My 2002 honda accord v6 coupe experienced a stuck throttle and runaway acceleration. I slowed the car with the brakes, shifted into neutral, turned off the engine, then re-started it. It went back to redline. Finally, kicking the gas pedal caused the acceleration to stop. I noticed subsequently, that the cruise control had also failed. The dealership (darlings honda, in bangor, me), told me that the throttle body had broken, near the attachment point of the cruise actuator cable. They recommended that I replace the throttle body. It appears to me, that there is a flaw in the vehicle, that allows runaway acceleration when a mechanical failure of this kind occurs. I contacted american honda ("brian" at 800‑999‑1009 x 117738), and explained the problem to him. He got back to me two days later, and told me that honda was unwilling to fix the problem. I believe that this issue warrants an investigation, as it could have resulted in death or severe injury. The same vehicle also has developed a transmission problem, over the last year or so. It feels like the transmission is beginning to fail. There is a delay between gears, that feels like the torque converter isn't locking up as fast as it used to. It makes pulling out into traffic more difficult. Despite there having been an admitted transmission problem, with 2002 v6 accords, the dealer suggests that I try another transmission fluid change, instead of replacing the transmission. They cite the car's high mileage, 142,000 miles, as the reason that honda will not pay for any safety or warranty related issues. Please advise.
2002 Honda Accord: adaptive cruise control problems
10 of the 1,050 complaints about the 2002 Honda Accord describe adaptive cruise control problems.
- owner complaints
- 10
- of this car's complaints
- 1%
- typical mileage
- 50,000
- recalls
- 0
Adaptive cruise control problems by model year
What owners say
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 honda accord. While driving 55 MPH, the vehicle accelerated unexpectedly. She applied the brakes, but the vehicle did not slow down. The contact had to pull over to the side of the road, shift into park, and apply the emergency brake. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and they stated that the cruise control, accelerator cables, and the opening of the throttle body needed to be replaced. The repair would cost over $1,000. The manufacturer would not assist because the vehicle was out of warranty. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 118,000.
I was driving at approximately 75 MPH on the interstate with cruise control engaged. Upon coming towards heavier traffic I tapped the brake pedal to disengage cruise control. The cruise control did not disengage. I pressed the brake more strongly and the car reacted by accelerating strongly. It was a similar feeling to when cruise control is engaging and the car reacts to a hill climb by revving higher except that this was much stronger and in direct proportion to my pressure on the brake. The more I pressed the brake the more the car seemed to react to the drag by accelerating. I manually disengaged cruise control by pressing the cancel button.
Dt*: the contact stated while going 50 MPH the cruise control activated causing the vehicle to accelerate to 80 MPH. The contact switched the vehicle gear into neutral which caused the cruise control to deactivate. The vehicle was towed to an independent repair shop where the mechanic disconnected the cruise control. The manufacturer has not been contacted. The consumer was informed a new throttle body was needed. Updated 02/13/06.
Dt: the contact stated while trying to pull out of a parking lot the vehicle suddenly accelerated. The contact's foot was on the brake pedal at the time of acceleration. There was a loud noise during the acceleration. The vehicle hit a fence after going up an incline. After the impact, the gear shift was placed into reverse and the vehicle began to accelerate uncontrollably again. This time it stopped after crashing into a tree. The vehicle was towed to an independent auto inspection station, and they were unable to determine the cause of the acceleration. They discovered the cruise control was turned on, even though the contact stated she never used the cruise control. There was frame damage and exterior lighting repairs made to the vehicle.
On saturday july 3, 5004 vehicle lunged or accelerated into a concrete parking barrier. The consumer's foot was pressed light on the accelerator pedal when her felt the pedal go down on it's own. The cruise control was not on. *ak
Unexpected acceleration of vehicle while operating on freeway. Acceleration stopped by pressing on accelerator but not on brake pedal. Presently unable to diagnose failure. The vehicle does not have cruise control.
The cruise control system, when activated does not smoothly regulate speed. Instead it sets at the desired speed and then proceeds to speed up about 5 miles per hour beyond the set speed point and then decelerate back to the set speed point in a recurring continous fashion until deactivated. On at least two occasions the cruise control was activated by simply pushing on the gas peddle. In both instances this occurred when pushing on the gas peddle near the 25 miles per hour activation speed of the cruise control system. It deactivated immediately by stepping on the brake peddle. If a driver does not realize what is happening, they may find their car accelerating and not realize that they must deactivate the cruise control by stepping on the brake or turning off the cruise control by pressing the cancel button on the steering wheel.
While driving on the highway with the cruise control at 60 MPH, the vehicle accelerated at a high speed without the consumer disengaging the cruise control mode. When this occurred, the vehicle impacted a ditch and went up a hill. The emergency brake had to be engaged to stop the vehicle. *ak *tt
Vehicle experienced cruise control cable failure. This resulted in vehicle accelerating in full throttle.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2002 Honda Accord adaptive cruise
Is adaptive cruise control problems a common problem on the 2002 Honda Accord?
10 of 1,050 owner complaints about the 2002 Honda Accord (1%) mention adaptive cruise control problems. The model year with the most reports is 2018.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2002 Honda Accord?
There is no recall or service bulletin for this area of the car on record.
Other symptoms on the 2002 Honda Accord
Transmission failure 168Jerking 150Airbag light 139Slipping 139Check engine light 73No deployment 51Hesitation 36Stalling 34Harsh shifting 28Sudden acceleration 23Won't shift 20Seat belt 15Headlights 10Ball joint 7Brake failure 7Whining noise 7Won't start 7Knocking 6Loss of power 6Tire blowout 6Fire or smoke 5
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