Dt*: the contact stated while driving 45 mph a loud noise was heard from the rear of the vehicle and the vehicle stalled. It was maneuvered off the road and towed to the dealer who determined the timing belt needed to be replaced.
Engine & cooling
Honda Prelude Engine problems by year
24 complaints filed with NHTSA about the Honda Prelude's engine & cooling. Stalling, loss of power, oil consumption, overheating, head gaskets, timing chains and engine failure.
Engine complaints by model year
Latest Prelude engine complaints
Timing belt was replaced as recommended at 90,000. The replacement belt broke after only 30,000 and consequently caused damage to valves and pistons.
Air conditioner system failure: eight (8) dealer attempted repairs; four (4) new compressors and complete systems installed; thousands of dollars spent (approx. $6,000.00); And a/c remains dead.*Ak vehicle is 1991 honda prelude si, vin [[redacted]], purchased new 7/22/91 from woodland hills honda, 6111 topanga canyon boulevard, woodland hills, ca., 91365. A/c problem began may, 1996 at 68,000 miles, and last attempted repair ended october, 2001 at 142,000 miles. We have four (4) honda accords (1991 and 93...
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models), all over 160,000 miles, with no a/c problems. The bad a/c seems limited to prelude only. It is very hot in san fernando valley of los angeles, california for 6 months of the year. On october 10, 2001, woodland hills honda recommended another complete a/c compressor and system replacement. The service manager there, [[redacted]] (now gone), stated there was a " complete system problem" and asked honda regional hq for honda authorization to replace the entire a/c system without charge, or to share the costs. Assistance denied. This seems to be a product-liability manufacturing failure specific to the prelude a/c system and the compressor in particular. We see many prelude drivers with windows open. We do not want to spend thousands of dollars more for what we think honda should be responsible to fix. Does honda know it has bad a/c compressors in preludes and is ignoring or evading the problem? Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.S.C. 552(B)(6). *Tr
Vehicle was parked outiside of consumer's home, and he noticed that there was oil leaking from underneath vehicle. Dealership is aware of problem.*Ak
The engine timing belt broke while the vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed (@55mph) on the us 20 bypass, a local 2-lane expressway. The vehicle experienced a complete loss of acceleration and power due to the breaking of the timing belt. Luckily no other vehicles were near me at the time this occurred. Vehicles on this expressway routinely approach 65 mph. This being so I was able to pull over to the right side of the road. The vehicle was towed to a repair shop and found to have 3 of the 4 engine...
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valves destroyed beyond repair; a rod or piston in the lower engine has also been affected, thus effectively making the car undrivable and uneconomical to repair. The vehicle owners manual fails to inform owners that the timing belt needs to be maintained. There is no indication at all in the maintenance schedule on pages 72-77 that the timing belt needs to be maintained. The warranty booklet for the 1989 honda prelude states on page 4, " you must maintain your 1989 honda automobile according to the maintenance schedule in the owner's manual". The owners manual also fails to inform/warn vehicle owners of what consequences a broken timing belt can have on the engine and does not warn/inform owners of the possible consequences attempting to restart an engine with a broken timing belt can have on the engine. Scenarios can be envisioned in which accidents could occur due to the failure of the engine timing belt. Attempting to pass a vehicle and experiencing a loss of acceleration could result in a head-on collision with an on-coming car on a two lane road, or with an adjacent one in busy, fast moving traffic on an expressway. I contacted american honda on 06/20/02, my case # is 9n012002-06-2000-969. I bought the car from a private party, not the listed dealer--that is where the car was bought when new.*Ak
The vehicle's oil pan plug stripped whenever the oil was changed. *Tt *nm
Consumer purchased a used vehicle which was in need of a new engine, after some time the consumer was able to have a used engine installed after installation it was noted that the engine was bad because the vehicle still would not run (head gasket, short block, head assembly, timing belt and oil pan). Nlm
This is a common problem with honda preludes...Everyone I know with a prelude has engine problems
Bought vehicle to be serviced, and was told that oil drain plug on the engine oil pan will be stripped. Design defect, oil pans are made out of a soft metal which causes the threads to strip out prematurely. *Ak
Bought the car and the engine blew up and caught on fire. Fire department was called to put out the fire the was no reason why the engine blew out and caught on fire.... It threw a rod. *Ak
The car stops by itself when being driven. It sputters and then all the electrical lights come on and the car stops and will not start. I have towed it to the dealer 5 times, and they cannot figure the problem out, and they are able to start the car. The dealer says everything is all right but we are still facing the same problem of car stopping by itself and not starting again.
There was a hole in the air conditioner. This caused the air conditioner to not release air. Also, while traveling about 40mph the engine stalled out. *Ak
Engine does not idle very well when warm or very cold. Car seems to loss power on the freeway. Car tends to oveheat after long driving stints. Fan does not go on when engine is over heating.
I just wanted to know what's best for me to do, I was told that the engine mounts need to be replaced.
MUFFLER FAILED.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked daily. Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data