sad that toyota and honda have lost a bit of their reputation as making bulletproof cars, wonder how much of it has to do with beginning manufacturing here in the US

@crazyasianman: Both companies have been making cars here in the US for a couple of decades at least.

@crazyasianman: Beginning? Do you think they were making them and then putting them on big boats to go across the ocean? What do you thing these are, DeLoreans?

I've got an '08 Accord. When I rotated the tires I did notice that the rear brakes were a bit undersized compared to the front which looked "normal".

Oh lord can we please fix the grammatical errors? My ADD is going off the charts and it's all I can do to not put white-out on the screen!

We have an 08 Accord. Only paid 20 for ours. It has a funny smell coming through the AC. We took it to a dealer. They changed the hepa filter but it did not improve. Has anybody else experienced this and is there a solution, short of replacing the compressor?

Partly unrelated, but the guy in the video for the recall linked in this story for the 3rd gear popping out (in 2008) is one of my good friends Juan. You can't see in the video, but I printed him out t-shirts with yellow lemons with the honda logo inside on wheels.

@SMSDHubbard:
that's how they started but it wasn't until relatively recently that they expanded their operations in the US if I recall

It's really a shame when you can't even count on a foreign car for quality it seems. I expect shitty performance from my shitty, shitty Colorado but I always thought of Honda as a winner.

@SpenceMan01: This is totally normal. When you brake, the car is slowing down, so >50% of the weight of the vehicle is put on the front two wheels, so the front brakes need to be more powerful than the rear brakes.

The brakes on cars are always larger at the front. Often you see vehicles with drum brakes at the rear and rotors at the front for the same reason.

I have taken it in to Honda 5 times to still have no resolution.

5 times, less than 90 days, no resolution - check your state's lemon law. You can probably claim lemon on it and make them buy it back.

@SpenceMan01: um. Every car ever will have this. 70-80% of braking is done with the front wheels. The only place you'll see large rear brakes are on vehicles intended to tow trailers, aka trucks.

@Canino: In my state (Ohio) if the problem has not been fixed after three attempts then the car is a lemon. You get your choice of refund or replacement. They must refund your full purchase price including taxes and fees and without deducting for mileage, or they must replace the car without additional charge (for example if the sticker price has gone up since your purchase).

@scootinger: I dunno, from what I'd heard, you could still get cars that while assembled in america, used japanese fabricated parts until a few years ago when it went all US parts. People I know who have cars using japanese parts seem to have nothing but praise for the cars. The ones that have US parts, well, not so much.

I have a 08 Accord with 1bout 13,000 miles on it and the rear brakes were replaced about 6 months ago. I had to fight with Honda and they decided to wave the cost on the brake replacement. I said this seems like some kind of defect and they would not admit to it at the time either but the fact that they paid for 250 brake job seems like an admission of guilt. the brakes have started squealing again over the last few weeks and it has me worried again.

Try an 07' Toyota Camry, and you will suck those problems right up. I don't know how that car got the status it currently holds as being a reliable, smart investment in a means of transportation.

@Kogenta: If that's the case, color me pleased. My whip is completely Japanese in origin, as far as I know. Parts, assembly, etc.

@Joseph Beck:
wow, that's a really nice lemon law.
ours here in NY is not as nice.

@crazyasianman: You recall wrong.

"More reliable than the Big Three" != "reliable."

@weaselbit: I don't know how to fix the problem, but I think I know why your car was "only" $20,000 instead of 30.

@weaselbit: That is a common problem with A/C units, and there actually is an easy fix. Here are the instructions from Toyota, but it's the same with any vehicle, really.

"During air conditioner operation, cold refrigerant is pumped through the evaporator core by an engine-driven compressor. A fan then blows air through "fins" in the evaporator to cool the air. These fins also act as an air filter, trapping bacteria, spores, and dirt. These airborne particles are normally washed out a drain hole with condensation, but if they remain on a moist evaporator, they may collect and cause an unpleasant odor. This effect is more frequently found in humid climates where more condensate accumulates. This situation is not unique to Toyota; it is an industry-wide condition.

To prevent the odor, Toyota recommends the following:

* Avoid parking under trees to reduce the possibility of leaves entering the air intake

* Use the fresh air setting on your climate control rather than the recirculated air setting whenever possible to allow the evaporator to dry out

* Drive on paved roads whenever feasible as dusty conditions may accelerate the condition

If the condition already exists, spraying a mixture of isopropyl alcohol and water (1 to 5 ratio/mixture) or a disinfectant in the outside air intake may help reduce the smell. If these steps do not alleviate the odor, we encourage you to contact your local dealer for a thorough evaluation of the condition."

I generally do this twice a year, at the beginning and end of A/C season. Have the blower running and switch between all interior vents. (I do this for the home units, too.)

@crazyasianman: I don't know about any others, but Nummi has at least been here for a while.

"New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc.(NUMMI) is the pioneering joint venture of General Motors Corporation and Toyota Motor Corporation. Established in Fremont, California, in 1984, NUMMI helped change the automobile industry by introducing the Toyota Production System and a teamwork-based working environment to the United States."

From: [www.nummi.com]

I have a 08 Civic with 26,000 miles , at 23,000 miles they said i had 4mm on the front and 3mm on the back brakes. I went in two days ago and they said i had 2mm/ 0mm respectively. In 3000 miles. I was told that honda upped the size of there rotors but kept the same small pads on the rear brakes so they wear out fast. He told me making it 26,000 miles on the original pads is a miracle. They refused warranty work for me and said i had to pay 400 dollars to get the front and rear brakes fixed.

@crazyasianman: I can't speak for all makes and models, but every single part of my 2004 Acura was made in Japan. I don't know if it was assembled in the US or Japan, but I am guessing the US despite the dealer's claims it was completed in Japan. I have had zero problems with my vehicle.

This is not the kind of news I want to see! I'm car shopping and Honda was high on my list. :(

If you try to seek relief under Pennsylvania's so-called Automotive Lemon Law your chance of a re-purchase is VERY slim. Your lawyer will try to rush you to an out of court cash settlement of a few grand. They get $2,500 from the auto manufacturer for a few hours work and you get to keep your lemon. I have first-hand knowledge of how this works with a Philadelphia law firm that handles exclusively lemon law cases.

This will likely end in a recall.

But honestly, Consumerist should report recall-esque problems every time for every car. I think you would see a lot of the 'big' three on here. But they don't. There are a ton of recalls all the time on cars. Being complex and finely tuned machines, things often are sacrificed for form or cost that shouldn't be, and retrospectively changed with a recall.

I would still put my money in Honda (I know I will likely get flamed for saying that), as I am loving my 13-year-old Accord that has had NO problems whatsoever.

@Leksi Wit: the easy way to see where it was assembled, look at the VIN plate in the lower drivers side corner of your windshield. the first digit indicates country of origin. 1 or 4 is USA, 2 is Canada, 3 is Mexico, J is Japan, K is Korea

How a company initiates a recall is this. Take the number of vehicles in the field, A, multiply by the probable rate of failure, B, multiply by the average out-of-court settlement, C. A times B times C equals X. If X is less than the cost of a recall, we don't do one.

@VaMPKiSS1: I bought a Kia at the end of January, already put 10,000 miles on it in 4 months.

Besides oil changes, she hasn't made a peep :) Great price too!

@dclamster: Have you checked out Consumerist's ole buddy, Jalopnik.com ?

auto EVERYWHERE!

Im not sure if you guys are aware but the brakes and rotors from a 98+ accords are fit for a civic.
You have civic brakes on a larger car.

My 08 Accord began to suffer steering wheel shimmy by 10K miles. I drive mostly highway on my daily commute so having brake issues by 10K was very disappointing. Even more so, on previous Hondas I had ZERO brake issues until 30K or 40K. The heavier 08 models, undersized brakes, and inferior brake materials all seem to be adding up to poor braking performance. These brakes were just one of MANY reasons I left Honda (after 12 Hondas) for another brand. The deterioration in quality and functionality of the 08 model was terrible.

@Leksi Wit: Well, that's because you bought an Acura. To my knowledge, I don't think any of those were made in Marysville, OH, but I could be wrong.

I used to respond to people who talk shit about people who won't "buy American" (read: buy American crap) with something like, "f*** you. My Scion was made in Japan, and I see "Made In Japan" as a Good Housekeeping seal. If Detroit wants my business, they'll make better cars." This was, of course, before the current meltdown. Now I can respond to people who talk shit about the UAW with, "well, those non-UAW Japanese brands made in this country aren't any better, are they?"

Bottom line, read CR and consider their recommendations when shelling out $30K for a big piece of machinery you'll be stuck with for most of the next decade. That usually works.

@mavkato: Hey, thanks for the interesting information! I didn't realize it was that easy to determine the vehicle's country of origin/assembly from the VIN.

@weaselbit: Do you still have to take half the dashboard apart to change the cabin air filter? I always thought it was idiotic to put one in my '99 Accord in such a location that it required a professional (and $120) to change it every year.

My Scion, by contrast, only requires that I pop the glove box out, which is easy because it's made of somewhat flexible plastic. Just take it off its hinges and there it is.

@jayphat: You are not your car.

I have an Big 3 branded, Accord competitor that was made mostly with american parts and assembled in Mexico. It just turned over 40k miles on it and asside from the leather tearing (my fault but fixed under warranty) the car has been perfectly reliable... on, and the brakes still stop very good and the pads have about 50% left on them with no vibration when stoping.

Anyone who thinks ford or GM make horrible cars should go test a Fusion or a Malibu before bashing them without knowledge.

And yes, I did test other MFGs before buying my Fusion (VW, Scion, Toyota, Honda, Hyundai).

@verucalise: Wait awhile. Just about anybody can make a new car that will run without complaint for 10,000 miles. See us when you've put, oh, 60,000 miles on it.

Of course, if you bought it so you can roll up a whole bunch of commuting miles on the expressway, you probably did the right thing. I wouldn't spend a bunch of money on a car for that purpose if I didn't have to, either.

@jaydez:

You should be burned at the cross for defending your Big 3 automobile! Heathen!

Oh wait, you're on Consumerist, a CR owned site - that will happen to you anyway.

Cynicism aside, I'm glad you have had a good experience with your car and dared to tell about it. It certainly seems to be en vogue to bash Big 3 regardless of what they do all based on a questionable previous experience. Sure, they had their issues, as have ALL manufacturers, but the witch hunt is getting ridiculous.

@jayphat: The first rule about Recall Club is, you don't talk about Recall Club...

@dclamster: My 15 year old Integra is still rockin' the suburbs as well. I love that car.

@edison234: No the first rule of Recall Club is to not reference the incredibly well known movie you're ripping from.

@HurtsSoGood: I drive a pretty rough terrain up here- roads are terrible, its not highway commuting trust me. Its all backhills of upstate NY driving- potholes, dirt roads, etc...

My saturn always needed an alignment if that tells you anything.

Guess I am lucky I bought mine in 2007... It has never had a problem.

My local dealership jumps through hoops for me to keep their rating high. I've owned 3 Hondas, with little to no issues.

Now Brewster Honda in Brewster, NY is a whole other matter, though.

@mavkato: I made sure my Honda Fit was made in Japan before I got it. I didn't even realize you can tell from the VIN until I started reading some Honda forums and that's what they suggested.

Hmm...I have an 08 Accord and there's nothing wrong with the brakes. However, do let me know if there's a recall. I can always have an independent look at it.

After five times, isn't he entitled to a replacement or refund under a lemon law? I know these things vary from state to state, but he should check into it.