Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (automatic and manual transmissions, CVT, axles, driveshaft, 4WD/AWD).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1997 Honda Prelude owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I bought this car used and have had good luck with Honda's in the past but about 300 miles of me owning this vehicle I was entering a freeway when all of a sudden I lost all power with cars going highway speed behind me I had to pull off to the shoulder luckily there was one there the first time it gave out but later on that drive going home I was driving over a bridge with traffic when it did it again I was so scared because I'm stuck in a line of traffic on a bridge and the car wants to roll back and it didn't want to turn on until it cooled down which was 30 minutes of ugly looks of cars driving by me when I finally got home I had never felt so relieved so that's when I told my father about it we looked at it drive it and he hoped it was just a bad ignition coil so we changed that but after doing some research online I saw that this was a very common problem with cars transmission so …
I have a 1997 Honda Prelude sport-shift automatic. Like most owners of this type of vehicle, the transmission went out. The gears begin to slip and will not engage. The dealer wanted $4000 to get a rebuilt transmission. I had it replaced, but then about 20,000 miles later, it went out again. This time the first gear did not engage. I am basically afraid to drive my car around anymore. I do not want to get it rebuilt again because of the fact that it May as well break again. However, the 2000-01 Honda preludes with this type of transmission get an extended warranty and I find it very unfair that the same exact car with the same exact transmission gets an extended warranty, but the 1997-99 preludes do not. If Honda knows of the faulty transmissions, why not replace all of the transmissions instead of the later year ones? …
I recently bought my Honda Prelude back in November 18, 2007 from a used dealership. The car came with 167K miles and now I'm at 169K. The main reason why I am filing a complaint, is the automatic transmission is going out. I take my car to work, school, drive my mom to work, and even my younger brother to school. This is the only car we have. The transmission slips and jerks at low rpms from 1K-3K in 1st-2nd gear. I've done research on 97-01 Honda preludes and the automatic transmission has the most fails. If my automatic transmission goes out I wouldn't have the funds to replace it while I'm still paying for insurance and monthly payments. I believe that Honda should replace the transmission without cost even with cars without the extended warranty. …
The transmission slips when shifting gears. When shifting from 1st to 2nd, the car will rev up like it's in neutral then suddenly jerk into 2nd. The same thing happens for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th gears. On several occasions, when I came to a complete stop the car would shudder violently then the engine would cut out. This happen several times while I was trying to cross an intersection, and the car could not be stopped while in drive because the engine kept cutting out. I had to stay in neutral then shift to drive real quick and hope the engine didn't stall in order to cross the road. This has proven to be very dangerous, and potentially life threatening. The Honda dealership says it's $3600 for a new transmission, and I don't have a guarantee that the new won't fail either. Honda should pay to fix this obvious defect.
My 1997 Prelude ss had a transmission issue and it decided to go on me, in the middle of the road, while traffic was behind me. So, I decided to contact Honda and make them see the issue, instead I received a no answer, which was a pretty lame excuse to not replace a transmission failure in all 97-99 Honda Prelude cars, so, the service manager decided to retry the Honda USA number, and they got me through and replaced the transmission under a non-transmission warranty. So, my point is that Honda must comply with a transmission warranty on all these cars, and not just the newer models, because it is unfair to have a transmission which will eventually fail, again and again and again. So, with all this said, I want to make sure something will be done regarding this issue. Thanks.
The automatic transmissions in 1997 Honda preludes are weak and fail easy. The reason is cheap parts and metals in the transmissions themselves. The 97 preludes were recalled in turkey, and replaced with a new m6ha unit. Mine is constantly slipping and tearing up. I'm looking at a constant problem that costs a lot of money. I bought this car for its quality and prestige in the Honda world, but due to the lack of quality and workmanship in the automatic transmissions, my opinion of preludes has drastically dropped. I would not care if I had an automatic or a manual, I just want a car that works like the Honda company lacked to make it. Thank you.
The transmission in my 1997 Honda Prelude automatic ss crapped out on me after kicking and slipping for a few months so I had it rebuilt...and now a few months later it's already slipping and kicking again. It cost 1500 to have it rebuilt the first time, Honda already addressed the 00-01 Prelude auto transmissions in a recall, why haven't the addressed the issues in the prior years? It's the same car as the 00-01, no changes were made to the body, engine, transmission, and yet they refuse to address this widespread issue among Prelude owners. I for one am tired of it, Honda owes it to their loyal consumers that they confront this issue head on.
1997 Honda Prelude with only 67,000 miles. Started to make a minor buzzing noise when in park or neutral. Took it to my independent Honda mechanic who told me that I had a bearing going in the transmission. It would require a rebuild of the transmission. Cost $3,900. He suggested that I sell the car quickly as it wasn't worth the cost of repairs. That's what I did. Sold it to a Honda dealership. Honda needs to recognize the problem with these transmissions. No more hondas for me.
I have a 1997 Prelude that has had 1 transmission failure in nov. Of 2005 & it was rebuilt. It current is failing the same way the first transmission failed. It is making noise & starting to slip when it is cold. $1700 to fix the 1st transmission by a trans shop. I am joining a class action law suit if it is not taken care of from Honda. This car only has 65,000 miles on it!
My car suddenly started shifting oddly and got more violent as time passed. This was dangerous because after reversing out of my driveway, the car would jerk and basically have a big clang. The car also died out when I was driving. After I replaced the transmission at 80000 miles, it is now starting to shift hard again.
Transmission complaints in other Prelude years
Frequently asked questions
How common are transmission problems on the 1997 Honda Prelude?
NHTSA has 40 complaints about the transmission & drivetrain of the 1997 Honda Prelude, 61% of the model year's 66 complaints. The component named most often is automatic transmission (35 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1997 Honda Prelude transmission problems?
No. NHTSA lists no transmission & drivetrain recall for the 1997 Honda Prelude, though it has 3 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 1997 Honda Prelude transmission problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 95,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 0 injuries to transmission & drivetrain problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.