Honda Accord Automatic Transmission Won’t Go Into Gear! (Solved)

Your Honda Accord Automatic Transmission won’t go into gears for number of reasons like bad solenoid valve, Limp mode, Dirty transmission fluid, and Shift lock malfunction. Best thing to do to solve this problem is to ask help of professionals as automatic transmissions are much more complex than manual ones.

It could be a real pain in the neck when our car transmission won’t change between gears. Sometimes, it could be very dangerous for our safety on the road.

Imagine not being able to switch from 3rd gear to 2nd or 1st gear when the cops are following you, and also, suddenly pulling the brakes at high speed will tarnish your car’s mechanical parts completely.

It’s more of a headache when the car is Honda Accord. What happens when the Honda Accord automatic transmission won’t go into gear? And what will you do in those circumstances?

No need to worry because we are here to let you know and answer all of your questions regarding this matter. So, have patience and stick with us till the very end.

Why the Honda Accord transmission won’t go into another gear?

There might be several reasons why your Honda Accord’s automatic transmission won’t switch gears. 

Issues with the gearbox, gearstick, and Clutch

The most common reasons for your transmission to get stuck in a gear could be a bad connection between the gearbox and the gearstick. This can also be due to the reason that the clutch plate not properly engaging.

Although, it mostly happens with manual transmissions. Let’s see what are the issues with the automatic transmissions.

Having a stuck solenoid

The solenoid is the part that makes the car’s computing system aware of the switching of gears. If your solenoid gets stuck because of any particular reason, the transmission is most likely to get stuck.

Activating the ‘Limp Mode’

Limp mode which is also known as the Limp home mode is a car driving security feature. If it sense any issue with the car either electrical or mechanical, it will make all non vital components like AC to stop and will reduce the speed of the car too.

This will make it impossible for you speed up the car or shift into high gear. It happens when some dust and debris get stuck in the solenoid and it doesn’t give the computing system proper readings.

Dirty Transmission Fluid

Transmission fluid is very important specially in automatic transmission as it helps in smooth shift of gears. If the fluid is dirty with dust, debris and metal shaving them the it will make it very difficult to shift gears.

Transmission fluid with dirt and metal shaving will also harm all components of the transmission system.

Shift Lock

Shift lock is a safety feature in automatic vehicles that stop car from rolling if a child accidently starts the car. To shift into gear driver has to push the brake pedal once.

Some time this safety feature malfunction and car does not shift into gear after spark, no matter how many times you do the brake pedal thing.

What to do when the Honda Accord transmission gets stuck?

Now, you know why your car’s transmission would be stuck. Let’s see what you ought to do in those scenarios.

Honda Accord transmission gets stuck Infographic

Full Repairment

Firstly, we would recommend a full repair of the car. Although it isn’t the only thing you can do, the best option would be this one.

The Honda Accord repair cost would be 600 US dollars to 1,200 US dollars. And the best service center in the United States would be the North Star Auto Repair Center. 

If you think you don’t want to involve your money here, then you can follow our next steps to take measures when the transmission of your car goes off.

Also, you can go to the Honda repair shop to fix your transmission. This would be the best option for you for your Honda Accord.

2nd Gear Troubleshoot

When your gear gets stuck on the 2nd one, don’t pull off the brake immediately. You need to keep driving your car. There is a speed limit in your Honda Accord that won’t cross no matter what.

So, keep the car going and steadily slow down the car by pulling off the brake steadily. Once you’ve reached a minimal speed, you can pull off the brake instantly. This won’t harm your car.

1st Gear Troubleshoot

We don’t always drive in our 1st gear on a highway, right? We only drive in 1st gear when there is a speed limit below 10 km/h or we are driving through a narrow road.

So, whenever we experience transmission not going to gear from 1st gear, you can pull off the brakes immediately. This won’t harm your car much. You can also follow the steps mentioned for the 2nd gear. That would be a safe option for you.

3rd Gear Troubleshoot

The 3rd gear problem solving can be a bit of a tricky one. It’s because the minimum speed limit in the 3rd gear is about 35 km/h for most cars including the Honda Accord. Average speed of Honda Accord at third gear in three speed transmission is about 55 to 85 MPH

When your car’s gear gets stuck in the 3rd gear, you should pull off the brakes instantly. Driving your car at 35 km/h without slowing down could be horrific. Instead, pull off the clutch and brake simultaneously. This will resolve the problem.

How to know that your Honda Accord’s transmission is faulty?

Yes, we already know why would your car’s transmission won’t go into the gear and how to handle it. What you might not know that how to know if your Honda Accord’s transmission is faulty or not and which part is faulty?

Notice the Engine Check Light

Almost every Honda car now comes with an engine check light. It gives you a preview of the car’s conditions and statistics. So, try checking the engine check light to see if anything is wrong with the transmission.

Clunking noise symptom

The engine starts a humming or buzzing sound when there is something wrong with the transmission. Usually, the clunking noise comes from under the hood. The best thing you could do in that situation is to get your car to a repair shop and let them fix it up.

Delay in gear switching

You might notice a delay when you try to switch between the gears very often. Well, sometimes the delay is a bit long which often irritates us. When this sort of thing happens, it’s clear that there is a problem with your transmission. 

The transmission didn’t get stuck in gear just because the dust and debris have started piling up. Once they make a barricade big enough to destabilize your transmission, it will not go into gear.

Conclusion

We are aware of how annoying it could be when your transmission is stuck on a particular gear. It’s more of a problem with the Honda Accord because the only way to fix it is to repair it by automobile engineers.

It’s pretty expensive to repair the transmission of a car, and repairing a Honda Accord’s transmission is way costlier.

You can just take some measurements but fixing it for long-term use might not be a cup of tea for you.

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William Baldwin

This Is William Baldwin, The Founder & Managing Editor of this website. Me and my team share automotive tips, tricks, and news

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Talha

Talha Atta

Talha Atta, a Mechanical Engineer and experienced technical content writer and editor at Autoglobes.com with a passion for the automotive industry.