2004 Accord Exhaust Smell

Just took delivery a couple of months ago and for the fourth time I've
smelled a rotten egg smell. Three times after the car was turned off and
once while driving.

1. Is that smell coming from the catalytic converter?
2. Is that normal, meaning part of the break-in process (@ 1600 mi on
odometer)?
3. Any body else with this problem?

I haven't called the dealership yet. I wanted to know what the collective
wisdom is first.

Thanks.

TCQuinlan

 

Try a different brand of fuel. All gas sold comes out of the same
pipeline, but there are additives that may cause a sulfur smell. bob

 

I got that smell on my new Honda using regular Shell gas in Canada. I
would change gas brands..

R

 

Sept. 18, 2003
Mr. Proctor
C/o Proctor Pontiac/Cadillac
3122 Mahan Dr.
Tallahassee, Fl. 32308
Dear Mr. Proctor,
My name is ------, I would like to start off by telling you that in the past
3 years I have purchased 3 Hondas from Proctor Honda, but will not be buying
another Honda or purchasing a car from Proctor Honda. In February of 2003,
we purchased a 2003 Honda Accord V6 Coupe for $26,000 from Proctor Honda.
Since the time we purchased the car there was a rotten egg, sulfur smell and
an exhaust leak coming into the car. We have taken the car into the Service
Department at Proctor Honda 5 times for this problem, along with other
problems the car was having. Ed Richards and Jerry in the service department
were as helpful as Honda would let them be. Jerry would call American Honda
every time we brought the car in to see if they had come up with a fix yet,
and was always told that they had not. American Honda's own web page states
that exhaust fumes are very toxic and that the sulfur smell is the exhaust.
Jerry went as far as talking them (American Honda) into allowing him to
replace the catalytic converter, which did not help the smell or the exhaust
coming into the car. Ed Richards and myself have even crawled under another
2003 Coupe on the show room floor to try to figure where the exhaust leak
could be. Our car has a moon roof that we are not able to use or crack the
windows as this pulls more exhaust into the car.

The car was also brought in to the service department for rattles, which
were never fixed as well as for rough idle, again this was never fixed. The
next to the last time we brought the car in for these problems, Ed Richards
told me that he wanted to go over the car with a fine tooth comb and fix the
problems. He said that the rattle could be a spot weld that was bad. Jerry
has ridden in the car with me and the fumes got so bad that we had to roll
down the windows to let the exhaust out of the car. I brought the car in for
what I thought was to be a through going over to have the problems fixed on
Sept. 11, 2003. When I picked up the car that afternoon, I was told by Jerry
that he could not talk to me about my car and that I had to go higher than
him and talk to Ed. When I spoke to Ed, he told me that the District Parts
and Service Manager had been in that day and they took my car for a ride to
test it. On the service order Ed told me that he wrote exactly what the DPSM
had told him, which was "problem could not be duplicated and no repairs were
necessary" this was the comment for all three problems that I had brought
the car in for. At this time I asked Ed what do I do when I smell exhaust
inside the car, and was told that he could not do anything until American
Honda came up with a fix. On the way home from Proctor Honda, I still
smelled exhaust inside the car, I called Ed and was told that there was
nothing he could do. The exhaust leak, sulfur smell is a major problem,
there have been times when driving back from Jacksonville we have had to
pull into a rest area because we were falling asleep.

This problem will continue until American Honda fixes the problem and goes
back to a time when their cars were considered one of the best made, which
in my opinion is no longer true, our 2000, Accord SE was a much better car
and we wish we had kept it. We have a trip coming up in October to Missouri
and in December to California and could not take our $26,000 Accord because
of the dangerous exhaust leaks. The way Proctor Honda treated me after the
DPSM came is terrible, they no longer acknowledge that there is a problem
with the car even though they have ridden in it and have smelled it. There
is no remedy for my situation and I have taken matters into my own hands. I
know that this is not limited to my car due to complaints I have read on the
Internet. I feel that American Honda will not fix this problem until someone
falls asleep and has a wreck and sues them. We could have gone the lemon law
route with this car but due to the 15,000 miles on the car now and the up
coming trips the mileage offset would have been too great.

I will be posting this letter on all Honda forums that my son and I belong
to so they will know how American Honda and Proctor Honda treats their
customers. I also work for the State and am in the Military Reserves and
will be telling anyone who will listen this story and what a piece of JUNK
our 2003 Accord is and that Proctor Honda will not back their customers.
Sincerely John and Cynthia Nicholson Cc: General Manager, Proctor Honda
American Honda Better Business Bureau

 

I know someone who had the same problem, and was treated HORRIBLY by honda.
Check it out

Sept. 18, 2003
Mr. Proctor
C/o Proctor Pontiac/Cadillac
3122 Mahan Dr.
Tallahassee, Fl. 32308
Dear Mr. Proctor,
My name is John Nicholson, I would like to start off by telling you that in
the past 3 years I have purchased 3 Hondas from Proctor Honda, but will not
be buying another Honda or purchasing a car from Proctor Honda. In February
of 2003, we purchased a 2003 Honda Accord V6 Coupe for $26,000 from Proctor
Honda. Since the time we purchased the car there was a rotten egg, sulfur
smell and an exhaust leak coming into the car. We have taken the car into
the Service Department at Proctor Honda 5 times for this problem, along with
other problems the car was having. Ed Richards and Jerry in the service
department were as helpful as Honda would let them be. Jerry would call
American Honda every time we brought the car in to see if they had come up
with a fix yet, and was always told that they had not. American Honda's own
web page states that exhaust fumes are very toxic and that the sulfur smell
is the exhaust. Jerry went as far as talking them (American Honda) into
allowing him to replace the catalytic converter, which did not help the
smell or the exhaust coming into the car. Ed Richards and myself have even
crawled under another 2003 Coupe on the show room floor to try to figure
where the exhaust leak could be. Our car has a moon roof that we are not
able to use or crack the windows as this pulls more exhaust into the car.

The car was also brought in to the service department for rattles, which
were never fixed as well as for rough idle, again this was never fixed. The
next to the last time we brought the car in for these problems, Ed Richards
told me that he wanted to go over the car with a fine tooth comb and fix the
problems. He said that the rattle could be a spot weld that was bad. Jerry
has ridden in the car with me and the fumes got so bad that we had to roll
down the windows to let the exhaust out of the car. I brought the car in for
what I thought was to be a through going over to have the problems fixed on
Sept. 11, 2003. When I picked up the car that afternoon, I was told by Jerry
that he could not talk to me about my car and that I had to go higher than
him and talk to Ed. When I spoke to Ed, he told me that the District Parts
and Service Manager had been in that day and they took my car for a ride to
test it. On the service order Ed told me that he wrote exactly what the DPSM
had told him, which was "problem could not be duplicated and no repairs were
necessary" this was the comment for all three problems that I had brought
the car in for. At this time I asked Ed what do I do when I smell exhaust
inside the car, and was told that he could not do anything until American
Honda came up with a fix. On the way home from Proctor Honda, I still
smelled exhaust inside the car, I called Ed and was told that there was
nothing he could do. The exhaust leak, sulfur smell is a major problem,
there have been times when driving back from Jacksonville we have had to
pull into a rest area because we were falling asleep.

This problem will continue until American Honda fixes the problem and goes
back to a time when their cars were considered one of the best made, which
in my opinion is no longer true, our 2000, Accord SE was a much better car
and we wish we had kept it. We have a trip coming up in October to Missouri
and in December to California and could not take our $26,000 Accord because
of the dangerous exhaust leaks. The way Proctor Honda treated me after the
DPSM came is terrible, they no longer acknowledge that there is a problem
with the car even though they have ridden in it and have smelled it. There
is no remedy for my situation and I have taken matters into my own hands. I
know that this is not limited to my car due to complaints I have read on the
Internet. I feel that American Honda will not fix this problem until someone
falls asleep and has a wreck and sues them. We could have gone the lemon law
route with this car but due to the 15,000 miles on the car now and the up
coming trips the mileage offset would have been too great.

I will be posting this letter on all Honda forums that my son and I belong
to so they will know how American Honda and Proctor Honda treats their
customers. I also work for the State and am in the Military Reserves and
will be telling anyone who will listen this story and what a piece of JUNK
our 2003 Accord is and that Proctor Honda will not back their customers.
Sincerely John and Cynthia Nicholson Cc: General Manager, Proctor Honda
American Honda Better Business Bureau

 

I bought my 03 DX in March, had the egg smell for a couple of months, now
the only time I get the smell is when I drive the car hard. I wouldn't
really worry about it too much.

 

You should take it back to the dealer since the car is still under
warranty. Ask them about the source of the smell. If it's a common problem
with this model, they have probably have developed a solution. The smell
could be coming from many different sources including the air conditioner.
On hot days--it's a good idea to run the air conditioner with the internal
air button not pressed. In other words--the air conditioner is forced to
cool the outside air. I usually turn place it on the highest level. The
hot outside air will quickly evaportate any moisture and mold growth
inside the air conditioner system. It also is a good idea to spray Lysol
in the the vents below out side of the windshield. It kills the mold
growth.

 

The smell of rotten eggs is hydrogen sulphide coming from the exhaust
gasses. This is as a result of the catalytic converter and is quite normal.
However, this should disappear once the cat is up to operating temperature.
If you only travel short journeys then the smell will be quite noticeable.

Ben

 

I have a 2003 Accord V6 6 speed, and I'm having this same problem. My Honda
service center keeps telling me it's due to high sulfur content in the fuel
in this area of the country (Nebraska). If that's the case, why aren't
other vehicles on the road having this same problem? It's really
frustrating to have bought a brand new $26K car and have to constantly
deal with this smell. I'm so disappointed in my "reliable" honda purchase.
I've had tons of other problems with this car too (they've replaced the
tranny twice), and only have 4500 miles on it. I was such a loyal Honda
customer, but this experience has turned me away.

 

I have a 2003 Accord V6 6 speed, and I'm having this same problem. My Honda
service center keeps telling me it's due to high sulfur content in the fuel
in this area of the country (Nebraska). If that's the case, why aren't
other vehicles on the road having this same problem? It's really
frustrating to have bought a brand new $26K car and have to constantly
deal with this smell. I'm so disappointed in my "reliable" honda purchase.
I've had tons of other problems with this car too (they've replaced the
tranny twice), and only have 4500 miles on it. I was such a loyal Honda
customer, but this experience has turned me away.

 

This is an odd problem that I have NOT seen mentioned before. I suggest
that you take the car to another Honda dealership and talk to the service
manager. I believe that there may be something wrong with the cat.
coverter or muffler. You should NOT be having this problem. They may be
able to hook it up to the same equipment they use for the smog inspections
and quickly determine whether there is something wrong. If they will not
help you, your vehicle might be considered a lemon and covered under the
lemon laws. If your vehicle is not covered under warranty--take it to a
business that specializes in smog inspections.

 

Hi,

I do beleive that it is a problem with the sulfur content in some
manufacturers gas, I have a 2004 EXL I4 and have used one particular gas
station for the last several years without any problems until I purchased
the new car and started having the sulfur burnoff smell. I took it back to
the dealer and it was recommended that I try a different gas station to rule
out excess sulfur and after about 2 tankfulls at a different station the
smell is gone and has not come back.

I think that part of the problem lies with the stringent emission standards
to qualify as an ultra low emmissions vehicle versus any defect in the
design as a good friend of mine has a 2004 Camry that experienced the exact
same symptoms and changing fuel cleared up his problem as well. A lot of it
boils down to tolerances in design and I do think that Japanese cars are
built to a lot stricter and tighter tolerances than their North American
competitors as any N.A. car I have owned in the past couldn't even get panel
gaps to be even from start to finnish.

Just my personal experiences.


Cheers,

Glynn

 

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