The 2001 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 25 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:MANUAL TRANSMISSION
4
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
3
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
2
POWER TRAIN:CLUTCH ASSEMBLY
2
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
2
1crashes
AIR BAGS
1
1crashes
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
1
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
1
EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER
1
Total complaints25
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Takata recall any time I put my car in d4 (automatic) it gets to about 2500 rpm to 3000 rpm in 1st then I have to message the throttle so it will shift and once it shifts to 2nd it starts shifting very quickly no matter the rpms to 3rd then 4th. Also when it's shifting it jerks pretty violently.”
“Tl*the contact owns a 2001 honda prelude. While driving approximately 15 mph a vehicle crashed into the front end passenger side of the contacts vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where the body damage was repaired. The approximate failure…”
“Just like many other 97-01 honda preludes my car has begin to have problems shifting. If I do not allow my car to warm up it will rev really high and jerk into gear. The first time it happened I pulled out of my driveway and it revved really high. Had the driver behind me not swerved over they…”
“When starting my 2001 honda prelude, putting into d4 (auto transmission) and beginning to drive, it would hit 3 rpm and not automatically shift. After hitting 3 rpm, it would rev up to 5 rpm before jerking into gear. This happens each time I first drive my car after it had been sitting, unless…”
“2001 honda prelude sh, had a previous manual transmission overhaul after driving it for 3 days the manual transmission gave out on the vehicle 3 days later, making loud annoying noises. *tr”
“While driving the car just turns off then wont start for awhile when starts back up shuts off while driving down the road we know there is a recall on the ignition switch and interior lights on this vehicle we have three kids that ride in this car and don't want something to happen while we are…”
“While driving the car just turns off then wont start for awhile when starts back up shuts off while driving down the road we know there is a recall on the ignition switch and interior lights on this vehicle we have three kids that ride in this car and don't want something to happen while we are…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 2001 honda prelude. The contact stated that while parked, she was able to remove the key from the ignition with the vehicle in neutral. The failure recurred intermittently for approximately one year. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for the failure and was not…”
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 2001 Honda Prelude as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.