2000 Honda Prelude Problems: Transmission / driveline (13 Complaints)

The most-reported problem on the 2000 Honda Prelude is Transmission / driveline (46% of 13 owner reports). There are 3 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Transmission / driveline — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-09-07 13 complaints · 3 recalls

What problems show up on the 2000 Honda Prelude?

6 of 13 filings named Transmission / driveline (46% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.

Second is Electrical (3 reports).

There are 3 official safety recalls on this year. They were filed about Electrical. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov — a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific truck.

The 1999 has 25 reports on file; this year has 13. A smaller lifetime total is not a clean bill of health. If you need a fairer comparison, use the equal-time view.

What to check before you buy a 2000 Honda Prelude

A useful visit to this page takes five minutes. YearTell does not score years and cannot see the vehicle in front of you.

  1. Look up the VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov. This year has 3 campaigns on file below.
  2. Transmission / driveline. Have a shop drive it and check the transmission: hard or delayed shifts, burnt-smelling fluid, and 4WD engagement if equipped.
  3. Electrical. Have a shop scan for stored codes and check battery, charging and any warning lights that stay on.
  4. Engine. Have a shop check for oil consumption, coolant leaks, rough idle and unusual engine noise.
  5. Skim a few owner reports below for Transmission / driveline. Look for the same symptom repeating.
  6. Take that list to a mechanic. Do not turn the complaint total into a score.

What owners reported

System named most often: Transmission / driveline 6 complaints · 46.2% of the file
Crashes, fires, injuries and deaths in those filings:
  • Crashes 1
  • Fires 0
  • Injuries 1
  • Deaths 0
All Honda Prelude years →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Which systems owners named

Share of owner complaints filed against each vehicle system. These shares are not adjusted for how many vehicles were sold.

Which systems owners named Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) appears in 6 of 13 owner complaints (46.1%) in this vehicle snapshot. Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN): 6 complaints, 46.1% of reports Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 6 · 46.1% Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM): 3 complaints, 23.1% of reports Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 3 · 23.1% Engine (ENGINE): 2 complaints, 15.4% of reports Engine (ENGINE) 2 · 15.4% Airbags (AIR BAGS): 1 complaints, 7.7% of reports Airbags (AIR BAGS) 1 crash reports 1 · 7.7% Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL): 1 complaints, 7.7% of reports Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) 1 · 7.7% Unclassified NHTSA leftover: 7 complaints, 53.9% of reports Unclassified NHTSA leftover 1 crash reports 7 · 53.9% 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

“Unclassified NHTSA leftover” is not a car part. It is a filing bucket and always sits last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN) 6 46.1% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) 3 23.1% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Engine (ENGINE) 2 15.4% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Airbags (AIR BAGS) 1 7.7% 1 crashes · 0 fires
Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL) 1 7.7% 0 crashes · 0 fires
Unclassified NHTSA leftover 7 53.9% 1 crashes · 0 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

When reports and recalls showed up

When owners filed reports, and when recall campaigns showed up.

When reports and recalls showed up Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jan 2000; the first recall shown was reported in Jan 2005. 2000-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2001-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2001-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2002-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2002-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2005-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2008-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2015-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Jan 2000 Oct 2015 Recall campaign 05V025000 ◆ Recall campaign 05V025000 Recall campaign 06E026000 ◆ Recall campaign 06E026000 Recall campaign 06E060000 ◆ Recall campaign 06E060000 Investigation PE05002 ● Investigation PE05002
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2000-Q1 Owner reports 1
2001-Q2 Owner reports 1
2001-Q3 Owner reports 1
2002-Q2 Owner reports 1
2002-Q3 Owner reports 2
2005-Q3 Owner reports 2
2008-Q2 Owner reports 1
2010-Q2 Owner reports 1
2011-Q2 Owner reports 1
2012-Q1 Owner reports 1
2015-Q4 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 05V025000
Recall campaign 1 06E026000
Recall campaign 1 06E060000
Defect investigation 1 PE05002
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-09-06 Open source record

Safety Recalls (3)

Official campaigns. Each one says what could go wrong and what the dealer was told to fix.

In short, these campaigns were filed about Electrical.

  1. Recall campaign 05V025000

    Electrical

    Report date
    Component:
    Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM)
    Consequence:
    IF THE DRIVER DOES NOT SHIFT TO PARK BEFORE REMOVING THE KEY AND FAILS TO ENGAGE THE PARKING BRAKE, THE VEHICLE COULD ROLL AND A CRASH COULD OCCUR.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL PERFORM AN INSPECTION PROCEDURE THAT CONFIRMS INTERLOCK FUNCTION. VEHICLES WILL BE UPDATED WITH A REDESIGNED INTERLOCK LEVER FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 7, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HONDA AT 1-800-999-1009 OR ACURA AT 1-800-382-2238.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Recall campaign 06E026000

    Safety recall 06E026000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    WITHOUT THE AMBER REFLECTORS, THE VEHICLE WILL BE POORLY ILLUMINATED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.
    Remedy:
    PRO-A MOTORS WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER TO REPURCHASE THE LAMPS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 3, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT PRO-A MOTORS AT 323-838-2988.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Recall campaign 06E060000

    Safety recall 06E060000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    LACK OF AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS IN THE LAMPS WILL DECREASE LIGHTING VISIBILITY TO OTHER DRIVERS AND MAY POSSIBLY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH
    Remedy:
    AAI MOTORSPORTS WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE LAMPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 1, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT AAI MOTORSPORTS AT 909-923-9188.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

What owners actually wrote

Short excerpts from the public NHTSA file. Look for the same symptom repeating.

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-09-07
Safety incident filters
Showing 10 of 13 complaints · page 1 of 1
2015-11-09Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM)
NHTSA ODI 10789416
CrashFireInjuryDeath
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 HONDA PRELUDE. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO START THE VEHICLE, THE IGNITION FAILED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE IGNITION SWITCH FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.
2012-01-10Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN)
NHTSA ODI 10443354
CrashFireInjuryDeath
AFTER ELEVEN YEARS OF OWNERSHIP AND 72,000 MILES, TRANSMISSION EXPERIENCED FAILURE OF BOTH RIGHT AND LEFT AXLE SEALS OVER THE COURSE OF A YEAR, CAUSING SERIOUS TRANSMISSION LEAKS. BOTH SEALS WERE REPLACED BY THE DEALER. AFTER ONLY FOUR MONTHS, BOTH AXLE SEALS BEGAN SERIOUSLY LEAKING ONCE AGAIN. TRANSMISSION ALSO BEGAN TO MAKE WHIRRING NOISES ABOVE 30 MPH. DEALER DETERMINED THAT THE TRANSMISSION HAD EXPERIENCED FAILURE OF DIFFERENTIAL BEARINGS AND OFF-AXIS AXLES WERE WEARING OUT THE SEALS PREMATURELY. DEALER QUOTED $4,500 REPLACEMENT OF TRANSMISSION AS ONLY REPAIR OPTION. *TR
2011-06-26Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 10408916
CrashFireInjuryDeath
HI, I HAVE A 2000 HONDA PRELUDE. IT IS THE AUTOMATIC VERSION WITH THE SPORT SHIFTER. RECENTLY MY TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN ACTING MORE THAN USUAL. FROM WHEN I BOUGHT MY CAR IN NOVEMBER OF 2009 AND UNTIL JUNE 18TH 2011, MY TRANSMISSION SHIFTED INTO EACH GEAR FINE, BUT DID HAVE SOME ABNORMAL SHIFTS ON SOME DAYS. FROM JUNE 18TH 2011 IN THE AFTERNOON AND UNTIL JUNE 25TH 2011, MY CAR'S TRANSMISSION STARTED TO SLIP AND SHIFTED REALLY HARSH IN EVERY GEAR. THE WORST GEAR IS 3RD. THIRD GEAR SLIPS REALLY BAD AND HAS A LATE DELAY WHEN SHIFTING TO 4TH. *TR
2010-04-22Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 10326964
CrashFireInjuryDeath
TRANSMISSION FAILURE, REPLACED ONCE ALREADY. NOW STARTING TO SLIP. *TR
2008-06-23Engine (ENGINE)
NHTSA ODI 10232064
CrashFireInjuryDeath
I HAVE A 2000 HONDA PRELUDE TYPE SH. IT HAS BEEN MAKING A WEIRD SOUND SO I TOO IT TO THE DEALER. THEY SAID THE AUTO TENSIONER AND TIMING BELT NEEDS REPLACED. THE SERVICE IS NOT SUPPOSE TO BE DONE UNTIL 105,000 MILES. THE CAR HAS 77,000 MILES. I RAN INTO THE SAME THING ON MY PREVIOUS PRELUDE WHICH WAS A 1999 BASE MODEL PRELUDE. HONDA WILL NOT ISSUE A RECALL OR HELP FINANCIALLY. THIS COSTS AROUND A $1000 TO FIX. IF THE AUTO TENSIONER FAILS, THE TIMING BELT CAN BREAK LEADING TO A RUINED ENGINE. EVERYONE IN THE HONDA COMMUNITY KNOWS THIS. WHY CAN'T HONDA BE LIABLE TO FIX A DEFECTIVE PART THAT EVERYONE HAS TROUBLE WITH? *TR
2005-09-19Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 10137016
CrashFireInjuryDeath
I RECEIVED A SAFETY RECALL FROM THE AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR COMPANY STATING THAT I NEEDED TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT AT THE AUTHORIZED HONDA DEALER, DUE MY FROM MY CAR WHATSOEVER TRANSMISSION. 2 WEEKS LATER I WAS UNABLE TO REMOVE MY KEY FROM MY CAR WHATSOEVER REVERSE, OR PLACE MY CAR IN PARK SO THEREFORE I PARKED IN NEUTRAL WITH THE BRAKE ON MY RECALL NOTICE SPECIFICALLY STATED THAT THESE EXACT PROBLEMS WOULD OCCUR AND WOULD BE REPAIRED FREE OF CHARGE OR REIMBURSED. AND HONDA DEALER I FOLLOWED INSTRUCTION FROM RECALL LETTER AND HONDA DEALER HAS FAILED TO REMEDY THE DEFECT IN MY VEHICLE WITHOUT CHARGE AND HONDA AUTOMOBILE CUSTOMER SERVICE HAS NOT BEEN COMPLETELY REPAIRED BUT HOW CAN I COMPLETELY REPAIR IT IF THEY DON'T REIMBURSE MY MONEY AND KEEP MAKING ME PAY FOR REPAIRS OF A RECALL . *JB
2005-07-13Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM)
NHTSA ODI 10130205
CrashFireInjuryDeath
2000 HONDA PRELUDE FUEL CAP WAS LOOSE, AND THE RADIO BECAME INOPERATIVE AFTER IGNITION SWITCH RECALL REPAIRS WERE PERFORMED.*MR THE DEALER ALSO REPLACED THE STARTER UNDER WARRANTY BECAUSE THE VEHICLE TOOK LONGER THAN NORMAL TO START. *NM
2002-09-16Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 8018699
CrashFireInjuryDeath
GEAR SHIFTER IS NOT WORKING PROPERLY. SHIFTER BECOMES HARD WHEN DRIVING TO SHIFT INTO PLACE. CONTACTED DEALER, AND DEALER WAS CHECKING IT OUT. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK
2002-08-01Engine (ENGINE)
NHTSA ODI 8015323
CrashFireInjuryDeath
LOSES COMPRESSION ON TWO CYLINDERS. MECHANIC SAID VALVES MIIGHT BE BENT
2002-04-22Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN)Unclassified NHTSA leftover
NHTSA ODI 8008171
CrashFireInjuryDeath
TRANSMISSION CASE IS CRACKED AND THERE WAS OIL LEAKING FROM VEHICLE. CONTACTED MECHANIC. *AK HONDA CORPORATE OFFERED TO REPLACE TRANSMISSION FOR FREE. VEHICLE HAS NEVER BEEN IN ANY FRONT END COLLISION. *JG

Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems on the 2000 Honda Prelude?

Owners named Transmission / driveline most often — 6 of 13 reports (46%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.

Are there recalls for the 2000 Honda Prelude?

NHTSA lists 3 safety recall campaigns. They were filed about Electrical. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov; a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific vehicle.

What should I inspect before buying a 2000 Honda Prelude?

Look up the VIN for open recalls. Have a shop drive it and check the transmission: hard or delayed shifts, burnt-smelling fluid, and 4WD engagement if equipped. Then skim owner filings for the same symptom and take that list to a mechanic.

Does a high complaint count mean I should skip this year?

No. Counts are reports people chose to file and they are not adjusted for sales volume. YearTell does not publish scores or a list of years to skip. Inspect the vehicle.

EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-09-07 Open source record

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Source: NHTSA ODI / recalls, snapshot 2026-09-07. YearTell is not a government agency.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources