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
[miniflickr tags=”hondaccpeel” per_page=”300″]
494 Responses
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.
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.
Snap some pictures of those and post to Flickr. I will then link to those as well in this article!
Snap some pictures of those and post to Flickr. I will then link to those as well in this article!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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! ;-)
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! ;-)
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!
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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!
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.
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.
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…
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…
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…
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…
pictures of my 98 honda accord.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/premii/sets/72157618…
pictures of my 98 honda accord.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/premii/sets/72157618…
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!
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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!
Note: Some of the previously entered comments are not being shown. I'm in the process of migrating commenting plugins. These should be restored soon. Sorry for the inconvenience.
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.
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!
check out
http://www.carcomplaints.com/Honda/Accord/1998/…
Seems like there are many accords that has same issue.
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.
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!!!!
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!
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.
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!
EVERYONE – Write to 20/20 and share your story!
JohnStossel@abcnews.com
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.
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?
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
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.
I have not heard from Honda regarding this issue, but I have faith still.
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.
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.
Thanks Joe for the note. Do you happen to have any pictures? If you
do, please be sure to post them to Flickr.
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.
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.
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.
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!
Please be sure you take some pictures and put them on Flickr with the
appropriate tags (most importantly “hondaccpeel”. Thanks!
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 . . .
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!
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
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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.
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.
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.
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!
Same story with our Green '97 Accord…getting paint estimates now…sucks
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.
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!
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.
Wow, that sounds like a real bummer. I wonder what is going on with
their customer service and support. Times are hard for everybody!
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
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?
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: https://www.hightechdad.com/2009/07/14/the-dos-a…)
and the result as not great.
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?
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.
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.
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…
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!
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.
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?
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.
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?
Honda makes Acura… avoid both.
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.
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.
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.
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”.
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.
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!
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!
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.
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!
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…
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…
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.
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.
I added pictures of my car ('98 Green Honda Accord)…. http://www.flickr.com/photos/41573261@N05/
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.
Thanks for doing that! Wow, your clear coat peel looks almost worse
than mine! Definitely an issue!
Thanks for doing that! Wow, your clear coat peel looks almost worse
than mine! Definitely an issue!
It would be great if you could post some pictures of your Honda to
Flickr, complete with the tags I mention. Thanks!
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!
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…..
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.
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!!!
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.
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!!
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.
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.
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?
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!
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.
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.
Interesting idea and thanks for the suggestion. Can't wait to see the
pictures.
This is cool! And so interested! Are u have more posts like this? Plese tell me, thanks
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.
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.
One of my buddies took a video of an Accord showing same clear coat peel issues: http://bit.ly/UTL1E
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!
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.
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!
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
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!
Sure. I added all of the tags you suggested and can see my photos with many other on Flickr now.
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
“
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).
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.
If you can, please post pictures on Flickr with the tags I mention in
the article. Thanks!
My 1998 Accord has had the very same thing happen on the hood in the last few months.
Dave in NC
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.
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.
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!
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'?
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
i have a 2003 black accord and the roof in the last month has started to turn white in several spots. 45,000 miles
i like this blog…
thanks
Honda auto parts
http://www.hondapartx.com
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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
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
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???
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.
Generally Hondas are good in their work but after seeing these snapshots i m shocked totally… don't know what to say…
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.
PICS posted on Flickr. 1998 Black Honda Accord LX. Fall2001, Now 2009
Thanks for posting those #HondaFail pictures! Hopefully Honda will start listening soon as they have been largely ignoring this issue it seems.
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.”
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.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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.
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!!!!!
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!
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!
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.
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).
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.
I have a 2003 Honda Accord that I bought brand new and it's doing the EXACT same thing. Mine's green!!
Please be sure to post pictures of your Honda to Flickr and tag them with the keywords listed in the article, THANKS!
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?
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!
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.
Wow, that is crazy! Please be sure to take pictures and post it to Flickr with the tags I mentioned in the article!
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.
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!
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!
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!!!
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
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
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.
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.
hi..recently bought a beautiful 2001 black honda accord..it had a really small amount of wear need the sunroof. in ONE month..my car looks horrible on the roof. i am very upset..the rest of the car looks brand new! i want to get it fixed but i dont have thousands of dollars to pour into it..i just bought it! its spreading so fast..it definitely didn't look this bad a month ago. is there any way to stop it from getting worse at least? i thought i was going crazy when i looked out and noticed how bad its getting just in a few weeks.
I know what you mean! Mine has really gotten a lot worse since I first noticed it in October 2009. I don't know what else we can do. Honda rep. looked at mine and said it's not their fault. Anyone have any other ideas?
How did you get them to pay any of it? The Honda rep. looked at mine and said it's the pollution and sun here in SoCal. Called it clear coat degradation. But they couldn't do anything about it. He suggested I try a really good polish on the areas turning white and see if I can polish it down to the black.
A polish won't do anything. My roof is now completely down to the metal/paint. It looks dull and horrible. Best thing to do is to continue discussing thing, post picture and find more people to do the same. Power in masses right? It's just too much of a coincidence that only dark colored Accords around the same year are affected.
Thanks for the blog! It's nice to know I'm not alone. My 2003 Honda Accord also has the peeling paint on the roof, trunk and frame around the doors. I just noticed the front hood today. I purchased it in 8/03. When I called the dealer, they said it was specifically related to the green paint and how the clear coat adheres to that color. They were aware of the problem but said they couldn't do anything about it. I'm with many of you…I've only ever driven a Honda Accord (1993 and now the 2003). I think I'll be looking for something new when this one goes.
Green paint? Interesting! They all have their excuses, don't they? Michelle, see if you can get a Honda rep. to look at it and let us know what they tell you!
I too have a 2001 dark green Honda Accord with the clear coat cancer. I would be pleased to join a legal suit against Honda for shoddy workmanship
JWells
Has anyone proceeded in starting any action against Honda. I've had the same problem for a few years.
Yes. I was able to get Honda to pay 2/3 the cost to repaint all tops of my 2003 green Accord with 80k miles on it (at the time) in September 2009. I paid $700 and got the hood, roof, trunk, tops of front fenders and rear quarters painted. the roof and trunk and quarters were bad, while the tops of front fenders and hood were just starting to go. I have posted a few times here about that success and thought it would be a great precendent for others to use but nobody has followed up on it. I live in Massachusetts and the Honda factory rep was excellent in my case. I'd be glad to share more info with anybody here if it will help them out. Good luck!
hi there..my 2001 honda is peeling on the hood also..i just bought the car (used of course) and what started out as a tiny bit on the roof has ballooned into the roof looking horrible. i don't know what to do…i realize i have to get it repainted..an expense i HADN'T counted on when buying the car! so how do i go about contacting honda to see if i can get some help paying for it..or i have heard of stories of people joining a class action lawsuit. how do i go about getting involved in something like that? thanks!
actually not the hood, i meant the roof. near the sunroof..i was thinking hood because of the pics i looked at..sorry! but i meant the roof is peeling…it seems to keep getting worse in a short period of time.
Nope I can throw their excuse of the green paint out the window. Mine is a 1995 burgundy honda civic and its coating is peeling off just as badly.
This is not just an Accord problem. I have a Civic. This is my concern. I see people posting years from 1995 (mine) all the way up to 2008 models with this same problem. You would think they would have already changed their pain coating with so many people having this problem.
The only recalls I see are for dim exterior lights.
My 2001 Black Accord is doing the same thing…not a color problem but a cheap paint problem!
Oops, 2002 not 2001 Accord….
I have a 2000 Honda Accord. Little by little the car showed white patches and now it is basically all over —- the hood – the trunk – the sides – and now even the metal is showing thru. I wrote Honda just recently (I have 55,000 miles on the car). They told me that they had no recalls of this happening and that my warranty has run out and they cannot help me !!!!! I think this is wrong. If you bought a new car and they told you that in 10 years the pain would start coming off – would you buy that car – NO WAY.
My 2000 Honda is BLACK and is peeling and spots are down to the metal. HONDA said my warrantee ran out and they have no reports of other cars having this problem!!!!! If anyone can get a civil action – count me in.
Yes, that is what happened to me on my 2000 black Honda Accord —— little by little white patches started and they continue to grow. Honda will not help me at all. Some patches are down to the metal and it looks terrible. What happens when the entire car is all metal.
Tylene — I know what you mean. I wrote Honda in California. A representative told me they had no reports of this happening to any other cars and that they could not help me because my warantee is up. It is a 2000 Honda Accord with a little over 55 miles on it. Something is fishy here !!!!!
Please, Tylene, keep me posted. I would be interested in what they have to say. Thanks.
I find it odd too. And – the representative from Honda that contacted me said being my warantee ran out they can't help me. They also said they had no record of any complaints concerning this problem. You can polish and polish – it is not going away – in fact it is growing as I type this to you !!!!!
I have also noticed the rash of older Hondas that have this issue. I regularly washed and waxed my 1998 Dark Green Accord EX while keeping it in the garage. I bought this vehicle in 2001 and have since put almost 300K miles on it, with minimal mantinance. I have been buying used Accords since 1990 and have been very happy.
As old and used as my car is, I plan to get a cheap paint job and continue to drive it until the wheels fall off. When it comes time to buy another car I will strongly consider other makes because of this issue. I feel bad because these cars are made right here in Central Ohio.
I have the same problem on my 2002 Accord. Very disappointing, and Honda won't fix it. This is the only new car I've ever bought. I won't buy Honda again, even though my 85 Accord served me for 19 years. I'll look at Chevy's next time.
I have the same problem on my 2002 Accord. Very disappointing, and Honda won't fix it. This is the only new car I've ever bought. I won't buy Honda again, even though my 85 Accord served me for 19 years. I'll look at Chevy's next time.
I sent a letter last week to Honda Customer Service in nearby Torrance, CA explaining the paint problem with my 2002 black Accord. Today I received a call from Charles with American Honda. He said he wanted to acknowledge the letter and it would be documented but as of now there are no recalls or issues with paint problems! I asked him if he knew about TechDad in the SF area where all of us are posting photos and talking about the problems with our Hondas. He pretty much brushed me off and said there are no recalls at this time but I would be notified if there were in the future. And he thanked me for my letter. So, that's it!! Can we do any class action suit? What else can we do at this point?
If the reps need “evidence” be sure to point them to this post and to the Flickr stream (and also be sure to post your photos). The more photos, the harder it is to say that there isn't a problem.
Hello there… I am looking for any ideas or help anyone may have for me. I have a 1990 Honda Accord that is having the same issues listed here and because of it's age I thougth thats what it was. However, I just recently within a month bought a used 2001 Honda CIVIC and it is starting the same issues with the paing on the back bummper by the trunk. I bought this car used from someone that was not the original owner. Anyone have any ideas? I doubt that Honda Motor Company will do anything for me :) lol
Thank You
Tylene – I wrote to Honda 5/5/2010 – telling them basically the same thing you did – the paint is coming off all over the car. A man called “John” called me back and did exactly the same thing to me —- he told me that the warantee on my 2000 Honda Accord was up – and he too said he knew nothing about other people having the same problem. I am really discusted. My car as a little over 55,000 miles on it and looks discusting. This does not even happen to old cars – old cars fade – but the paint does not come off right down to the metal. I too, do not have thousands of dollars to paint it – and I am not looking to sell it but who would buy it from me looking like it does. I don't know where to go from here. Having a class action law suit – the lawyers would get the money – if Honda were to give us any. If you here anymore, please let me know. Thanks
What tags do you mean – along with the pictures??
Listed in the article are a series of tags that you can use for Flickr. This helps to group the pictures together from different users. The specific tags are: HONDACCPEEL, HONDA, ACCORD, CLEAR COAT, and PEEL
Thanks for your help!
Hi xtina019 — I am just afraid if I do decide to have it painted (2000 black Honda Accord with a little more than 55,000 miles on it) and a couple of months later it starts over again with the peeling and fading – what do I do then?? This is a major problem!!!!!
i own a 2003 burgundy honda civic lx. my first new car i ever owned. it has 66,000 miles on it. paint is starting to turn white on the trunk and rear roof area. spoke to my honda dealer and they just said “sorry its out of warranty nothing they can do.” i never realized this was such problem for so many others also. and such a wide range of years. very disappointed in my honda dealer. i have always faithfully taken my car to this dealer for all maintenance and repairs since i purchased it.
I am the owner of a dark green 2003 Honda Accord EX. I originally thought that something had gotten on my car since I'm on the highway a lot and there has been construction during my travels. I took my car in to get it detailed and was informed that the issue was with the clear coat. I first noticed the problem on my roof and hood. Since that time…..within a month or so….I am now noticing that I'm having the same problems on my truck and it has spread on my roof and hood. I took it to the Honda dealer today and he tried to tell me that the car had been painted. I told him that it had not be painted since I brought it. He got some gadget to try to determine that I was being untruthful. After putting the gadet on my car, he said, “No, it hasn't been painted.” He then tried to blame it on the place of my employment. We would have had a major uproar at work if the other employees' cars looked like mine does. He took my phone number and said that he would call me when the regional manager was in town. But from the looks of these e-mails, I guess that it will be a waste of my time even IF he should call me.,
correction…..having the same problems on my trunk…not truck
my 1999 accord looks just like the pics. Sorry Honda, I will be moving on
And I thought I was the only one. My 2001 Honda Accord LX has been doing the same thing as of early 2008. I've taken very good care of the car having all maintenance done at the dealership where I bought the car and have the records to prove it. The problem is widespread and the CUSTOMER needs to be taken into consideration. My previous car was a 1991 Honda Civic DX. I drove it for 230,000 miles and finally used it as a trade in. There were no issues with that car regarding the paint job when i traded it in.
Thanks for the comment! Be sure to post pictures of your clearcoat peeling Honda on Flickr!
My 2000 Honda Accord (black) has been peeling for some time now. It happened gradually but now is all over — hood, trunk, sides – very badly now and growing as I write this. I wrote to Honda in California. They called me back and told me that my warantee is up. They also said they had no complaints of this happening to other cars!!!! I want to know what is going to happen when all the paint comes off and it is right down to the metal. I bought the car new – they should have told me “Well, in ten years the paint is going to come off the car”!!!! Something is very wrong here and Honda will not take responsibility for it.
You should follow up with them and point them specifically to this
post! Thanks for your feedback.
I have a 1999 dark green Accord. I used to wash the car every week. I moved to Florida in 2005 (from California) and within 2 years the paint looks just like the pictures posted. Now I am thinking about selling it but the paint job is a deal breaker!
Reading the postings on this website, contacting Honda will be a waste of time! Any home made solutions?
I have the same problem with my Honda Accord 1999 EX V6. The clear coat is peeling from all the horizontal surfaces.
Looks like Honda's Auto industry's days are numbered as they are started making defective cars and THEN refuse to take care of defects, just like GM and Chrysler.
I have the same problem with my Honda Accord 1999 EX V6. The clear coat is peeling from all the horizontal surfaces.
Looks like Honda's Auto industry's days are numbered as they have started making defective cars and THEN refuse to take care of defects, just like GM and Chrysler. And US Govt. will not RESCUE Honda!!
I have a green 2003 Honda Accord that just had the clear coat start peeling. I also went to the dealer and had not satisfaction! Even the regional dealer said they could not do anything about it… I told them I would never buy another Honda if they could not stand by my very well cared for 2003 Accord! That didn't seem to bother them…
I have owned many cars and have never had this problem. Is there a national Honda site where we can make our voices heard? It is too bad because otherwise it has been a good car…
I also have this problem with my 1999 honda accord. It is a plum color. The paint started peeling before i got the car paid off. I called to see if there was a recall on the paint, which there wasn't. As of right now i have been calling around to get pricing on a paint job. I plan on keeping the car at least a couple more years because it still runs good. I am so aggravated over this that i will not buy another honda.
Be sure to post your pictures to Flickr and tag them! The more “evidence” the better the story!
My 2006 Black Honda Civic has suddenly gotten small cracks all over the the hood- I found that it's called crows feet and also a clearcoat defect. I spoke to dealer who bounced me to Honda Customer Service who bounced me back to dealer, and now I'm told I have to track down the regional rep if I want anything done since my car is out of warranty (even though it has less than 35,000 miles). I'm infuriated that this is THEIR fault and they are making me jump through hoops to do anything about it.
MY HONDA ACCORD COUPE IS DOING THE SAME THING AS IN THESE PHOTOS.. I TALKED TO MY INSURANCE COMPANY ABOUT IT AND THEY SAID IT HAS TO BE BAD CLEAR COAT OR PAINT.. THEY WERE SHOCKED WITH IT,AND THIS STARTED ABOUT 10 MONTHS AGO AND IS COVERED ALL OVER THE CAR, IT RUNS SO GOOD BUT IS SO UGLY I CAN'T HARDLY STAND TO LOOK AT IT OR BE SEEN IN IT.. I AM TAKING IT IN TO A DEALER SHIP FOR THE AIR BAG RECALL AND PLAN TO TALK TO THEM ABOUT IT.. I WANT THIS FIXED !!!! THIS IS MY 7th HONDA AND THIS MAY BE MY LAST ONE.. AND THERE ARE ONLY 94,000 MILES ON IT.. AM NOT HAPPY… WISH ME LUCK WITH THE DEALERSHIP.. THANKS FOR THIS INFO,, IT HAS REALLY HELPED ME ….
Automotive paint durability research publication documents vehicles released to dealer and consumer below automaker's minimum paint thickness specifications. Refer to link for details.
http://www.forewordreviews.com/reviews/making-i…
I have the exact same problem with my 1998 Accord V6. Looks just like the picture above. We park in a garage, don't have acid rain here in Oregon, and don't park under trees or crapping birds. It's the crappy paint. PLEASE DO SOMETHING HONDA.
Thanks for sharing your experience. I encourage you to take some pictures of the paint peel issue and post it to Flickr. The more “evidence” that we have, the better. If you know of other Honda owners who have the same issue, have them do the same. It is truly a shame!
My car has JUST started doing this. 1999 Dark Green Honda Accord. 101K miles. It is on the roof of the car. Right now just a white “cloud”. Couple questions: 1) How fast does it spread and 2) is there anything that can be done to slow it down?
Uh oh. I don't think there is really anything you can do to stop once it starts. You could try bringing it in to your local Honda dealer and see what they say. Reference this blog post and the pictures. But someone described it as paint cancer. It will spread!
Does washing the car wear it faster or no difference?
I am going to price a paint job sooner than later… I am too particular to wait this one out. Or, perhaps trade it in quickly before it is really noticeable.
Honestly, I don't know. I think that washing could “irritate” it more. You could try to trade it in (I would be interested to see if they mention it). Painting it will probably cost around $4-5,000.
My 1996 honda ex v6 is also black and all the clear coat has peeled off the center of the hood, all over the roof and down the trunk. I can also touch the car with my fingernail and it scrapes right down to bare metal. Honda needs to wake up and take care of their customers.
same problem with our black 99 accord. it is an issue they need to address. have you made any headway?
None whatsoever. They are just hoping that this will all go away.
Same thing has happened to our used (green) 1998 Honda Accord. The paint and clear-coat around the top and around the windows is fading. Dummy me bought some touch up paint, thinking that would fix it. Wrong. It was in a wreck in 2006 with the front hood and trunk being replaced, so they haven't shown any signs….yet. I cannot tell you how many similar cars I saw when we lived in Nevada, California and now Tennessee. These mistakes are all over the country, not just one area. Probably last Honda we'll ever purchase too. Hello Honda, are you listening?
No, Honda isn't listening! They don't seem to care! I've had 4 Accords but none had this paint problem. I've had a Honda rep look at my '02 Accord, and sent a letter to Honda in Torrance. They called me back, but had no idea (or so they said) what I was talking about. They just told me that there wasn't a recall having to do with paint. When I told them about this website, they kept saying “there are no recalls involving paint at this time”. So much for customer service.
I thought I was alone but I see I am not. I have '04 Burgandy Honda Accord LX V6 model. I bought it used in '07 with only 48k miles on it. Last year I began noticing the peeling on the roof and the trunk of the car. Now it's getting worse on the roof and I'm noticing peeling edges of the side panels and hood. I no longer have the warranty and I'm wondering what I should do. Trade in or have it painted. I still have my 1992 Honda Prelude and it's in great condition and nothing is wrong with the paint. I thought I couldn't go wrong investing in another Honda. I see I was wrong and with the many posts about the problem, I may be seeking a different maker next go round.
Thanks for sharing your story. Be sure to take some pictures and post it on Flickr with the tags that I mentioned in the article.
I have a 2000 4-door black Honda Accord which I bought new. Approximately three years ago the paint starting coming off on the surface. At this time, parts of the entire car have peeled – it just grows and grows. I wrote to Honda. A representative called me and said they were unaware of the problem and that my warantee is up. They refuse to do anything and deny there is a problem. I just had an estimate to have it repainted. They told me they would have to take all the paint off. If they just painted over the existing car – in less than a year it would reappear. The estimate was for $5,562.35. Yes, the car is ten years old but it only has 56,000 miles on it !!! The shop owner told me that it does not matter – there are a lot of cars a lot older than mine and that is not happening!!! I believe that HONDA should take some responsibility. I don't know what to do and feel ashamed of my HONDA – it is like I am driving around in a piece of junk.
Brian, I don't know if anyone has started a class action lawsuit, but I sure want to be in on it. I just got an estimate of $5,5562.35 from a reputable auto body shop. He told me not to go to anyone that is just going to paint over it because in one year it will be back. The car has to be taken down right to the metal, that is why it is so expensive. Please keep me posted. I don't have a digital camera and don't know how to put them on Flickr if I did. I do have regular photos that I took with my camera, don't know if that will help me.
I actually have a 2000 Honda Civic EX and what has happend to your car is happening to my hood–thankfully as of right now, it ONLY seems to be the hood. My car is red, and coincidentally, there's another red Civic that I run into here and there around town (I'd say it might be a 1998 or 1999 Civic, though–it too is red, but isn't as bright a red as mine and has the slightly older body) but its hood is also having its clear coat come off.
Had to follow-up with this comment concerning having my Honda painted. You cannot paint over it because it will only start peeling again!! I went to another shop – the paint has to be taken off, right down to the metal. The cost…. don't faint…$5,562.35. I cannot afford this. And being I can't afford it does that mean I have to live with this car with only 56,000 miles on it. I feel terrible. It is a HONDA and I feel I am driving a piece of junk literally !!!!
Just wanted to add my name to the long list of dissatisfied Honda Accord owners. Absolutely shocking how similar the wear is on the roof and trunk lids. This is clearly a paint defect and not normal wear and tear for an older vehicle.
Anyone talking up a class action suit? Count me in. Must be a latent defect, unless Honda intended the coating system to fail in such a manner. 1999 Accord that looks just like all the other photos that so well document the problem everyone seems to be having.
Yes, our 1990 Honda Accord EX V6 is showing the same paint peeling patterns. Our friends in Texas bought the same car, with the same problems. I’ve had cars this old before, and never seen this kind of deterioration. Something is wrong with Honda’s paint formula.
I have the same problem with my dark green Honda Accord 2001 – It is so frustrating! It is a perfect car otherwise so I’m keeping it as long as I can but I’m considering getting a new paint job…
It seems to be common on the dark colored cars from this era – but Bawejaarun Honda doesn’t make defective cars! There was a problem with some paint/clear coating – Not the same thing! I LOVE MY HONDA!!!
I have a 2001 black Honda Accord, and my paint job looks just like yours. At the moment the problem is only with the roof (and was with the trunk, but I was rear ended and it got replaced). It started off as a little white sport in the center of the roof just above the rear window. I have two co-workers, one with a 2002 black Honda Accord and one with a 2002 dark blue Honda Accord – Same problems!! I will try to get pictures of all three to add.
Disappointed in my Honda paint,
In Auburn, AL
Another 1998 Accord EX owner with substantial peeling over the roof, trunk and hood. All of this within the last three years. It is starting to peel quite fast now, most of the roof has peeled within the last three months.
I have noticed that washing DOES damage the thin clear coat, just like rubbing on a week-old sunburn. The white clear coat layer is very thin and fragile. Good luck on trading it in. I tried to trade mine in last year when the issue was much less noticeable. They (local dealer) offered me $1300 (1998 Accord EX 170000 mi) but said they were not interested because it would need to be painted, which would cost them more than it was worth! Ouch!
Burgendy 1999 accord – same problem, so far only on the trunk, but about 1/2 the clear coat is gone so far. Urgh.. (And my 2008 Odyssey has paint bubbles…different problem)
Just uploaded some shots of my 1998 Accord to Flickr. ID is Mattrix_79.
Thanks for doing that!
I have a dark green 98 Accord EX which I bought it brand new. A couple years ago the roof started peeling just like in these pictures, and as of right now the entire hood, roof and trunk are completely ruined. I can not afford a new paint job and it’s so embarrassing to drive it. It still runs great, the interior is perfect, and it only has 40k miles on it but it looks like something that was hauled out of a junk yard. I don’t know what to do and I don’t think Honda will help. It’s very upsetting
Mark,
I have been reading this post also. I have a 2000 Black Honda Accord. The clear coat is peeling off the car – very badly. I wrote to Honda, in California. They said my warantee is up and that they had no reports of that problem. They will not help me in any way. I want you to know that you just can’t paint over the existing car – the car has to be striped of all paint and then repainted, otherwise eventually the paint will peel again. I got a price of $5,500. I am also discusted and upset. My car has 57 miles on it. I feel I am driving around in a piece of junk. I don’t have a solution. If you have one, please advise me, thanks.
Mark,
correction to my input —- the car has 57,000 miles not 57 = sorry about that
I just had a friend take pictures of my 2000 Honda Accord with the paint peeling. He uploaded the photos with the TAG HONDAACCPEEL on Flickr. Is this all I had to do????
Yes that’s great. Thanks!
My neighbor took pictures of my 2000 Black Honda Accord and was kind enough to upload them on Flickr with the Tag hondaaccpeel. Is that all I had to do??(Jeannette S. or as registered on Flickr: Jjeannette10. Thank you.
I just had a friend take pictures of my 2000 Honda Accord and uploaded the pictures onto a disc and then on to “Flickr” with the Tag hondaccpeel. Why don’t I see them here with the other pictures that are shown. Is there something else I have to do? I am not computer savy. Thanks.
I am writing my second letter to HONDA complaining about the peeling. This time I am sending the letter, plus pictures I took with my camera to Mr. Tetso Iwamura, who is the President and CEO of Honda at 1919 Torrance Blvd., Torrance CA 90501-2746. Wouldn’t it help if EVERY person on this blog would write him a letter? Please encourage everyone to do that. I also have pictures on Flickr. Thanks
I hope that you will be including a link to this blog post! Perhaps you should post a copy of your letter as well so that others can see your example. Thanks for doing this and good luck!
Today, 8/30, I mailed a letter with enclosed pictures of my 2000 Honda, showing the peeling paint. I mailed it to the President/CEO of Honda in California. I will let you know what they said when I hear from them. I do not have any faith that they will help me at all. They don’t want to know about it. They just tell me my warantee is up even though this is a Factory Defect. I also posted pictures on Flickr.
same exact issue with my 2002 accord v6
my car looks exactly like urs, maybe even worse. This really inspires me to go back to the dealer and get on thier case. especially being the fact that my car IS NOT EVEN PAID OFF YET!!!! this is not normal wear and tear. actually mine started peeling in 2006 and i bought it in 2005, boy Lia honda of enfield CT will hear my mouth,
thanks techdad
To HighTechDad: I sent a second letter to Honda (with pictures) explaining the problem with their paint. Today 9/3, Walter from Honda (would not give me his last name) told me: The car is 10 years old – it is no longer covered under the warantee – they do not go on web sites to see other car problems – they will not give me anything toward the re-painting (over 5,500) — it is my opinion that the paint was defective!!!!! And he also said it was my business if I wanted to drive around in the car that way. End of Story. I am completely at a lost end now. What do you think of that response from Honda????
I have a 2002 Black Accord SE which was garage kept until this summer, 2010, and now, in the short 3 months it was exposed to the summer sun, my trunk, hood, roof & even the back quarter panel are beginning to turn blotchy gray. I was wondering if anyone had any luck with Honda or if anyone thought of filing a class action suit against them to recoup the lost sale value or price of repainting? I know a very good lawyer who has a good success rate against auto dealers/companies. Class actions take years but it could be a way to get some justice for the PITA they are causing owners.
Here we go again !! Honda said it is only my opinion that the paint is defective and they won’t give me anything toward the cost – over $5,500. Of course being it is a 2000 Honda and no longer under warantee that does not help me. I mentioned this site and they do not look at sites on the computer. Is the end of the road????
Ryan, I have been in contact with Honda a few times. Most recently they told me that they do not go on this site and also itis MY opnion that the paint is defected. A paint job costs $5,500 – you can’t just paint over the existing car or it will only come back. The car has to be stripped down to the metal. Any suggestions, other than driving the car off of a roof or into the nearest lake.
I have a 2003 Honda Civic LX and the roof, hood and trunk started peeling a year ago and it is only getting worse! Something is clearly wrong with the clear coat on these cars, why won’t they step up and take care of it! I was always a loyal Honda customer, but after this car is gone, I won’t be anymore. Thanks Honda, I have lost my faith in you!
High Tech Dad —- In my many, many comments I mentioned the fact that Honda does not acknowledge that there is a problem. In my case, my car is 10 yrs old, however, only has 56,000 miles on it. My warantee is up and they will not help me at all. I went to a couple of body shops for an estimate. One was $5,500 – very high. I went to a smaller shop, recommended by a friend, and got an estimate of $2,800. They will take off the existing paint – prime and put a urethane base coat on it. I am bringing the car in this week – it will take a week to do. Meantime, my pictures are on Flicker. I have been driving this car around for the last two years and it just gets worse and worse. I can’t tak it anymore and decided to have the job done and be HAPPY driving it. What is your opinion??????
I have a 98 black accord and am in the same situation as all of you. I thought it was just my car so it’s good to know that I am not the only one. I noticed that my car started peeling about 1.5 -2 yrs ago, first with just a few spots on the roof and now it has gotten progressively worse and has spread to my trunk among other areas. It looks disgusting and I’m very upset about it. I do not have $3000-$5000 to spend to repaint this car and honestly don’t think I should have to based on an error made by Honda. It is very disappointing to hear that Honda has not been responsive but even so, I will still call as well as send a letter to the CEO voicing my concern. I wish there was more we could do to make this issue more public because I’m sure Honda would not like the bad press and there are so many testimonials and pictures on here to justify their faulty paint job. I’m willing to do whatever is necessary so if anyone can think of a way to get this movement on a more public level, count me in. Thanks HighTechDad for starting this post and I will add my pictures to flickr.
Same problem 1998 Honda Accord – Green: roof and right side panels just as bad as what is shown here; very unhappy with Honda.
Same story here with the unsightly white patches and exposed metal. Looking at the posted pictures was like looking at my car. Frustrated that seemingly nothing can be done. Love the car otherwise. Thanks for the site and the support. Not to be melodramatic, but it does help knowing this isn’t just occurring to me.
I have a 2000 Accord and my paint is fading on the roof and trunk. I agree that if is frustrating. We have 4 honda’s in our family and really enjoy this car. I do find the paint issue embarrassing for myself and Honda. Paint is a very visible thing and if lots of people are driving around with honda’s with paint peeling then Honda will start to loose their reliability image. Would folks be interested in writing a joint letter to Honda and also give a copy to the media. They can’t Ignore this forever.
This sounds good….who in the media would we send it to??? And how do we do a joint letter? It probably would need to be an e-petition where we could all sign it from here and send it on. Any other ideas out there? I am getting embarrassed at how my paint looks!
I have a 2002 Accord COUPE EX V6 I have washed and waxed my car every week for the last 7.5 years. The car was kept out side this whole time except for at work (parking garage). I NOW have peeling/fading of the clear coat on the roof as well as where the factory moon roof shield was resting on the car. This started about 6 months ago. In the small amount of research i have done. I have noticed that there is a lot of issues with this. As well as the transmissions. I’m currently on my 3rd one. I will tell you one thing. The best thing you can due is contact Honda of America and file a formal complaint. I did that with my transmission after the second time when the dealership try charging me $3000 to fix it. After 2 weeks of calling Honda and complaining for hours upon hours I finally got them to replace it free of charge. Here’s the deal. Honda is really good at hiding factory recalls. There is a recall/warranty extension on all 98-01 Accord Auto tranies, but not the 02’s. Why you ask? Its because and I quote ” Not enough people have complained about that year.” So, take my advice. The best thing we can all due is contact Honda and file formals. They have to respond then…. Good luck all!
Thanks for the information. It just so happens that the transmission of our 2001 Honda Odyssey went bad this weekend (130k miles) and I think that this is it for me and Honda. Just not living up to the supposed reputation of reliability and resale. Oh well.
I lost my 1st tranie at 35k, next at 75k and I’m almost to that 35k mark again. We shall see if it happens again at the next 35k mark (Complete BS). I almost drove my car into the dealerships front window!!! If I remember correctly. I believe that they are the same tranie as the Acura MDX, Accord V6, and the Acura CL’s auto’s 98-02. They use shitty aluminum parts in the tranie’s basically. Like you. I will not be buying another Honda, for all of this has left a foul taste in my mouth. keep hounding Honda of America. If they help at all they will start off by offering a split in the cost of something like 75/25. Meaning you would be responsible for 75% of the cost. Don’t let them get you there. I had to negotiate them down from 75/25, 50/50, 25/75 , until they offered to replace it free of charge. Justify why you think they should pay the full amount, etc. Due some additional research on your model just so you have as much fire power as possible. Again, don’t waste your time with the dealerships unless your still under warranty. Go straight to the head of the snake!
Yep, I’ve got the same problem with my 1998 Honda Accord. My wife and I jokingly say that the car is “balding”. Boo Honda for not addressing this.
I also suggest submitting this entire page/thread to consumerist.com
I have a 2002 black Accord SE coupe that I bought used (one owner) in 2007 with 100k miles. I have put about 32k miles on it since then and I have not had ONE problem with anything. Yesterday I took my car to the car wash and when I got out of my car back at the office, I was shocked to notice these same white patches! At first I thought it was something from the car wash, but after a quick google search I found out it was this problem. I am incredibly frustrated! I am about 6 payments away from paying off my car…I don’t plan on selling it any time soon!
I have a 2003 Accord V6, bought it new, with 107,000 miles on it. I was shocked when my transmission just went on it and cost me $2700 to have it rebuilt. I was also noticing the paint on my roof and trunk getting these gray patches. I brought it to a local auto body shop and he told me the same thing – the clear coat is defective and would cost $800 just to do the roof and trunk, which included stripping and repainting. Between my husband and I, this is the 3rd Honda we’ve owned. I had a 1992 accord that had 258,000 miles on it and had no problems – just did my usual maintenace on it. That’s why I went and bought another Accord. After reading all of this and having to deal with the transmission (which I also feel was defective – I just had it serviced in January by Honda), I’m done buying Hondas. But in the meantime, this issue has to be addressed. What about reporting this to the Better Business Bureau or a Department of Consumer Affairs. If Honda keeps hiding and claiming they have never heard about this, I think publicizing like they have done with Toyota would hurt their pockets. I am also going to go through the local dealership and see what they have to say. Just disgusted with Honda after spending money on a transmission and now this.
I agree the transmission is defective. I have a 2002 Accord V6. I have the paint issue big time and had to replace the transmission in March 2009 when I had just over 100,000 miles on it. I had the repair work done by a private mechanic not Honda and did not use a Honda transmission to replace the original one. There is definitely info out there on the defective transmission but I have just lost all confidence in Honda. The defects that we are experiencing are not considered safety issues so no one in the government is interested.
Put a sign in the window. That is all I can come up with. The paint on my car looks exactly like yours. I have a 98 Accord LX with forest green paint. It blistered up, peeled and now it’s down to the metal on all of the horizontal surfaces. I was in a wreck last week and about to take it in to be repaired so I asked if they would repair the defective paint. They told me to call corporate Honda who replied that it is out of warranty (3 yrs on paint) & they have no complaints or recalls so they wouldn’t be able to help me. I would be willing to sing a joint letter. Other than that, maybe if we all put signs in our rear windows that say ‘HONDA Uses Defective Paint – Buyers Beware!’
I’ll upload some photos from my 1999 Accord, looks exactly the same. If we need an online petition, I’ll be happy to create it. Are people still working on this?
I don’t know if people are still working on it, but I’ve gone as far as I can with my 2002 black Accord….met with a Honda rep at my dealer and talked to someone at Honda in Torrance who told me there are no recalls and they don’t know about any problems with their paint! I’m willing to help with anything else everyone does as a group. My trunk lid and roof are getting worse and worse. Occasionally I see another car that looks like mine only worse, and I cringe thinking how it is going to look eventually!
You have posted so many of these Mary Poppins replies I think you work for Honda, Its a lie they dont know about it the same ole consumer screw..
Here’s my peeling car. Just started this summer after six happy years of ownership. http://www.flickr.com/photos/28024289@N07/ Shame on Honda for refusing to take care of their customers.
I own a 1998 black Accord V-6 EX and have the same clear coat problems. Started several years ago, was advised by Honda at one point that I needed to “take responsibility for my own vehicle.” Since it stated happening to my car, I keep an eye out and see this same problem on many dark colored Hondas. I too would probably never buy a Honda again (also have had transmission problems, but that’s another story).
Maybe a Honda Paint or Honda Clear coat facebook page?
Add me to the list. Mine is a 2002 Honda Accord V6 EX, Honda’s top of the line car at the time I bought it. The dealer blew me off to American Honda Customer Service who blew me off as well. I have owned Hondas my whole life. No more. I’m getting it painted, selling it, and removing Honda from my current and all future driveways. Not because of the car — because of the customer no-service.
I have 2002 Honda Accord and the roof, hood, and truck been peeling for at least 2 years. The dealer I bought the Honda from informed that I could make with a Honda dealership and if they would repaint my Honda free of charge. It is a defect on the manufactures part and it would up the value on my Honda. I have to pay higher car taxes for the Honda and I would like to make it look good the way it should look before it started to peel. The peeling on the car makes it look awful and people may not want spend that kind of money on a Honda and it end up looking like mine. I can not afford to get it done.
We need answers to this problem. Not just consistent stories of everyone’s individual car.
Yes I fall into the category with a 2001 Accord. But I’m ready for the company to take action. We need answers. You see all the complaints and this is ridiculous.
Honda…your company is in shambles with this problem unresolved.
They don’t care….they are too big. We are just a small group of car owners with a problem that only occurred on a “few” cars during a certain time frame. Obviously they have solved the paint problem. People keep buying Hondas. What do they care?
I have the identical problem with my 2004 honda accord, clear coat peeled from roof, down the side wings of the roof line..Because the run around I knew I would get from honda – starting with denial. I decided to just get the car repainted..I knew that after the run around for 6 months or more ..I would at best get a pro rated offer from Honda dealer – in the end it would have been more than it cost me to get the job done..so I saved the frustration. I have had quite the history with this car ( could be classed a piece of junk) The vehicle (2004 accord 4 cyl ) had serious engine problems ie oil consumption (100k km 60 K miles) they tried to tell me that 1 liter per 1000km 600 miles was normal – that would not allow me to get from oil change to oil change.. dah…in the end i won the argument and they rebuilt the engine (I am not alone on that one). at the time they replaced the clutch – at my cost-(800.00). I have replaced O2 sensors at $300.00 (ps: not covered on warranty) the ac went last year. Had that repaired at a local garage My last trip to the dealer for routine service the service tech informed me that the steering rack needed replacement (cost $1100.00. (however second opinion no problem) The other day the car died – no ignition lights when key turned – car would turn over but not start . found out that this too is a problem – need new ignitioin harness cost to fix est $200.00.) ps I had bought the extended warranty
About am a retired – not a hot rod type. the car 2004 Honda 4 cyl standard with currently 140,000 kms (84,000 miles) I know i am forgetting other issues with this car.
Would I buy another Honda…hmmmm what do you think
Good Motoring and happy New Year
i’m having the same problem with my Honda Accord 01 the paint is fading and peeling from all different places, i take good care of the car but it doesn’t help
My 2002 black Accord is just getting worse and worse. The roof right above the windshield was turning a grayish-white and now it is starting to have a more mottled surface. The trunk lid is also developing more and more white areas just below the back window. I’m going to have to get those areas painted because it just looks so bad! I can’t buy a new car now, and I really like everything else about it. Every time I look at it, I cringe! It looks like I don’t take care of my car.
i also have a green 2003 honda accord and same thing has happened. I am disgusted. My first new car and it looks like garbage. Ihave tried stuff from a Car place to take care of the “oxidation” I tooke it to a Auto Paint place and they said there was nothing they could do, but paint it for $3800.00. I cannot do it. YES LET US FILE A LAWSUIT!!!!!!
IT IS GREAT that you got somewhere. I bought the extended warranty, they told me that paint was not covered. They refuse to do anything. I ALSO WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER HONDA
good idea, did you do it.
I think we should get together, in every area that we live, and on weekends, park in the honda lots so prospective customers can see what we are living with. I am just glad that i found this page,
hightechdad,
I do not know how to post pictures to flicker. Can you guide me?
Greg,
In Maine? maybe you and others can post just who the reps were that finally assisted you to take care of the problem. Maybe we can let Honda corporate, or our local Honda dealers know that we know that it can and is being taken care of.
thanks
I have a 2001 Honda Accord V6 – green – SAME thing…. the paint job looks awful!
Agreed. My ’97 Accord Special Edition is looking BAD. It’s a good car, and it’s a shame that it has to have such an unappealing exterior.
There should be something done about this.
I have a 2000 accord coupe that is doing the same thing, HELP!!
Just so you know you are not alone, I just started having the same problem with my 2006 Hyundai Elantra. The clear coat is peeling on the hatchback. I am so frustrated, as I just noticed it today.
I have a black 2003 Honda Accord EX and the clear coat has failed on the trunk and the roof. As I drive around town I’ve noticed quite a few other Honda Accords like mine that are doing the same thing. I too talked to my dealer about it and they refused to do anything for me. Said it was out of warranty.
My husband and I bought a 1998 Honda Accord EX new from the dealership. It is also dark green. It started to peel clear coat approx 7 years ago. So, the car was out of warranty and about 6 yrs old. Needless to say, it looks terrible now. We do live in AZ – so it does get a lot of sun exposure. Which is probably one of the reasons we didn’t get too upset about it. But, seeing that there are people in other areas that have similar issues – it is very upsetting. We have loved our Honda, it runs great, now at $120K. We Don’t love the paint! And, it is embarrasing to drive. When we are going somewhere nice, we opt to take the 8 yr old VW Passat that still has great paint! It is sad, since we are looking at buying a new car to replace the Passat (not the Honda – since it still runs great…you have to love it, one car is great mechanically so far, the other has great paint!) and I would love to buy another Honda, but if I have to factor in a new paint job done the road at $3500 – that has to play into the decision process. I thought that if it was garage kept (mostly) and we kept it waxed that would be enough. But, I have read several different excerpts on line and it seems there are other paint issues with Honda through the years including the mismatched plastic bumpers of more recent models. It would be great if we could get a lawyer/class action interested in this cause. Maybe we could recoup SOME of the lost value and Honda would take notice and FIX their paint issues before it totally ruins their reputation.
I live in GA and i’ve had the same problem. My 98 accord coupe is a deep purple color and it’s doing the exact same thing. My roof and trunk hood looks absolutely horrible!
A question and a comment. A friend said they saw a couple of Acuras with the same paint peeling problem. Has anyone else seen it on an Acura?
I was thinking about getting one of those huge advertising for cars and putting it on my Honda saying the paint looks bad because of Honda, not me!!! A lot of people think you don’t take care of your car when they see all of the splotches!
Im having the same problems, BUt, its on my 2007 Honda Ridgeline RTL. I bought it brand new in 2007 and now its Mar. 19, 2011. The roof and hood are showing signs of clear coat failure. I dunno what to do because, you see, i live in the Caribbean. The truck was bought brand new in Florida and shipped to me. Because of that, i have no warranty. so, am i just out of luck?? theres no dealers down here also.
mike
thenevisian@gmail.com
HELP!!!
I have a 2001 black Accord in South Carolina doing the same thing, clear coat pealing off. In the mid 90s I bought a used 80s model Honda for my son that had the same problem. I thought that is was because the previous owner parked under trees. After looking a this log, I think that Honda may have paint problem dating back to the 80s.
Not to be rude but some of you folks really crack me up. First anybody that works for Honda that says they’ve never heard of this is full of sh*t. It is so well known that when I mentioned it to a customer of mine(who turned out to work in an independent auto body and paint shop) in passing he knew what color each of my cars was by my description of the problems with the paint. And Honda is NOT alone in this respect. I have seen it on Nissan, Toyota, Mitsubishi, Mazda and every single domestic car company in the USA. Everybody in the auto body industry and car industry knows that clear coat will peel or discolor eventually. The people that officially represent Honda won’t admit it to you because admitting it means you have something to use against them to try and make them pay for it. They will stone wall you forever on this(or at least until any warranty that might cover paint is expired) if you try to get them to pay for a new paint job.
The second part of this though is that everybody needs to realize that paint wears out, especially if you don’t garage your car, and especially if you live in the southern or south western USA. Oh and if you drive your car to work I hope you can get covered parking there too, because it doesn’t do much good to garage your car at night and leave it out during the day. This is why people with restored classic cars use car covers, and garages to keep their paint jobs in good condition. Most everybody that is talking about this has a car that is 8 9 10 and even as much as 15 years old. If you were in the sun every day of the year for a full 12 hours a day for 10 years or more your skin wouldn’t look so great either. I really think some of the expectations here are a tad unrealistic when it comes to the life expectancy of a car paint job. If you want your car to look nice longer buy a house with a garage and a car cover if you don’t have covered parking at work. If you already have a garage but don’t use it for your car then sell, give away, or throw out some of the junk in your garage (that probably doesn’t have a total value over $1000 anyway) and use your garage in the way it was intended to be used, to store your vehicle that costs tens of thousands of dollars and not your all your junk instead.
I’m in Columbus Oh and have the same issue you guys are addressing. I have a 1998 green honda accord LX – that runs great but the exterior paint work makes it extremely embarrishing to drive. Has anyone had any luck with this issue other than a $2000 re-paint quote?
No luck at all! Some other people commenting on here have stated that all car manufacturers have these problems. It’s interesting, but I don’t see too many other cars with this problem in exactly the same way…and believe me, I have started looking closely at paint jobs now for over 2 years. I’ve had a VW, Mustang, Camaro and a Mazda MPV with no paint issues. The Hondas I have seen with this problem are roughly the same age and dark in color. I garage my car and it is not parked outside for very long. Those in the auto paint industry know that during the late 90’s and early 2000’s that Honda contracted with outside companies who did slipshod work….it’s coming to light now. It’s unfortunate that we Honda owners have to suffer.
I have a 2002 Accord green in color. I love my car but after the first 7 years the clear coat started to peal. Right now the car has 85000 miles on it and is in really good shape except for the clear coat. The clear coat is comming off the hood, roof, trunk and on the doors. I love my Honda but if this is what i have to look forward to if i buy another Honda I will look at other auto makers. Honda really needs to step up to the plate and fix this issue. Contacting the media is a great idea. I love my car but it is embarrassing to drive with the paint issue.
After being told that the peeling paint on my Honda Accord was due to its exposure to the sun, (it has spent about 2/3 of its life in the open. I decided to see if other owners had similar problems.) Now that I have read your post, I am convinced that the paint is and always has been defective.
And by the way, my car is a 2003, younger than yours by five years. What will it look like in five more years?! The car’s other good qualities do not make up for the company’s refusal to take responsibility for its defective product. Absent some relief from this problem, I, too, will purchase a non-Honda vehicle when the time comes.
I bought my 1998 Honda Accord new. About 6 years ago. In 2005, I noticed the roof’s clear coat and paint started to become different from the rest of the car. I wanted to get together with our Honda zone rep. to document this issue. But I was unable to meet with the rep because of my work schedule. As time went by, the entire roof, trunk, and hood clear coat blistered and peeled off the metal. My Accord’s color is Heather Mist (champagne color). I also own a 1998 Honda Civic (Silver color) which does not have this paint problem. Both cars are in the same area. I have noticed many Honda Accords (1998) with the same paint issue as my Accord, along the same lines, I have noticed other cars that were produced during this time period (1998) to have the same problem. Yesterday there was a 2 door red convertible Mercedes (1998) that had the clear coat peeling off it’s trunk. I believe that the clear coat formula was compromised and the company that was supplying Honda Motor Company should be responsible for correcting their defective product. Honda Motor Company should step up and help to address this issue. I understand that this is not a safety issue. Honda Motor Company should be embarrassed by so many Honda Accords out on our roads with the paint clear coat blistering and peeling off, and what people may think of Honda quality.
Wow. I can kinda see a 1998 or even a 2002 starting to show wear on a car as it’s currently 2011 – but mine is a 2008 and it’s showing wear right between the sun roof and front windshield. It’s a black Civic EX. I only noticed it two days ago. Have tried buffing it, everything. Nothing doing it – and I think I’m right outside of the warranty window too. Bought it Dec 2007. It’s now Apr 2011.
We have a 2007 dark blue Civic EX. Same thing; roof by the sunroof & other places too. Honda offered to pay 1/2. When asked why just half the Honda USA lady hit me with HUGE attitude and said if that was not going to make me happy they would just rescind the offer. Then she admitted that if it happened to her she would be just as mad.
http://www.hondaproblems.com/problems/peeling-paint.shtml
– I printed this out & am taking it into the dealer. Both the dealer and Honda USA said they have not seen or heard of this problem before.
I am a signmaker. I will get a blank window sunscreen and make as large a sign as I can on it and it will not be flattering.
What color is yours? Our 2007 Civic is Atomic Blue.
i have an 2001 accord coupe. same thing happened to me. how is this not covered or recalled??
I have a 2004 Honda Odyssey. It has less than 100,000 miles and I have had no problems other than paint peeling off the top of ALL of the doors. I took it in today to get an estimate and the guy at the shop said that it is extremely rare for a car that new to have that much paint chipping off. After doing some research online, I see that it is rare in the auto industry but quite common for Honda owners. I agree that Honda needs to take responsibility for this before they lose thousands of loyal customers.
This could be our 2000 Honda Accord in 2 years! We have taken very good care of it (original owners), but ours started the paint problem several years ago- the trunk and rear part of the roof are really bad now, I suspect next it will be the rest of the roof and gravitate to the front of the car very soon. I heard there was a recall out there, that is what I am in search of- let me know if you hear of it!!! I see many cars similar to ours on the road, and every one of the darker colors has this problem, although the black seems to get the worst of it! Sad because it is an otherwise great vehicle!
Good luck if you think there is a recall out there!
I too have a similar problem. I have a black 2002 Accord EX and I’ve always taken care of it since I got it in 2008. Like previously said, the sides are fine but any spot where there can be direct sunlight it is either faded or the clearcoat on the roof or spoiler is beginning to chip and cause huge white blotches. Also, the edges around the windows are chipping as well.
Must be a Honda Rep…
My 2001 black Accord has the same problem, so It wasn’t just one year. My concern is the great reduction in resale value. I might as well have bought a Chevy.
If I found a $2000 repaint quote, I might even take it, $5000 is more typical for a good repaint job. I’d rather use the money for the down payment on my next Non Honda car. I started this search thinking it was my fault–no garage, not washing it often enough, etc. It seems like people who were perfect in maintenance have the same problem, and with newer cars. So my otherwise perfect 10 year old car goes to the heap. I bought it new, thinking Honda resale value would be a good reason to go with Honda–my mistake.
On the Honda FB page, I commented about the poor paint job on my Honda and I instantly became the villain! The comments were….try taking care of your car, washing/waxing it would really help, all cars the same age as yours (2002) and black have paint problems. WHAT? Then every car I see that is dark in color would look like crap. People just don’t realize how Honda screwed us in paint quality during certain years….and Honda isn’t helping their customers at all. When I see a Honda coming towards me on the road with a peeling hood and roof, I think that will be my car eventually. It is embarrassing and maddening. I look at my beautiful black Accord and I cringe when I see what it has become. I really need to look into one of those colorful ads that you can get for your car thanking Honda for a beautiful paint job to draw attention to it. I have no idea what they cost, but I might just do it!
Was that recently that you made the comment on Facebook? That is
absolutely the wrong way for any company to respond and I feel that
Honda has been doing a great job doing that – responding incorrectly or
not at all.
I plan on writing another post with comments that have been logged on
this page. It’s so sad that Honda is not a responsible company. I used
to love them, much less so now.
No, it wasn’t recently because I have hidden the page….probably 6+ months ago. I don’t want to take any more rude remarks. It wasn’t Honda that replied to my post, it was fans of their page.
Ah of course. Fans can be rude, on both sides. I used to be a huge fan
of Honda, but their lack of acknowledgement or even response have swung
me to the other side.
Thank you for getting us together on this topic! I just wish there was something else we could do to get Honda to help us out. All my contacts with them haven’t helped at all.
So basically I need to pay to get my green 98 accord painted again? Won’t do anytihng for me? I will never buy a honda again after this. I’ve already had the roof and trunk painted, now the hood is peeling badly, before I bring it to the autobody shop, does anyone have any ideas?
The paint on My daughter’s 2002 Accord Coupe is oxidizing. I have seen many 2002 Accords that are having problems with their paint jobs. She hasn’t taken it to the dealer yet to complain but will do so soon.
Good luck! Where do you live? The Honda rep. here in So Cal said it’s caused by the heat and smog. I wonder why all of the other cars don’t have the same problem? Let us know here what your daughter finds out.
I have a 2007 Honda Civic–dark metallic blue. When washing it yesterday I noticed pin head sided pitting and some rust spots on the trunk and hood! I live in WA state and am incredulous! Paint on our 1996 Oldsmobile (never garaged) looks better than this.
First I live in Se Tx-from port arthur to Houston…horrible air quality and numerous oil and chemical refineries.
I own-
1987 Toyota Supra red NO PAINT ISSUES
1991 Chevy 454 SS black NO PAINT ISSUES
1997 HONDA ACCORD black MAJOR PAINT ISSUES SIMILAR TO OTHER COMP.
02 MUSTANG no issues
04 Toyota camry no issues
05 HONDA ACCORD electric blue MAJOR PAINT ISSUES
05 DODGE NEON silver NO ISSUES
TWENTY YEAR OLD CHEVY IS REALLY THE AMAZING COMPARISON.
EXACTLY!
It happened to my black Honda Accord too, first several white spots, then the clear paint peeling off leaving patches just like in your picture. I am really pissed about this HONDA quality. If someone trying to get some action, count me in.
Honda has a customer service twitter site, http://twitter.com/#!/HondaCustSvc, I wonder if anybody complained there already
1998 Honda Accord… paint color: Raisin Pearl…. bought it in 2007 used and the problem started about 2010…. one little blister on the trunk and now it is the entire trunk plus top of the car.
Seen at least 2 cars (same year, same color) that look identical to mine and have the same degree of peeling. The clear coat is blistering off. Both owners describe the same time frame…. and one was garage kept and made no difference. Every body repair place in town will tell you the same story… HONDA does have an issue with the clear coat in 1998 years.
My 2001 Honda Accord is doing the same thing – I am quite annoyed — has anything had anything done by Honda yet? They are ignoring me.
Anyone?
Haven’t helped me. They had a rep. look at my 2002 Accord (black) and they would not help me. It is because of the smog/heat in So Cal. Then why doesn’t EVERY car have the same exact problem????? The letter I sent to Honda in Torrance resulted in a rep. calling me with the same exact song and dance. When I asked him if he had ever heard about all of the people with the same paint problem, he replied that he didn’t know what I was talking about and hadn’t heard a thing. Of course, they are told to give the same exact answer to the masses who have purchased their cars.
Hi, when we tried to fix a small chip on my 3-month-old Civic 2011 all its clear coat came out and it looks like a big crazy scratch… just horrible… I didn’t if it were us trying to fix it wrongly, but I guess is just problems with the car’s original clear coat…
Mine did the exact same thing. I just had the hood and bumper and mirror re-painted. The hood oxidized just as these pictures. My friend’s roof did the same. We have identical 1999 Honda Accords. Is there any remedy re Honda taking responsibility?
Yes, I have the same spots on my roof and trunk and around the windshield of my 99 black accord. I tried to buff them off but realized about 2 yrs ago the clearcoat was coming off and breaking down. We have been loyal to Honda and Toyota forever and this is the first time they may have let us down. It is disappointing to see domestic cars much older with better paint than my accord. This car is washed and waxed 4 times a year and still the paint has deteriorated.
I have a 2001 Honda EX – black. In the ten years that I have owned it – the car has run quite well and with low mileage. 10.5 years in, I am only at 96k miles and could drive it for many more years. The problem is – I do not want to, the paint job is completely eroding and at this point, the paint job is worth more than the car.
I stopped by the dealership to look at new Honda’s – but really it was to complain about my current car. They sat their motionless and quiet. Enough said.
I am the biggest Honda fan in the world and my 2002 Honda Accord EX-L V6 is Black and it has this paint problem. It is such a shame because I Love my car it has 248,000 miles on it and it has been an excellent car.I am disappointed in Honda for not stepping up. I wish they would offer me half the price of the price of a paint job.I actually called Hondas customer service line and ask them about it and they said they had not heard of this LOL.I dont however think Honda is totally to blame. I think our great EPA is the true problem. I say this because I work with a guy who has a Honda Accord of this year with the problem and his paint is fine. Guess what the difference is his was built in Japan and mine was built in Marysville Ohio.I hope someone will keep the heat on Honda and Honda should hold the EPA responsible if this is the case. Someone let me know of the progress or advice that can help us get this problem fixed.
Thought I’m Just the only one who got this problem! I have a 1998 Honda Accord EX V6. I noticed 3 years ago that the clear coat on the side moldings are peeling off, but ignored it for 2 years, Now the roof, the trunk and the hood clear coat is fading. Not Cool at all Honda. I wont buy anymore car from this company.
I have a 2000 Civic EX and the clear coat did the same thing. I’ve seen plenty of other Hondas with the same problem. There is a problem with the clear coat. But it sounds like Honda is just ignoring the issue.
I too have a 2000 Accord, it’s been garage-kept it’s entire life and is still peeling on the roof! I will be in the market for a new car soon and this certainly makes me question adding a Honda to the list of prospects!!! Makes me mad…cause these cars aren’t cheap!!
Our 2001 honda accord is doing the same thing. the paint job is peeling (clear coat) and has been for the past few years. I thought it was just mine, but I keep seeing other honda accords that the same thing has happened to. There has got to be something wrong with the clear coat paint that the mfg. was using at the time. Or was there not enough clear coat being used, but I agree that Honda should own up to the crappy paint used on all our vehicles. We paid good hard earned money for a these cars and we deserve to get a good product.
My 1999 Accord – Dark Pearl Green Metallic has the same issue for the past couple of years. First it looked like bird droping issue ( I park it out and dropping can be acidic) on rear top driver side . Later it started peeling on the trunk top. Now its on the roof top. Let me know if anyone has done a fixit paint job..? color code G87P. Think it needs base coat + clear coat to match. Hope this stupid thing dont happen to my 2006 red PILOT.!
Took my 2002 black Accord in for regular maintenance today. As the service technician walked around the back of my car, he pointed out the white cloudy areas on the trunk and asked me what happened. Can you believe that? I said nothing “happened”, it’s your crappy paint job! He quickly changed the subject and said he liked my Angel sticker! They just can’t acknowledge what has happened to the paint on their cars!
So it’s NOT just my 2002 Accord EX sedan! I thought it was the fault of the wiper fluid spraying & corroding the finish, b/c that’s where the damage appeared to start. i did a search on Honda’s owner site about possible paint recalls. Nada. I have a friend with a Civic, about the same age as my car & both the same dark green. That car is fine. What gives? I’m not going to pay Honda to redo the paint job; however, I’d like to get it repainted (perhaps by my county tech HS) before the body rusts. The only time I’ve ever seen such worn paint was visiting family in Guam, when the sun seemed to burn off the paint on car roofs.
Japan vs. US – now that’s interesting. I have no idea where my 2002 was manufactured, but it was a demo model
I have a 2000 Civic and my clear coat is also chipping on the hood!
This guy posted what his master ordered him to do.
It’s a serious issue the new cars paint coat is just chipping out. We count for it so much and if such things happens then it creates a bad impression from the company point of view.
My 2002 Honda Accord V6 has the same issue. It’s has allways been parked in garage and in great care. The black paint started peeling off about 2 years ago and white (or gray) part is exposed in trunk and hood area and gets really spread out quickly. Would people be interested in filing a class action against Honda Motor? I’ll be the 1st one to join? I prefer not to have a lawyer involved as we will end up with almost nothing as a result.
You’ll have to get in line! :) We’ve talked about doing that for years! How would you do it without getting a lawyer involved?
I have a 2004 Honda EX that we bought new. The car only has 60,000 miles and is in great condition operationally. We love this car and hoped to drive it another 5 or 6 years. However the clear coat has started to degrade on all the flat surfaces and very careful inspection reveals the same thing to be starting on the edges of panels that make up roof post, door edges etc. I know of people who’ve had all the flat surfaces painted, but before anyone did that I would recommend a close exam of all areas. One very good local body shop gave me a ballpark estimate of 2800 dollars to paint the entire car. I thought I was going to become a Honda loyalist but now I’m not so sure.
I have a 2004 Honda Accord EX which I bought brand new. This spring the clear coat had begun to whiten on the roof above the front window. Now it’s starting on the trunk and the rest of the roof. Personally I feel like Honda needs to make this right. I love my car but it looks terrible!
I have a 2000 Honda accord in the exact green! And it too is peeling on the roof area.. It’s well taken care if and don’t understand why the paint is coming off.
I am having the same problem with my 2003 accord. In todays economy I don’t have money to just go get a new paint job. Especially when I took great care of the car and yet it still gets “Paint Cancer.” Is there anything I can do? If so who do I talk to at Honda?
I agree with Mary Shellman! I’m definitely putting up a sign. Everybody do it.
Honda uses Defective paint.
Just uploaded new photos to Flickr showing what has happened in about 2 years to my black 2002 Honda Accord. It kills me to see how crappy it looks. It’s basically a good looking car, except for the paint.
Please contact me at hondaaccordpeeling@gmail.com if you are interested in the joint letter. I will draft one up.
I have a 2004 Black Honda Accord Coupe V6 -purchased it brand new and my top, trunk and hood are faded and paint is gone. I paid top dollar for this vehicle and now trying to figure out where to get funds for a new paint job. Someone told me there was a class action lawsuit out here. Just starting to investigate.
Has anyone thought about all of us buying one of those rear windshield skins with a message to Honda saying the paint looks bad because of their being cheap and not backing their customers? It sure would draw attention to it! I’m seriously thinking about doing it. I bet if we bought a bunch of them (they would all basically be the same size for the Accord back windshield), we would get a great price. Let me know your thoughts.
Thank you Michael for writing this article. My wife has an 02 Accord. It looks terrible: The paint is peeling especially on the roof and the trunk. I went to Sunnyvale Honda Dealer, all they told me is that the paint is water-based after that California had instructed so… That was their answer which obviously doesn’t help at all. I asked if they can make a contribution they said that they just don’t so any body work. Well, I understand that but can you pay a part of the sum if I am willing to fix your defective water based paint that CA had imposed?
You can paint your car for $200.00 and sell it, it will look great but you may hear from the buyer in a month; OR, you can paint it perfectly after taking off all the old paint and repaint the car for $4,000.00 in California… I am not sure if it is worth spending that much money on a 10 years old car.
I am very frustrated with Honda for two things:
1) Why does this water-based paint doesn’t peel off of the Subaru, Toyota or Mercedes (If it is the law in California to have a water-based paint, so why the quality paint you are using is by far lower than your competition-TOYOTA & SUBARU)
2) I am really tired of talking to your “advisers” and every time we point our finger on something they come up with a ridiculous argumentation that doesn’t contribute any substance to my inquiry. It was for the case of paint peeling and to the transmission or Engine mount: you can hear a shock at a full stop.. They told me it is normal the car is 8 years old! -two years ago-.
Terrible terrible terrible.
If anyone would like to write a letter or something like that please Email me 1pasticcere@gmail.com
It seems Honda has many different explanations for their cost-saving!
We too have a 2002 Honda Accord EX with the clear coat peeling badly and has been in progress for 3 years. We have written letters, sent pictures, and made numerous phone calls to no avail. Not only is the paint an issue but Honda’s response to our inquiries was unprofessional and untimely. Honda agreed that the paint was defective but denied compensation as the car was out of warranty. Frustrated, and definitely seeking out another car. Our 1998 Toyota Camry is close to the same color and the paint shows no sign of losing it’s clear coat. I should have looked for this site a couple years ago.
I too have a 2002 Accord with the paint peeling badly, It is a great car except for the atrocious paint. Honda won’t do anything, so I too am going to put a sign on it saying that Honda uses defective paint and won’t stand by there product.
Great to find your blog. ’98 Accord in dark grey. It’s actually Raisin. Peeling began on the trunk then the roof and now on the hood. Our third Accord. Honda is a good product but seems to have an issue here. Our ’99 Accord (Forest Green) gave up the tranny at 86000 miles. Honda denied the issue but were happy to replace it for $5k. We traded it towards a Sienna minivan (love it!) before we noticed any peeling paint. My ’98 is a manual shift and runs great but now looks terrible. Guess I’ll have to save up for the paint job. At least the tranny works and I’m not stuck on the side of the road. Raleigh, NC.
My 1998 dark green Honda Accord has the exact same problem. I don’t see Honda doing anything to make it right. If we were all driving Pontiacs we wouldn’t be asking this question because the car would’ve been long dead. At least it drives great.
My 2003 Green Honda Accord is experiencing the same thing. I only have washed the car with water and never have taken it to a car wash. It looks terrible. We need to get HOnda to pay attention to this problem. I have been telling everyone I know not to buy Honda products due to the poor customer service when it comes to this problem.
I am also having the same issue…. having a 2002 honda accord green color.. saw few other hondas today and thought to google and see if it is common and here it goes!!!! was planning to sell my car and get another accord.. but!!! now…. i dont think it would be a good idea to get another honda!! more over.. i dont know how would this affect resale value of my car!!!!
Hello I have the exact problem with my green Honda accord LX. I realize this post is a couple years old now… Did you get your paint fixed? Any tips? Will Honda do anything? Thank you for any comments you may have!
i have a 99 honda accord ex. all my panels except my side panels clear coat are peeling off, so i think it is sun/heat related. it makes my car look ugly. honda needs to do something to make their paint/clear coat last longer.
I agree I have a 2006 Honda and is peeling also, looks pretty bad, Such a low quality paint,
I only have 120.000 miles and is having many issues with the oil leaks but I’m working on it . The company should give us half price for painting the cars, I won’t buy another Honda if they don’t do something about it.
I too have a 98 honda accord ex plum purple and it is peeling as well. HONDA please do something its making your vehicle’s look very sub par.
I had a 1992 charcoal Honda Accord LX. I would say within about 5 years, my paint job start pealing. Same as the pictures above. I gave the car to my brother just 3 years ago. He in turn has sold the car. The car still runs, but the clear coat is completely gone. I purchased another Honda (Acura TL 3.2-1999) in 2005/reddish/burgandy. To my surprise, I notice a discloratioin on the roof (right in front on the sunroof). As time passed it spreaded (just like the pictures shown) and now it has gone to the trunk. I can tell it’s moving to the hood….it starts off by looking like tiny tiny airbubbles. If you run your hand over the hood, it feels rough. I think it’s all older Honda’s. I notice alot of older Honda’s on the road with the missing clear coat….but the cars are still running. I want a MDX…but I’m so afraid of the paint problem.
I have a 2004 Honda CR-V in dark blue that has a hood with almost no paint left on it and the front bumper is a faded gray that doesn’t match the side and rear bumpers! I live in New England so the winters can be tough, but my car is garaged most of the time and it only has 80,000 miles. I bought it used in 2007 from Atamian Honda dealer in Tewskbury, MA when it was 3 years old with 36,000 miles. A month ago I took it to them and asked about the paint and the service guys looked under the hood and said it wasn’t the original paint, that it had been repainted by someone. Yeah, I think Atamian Honda knew the paint was a problem, had it repainted and sold it to me without telling me and no warranty covers it because it isn’t the original paint job. So I have issues with Honda and the dealership and the minimum work to re-paint the problem area is about $1500.
We bought a 2004 accord for our son when he graduated from college. Within 2 years the clear coat began to peel. Now it looks exactly like the car in the photos above. Honda said we caused it by polishing the car with a buffer, which was something we have never done to the car. I have a 12y/o Audi and the paint still looks new. I’ll never buy another Japanese car. They’ll run forever but in a few years they’ll be a crappy looking rattle trap….
I don’t think all Japanese cars have this problem…that’s a bit unfair. Honda had this problem during a certain time period when they tried to outsource their painting.
I also have the same problem with my 1999 Honda Accord EX-V6 with “heather mist” paint. I had thought, since I have a sun roof and the car has those channels on either side of the roof, I could spot paint the top between the channels and the sun roof. That way any deviation in paint color would be less detectable because of the break in the lines. But, now the truck lid is also peeling, as well as the back bumper. Other than this paint problem, I have had little else go wrong with the car. But it looks horrible and reflects as if I didn’t take care of it, which is not the case.
I have a green 2003 Accord and it looks like it has a rare disease – the clear coat issue has been going on for 4 yrs. Awful.
i have a 2008 honda civic lx coup and just notice 2 days ago what everyone is talking about…fading and white spotting on the roof top. very sad because the car is only 4 years old and from what ive been reading, not going to like the outcome of this! next week im going to address this with my dealer and not settle for anything less then them offering 3/4 the pay. 100% would be nice but we all know how that goes.
maybe someone should start a facebook spread about this…always the best way to get attention.
Has anyone heard of consumerist.com ? I saw a section about it on the news last night and it seems like a ripe place to bring this paint issue to light.
On that note I own a 2007 Fiji Blue Civic Si. Love the car, it’s probably everything I need right now…EXCEPT the paint. I immediately noticed it scratched very very easily and I had to watch what sponges I used when I washed it. At some point shortly after purchasing crows feet appeared all over the front of my hood. I had just brought the car in to have the 3rd gear recall fixed so I looked past it for the time being…not a huge deal, I can live with it. About 4 months ago this issue with the clear coat fading has been the latest. I tried to look past it and just wax it up and try to keep it pristine but it keeps spreading like a wildfire and doesn’t look like it’s stopping anytime soon…
Actually, I have submitted to them a while ago but it might make sense to re-submit. If anyone has contacts there, please let me know.
So I brought my 2007 Fiji Blue Si in around a week ago to the Honda Dealer in Sunnyvale, CA. A rep named Jerry was very helpful with my and came outside and seemed a little disturbed by the crows feet and blatant clear coat erosion on both the front of the roof and the rear, even saying that the paint should not be doing that (I will post some pictures soon). We went inside and he filed a form so that a Honda of America rep would come and take a look at it. I got a call from Jerry today (Jan 11, 2012) saying (without seeing any pictures of the vehicle) that due to the amount of owners (I bought it used as the second owner still under warranty with 22k miles), and the year (it’s a 2007…five years old give me a break) that they would not offer anything on the issue.
I’m a little pissed needless to say. I’ve babied this car since I got it, washed it once a week/every other week and wax at least once a month. I’m 25, graduated college, can’t find a decent paying job…this car was going to be my stable stallion that I could ride until 30 or so. SURE you can say that “hey, at least it still drives,” but would you sell a car with a defective transmission? Defective brakes? Defective pistons? No, absolutely not. The paint is so much a piece of a car as any one of those elements aforementioned. Honda sold cars with a defective product, end of story. It’s on them. In actuality, this “inconvenience” takes a large piece out of the resale value as whoever else would be willing to buy it is going to have to fix it eventually. Honda is costing me precious money that I cannot afford and do not have to keep my car from looking like an absolute P.O.S. on the road.
It would be one thing for the car to be a hunk of junk in the first place, but truth be told, I actually love this car. The Fiji Blue is a gorgeous color. The Si is quick and can handle a turn well, and the stereo pumps. I really could not want much more in a car right now. Which is a shame because I would like to keep it for many more years. If Honda actually owned up to their poor discretion in paint procedures, I would respect them so much more. My first car was a 1999 Civic Ex. Great car. Been driving Hondas since 2004 which would be eight years now. I’ve repped Honda so hard and only said good things about them to my friends and family. This could very well change depending on how this turns out.
I find it hopeful and encouraging that there are many many more people out there with the same problem. I know I will be referencing from many of the sources here should I have to get down to the details and truth with Honda.
This is the beauty of social media, we have power in numbers. Maybe we could combine our opinions and stories into a more focused and concise document that we could print out and bring in if and when we decide to bring this to Honda’s attention.
-Andrew
Thanks Andrew for your story. I’m glad that you added it to the growing list. I would say, yes, use social media to promote this issue and raise awareness with Honda. I have tried and tried again. I’m sure they know about me. I was a long time Honda advocate but the fact that they refuse to even talk about this cordially brings a lot of concern. Many other car manufacturers are engaging and listening. Honda doesn’t seem to want to (but I understand that it would be a huge PR nightmare for them).
I would tweet to Honda, reference this and the other posts that I made. The more people that do that, the better!
I also have a grey 2006 Honda Civic, My neighbor has the exact same car and both cars are faded and peeling in the same exact areas along the top front,back top (I have a sun roof) and on the trunk center. Every Honda Civic I see I have noticed the same, they really need to make this right. I am a favored Honda buyer and I would like my next care to be a Honda as my previous one was also but now I am second guessing it. Although they did fix the issue with the engine block.
mine’s a honda accord 1998 LX… bottle green… i have the same problem too…!!
I have a 2005 Accord, Burgandy in color–87,000 miles. My paint on the bumpers, by the windows, and especially the roof, have started pealing. It is getting worse by the day. We took it in this week to let a Honda rep look at it and she insisted it wasn’t original paint! I just found this link. What can we do about this???
We have a 1997 Honda Accord that started out with the color Heather Mist Metallic-basically beige but now it is disgustinly patchy. Otherwise, it’s a great car.
I really liked the news story I heard this week where a woman took Honda to small claims court over their false mileage claims on the hybrids. And she won…almost $10K!!! I wish we could all do that with our paint problems.
My 1996 Honda Accord ~ Tan ~ only has 114,000 miles on it and has started the ‘peeling process’ a couple of months ago. I went to a local Honda dealer today and was told to check with their service manager on Monday. Hopefully they’ll rectify this without incident.
Please don’t count on it. We’ve all been going around and around with this problem for quite some time! Let us know what happens though!
That’s how my 2002 green Honda civic ex is looking like. White discoloration at the roof top and some peeling on the sides.
I have the exact same problem on my 1998 dark green Honda Accord EX. It sucks because everything else about the car has been great although at 188K miles the CV joints are going.
Yep. This is my 98 Accord now. This only started happening from 2009 to 2012. It has spread now and is approaching the 50% point where more than half the car’s paint has that burn-victim look.
Our 99 (used to be) black accord did the exact same thing. It is obviously a defect that Honda will not own up to.
I have a 97 Accord SE in Heather Mist Metallic and started seeing the fading problems about 7 years ago. I didn’t think much of it until it progressively got worse and noticed that many Honda cars made in the late 90’s/early 00’s were showing a similar pattern of blotching/peeling clear coat.
Right now The entire roof is almost bar, and the rear trunk and sides of the roof are well on their way. The hood/sides/rear are surprisingly still in good shape. I did some internet research and saw the number of complaints and tried emailing Stevens Creek Honda (where I purchased the car), but got no response. From reading the experiences of people online it seems that there’s no Honda company policy, but rather individual dealerships that may or may not help cover costs of a new paint job. If anyone in the Bay Area has had any luck with a specific dealership in helping with the paint issue please let me know!
I have a 2004 Honda Accord (black) and have the same problem. The first time I contacted Honda regarding the problem I was told it was because it was black. I then informed the idiot on the other end of the phone I had an 89 (black) Chevy pickup truck with over 500,000 mi. on it parked next to this black Honda and had NO PROBLEM WITH THE PAINT ON THE CHEVY. I have not only contacted Honda but also my dealer. My dealer said he would help but when checked the records at the dealership, he found that I had not had the car serviced there and there was nothing he could do. This is the second Honda I have owned and you can believe it will be my last. If I had the time and did not need the car I would park it in front of the dealship and put a sign on it “DON’T BUY UNLESS YOU WANT A PAINT JOB LIKE THIS
My 2009 Honda Civic EX with only 14,000 miles is having defective paint issues.
The car is still under warranty and the Honda dealership is investigating the issue.
I was told they would have to have the affected areas repainted. I feel that this is going to bring down the value of the car. I do have a balance on the loan and what it comes down to is that I am paying for a car that is not living up to what Honda originally sold me. I believe they should give me a partial refund in addition to painting the entire car, not just the affected areas.
Same experience. Honda Accord 2001 Emerald Green. Some peeling on the roof and trunk (start from 2011) The mileage is 64,000 in March 2012, so I will take it to Maaco.
My 99 Accord is doing the exact same thing. It’s the same color and the paint has flaked off the hood, roof and trunk. I have been pricing paint jobs between 4 and 5 thousand dollars, wow.
Mine is the same story. I will not buy another Honda.
Its a 1998 and quite frankly the paint has lasted just as long as Honda expected it to. The car is designed to last just barely past the factory warranty and that is all. The paint will start breaking down a little before then and afterward it will certainly turn dull and shabby. If your Honda ran forever, would you ever buy a new car? Automakers have a simple business model. Rich people need to get a new car every two years. Middle class needs to get a car every five years. Poor people should get a car every ten years. Based on this they have created products to match these three sectors needs.
I think that your statement would be fine if it applied to ALL car manufacturers/makes around the same year. However, the issue here is that it is only the Honda Accord (sometimes Civic, or others) around this year that is plagued by this issue. You don’t see other manufacturers around this year with the same problem. And, on top of that, Honda was the one claiming better resale over the years, obviously not the case here.
Thanks for your wonderful comment! I got angry after I read the comment to which you replied! I wasn’t going to be as nice as you were!!
I own a 2004 Honda Accord and about 3 years ago I noticed that the clear coat had started to peel on the roof and trunk lid. Over the three years it has steadily expanded so that it now affects the roof, hood, trunk, and doors. I have owned many cars over the years of which some I kept for 15 years. I have never had problems with the paint like I have with this Honda. I generally like Honda’s but when I buy my next car later this year it will not be a Honda. As a side note I am now more aware of other vehicles with peeling clear coat. I must admit that the majority that I see are Honda’s and most of them are painted a dark color
Honda should step forward and admit they have painted some of their vehicles with a bad mix of paint and clear coat and should rectify this problem at their expense.
1997 black civic.. same problem. The car is an eyesore.
Has anyone had any luck with honda on this? Any success fixing the problem (or at least limiting the damage) with sandpaper & spray-on clear coat?
Any idea what percentage this awfulness knocks off the resale value? At this point I want to get a new Nissan, but need to get rid of the civic first…
I have a 2000 Honda Accord Coupe with the same issue and it’s getting worse everyday! This is something Honda should fix and ensure customer satisfaction. I have had quite a few experiences lately that have me asking where has customer service gone?! No one is willing to apologize and right the wrong any more and it saddens me. I just hope our voices can bring change and bring back the customer service that was once something company’s valued, taught and showed in their actions. Come on Honda step up!!
I have exactly the same problem. I have a 1998 Honda Accord EX. It is running very well. But it looks ugly. I want to sell it. But no one want it.
2009 Black Civic doing the same thing clear coat peeling off roof it is a problem with the dark colors, have spoken to Honda Dealership and they are unwilling to help.
I have a 2006 honda civic….62000 miles….the whole top and trunk lid is peeling paint and clearcoat…..please honda has been my choice for many years
We have a 2002 Black Honda V6 Accord. It looks like it has a disease and has just gotten progressively worse over the last two years. Other much older cars look great next to our sad sack Honda. We have been Honda owners for over 20 years and always taken excellent care of our cars but we are now shopping for something else as this is clearly a defect that Honda has never fully acknowledged or rectified.
Sounds just like my black ’02 Accord….a disease! That is a good way to describe it! I would like to stay with Honda because I’ve had 3 and they’ve been great cars, but this paint problem is infuriating! I feel so embarrassed about how it looks. What other cars are you looking at to buy?
My 1998 Honda Accord looks exactly the same as the above photos except the hood is not peeling. That is because it has been painted / replaced due to an auto accident. I am trying to figure out what to do with this problem. A paint job at the Honda dealer costs $4000- 5000; the car is too old to invest this much money into it. I have thought of painting it myself. Has anyone found a satisfactory resolution to the problem?
I have a 2004 Honda Accord in red. Same problem with the clear coat. Honda tells me that it is my fault. I did nothing other than use high quality waxes and followed application instructions. They said their proof is that my spoiler ws not factory installed and it’s clear coat is also wearing away. Problem is the clear coat is a producers formula so it doens’ tmatter who applies it. I fth eformaula or applicaation is off then your cooked. Just say another 2004 today with the excat same issue only worse than mine. have bought 5 Honda’s but will never agian.Little thing about insulting a customer’s intelligence and trust. Needed a new lawn mower. A sales rep asked me if I was interested in a Honda as they great engines. My response was” Do they come painted?”
Not very bright on Honda’s part. These things have a strong tendency to come back and bite corporations. History tells us that we all need to own up to our responsibility and make our mistakes right. Ever hear about the young guy who’s guitar was lost by American Airlines? Offered him a feable certificate of some sort.He wrote a song which has had in excess of a million hits on You Tube. AA has REALLY apologized and made it right. The internet is a powerful social gathering point. Some companies haven’t figured it out yet.
When we feel wronged and know it is legit then we kep on going. No such thing as bad publicity…Wanna bet?
has anyone gotten anywhere with this problem? i have had no luck at all. they claim there is not a paint issue. please help, my car is sick looking. shame on you HONDA….. you should step up to the plate and have a recall. don’t think i will ever but another honda, they sure don’t stand behind there product.
i am in on this. you would think they would be embarrassed.
debrabdavidson@mail.com
Hi, my name is Caroll, I have a black Honda Accord that looks as terrible as any of these pictures posted (if not worse). I was told by 3 professional painters that there is indeed a problem with the paint. He gave me a name and # to call corperate. The guy in charge turned me down for a re-paint approval because he said, and I quote, “I have researched it on-line and there are not enough reported cases of complaints for me to approve a re-paint. Maybe its time to go facebook or craigslist with this you guys…
I will try to go to Clawson Honda Fresno (hint) and see if I can get that # again for the regional manager. Maybe we can all call and file a complaint.
I currently have a 1997 Honda Accord with horrible paint fade. Honda of Oakland Service Department says “we’ve never heard of that problem.” Hahaha! Liars! Every other Honda in Berkeley/Oakland/San Francisco has horrible paint fade. I don’t think all the advertising dollars can counter the mess of crappy looking paint faded Hondas on the road. I will never buy another Honda. On to another brand, maybe a Toyota, or a German or American car? I’m buying a new car and it definitely won’t be a Honda. Too bad because I grew up with Hondas and I thought I would always drive one.
Same exact issue with my 2006 Honda Civic Si. I asked my my local dealership about it in 2010 when I was having my CD player replaced under warranty. It was simply two small white patches between my moon roof and windshield. At that point I feel like they just wanted to get rid of me so they said, oh, we will ask our manager. From that I waited for a response, called back, left voice mails, even sent an e-mail. No response. When I went back in for an oil change. I said, can I please get an answer. They went to their manager who said, no, nothing we can do. I said, OK, fine. I eventually decided not to go back to that dealer. They recently called me, asking why so I told them the story again. I was asked to come back in, they contacted Honda who said 3 weeks ago they are willing to pay half the cost of having my car painted. Leaves me with a $1200 charge even with them paying half and the service manager didn’t even tell me why or give me a break down of charges. I called Honda myself and was told, well, if it turns into a recall there are claim forms so you could be reimbursed. I was told that since he did not break down charges or tell me why she would have their Honda rep contact them and all of us having a meeting. Surprise surprise, now every time I call I have to talk to a voice mail, and he calls back leaving odd, very uninformed messages making it sound like it’s all up to me? I call back and say, um, Honda is supposed to tell you what to tell me sir… When I was given the quote I was told I had a month to decide. Now two more weeks are wasted on them and their “lovely” communication skills. With all the cars having this issue though, I’m sorry, but that quote and this customer service is not good enough. I think a lot of Honda owner’s will agree with me.
I’ve already decided that my next car is going to be a Toyota. I love my Honda, but the paint is embarrassing and looks like crap. I cringe especially every time I have to open the trunk.
I have a 2002 black Honda Accord and have exactly the same paint issue. The problem started on the roof of the car, then went to the trunk and now it’s on the doors below the window. It’s horrible. I am trying to decide to sell the car or paint it. This is my 2nd Honda, my first was a 1995 white Honda Prelude and never had a paint issue and I owned that car until 2007. My next car will NOT be a Honda!
The problem continued to 2006 ? Mine was a 1998 Honda.. I have the idea of having car art done to my car.. Like just put a huge decal over my roof and then then them trail down by the back window and just cover up all the diseased spots.. I found a company that says they can custom make it.. I won’t have this opportunity again – to hearken back to my “inner hippie” days when people did put flowers on their cars.. Not sure just what design yet.. Don’t know the cost either.. I was even thinking of glueing plastic flowers across the roof in long rows or even grass.. I am too old to make a spectacle of myself.. want something subtle.. perhaps stars? or leaves?
Let’s go..
I have a 2003 that started losing its clear coat a few years ago. My car looks terrible and Honda is ignoring the issue. What kind of a company sells faulty products and then won’t take responsibility? If more people knew about this Honda’s sales would fall off a cliff. No one needs to do business with dishonest companies that have no integrity anymore. They are going to regret this big time.
That is interesting, truly, but it certainly seems to happen more on Hondas. Maybe Hondas last so long that they are outlasting their paint jobs, but several of the cars on this blog are 2006 and there was even one that was a 2011. It makes sense that this is sun damage because all of the surfaces affected are the horizontal surfaces, but why does it happen on Honda in particular and often within 5 years of buying the car? It’s good to know that Honda is aware of the problem and sometimes willing to pay for part of the fix, but the problem is, how do I know that this is not going to happen again if I buy a Honda? They are already losing customers due to this “superficial” issue. I will probably wait a good 10 years before considering another Honda and if this forum is quiet by then (and Honda has not gone bankrupt from tsunamis and loss of loyal customers), I’ll look at them again for my kids’ cars. But if the issue continues, well, there are lots of great car companies and some that will be gone. Hopefully it is worth it to them to stick around (and fix this issue, or at least acknowledge it and do what they can). I’ll see what the rep I have has to say. I’ve got a silver 2002 Accord with the same issue.
Here’s another disgusted Honda owner! One more bare metal, trash-y, destitute looking 2001 Honda Accord EX V6. Took it to Mission Valley Honda in San Diego, & whaddya know..there was a late model Honda sitting there with that crappy peeling paint we all know so well – waiting for it’s customer to pick it up after being serviced. I told the service manager that he can’t pretend not to be aware of the problem, here’s two in one day / and proceeded to show him all the complaints I printed out along with a class action lawsuit I found online for a plaintiff in Florida. He took 3 little cell phone pictures and told me he’d give it to his manager and then *I* would have to call customer service to find out what they will do for me. Customer Service at Honda said I shouldn’t have bothered taking it there in the first place, I was told wrong information and that they have no plans to acknowledge their deceit..in other words – too bad, your “warranty” expired within 3 years of owning the car. I have already tweeted several times @HondaCustSvc, and their PR person, @Alicia_at_Honda / & will be contacting Dateline, Clark Howard, Consumer Affairs, the BBB, MSN, CNN, 20/20, Washington Post, Huffington Post, any and all consumer groups I can find. Honda – I just got started…
I have a light gold 1999 Honda Accord and my dad had the same car until he sold it a couple of years ago. My paint/clear coat started peeling off on my side view mirrors and now there is a bit on my roof. My dad’s car – well, the paint was MUCH worse. His clear coat was mostly gone on the roof and the trunk. His car was parked in the shade most of the time, so sun damage is not the cause.
My car still drives great, but it is embarrassing to look like I’m driving around in an old jalopy. I’ve taken care of it and the inside looks great for an older car.
Has anyone ever gotten an appropriate response from Honda about the failing paint job? If I decided to trade it in for a new car, will the jacked up paint job affect my trade-in value or is it just too old for it to matter at this point?
I’d like to get another Honda, but after reading all these issues with other peoples’ paint for even later models, I’m not sure I would.
I absolutely love my 2003 black Honda accord coupe. But on the downfall it has also STARTED to lose its clear coat. Is there anyway for me to prevent anymore of this?
I have the EXACT same paint issue with my 2002 accord coupe (green) Many of the pictures already loaded – I can see what my car will be looking like! I’m guessing this has been in the deteration process for probably the last few yrs and is QUICKLY getting worse- I started to notice the dullness on the flat areas, hood, roof and trunk lid. The flat part where the door windows are, is totally discolored, It just turned 90K. I contacted HONDA CORP about it – and of course they aren’t fessing up to the defect. I also asked honda corp what $$ is my car worth, of course they ignored that question and the person I was speaking to hung up.
KBB doesn’t even offer any type of depreciation value of the finish. I would REALLY like to know what this car is worth. Other than the paint, It runs great. I don’t know what i could list it for..how does one determine that? I certainly wouldn’t buy this car knowing in a very short time it will look like S&1t
– besides a home- this is the next big consumer investment. I won’t purchase another honda – while extremely disappointed with this- i’ll be the *perfect* spokeswoman for honda …;)
I have a 2006 civic and I’m having the same issue. I love Honda, but this is ridiculous. The paint quality is horrible. My roof and spoiler is chipping and fading. I only have 80k miles on the car. This shouldn’t be happening!
I have this exact same issue with my 1997 Honda Accord (dark green). I am so frustrated because I have taken care of my car as well, and feel that this is a major defect in the car. The resale value of a car after this has occured is quite hampered. Who would want to drive it? Honda needs to step up and take care of this problem.
Same problem with my 2002 black honda accord ex coupe. The car has 141,000 miles on it & its starting to show signs of finish turning white. The problem areas are on trunk & roof.
I have a 2003 Honda accord ex in black with less than 50,000 miles and the paint is peeling on the roof and trunk
I have a 2009 Honda Civic. I started having paint problems on the roof of my car about 6 months ago. it started with patches of slight discoloration. Eventually the paint continued to fade and it is almost to the metal. I took it to dealer and after calling them for a month (they would not reply to my calls) and sending e-mails, they finally decided that they would paint the roof at their expense. The day that I took it to have the roof painted I noticed more patches on the trunk. They took more pictures and said that they could only do the roof because they needed to have approval for the trunk. I am very dissapointed. I have wasted a lot of time. Instead of painting the whole car I have to take it every time a new patch appears. In the meantime, I have to pay for a rental car, they won’t give you a loaner. I argued that this was a manufacturer’s problem and that they should at least pay for a rental or give me a loaner. They basically told me that I should be happy that they were painting the car. I also have deffective sun visors, in one year i had them changed twice. I take very good care of my car but they keep breaking.. I could not believe it that a two-year old car could have all these problems. This will be the last Honda that I ever buy! I think we should all get together and send our complaints to the Honda USA Corporate Office Headquarters- 1919 Torrance Blvd. Torrance, CA 90501-2746, Tel: 1-800-999-1009, fax: 1-310-783-3023, We have spent a lot of money in our vehicles for them to look like junk cars.
It is very embarrassing. I have a 2000 Honda Accord Coupe, that I have loved until a couple of years ago. I will probably not buy a Honda after this, unfortunately. I wish Honda would do something about this defective paint job.
I have the same problems my car is 07 looks awful don’t kno what to do about it
my paint looks so bad yes it is embarrassing
Is there anything we can do about the paint problem without out of pocket expense
Nope! Honda won’t acknowledge it…and the affected autos are now over 10 years old.
I have a 2004 Honda Accord Ex Coupe that I purchased in 2008. This was my 4th Honda.
This past January my clear coat/paint started peeling off on the roof and trunk. 10 months later , it looks horrid. I am embarassed to drive it. I took it to a shop and its $1100.00 to strip and repaint the roof and trunk. So I am going to trade in my car and get another one.. but I am not sure that I would buy another Honda. IS this a continual problem on all models. Does anyone know if they have changed the paint formulations?
i got a Honda civic 1998,after 4 years clear cote start coming off,i notice many Honda,s had the same situation.i speak to the dealer and they say its not cover by the warranty,so when the time came for a new car i bought a Toyota.was a good car but very unhappy. about the paint job
I own a 2002 Honda Accord. The paint has faded/peeled from the roof of the car to the hood and side front panels of the car. It is embarrassing to be seen with this car. The car rides great, but looks terrible. Now that I have found this thread and more like it, I will take pictures and post them.
Isn’t it embarrassing? I’m thinking that people behind me must think I never took care of my car and that’s why it looks like it does.
I have a 1998 Honda Accord EX in dark green just like yours and these pictures may as well have been taken of my car. This was our second brand new Honda Accord and it’s horrendous looking now! I was going to give the car to my daughter but I feel bad that she has to drive an eyesore. Honda needs to “Own Up” to this manufaturing flaw. I see Accords the same year/body style with the exact same paint issue. They had this problem with the Oddesseys and they increased the warranty. They need to make this right. Otherwise, consider me a Recovering Hondaholic.
Same with my 2002 Accord
I agree there must be a defect in paint. I own a 2003 Honda accord coupe v6 -black pearl & its doing the same which is unsatisfactory & ugly disappointment. Also have noticed others with same problem. PLEASE HELP!!
My 1998 Jade Green Honda Accord has done the same thing I am so disappointed because I spoke to the VP of customer service who denied liability. He said my car was out of warranty and my issue was unfounded. I will have to have my car reprinted for 3,500K so un needed if Honda would put their big boy pants on and satisfy their car owners with paying for the repainting, but Obvisiously we do not matter to them now.
I personally started emailing their corp offices. In case someone else would like to, here are their addresses:
john_mendel@ahm.honda.com,
Tetsuo_Iwamura@ahm.honda.com,
Takuji_Yamada@ahm.honda.com, Yuji_Shiga@ahm.honda.com, taku_kitamura@ahm.honda.com, kurt_antonius@ahm.honda.com, richard_colliver@ahm.honda.com,
jeff_conrad@ahm.honda.com
So far, they are up to covering 50%, but for a 5 year old car, that isn’t good enough.
They are covering half of a paint job? Really? How did you get that to happen?
They had offered me the same thing a while ago at the dealership, however, I feel that this is a full defect so I didn’t take it. Since then, my Accord is literally falling appart (door handles broken, lock buttons won’t work, panels coming off – it looks like it came from the junk yard)
Thanks for sharing those emails!
I have a 1995 Accord EX. Mine is the same story. The roof and trunk are almost completely devoid of paint. First the clear coat went hazy, then like peeling skin it started coming off. The hood is starting to go now too. So embarrassing to drive. I went to a local paint shop for an estimate. The quote was $2000. for the hood, trunk and roof. I was told that as much as he would like my business, he didn’t recommend bothering. Every day I see other Hondas, various years, various colors all peeling just like mine.
Before this car, I had Volvos. All had beautiful paint. One was a 1972 wagon. Pristine paint when I sold it in 2004.
i have the same problem with my 2004 honda accord. The called american honda and they were less than willing to do anything about.
full “restitution” I think you mean not full retribution (although maybe not!)
I have a 2003 Accord EX, Green and the SAME situation. I am frustrated because I bought this car for its durability. I got an estimate for a repaint of just the roof (that has a sunroof) and it was 1,800.00. Crazy. I’m almost tempted to sell the car because now it looks like I’ve driven it through the desert every other day.
There’s a class action suit about this clear coat issue. Anybody else involved? Can anyone offer suggestions on how to get Honda to be accountable for this?
Thanks in advance for your time and advice.
JSC
I have a red Accord 2000 and over the past year the clear coat began to peel on the hood and front side panels. It’s turned cold now and suddenly new chunks fly off if I rub my hand over them. I’ve parked the car outside for all but three years. Still, thought I was doing something wrong or all old cars had this problem. The paint looks good otherwise. Dealer just told me there was a “problem” with clear coat in the past. Well, why can’t I get a courtesy repaint to correct this problem? May have to take it to Maaco but scared the results will make it worse. Thanks for your post.
Rust.
Isn’t it frustrating? I have an ’02 black Accord with almost 100K miles and it looks like crap. Friends who I don’t see too often will comment on my car and say something like “why don’t you get yourself a new car?” It runs great and has been a reliable car….this is our 3rd Honda! I don’t want to spend money on a new car right now! Has anyone had a repaint done by Maaco or someone else? How were the results? I worry about if it will really take care of the problem or will it show through eventually.
I have a 2008 Honda Civic that had the same problem- the dealership offered a deal if I would pay a portion to repaint it. I proceeded with filing a complaint with Honda Corp and everyone dragged their feet and the corporation made me feel as if it was my fault that the car had paint problems. The whole experience was horrible customer service- they tried to say I didn’t garage the car, living in Florida, etc. Finally, they offered to paint the car but I had to pick up the cost of the rental for a week. Just this week, I have noticed the same splotchy spots starting to appear on the trunk of the car and I am so upset. Also, I am on my third or fourth visor replaced in the car. Just last weekend, I brought my car in for service and was told that the Motor Mounts would need to be replaced? Really? I thought that these rarely wore out on a car? What’s going on with Honda? Prior to this car, I had a civic and loved it. Now, I would NEVER buy another Honda.
I see more and more Hondas with this issue. To put it bluntly, I no longer have this Accord. Despite it having relatively low mileage for the year (something like 80,000 if I remember correctly), I was able to trade it in for $2000 (right as the dealer was about to lower the price having seen the extent of the paint peel). Needless to say, my new car is NOT a Honda. And because of this issue, I refuse to review any Hondas (or Acuras for that matter).
BTW, I had cracked motor mounts as well. That’s a normal repair once the car gets older. But mine was a 1998…your’s is 10 years “newer.”
Just wanted to throw my hat into the ring here. I have a 2002 Accord Coupe EX V6. Just within the last year it has started to peel badly on the trunk, and now it is starting up on the roof as well. Even the sides along the side panels and right below the windows is starting to deteriorate as well. I went to my Honda dealership and the guy was sympathetic, but after looking it up said nothing could be done. He said the regional manager is coming in a few weeks so I could try speaking to him, which I will, but I don’t have high hopes.
This car has been the best car I’ve ever owned. I bought it in 2009 with 89k miles on it, and here in 2014 with 123k miles all I’ve had to do was replace the water pump, and routine maintenance. But it is is so embarrassing driving this car around as a 31 year old married adult. It looks like your 16 year old daughter’s first car. I am going to sell it.
I am apprehensive about ever buying a Honda again. And I know it’s an old paint job and these things happen, however from 2002-2009 I drove a 1994 Camaro Z28 in Montana (brutal on cars, freezing cold to blistering sun in the same day) and the paint was immaculate still. Before that from 2000-2002 I drove a 1992 Grand Prix that also had zero paint issues.
I will be sure to check ConsumerReports reviews for paint before buying a car ever again. I don’t make enough money to throw $2000 grand for a paint job for a car that I paid $8k for and is probably only worth $4500. But I am burned on Honda, unless the dealership takes care of this for me. If not, so long I will sell it.
I’ve got a 1995 Forest Green Integra that started losing it’s clear coat in 2006/2007, I had it repainted a few years later because it looked so bad. I have seen many Honda’s and Acura’s with this problem.
my 97 honda civic has the same issue
Having read a lot of these posts, i have this to say: Honda’s reactions to this sounds suspicious. I’ve heard their cheap excuses: “it’s 8 years old so it’ll happen anyway” And the owners are washing and polishing the cars. I had a Jeep Cherokee that I felt had HORRIBLE paint and it didn’t peel or fade off like on these Hondas. It was 10 years old and still had no fade spots anywhere on the hood, trunk or roof. Next car was a Dodge. Kept it for almost 8 years and no fade spots anywhere on the same areas. In the same time frame (8 years), I saw my sister-in-law’s Accord suffer from what I call “Honda Rust”. The paint was doing the exact thing everyone is complaining about! I know the owners are telling the truth because I’ve seen it happen. A co-worker has a Honda and it also suffers from Honda Rust in the same spot on the roof like in the pictures posted above. So I have two incidents where I saw their poor paint quality showing clear as crystal. It’s NOT true when Honda whines that they have nothing to do with it! They’re stone cold lying through their teeth to their customers.
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I have two honda accords green 95 coupe and 04 sedan 4 door xlt leather…both cars have the same clear coat peeling which is super disappointing as the cars were bought because of the brand name and how highly reliable and reputable. Unfortunately it is extremely embarrassing.