Are you having trouble with your Honda stalling for no reason? If so, this article may help. We were having trouble with our 1997 Honda CRV stalling for no reason. It happened infrequently enough to make it hard to figure out. I chased the problem for about a month before I finally realized what was happening. In the process, I replaced the fuel pump and the main relay before finding the root of the problem. It turns out there is a recall on many 1997 to 2000 Honda Accords, Acuras, Civics, CRVs, Odysseys, and Preludes for this very reason.
The problem is with a component of the ignition switch. It’s a small wire with a switch device attached to it. When most people think about replacing an ignition switch, they think big dollars, but it is a fairly simple repair. It’s not actually the main part of the ignition switch where you insert your key that is the problem.
My mistake was not to follow my own advice about checking for recall information. If you have a late-model vehicle, it ALWAYS pays to do a quick search to determine if there are any recalls. You can do a quick search on your Honda here. It doesn’t cost a dime to check! Just write down the Vehicle Identification Number from your dashboard (as seen through the windshield glass on the driver’s side), and enter it into the search window on the link above.
Your local Honda dealer should repair this for free. If they give you some run-around about it being out of warranty, or your VIN not being covered for this, don’t accept it. Contact Honda corporate to get the problem resolved. For some reason, a lot of the Honda dealers are trying to worm their way out of doing this recall. It is a cheap part, and it takes about 30 minutes to install. I don’t know what politics are involved on this one, but it’s not fair to the consumer on an issue that is a real danger if it happens on the highway.
You can find more information about this here.
