Questions and Answers

Honda Accord Smells Of Rotten Eggs Q. Hello Vincent, didn't know who to contact, felt like I was getting the run around when I called the dealership so I decided to do some online search on my own and came upon your info. hope you can help me out and give me some useful tips.

I purchased a new 2003 Honda Accord LX Coupe, Automatic several months ago, around April of this year. It has a 2.4 liter 16-valve 160 horse-power engine. It currently has around 9,500 miles. Should be fuel injection. has ABS brakes, A/C and cruise control. Fuel injectors may be stuck partially open.

I finally decided to call the dealership and someone in the service department had the nerve to tell me "this was normal" for my car to have a "rotten egg smell". Am I a complete idiot??!!

Is there any advice you can give me at this time? What should I look out for when I take my car into the dealership? What shall I ask them to do? Obviously they are giving me the run around, I don't know why because I thought Honda was supposed to provide better customer service. I feel so helpless when it comes to car problems.

Thanks,
Samantha

A. The "rotten egg smell" is certainly not normal. What you are smelling is sulfur dioxide. You probably smelled it when you were in high school passing the chemistry labs. This smell is a sign of an overly rich fuel mixture that will lead to catalytic converter damage.

Here are two recent TSBs from Honda addressing this problem. They are:

Posted: Tue, Sep 23, 2003
Issued: Tue, Sep 23, 2003
TSB Number: 03-063
Title: Engine Controls and or Emissions - MIL ON and/or DTC P0420 Set

Posted: Fri, May 23, 2003
Issued: Tue, May 6, 2003
TSB Number: 03-027
Title: Engine Controls - MIL ON and/or DTC PA200 (Air Fuel Ratio)
Applies To:
2003 Accord L4 2-door- From VIN 1HGCM7...3A000001 thru 1HGCM7...3A020275

2003 Accord L4 4-door- From VIN 1HGCM5...3A000001 thru 1HGCM5...3A071758 From VIN JHMCM5...3C000001 thru JHMCM5...3C073601

2003 Element 2WD - From VIN 5J6YH1...3L000001 thru 5J6YH1...3L006131

2003 Element 4WD - From VIN 5J6YH2...3L000001 thru 5J6YH2...3L014546

I would bring these TSBs to their attention and have them perform the repairs, if they are applicable, to your vehicle.

If they still won't help you, call Honda Customer Service and file a complaint and schedule an appointment with the Honda Factory Representative. The number is in your owners manual or at 1-800-999-1009. One thing to keep in mind is the Dealership does not warranty your car. Read the contract, they sold you the car "As is". Honda Motors is who warranties the car, the dealer just does the work. So don't think the dealer is the end of the line, they are just the start.

Oh, and tell them your Uncle Vince is a mechanic and point them to this web site.