The 2000 Honda Prelude has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 486,659 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 14 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the power train. Last updated July 5, 2026.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE INTERLOCK OPERATION OF THE IGNITION SWITCH MAY NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY, MAKING IT POSSIBLE TO TURN THE IGNITION KEY TO THE "OFF" POSITION AND REMOVE THE KEY WITHOUT SHIFTING THE TRANSMISSION TO PARK.
Consequence
IF THE DRIVER DOES NOT SHIFT TO PARK BEFORE REMOVING THE KEY AND FAILS TO ENGAGE THE PARKING BRAKE, THE VEHICLE COULD ROLL AND A CRASH COULD OCCUR.
Remedy
DEALERS WILL PERFORM AN INSPECTION PROCEDURE THAT CONFIRMS INTERLOCK FUNCTION. VEHICLES WILL BE UPDATED WITH A REDESIGNED INTERLOCK LEVER FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 7, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HONDA AT 1-800-999-1009 OR ACURA AT 1-800-382-2238.
Complaints by component
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
6
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
2
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
2
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
1
1crashes1injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
1
POWER TRAIN
1
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
1
Total complaints14
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Tl* the contact owns a 2000 honda prelude. While attempting to start the vehicle, the ignition failed without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the ignition switch failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer…”
“After eleven years of ownership and 72,000 miles, transmission experienced failure of both right and left axle seals over the course of a year, causing serious transmission leaks. Both seals were replaced by the dealer. After only four months, both axle seals began seriously leaking once again.…”
“Hi, I have a 2000 honda prelude. It is the automatic version with the sport shifter. Recently my transmission has been acting more than usual. From when I bought my car in november of 2009 and until june 18th 2011, my transmission shifted into each gear fine, but did have some abnormal shifts on…”
“Transmission failure, replaced once already. Now starting to slip. *tr”
“I have a 2000 honda prelude type sh. It has been making a weird sound so I too it to the dealer. They said the auto tensioner and timing belt needs replaced. The service is not suppose to be done until 105,000 miles. The car has 77,000 miles. I ran into the same thing on my previous prelude which…”
“I received a safety recall from the american honda motor company stating that I needed to make an appointment at the authorized honda dealer, due my from my car whatsoever transmission. 2 weeks later I was unable to remove my key from my car whatsoever reverse, or place my car in park so therefore…”
“I received a safety recall from the american honda motor company stating that I needed to make an appointment at the authorized honda dealer, due my from my car whatsoever transmission. 2 weeks later I was unable to remove my key from my car whatsoever reverse, or place my car in park so therefore…”
“2000 honda prelude fuel cap was loose, and the radio became inoperative after ignition switch recall repairs were performed.*mr the dealer also replaced the starter under warranty because the vehicle took longer than normal to start. *nm”
Defect investigations
InvestigationPE05002 Opened 2005-01-13 · closed 2005-02-02
IGNITION-PARK INTERLOCK
THE ABOVE FAILURE REPORT COUNTS ARE FOR MODEL YEAR (MY) 1999 - 2001 HONDA ACCORD MODELS THAT WERE NOT WITHIN THE SCOPE OF A RELATED HONDA RECALL ACTION (NHTSA 03V423); THESE VEHICLES WERE INVESTIGATED BY ODI UNDER DEFECT PETITION (DP) 04-006.COMPLAINT INFORMATION FOR OTHER MODELS AND MODEL YEARS WAS NOT OBTAINED BY…
InvestigationPE05002 Opened 2005-01-13 · closed 2005-02-02
IGNITION-PARK INTERLOCK
THE ABOVE FAILURE REPORT COUNTS ARE FOR MODEL YEAR (MY) 1999 - 2001 HONDA ACCORD MODELS THAT WERE NOT WITHIN THE SCOPE OF A RELATED HONDA RECALL ACTION (NHTSA 03V423); THESE VEHICLES WERE INVESTIGATED BY ODI UNDER DEFECT PETITION (DP) 04-006.COMPLAINT INFORMATION FOR OTHER MODELS AND MODEL YEARS WAS NOT OBTAINED BY…
InvestigationPE05002 Opened 2005-01-13 · closed 2005-02-02
IGNITION-PARK INTERLOCK
THE ABOVE FAILURE REPORT COUNTS ARE FOR MODEL YEAR (MY) 1999 - 2001 HONDA ACCORD MODELS THAT WERE NOT WITHIN THE SCOPE OF A RELATED HONDA RECALL ACTION (NHTSA 03V423); THESE VEHICLES WERE INVESTIGATED BY ODI UNDER DEFECT PETITION (DP) 04-006.COMPLAINT INFORMATION FOR OTHER MODELS AND MODEL YEARS WAS NOT OBTAINED BY…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2000 Honda Prelude as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.