Used cars are expensive these days, and buying a used vehicle can mean buying a car with problems. Honda is known for making long-lasting cars, but even its Passport isn’t immune to issues. If you’re thinking of buying a used Honda Passport, here are the worst problems you may encounter, according to Car Complaints.

Honda Passport’s transmission problems

After logging over 100,000 miles, issues with the Passport’s transmission were one of the most frequent complaints on Car Complaints about the Passport. Similarly, these issues with the Passport’s transmission cost a lot of money to fix. 

On average, users reported they had to pay about $4,000 to fix their Passport’s transmission. On top of that, due to the old age of the Passport, which are nearing 20 years old for many Passport owners, one user on Car Complaints even mentioned that a car dealership didn’t know how to fix a Passport and the owner of the Passport should take it somewhere else.

That said, although transmission problems were one of the most common problems reported, only a handful of users actually made any reports. As a result, these issues with the Passport’s transmission are likely rare when taken in context.

Frame rotting problems

By far the most common complaint about the Passport was due to its frame rotting in some areas. Like the transmission issues on the Passport, most owners reported frame rotting problems after their Passport had logged over 100,000 miles. Unlike those transmission issues, this frame rotting issue wasn’t as costly to fix. The average price for the repair was about $1,000, according to Car Complaints. 

That said, this frame rotting issue was so common Honda had to issue a recall of the Passport. About 150,000 Passports were recalled in 2010 due to this frame rotting issue. The recall said the frame rotting could affect the Passport’s suspension, and that could in turn affect the handling of the car, possibly leading to a crash.

This frame rotting problem was mostly affecting the almost 20 year old Passport, and Honda had since discontinued the Passport, until now. For the 2019 model year, Honda has reintroduced the Passport. Here’s how the 2019 Passport stacks up against its nearly 20-year-old counterparts.

The 2019 Passport

Consumer Reports gave the 2019 Passport a 1 out of 5 in terms of its predicted reliability. The predicted reliability rating from Consumer Reports largely comes from the reliability reports of the older model years of the car. And unsurprisingly, the Passport, until now, hasn’t been doing too well. 

In terms of the reliability of the individual parts of the 2019 Passport, Consumer Reports says it’s doing just fine. Most parts and systems of the 2019 Passport has been given good grades for reliability. Notably however, the electronics and the climate system of the 2019 Passport were the only underperforming areas. Everywhere else, the 2019 Passport had better than expected reliability scores.

In regards to the user reports on Consumer Reports, the 2019 Passport has a similar story. Users on Consumer Reports rated areas such as the 2019 passport’s transmission and suspension as 5 out of 5. Areas such as the electronics and climate system were given only 2 out of 5 by users.

So, overall, it seems like the 2019 Passport is a far more reliable car than the older Passports are. Time will tell.