2004 Honda S2000 problems

“THE DIFFERENTIAL WENT OUT. I KNOW THIS MAY SOUND LIKE A MAINTENANCE PROBLEM, BUT THIS IS VERY COMMON IN THE HONDA S2000 COMMUNITY. THE METAL (GEARS) IN THE HOUSING BEGIN TO BREAK APART. ALL IT TAKES IS A CHUNK OF THAT METAL TO LODGE IN TO THE WRONG GEAR AND YOUR WHEELS COULD LOCK UP AND IT DOESN'T CARE IF YOU ARE DOING 30 MPH OR 90 MPH. THIS IS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS OR EVEN DEADLY. MY CAR HAS APPROXIMATELY 130K MILES ON IT. I WAS TAKING A RIGHT TURN FROM A DEAD STOP/STOP SIGN WHEN MINE FAILED, FORTUNATELY. AGAIN. THIS IS VERY COMMON FOR THESE (DIFFERENTIALS) TO FAIL. I WAS ABLE TO GET IT OFF OF THE BUSY ROAD AND ON TO A RESIDENTIAL ROAD. IT HASN'T DROVE SINCE. TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE, THE RIGT TURN I WAS MAKING WAS AT THE END OF A CURVE MAKING VISIBILITY OF MY BEING THERE VERY LOW. AGAIN. GOOD THING I WAS ABLE TO LIMP IT IN TO A U-TURN AND BACK TO THE RESIDENTIAL ROAD WHERE TRAFFIC WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER.”

“ABOUT A YEAR AGO I PUT MY SOFT TOP DOWN ON MY 2004 HONDA S2000 WHEN ALL OF THE SUDDEN I HEARD A LOUD POP. I COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG AT THE TIME UNTIL I STARTED DRIVING WITH MY TOP UP AND HEARD A LOT OF WHISPERING SOUNDS. THERE WAS A FINE CUT RIGHT ABOVE THE RELEASE LATCH/HINGE ON MY SOFT TOP. I BROUGHT IT TO THE ATTENTION OF THE HONDA DEALERSHIP OF WHOM I PURCHASED THE CAR FROM. THEY SAID THAT THERE WAS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH MY EXACT PROBLEM FROM THE YEAR FROM 2005 TO 2008 FOR THE HONDA S2000. SEEING THAT I BOUGHT MY CAR USED (FROM THEIR LOT), OUT OF WARRANTY, AND NOT WITHIN THE YEARS THE SERVICE BULLETIN WAS FOR, THEY WERE GOING TO CHARGE ME OVER $2500 TO REPLACE THE TOP FOR A DEFECT THAT WAS ON THE CAR. I AM PROVIDING THE HONDA SERVICE BULLETIN NUMBER FOR YOUR RECORDS: 09-033. HONDA CAN PULL UP THAT SERVICE BULLETIN AND THERE IT WILL EXPLAIN THE ISSUES AND WHAT ACTIONS NEEDS TO BE TAKEN PLACE. I HAVE DONE MY RESEARCH AND THERE ARE A LOT OF CAR OWNERS WITH HIS CAR THAT HAVE BEEN HAVING THESE ISSUES AND WAS FORCE TO PAY TO GET IT FIXED! *TR”

“TRANSMISSION IS ROUGH AND SOMETIMES "POPS" OUT OF 1ST GEAR. DURING HIGHER ACCELERATION SHIFTING GEARS OCCASIONALLY BECOME HARD TO DO. AS IF THEY ARE NOT LINED UP CORRECTLY. ALSO THE CLAMPS THAT HOLD THE CONVERTIBLE TOP UP BECOME DETERIORATED RATHER QUICKLY. THIS WEAKER LOCK BEGINS TO RATTLE AND MAKE ALL KINDS OF SOUNDS DURING DRIVING. *AK”