Honda hasn't done anything to correct this problem.

CS

I have a black 2002 Honda Accord with around 65,000 miles with the same problem-peeling on hood, top and trunk. I called my dealership, they said it was a maintenance problem. My car looks terrible and it is not that old.

Carol

Mine is also a 2002, dark green, with 62,000 miles. My paint issue began approx. three years ago. It encompasses the hood, roof and door. My car runs great & I just had some major maintenance done since I hope to keep the car for some time. I hate driving it because it looks so bad. This is the first new car I have ever owned and the interior looks like new - what a disappointment

Carol

Mine is also a 2002, dark green, with 62,000 miles. My paint issue began approx. three years ago. It encompasses the hood, roof and door. My car runs great & I just had some major maintenance done since I hope to keep the car for some time. I hate driving it because it looks so bad. This is the first new car I have ever owned and the interior looks like new - what a disappointment

Jack VandenHengel

Incredible, all of us with the same unresolved clear coat issues with Honda! Mine is a black 2001 Accord EX. I'm taking it to the Honda dealer in a few days to plead my case. The car looks horrible and here in Baltimore I've seen a bunch in the same condition.

lindaloveless

I purchased a brand-new 2001 Honda Accord EX-V6 in December, 2000--it was a stunning vehicle (black) until about 1-1&half years ago. The paint began deteriorating badly beginning as a whitish color--initially, the whitish color began on the driver side back of the roof-- it is now down to the gray metal. Other areas began to also have the whitish color: on top of roof near the sunroof, on the trunk, along the sides of the vehicle near the pin-striping and on the hood--pretty well, all over. I am totally ashamed to drive my car now--but, it runs great--since, I also have another vehicle, a 2006 Toyota Highlander--also bought new, I really have low mileage on my Accord--it's around 56-57,000 miles. I've taken it in to the Honda dealership where I purchased it, but they never admit to any problems with defective Honda paint. I have asked around local body shops and they price anywhere between $2,500-$3,500 to paint the entire car and I simply refuse to pay their price--I have owned several cars during my life, but none of them have ever required a paint job. I am in a quandry as to what to do. But, Honda definitely needs to 'fess up' to all these horrific paint jobs--if nothing is done by Honda to rectify this situation, I will never purchase another Honda!!!

Kyle D

I think that I'm a little out of standard timeframe for this issue, but I am having many of these same problems. I have a 1997 Accord SE and aside from very minor wear and tear over the years, the only other visual issue with the car is the fading paint. My trouble spots are on the hood, roof and trunk...much like everyone else. I can't seem to find too much info on my year of the Accord and I'm sort of hoping that others might be able to help me determine if I belong in the same boat as the rest. I'm not too inclined to spend thousands of dollars on a paint job for a 12 year old car.

I'll try to post some pictures to Flickr later this weekend.

ambiek

Hello... I too am a Honda owner. I own a 2003 Honda Accord that is chipping the same way as the honda above.I am so irritated with this issue. I think that a car less than 10 yrs old should not be peeling, chipping, fading... what ever your car is doing. Mine is horrid! I keep my car up and it looks horrible to look at on the outside. I am the second owner of this Honda. I feel that there has to be a defect in the clear coat . My honda too is a green honda. Can anyone give advice as to what I do to fix it.....

Julianne

We also have a dark green 1998 Accord Ex. Your pictures could be pictures of our car! It looks exactly the same. The clear coat started peeling about 5 years ago.

hightechdad

It would be great if you could post some pictures of your Honda to
Flickr, complete with the tags I mention. Thanks!

pattersonlindsey

I added pictures of my car ('98 Green Honda Accord).... http://www.flickr.com/photos/41573261@N05/

hightechdad

Thanks for doing that! Wow, your clear coat peel looks almost worse
than mine! Definitely an issue!

pattersonlindsey

From what I've heard through the grapevine, this is why the green color has been discontinued. None of the newer colors of Honda paint have had these problems. I will stay a loyal Honda owner even though i've had this problem. I just believe it was this one color, and will brush it off. Oh well. at least my car runs good!

hightechdad

Thanks for doing that! Wow, your clear coat peel looks almost worse
than mine! Definitely an issue!

Patrick

I forgot to mention that my car was Perma Plated also and it still has the clear coat rot. I wonder if this will make any difference to Honda or Perma Plate? Any knowledge out there would be appreciated. Also, again I want to mention to everyone to keep an eye out for Acura's with the same problem. I have not seen any. Let me know what you find.

mohammedsk

I also have the same problem. I have 1998 Honda Accord LX, the clear coat started peeling of the roof. It is always getting worse. It is like a cancer, it keeps on spreading. Now my trunk paint started on peeling as well. The cancer has also reached the side panels. The car runs great, I just wish it does not have this problem. I took it to the local Honda dealer and they said it will cost me about $3000 to get it re-painted.

Some pictures I have posted in Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/41245674@N05/38031...

ramya_arun

I also have the same problem with the same model(98 honda accord ). i totally agree with mohammeddsk , it is like cancer n spreads fast. first paint started peeling off on the roof now its started even on the front and the back. it looks so horrible.. its really frustating me. pls help me if there is any solution. mean while i wil upload the photos on flickr.

Name

After reading all the posts, I figured I would detail my journey into getting my paint re-done since many of you have not been able to. (I wrote the post above)

With my green 2003 Accord LX, I noticed in 2006 that the paint fading on the roof, trunk, and side panels. I took it to the dealership and told them that it was still under warranty. I was nice but bascially told them I would not go away unless they re-painted it. I left my car for the American Honda rep to look at. They outsourced the paint job to a local body shop that used PPG paint.

Fast forward to 2007, I noticed the horizontal sides between the window and doors beginning to fade. Again, I took it to a different dealership and that section looks brand new still today because they did NOT use PPG brand paint.

Today, in July 2009, the same sections I had painted in 2006 are fading, along with the area around the license plate and the driver side back door and the horizontal section along the window and door. I again took it to the same dealership I did in 2007 and they referred me to a body shop that uses PPG paint. I have not had to pay any money out of pocket for labor. I keep saying that Honda should be quality and I should not have to pay for their shotty paint (I had a '96 black Honda civic before my Accord and the paint never faded! Also, I live in Florida.) The body shop took pictures this morning and is going to speak to the PPG rep. The body shop rep said that PPG should cover the entire thing.... I am currently waiting to see how things turn out....

The key to what I believe was my success was alerting the dealership to the problem when it began and still under warranty. It seems that some of you do not have that luxury because of the length of time before your car showed fading. My advice is to be persistent and not let Honda get away with this. After this experience with this car, I will be buying another brand of car!

Name

Hey everyone,

I have an update to my 2003 green accord being re-painted. The PPG rep met me yesterday. He said that the orginal body shop that put a new clear coat didn't put enough on my car, so that is why it is turning. They said that some body shops skimp on the clear coat to save money and that there should be at least 2mm of clear coat on the car. The body shop that re-painted my car thought because it was three years old at the time, that I would sell it before I noticed the fading again. My estimate was $2,500 and they are covering it for free. Remember, I addressed this situation with my dealership within the 3 year warranty (in 2006) and still have continued to have problems, but still has been within warranty timeframes which is why they are taking care of my paint again.

I have read the posts below and while a class action lawsuit is a good idea, the people that win with class action suits are the lawyers...not the participants. I highly doubt that any judge will award cars that are close to 10+ years old to be re-painted for free or at a discount. You cannot expect any company to cover issues 10 years after the product has been made, unless there is a lifetime warranty. I wish you all luck!

mohammedsk

I also have the same problem. I have 1998 Honda Accord LX, the clear coat started peeling of the roof. It always gets worse. It is like a cancer, it keeps on spreading. Now my trunk paint started on peeling as well. The cancer has also reached the side panels. The car runs great, I just wish it does not have this problem. I took it to the local Honda dealer and they said will cost me about $3000 to get it re-painted.

Some pictures I have posted in Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/41245674@N05/38031...

Name

I am having the same issues with my green 03 accord despite regular washings/waxings & garage kept at work for 1.5 years. My paint began to fade around 2006 but did not get as bad as yours. I immediately took it to the dealer and demanded that they repaint it. I have had the sections painted twice and am now trying to get the SAME areas re-painted again. Apparently it is the PPG brand paint used. If you are unsatisfied from your dealer, contact American Honda because they will pay for it.

While it might be too late because your car is older, the problem should have been addressed when you first noticed the issue. It is definitely a defective issue. I even had the sales manager at a Honda dealership mention that the green and burgundy colors are prone to fading. Good luck!

Name

This is exactly what my 1998 Civic looks like - it really is a shame!! Before this Civic, I drove a 1983 Accord - and after selling it when it was 16 yrs old, the paint wasn't anywhere close to what this paint job looks like. All my cars are parked outside and none look like this Civic. It really is embarrassing to drive around. I will be taking pictures today and posting them to flickr with the tags you suggested. Thanks. Hopefully something will come out of this and we can get our cars repainted.

Stuart

Same story here - 2001 Accord V6, Dark Emerald Pearl. Roof "going bad". Spoke to dealer yesterday, said problem is across all makes with the dark green through about 2005. Service tech said nothing can be done and no assistance available due to milage (175K). Interestingly, he said they refer to it as "car skin cancer".

Patrick

I had mentioned Acura in the past because I know they are made by Honda. I have been looking for this problem on Acura's and have not seen the peeling problem. Has anyone else made this observation or have I just been lucky (unlucky?) in spotting them? If this is the case, any excuse from Honda goes right out the window.

copyguy31

20/20 or your local affiliate will not be airing any of your complaints, I can say that for sure. Take a look at how many Honda commercials are on the station. Advertising is how these stations make their money; do you think they would jeopardize that revenue just to help you? By the way I completely support your cause; I have scratched Honda from my new car list. Toyota doesn’t seem to have this problem from what I can tell.

RPF

Same problem here:

Blue 2003 Honda Civic LX. About a month ago, the clear coat began peeling on the roof near the front and rear windows, as well as on both the hood and trunk. Within 1 month, the spots have grown like cancer, and are each almost a foot wide.

If nothing else can be done, I may just hit the spots with a quick clear coat to try to prevent the spread... the result may not be perfect, but anything would beat the peeling.

I will try to post pictures to Flickr soon.

deniseda

Yes, I am having the same problem with my 2003 Honda Accord Coupe. It started with the roof and is now on the sides of the car. Has Honda done a recall or are there any other legal actions that have been taken?

JayR79

will upload pictures today---just got a $4500 quote for the exact same problem--2002 Honda accord in great shape other than the paint. Did you ever get any positive response anywhere on how to handle other than paying out or dumping the car?

hightechdad

Thanks for uploading the pictures. No, I haven't received any type of
positive response. My next step is to take the car into the dealer and
start complaining again.

cdeville

My 96 Accord is in the same shape (actually, not quite as extensive, yet). Any advice on what to do about it? Aside from repainting the car, is there anything that can be done to protect the metal and retard this disintegration...and, just make it look a little better? Should I wax it?

thanks!
John...

hightechdad

I don't have any advice. What I have noticed is that once it starts,
it really is difficult to stop and will continue. You could try to
cover the car to protect it from the elements which will delay the
process.

Denise

I have a 2001 Accord and the problem that I've been having since 2006 is that the paint on the right door panel is bubbling up, flaking off, and then rusting underneath. Only on this one panel is this happening, which makes me think that the paint job on this panel was definitely defective. I take excellent care of the car with washes and waxes, so I don't understand why this would be happening. I was hoping to hear a positive story of someone that contacted someone from Honda corporate that was able to stand behind Honda and fix their problem.

hightechdad

Thanks for the information. Please be sure to submit some photos to
Flickr. Honda still isn't listening so I may have to go the dealer
route and then Consumer Protection thereafter.

j

i have an 09 accord coupe and the paint near the headlight on the bumper is starting to chip/peel of. went to dealership and they said they need to repaint the whole bumper on a month old new car that is BS. i told the service manager that that would make my car lose value and he said it would not again BS. contacted honda and they said i should have noticed that at delivery. trust me i just noticed it when i washed it and it is not easily visible since it is in the inside gap betwen the side panel and teh bumper. been over 2 weeks and still waititng for sales manager to contact me he said he would get back to me in an hour. contacted honda and they said there is no recall on that model and said could nto help me didnt even want to allowe regional representative to mee twith me.

hightechdad

Wow, that sounds like a real bummer. I wonder what is going on with
their customer service and support. Times are hard for everybody!

hightechdad

I just got off the phone with Honda Customer Support. Without even looking at the pictures, they said there is nothing that can be done. They base everything on the age of the car and the fact that the warranty for paint is 3 years. No exceptions.

Frankly I'm a bit surprised that they don't want to take even one more step to see what can be done, perhaps through a local dealer or anything. This will definitely make me reconsider buying a Honda in the future since if their products cannot stand up over time and they are unwilling to do anything about it to retain customers, there is no reason for me to invest in a product like that.

I think I will have to pursue a Consumer Action Group or something to get the attention that this deserves. There are just too many other people who seem to be encountering the same issue for the same model for around the same year. I see other cars that are older (even Hondas) that look just fine.

I sure hope they didn't change the magic ingredients of the clear coat on my year in order to be more environmentally friendly (I'm all in favor of saving the environment, but not at the expense of having a shoddy product). Were there long term tests done on changed formulas? Or are we the result of that?

Come on Honda, you need to listen a bit better!

mommysnofun

Same for us...1997 Accord bought new..."eucalyptus green" ...pricing paint now...really sucks. We want to give the car to our 16 year old but it would embarrass her if not re-painted. The hood started first, moved to the roof. The car has 178,000. miles on it--and runs great--such a shame.

mommysnofun

Same story with our Green '97 Accord...getting paint estimates now...sucks

Karen

I have a Honda Acord EX 2001 -same color- same car- exact same problem. Roof is starting - already about 1 1/2 feet of white and speading
trunk is beginning to go white starting on the back lid and the hood is starting with white spots. I also have the rim beginning to damage. The sides are perfect.
I was just at the Honda dealer and they sent me for a quote and told me it was FL sun. The quote is 952 dollars and it does not include the hood. The painter told me call my insurance CO and let them know the sun has vandalized my paint.
I only have a foot and a half of damage at this point so I was not going to paint it. I have been driving a Honda for 20 years- this is my third- I lemon lawed the first one and they are not an easy Co to work with but after reading your post I am going to see if they will cover it. Glad you posted!

Faisal

I have the same problem with my 2003 Honda Accord EX. It's a dark green color and the clear coat is fading and peeling on the roof near the windshield and back window. It is also fading and peeling on the top of the trunk as well as the driver sider fender. I took my car to Honda of Leesburg, VA and they said there's nothing they can do and that they've never heard of this problem. They said to contact American Honda. I asked them to speak with a regional representative and they said they would get back to me. It's been almost 2 weeks now. If anyone has any luck with a Honda dealership or American Honda please let us know.

hightechdad

Thanks for the note. I plan on contacting Honda Customer Service
shortly and will follow up with what happens with me. In the meantime,
please be sure to take pictures and if you can, post them to Flickr
with the tags I mentioned in my article.

Faisal

I finally added my pics to Flickr. You can check them out there. At this point I have spoken to American Honda and they say they have never heard of this problem. They are unwilling to help in any way. The only thing they said is you can take it to your local dealership and the American Honda warranty rep, who comes to the dealerships only once a month, can take a look at it. I have spoken now to 3 dealerships in the Northern Va area. All of them are saying they have not heard about this, 'really? paint is peeling? we've never heard of such a thing". They went on to say that since it's out of warranty (3 yr 36K miles) they won't be able to do anything. I also mentioned some kind of goodwill assistance and they have said that it's extremely unlikely. Now I have to wait appx 3 weeks to try to get an appt with the American Honda Warranty rep. Based on conversations I've had with multiple Honda dealership service managers this process is unlikely to bear any fruit. If anyone is in the Northern Va area we can try to tackle this problem as a group. Maybe this will push Honda in the right direction. Legal action should also be on our minds.

FL gal

I, too have had the same problem and almost the same car. I have an 2003 Green Accord LX. My paint began to fade in 2006 after garage kept at work for 1.5 years. (I wrote a posting about my journey) and my car is now having to be re-painted for a 4th time. One problem that I have identified is the PPG brand paint used. It seems to accelerate the "cancer," at least in my case.

I believe my luck was that the paint started to fade within the 3 year warrenty, otherwise in 2007 when the other side began to fade they were not going to re-paint it. I bascially kicked and screamed till they painted it out of "goodwill." I'm afraid that since your car is six years old, they may do the same song and dance of it being out of warranty and that you should have waxed your car, which someone told me. I wish you all the luck!! Be aggresive!!

Faisal

The paint was getting progressively worse so we just gave up and decided to trade it in. The whole trunk was now white and the side panels were getting much worse. We had positive equity and bought it used for a pretty good price so we came out okay. Still really annoyed though. Good luck everyone!

hightechdad

Sounds like the same story as me. Thanks for adding the photos to
Flickr. Don't forget to tag them with the tags I mentioned in the post.

Good luck!

Greg H

Fantastic. Thanks for starting this. I count 4 dark green 2003 Accords with this issue in this forum. We really need to get pistures together for comparison. I just called my Honda dealer to ask if there was a way to pin down an exact date/place of manufacture. There is a tag in the driver's door jam that shows the date to the month. Mine was 11/02 (early in the runs for 2003 Accords probably, with 2003 being the first year for this body style). Also, the 7th character from the right end of the VIN number shows the location of manufacture. For me it's an "A" meaning Marysville Ohio. I wonder of these other green 2003 Accords are from the same time period and location?

Patrick

Contacted 7 on your side and here is the response I received:

Thank you for writing to 7 On Your Side. Unfortunately, we are unable to help you with your problem. However, numerous resources exist for consumers experiencing problems with the auto industry. For help with your specific problem, please contact one of the following:

Repair Problems- Bureau of Automotive Repair (800) 952-5210

Used Car Sales- Department of Motor Vehicles (800) 777-0133

(or your local DMV investigations office listed in your phone book)

New Car Sales - New Motor Vehicle Board, Consumer Mediation Services Program

(916) 445-1888

Lemon Law - Department of Consumer Affairs (800) 952-5210

Recalls - National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (888) 327-4236

Insurance - California Department of Insurance (800) 927-4357

All Other Problems - Department of Consumer Affairs (800) 952-5210

Better Business Bureau- Autoline (800) 955-5100

We hope this information is helpful. Thank you for watching ABC-7 News and 7 On Your Side.

hightechdad

Thanks for the list of contact information. That is pretty much what I
received from them as well when I contacted them. Be sure to post
photos on Flickr. It helps build the credibility of the story.

mkmannella

Sorry for all the posts. This is the first time I've posted to a blog and I didn't realize that the most recent comments appeared at the BOTTOM of the page. I didn't see my comment, so I just kept on posting . . .

mkmannella

Same problem on a dark green 2003 Accord. Interestingly, the deterioration is limited to the same areas (roof, hood and trunk) but there is a clear demarcation line on all these surfaces where there is no issue at all - the clear coat is peeling only on the periphery. I talked to the factory rep and he offered the same deal. Pay for half the cost at the dealer's body shop. Sounds like collusion (or is it called collision in the autobody biz?).

I didn't notice the problem until after the warrenty expired, so in a way I can understand that they are not interested in paying the full price for a repair. However, it is clearly a factory defect and I agree that Honda should do everything they can to keep a loyal customer. I am not averse to looking at other brands next time if I don't get this resolved.

I am going to contact the dealer where I originally purchased the car to see if they have had other complaints. The clear damage lines on my car look like it could have been something that was done on the lot while the peel-off plastic they use to ship vehicles was still intact, which would have protected the areas that are undamaged. Maybe they'll be up front about it . . .who knows. I'll post after I talk to them.

Greg H

I have the same issue with my 2003 green Accord. I think that by the VIN# there is a way to find out a date of manufacture for these cars. I wonder if something could nail down a certain time that cars with this issue were painted?

hightechdad

Thanks for the comment. (BTW, I removed some duplicate comment posts.) It would be great if you could post the pictures to Flickr and tag them with the tags that I note in the post. Let me know how it all goes! Thanks!

Deborah

Thank you for article, I thought it was just my 98 Honda, but when I saw the pictures of you 98 Accord it is peeling exactly like mine. I am embarrassed to drive it even though it runs great it looks terrible. I have no idea where to start or who to complain to...but from what I am reading on the internet Honda doesn't seem to think it is their problem. Very frustrating. At any rate, thank you for the information.

hightechdad

Hi Deborah,

It would be great if you could post some photos of your car (as I have
mentioned) to Flickr with the tags that I have listed. I also (in the
comments) posted the phone number for Honda Customer Service which
might be a good place to start. That is what I'm going to do.

Thanks,
Michael

Mary Ann

I have a 2002 Honda Accord V6 that looks just like this car. I am planning on contacting Honda soon. I have 1995 accord which has no such paint prooblems.
Any advise about who to contact other than the service manager.

hightechdad

I have been told that we should all contact Honda Customer service at:
1-800-999-1009 . I plan on doing this shortly and will post results of
my conversation.

In the meantime, please be sure you take some pictures of your car and
post it to Flickr as I have mentioned in the post with the appropriate
tags. Thanks!

TIMMONS

I HAVE 2003 HONDA V6...DARK GREEN, AS WELL; I THOUGHT THE CAR WASH MAY HAVE BEEN MY PROBLEM...I CAR LOOKS AWFUL!!!!! BETWEEN THE FRONT WINDSHIELD AND SUNROOF, BEHIND THE SUNROOF, FRONT AND BACK HOOD.......NOW GOING DOWN ON THE SIDE. MY AIR CONDITIONER IS NOT WORKING; TRYING TO GET THAT REPAIRED..THEN I THOUGHT...WHY NOT JUST TRADE THE DARN THING; I KNOW I AM GOING TO TAKE A MAJOR LOSS......I STILL AM GOING TO CALL HONDA. I WILL LET YOU KNOW THEIR REACTION TO MY CALL. I AM SO THANKFUL THAT I FOUND THIS INFO THAT YOU HAVE. IT ATLEAST HAS RELIEVED ME ABOUT THE CAR-WASH. MARIA FROM SOUTH CAROLINA.

Greg H

Hey all. I have the same paint issue with my 2003 dark green Accord EX. It's only on the driver's side, starting at the rear roof but now in front of the sunroof, on the hood and trunk. It's really bad. I ahve never had this problem this bad on any other car. It looks like lines on the hood so it seems like a problem occurred during the spraying process during manufacturing. I did auto body work for 10 years and I know that a good paint job should not result in these issues regardless of hoe the finish is treated. I could see if a single spot had an issue due to chemicals, bird or tree stuff or something getting in there but this widespread area and only in the one section all the way over the car has to be from a manufacturing defect in my opinion. When I first went to my dealer they offered to pay half to paint it but that was just the roof and trunk. I did not do that (it was last year) and since then the hood has started to go. Has anybody tried contacting Honda of America directly about this? I will post some pictured to Flickr as you suggested. Thanks for starting this thread! Greg in MA

hightechdad

Great! Thanks for posting pictures. That will be helpful. I think I
have reached a dead end with Corporate Customer Service. I need to hit
the dealer again...then go to a Customer Protection group or
something. I did try to contact Honda (which I wrote about in this
post: http://www.hightechdad.com/2009/07/14/the-dos-a...)
and the result as not great.

Greg H

When I talked to me dealer yesterday, they told me the factory rep was coming this Thursday (7/23/09) and asked me to come by to meet with him. I plan to do that so I will post here what I find out. On one hand I'd love to tell him about all of the cases we see here, but not sure if he would be afraid to set a precedent if he offers me anything. I'll probably bring that up if he offers nothing. In retrospect, last year when they offered immediately to pay for half of the paint (not considering the hood which has gotten bad since then) maybe I should have taken it, as the service guy yesterday said that they have really clamped down on paying out now with this economy. I would hape that the idea of having these cards on th road with these paint issues is not going to be good for sales is enough to get thim to help fix it but obviously from what we here that is not the case. I work as an engineer at a place where the parking lot is full of Hondas, Toyotas, BMWs, Nissans and when people who are considering buying something new and they see my car it's not going to sway them towards Honda, that's for sure!

hightechdad

Please be sure you take some pictures and put them on Flickr with the
appropriate tags (most importantly "hondaccpeel". Thanks!

jim

hello, good info but the silly red "feedback" tab on the left side, and the highlighting throughout the article (i searched google and found this site, and this site highlights all those words i searched) are incredibly annoying. dunno if you can control these things but please tell someone they are driving readers away. thnx.

hightechdad

Well, the red feedback button allows me to get an idea for the type of
things that people want. The highlighting of the words is not
something that I do, that is either your browser or search engine, I
believe. Thanks for the suggestions though.

Joe Christensen

I, too have a 1998 Honda Accord and the clear coat began to flake off about two years ago. When I confronted the dealer I was told there was nothing he could do as the car was out of warenty. While I agree michancle and electrical parts may have a failure rate I do not think the cleare coat should. I talkes with a locak auto paint shop and he told me there is a problem with the clrar coat Honda used in the 1998 and 1999 model year. They tried to cut cost and this is the result. M honda is in excellent condition otherwise and I like the car. But the paint is just an eyesore.

hightechdad

Thanks Joe for the note. Do you happen to have any pictures? If you
do, please be sure to post them to Flickr.

Gary

Just read your post I'm interested to see how/if Honda react. I'm a Honda
CRV owner in the UK so hence my interest. I saw this feed as I follow you
on Twitter.

hightechdad

I have not heard from Honda regarding this issue, but I have faith still.

Patrick Collins

I am dealing with the exact issue as above. We own 4 Honda's (1988, 1998, 2002 and 2007) all accords except the 2007 is a civic. We already paid to have my wife's 1998 repainted ($3K+) and my 2002 looks like a car 10 years older! I contacted Honda and got the same BS about the sun damage to darker colored Honda's and that it was not covered, but they would have me talk to a local dealership to see what can be done (which I am pretty sure will be nothing). They also tried to convince me that it is happening with all makes of cars, however I must say I see it mostly in Honda's. Nice try. Last, I told him that we will be shopping for another make of vehicle next time around if they are unwilling to fix it. Has anyone out there seen many Acura's with this problem?

RPF

Honda makes Acura... avoid both.

hightechdad

Hi Patrick,

Thanks for the information. It's truly embarrassing isn't it. How many
of your cars were affected? Do you have pictures of the damage? I'm
really trying to get as many examples of this as possible to "make our
case." If you do have pictures, it would be wonderful if you could
post those to Flickr (as I mentioned in the article) using the tags
that I said. Also, if you know of other people with this type of
damage, please point them to my blog post. The more people complaining
about this, the better, in my opinion.

Thanks,
Michael

eva

I have a 1998 Accord with similar problem - first stage of clear coat breakdown with white patches spreading (hard to see in pictures due to silver color of car). Auto shop said only solution is repainting entire car which would cost around ~$2k for proper job. Auto shop said some percentage of Honda cars are experiencing the same issue but not enough for "recall". Some blogs I have read in past have almost no success contacting Honda customer service etc. Something I read was that Honda had changed the paint/coat to be more "environmental" friendly which may have something to do with the problem - I have not found any information that
Honda has addressed the issue in newer models. So I think an NBC / 20/20 type news coverage or contacting editors consumer's auto buyers magazines or websites might be effective.

hightechdad

I agree! Anyone from 20/20 or ConsmerReports out there? This Honda clearcoat issue needs resolution.

I do hope that we can get some media attention on this. While I'm all in favor of being "environmentally friendly" I don't think that should be at the cost of the consumer and not retaining the value that Honda keeps trying to sell!

eva

EVERYONE - Write to 20/20 and share your story!

JohnStossel@abcnews.com

hightechdad

This is a good idea. I am thinking about contacting my local ABC
affiliate (http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/channel?section=news...
) for a possible story.

Penny

I have a black 02 accord. Same thing with mine. My trunk is in "bubbling" stage. Rear passeger door top coat is peeling at a steady rate. I cant believe there isn't some kind of recall or even a class action on this deal. I look around on the roads and see SO many accords with the same problem. At first I thought it was just the black paint but i notice all colors. And I agree! I have only driven honda. They are great cars. Hope they realize at some point that all of us driving around in they're product, with poor paint jobs, is not great advertising for them!!!!

hightechdad

Be sure to take some pictures of it and post it to Flickr with the
tags I listed in the article. Thanks for the comment!

rahul

check out
http://www.carcomplaints.com/Honda/Accord/1998/...

Seems like there are many accords that has same issue.

hightechdad

Thanks, that was one of the first sites that came up when I was
initially doing research. I'm going to post my info there shortly.

laurente

My car is doing the same thing. It is a 1998 Honda Accord...imagine that. I think something should be done about this. The thing is my cars older (makes no difference) but if i had a 05 i would raise cane. I wish everybody the best on this issue.

hightechdad

Hi Laurente,

If you could, please take some pictures of your car and post them to
Flickr using the tags that I suggested in the article. This will help
to compile "evidence" of an on-going issue. I do appreciate you taking
the time to comment.

Thanks!

Ranjan

My 2005 Accord EX has this problem. It first started on the trunk, then the roof, and now the doors. I complained to the dealership and offered to only paint the roof. I then complained to the headquarters who says this is not a defect. WTF?!?!? I just got done dealing with the Better Business Bureau and they say they cannot help me due to my car's age. I see so many honda's on the road with the same problem in the same area. It's ashame Honda is denying this problem. I've driven Honda ever since I could drive, and I'm never buying one again.

hightechdad

Thanks for the info. If you could take some pictures and post to Flickr like I mentioned in the post, that would help our cause!

Joann

Just to update you all, I went to my Honda dealship and the GM looked it over, and told me on a trade in maybe $1000.00, he had his service manager open a case file and then called the district manager, she said the warranty for paint expired 2003..now I am in the process of making a formal complaint to the New York State attorney general...tons of web mail pictures of the car etc..will let you know if this is a good thing..maybe if we all go to the States attorney general were we live, it would be a big push for us.

hightechdad

Thanks for literally continuing to "drive" forward with this. I appreciate you listing out the steps that you have taken. Have you posted your car photos to Flickr and tagged them appropriately? Be sure to let us know how it all goes! I wish that I had time to pursue the way you are.

hightechdad

Please do take pictures to document and follow my instructions on posting to Flickr with the appropriate tags. I definitely think that there was something wrong with the clear coat application and people need to know.

Rex

Same problem here, my car looks horrible! And I've seen a couple others in the area like it. Thanks to this defect if I try and sell the car I will take a big loss! I'll take some pictures.

hightechdad

Awesome! Thanks for posting those pictures. It looks like your hasn't gotten as far as mine has. There is nothing that you can do though at this point to prevent it from worsening. Please be sure to share the link of my original blog post with other Accord owners and the idea for tagging flickr photos with others. Slowly, we are starting to get some traction here. The more posters and the more photos, the better!

dharmesh

pictures of my 98 honda accord.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/premii/sets/72157618...

Joann

Just to let you know, my wheels are literally spinning from all of this, as it is a financial lose to me. I called the Attorney General of New York State, and spoke to someone there and was told to fill out the complaint form and also to send as many complaint sites as I could...yours was so great as my car looks the same as yours will let you know what happens...you know the govt is slow to move.

hightechdad

Thanks for the followup. Another reader of mine works in the media and contacted the local NBC affiliate to see if they could do a piece on it. That is the other direction that you might want to try as well. I haven't heard from them yet though...

Joann

Good idea will also send copies of what I have to the network were I live after I get the estimate for repair from the body shop and his statement that it is defective paint.. The government should step in with all of the problems with the car industry maybe they won't want the publicity...

Joann

Oh my God.....if i didn't know better I would think that it was my car. I am so embarassed to drive my car looking like that. I bought my 1998 dark Green Honda Accord certified at the Brewster Honda in Brewster New York, from the very beginning I had service issues. I wrote a letter of complaint to the Manager of Brewster Honda, and sat down with him and the service manager, I went to the Honda website and found the certified list that the service department should have gone by, and with that and the letter in hand they gave me an additional year of certified warranty..original mileage was 34,000, and 7 years after owning it it has 80,000 miles, and peeling paint...now what should I do. I put 8,000 cash down on 14,000 and paid the rest off...after 46,000miles my car looks like junk I went to the local body shop, and was told that it would cost me a fortune to have it repainted, the owner of the shop told me that the paint is defective. Now this car is worthless, and to invest upwards of 2000.00 is nuts..help me if you have any advice.

hightechdad

Thanks for the note! If you can, take some pictures of your paint job/clear coat peeling and post to flickr. I listed out some tags that you can associate with the pictures so that we can start linking them. It's really sad, isn't it? Honda's are usually such great cars. They run great and hold value. But with this clear coat issue, there doesn't seem to be any value being held. It is truly embarrassing!

Itadaki

I have the same problem with my 2003 Honda Accord LX.
The car was parked on the street, under exact same conditions as my wife's 2004 Hyundai Elantra. Elantra has no problems, Accord looks horrible.

To add insult to injury, I had been taking my Accord to the local Honda dealership since day 1 for regular checkups and repairs. They said nothing for several years, until it got so bad that I finally asked. They blamed me for not waxing, and when I said I did wax they changed their tune and said some waxes destroy the finish. $3,000 for a paint fix that they will NOT guarantee the finish on.

May I suggest #HONDACCFAIL as a hashtag? Have people post Twitpics of their ruined Honda Clearcoats with the hashtag and @Oprah! ;-)

hightechdad

Thanks for that comment. I just uploaded the photos from that post to Flickr (see link at the end of the article). Upload pictures of your car issues as well and use the tags that I suggested.

Thanks for spreading the word as well!

cat

I have a green 02 Accord and it is doing the same thing. Clear coat peel on the roof between the windshield and the sunroof, and some on the trunk. It actually started flaking off below the door panel a couple years ago, but the roof and trunk damage is new. I was wondering if it was a known issue...or if there was anything that could be done for it other than a total repaint job.

hightechdad

Thanks for adding your comment. I'm not sure what can be done, that is why I'm trying to start sort of a grass roots awareness campaign on the blogosphere and twittersphere. If you can, please pass the link around, via Digg and/or twitter. Hopefully some Honda exec will see this and realize that it is important to listen to their customers.

Wilson

It's funny and ironically time-able that you post this, because I noticed about 5 different 98-00 Accords with the same problems around my area.

hightechdad

You should take some pictures of those and upload them to Flickr. I just listed some tags you could use so that hopefully we can start linking all of these together.

hightechdad

Snap some pictures of those and post to Flickr. I will then link to those as well in this article!

Mark

High my name is Mark and I have been having this problem for the past 3 years. I own a 1998 Honda Accord EX. I bought the car(Sept.2001). The clear coat started peeling on the rooftop with a small dot. Then months gone by and it spreaded all over the roof, front hood, and trunk. People been making all kinds of jokes about how my car look. I wish there was something that Honda can do about this. PS.my car has been washed and wax on a regular until this problem happened.

Mark

PICS posted on Flickr. 1998 Black Honda Accord LX. Fall2001, Now 2009

hightechdad

Thanks for posting those #HondaFail pictures! Hopefully Honda will start listening soon as they have been largely ignoring this issue it seems.

Honda Motors Defective Paint Job – Honda Accord’s Clear Coat Peeling

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