6th gen Accord front subframe rust (Photo inside)

[Y]

So Honda decided to place the AC drain hose right above the passenger side of the front subframe; I have a 2000 Accord Coupe.

Now it looks like this:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/k710yjsghebz38e/6th%20Accord%20Front%20Subframe.jpg

I want an opinion on how bad it really looks and if it still seems driveable as it is.
(Somewhat unrelated: At the moment the stabilizer link on that side is broken)

I’m thinking of spraying it with some rust converter for now to try to slow down the rust and hopefully there will be a recall in the near future. (I don’t use the AC anymore obviously…. not that it works anyway)

Topic

[college man]

What I would do is take a screw driver and poke the metal.
if it does not go through then the metal is solid. if it does
go through replace it.

[dave1645]

I agree just went though a recall for Honda passport/Isuzu made
I would try to insert a piece of plastic tubing in that ac drain to extend it

[Y]

Well, I never use AC and it doesn’t even work anymore, so I won’t bother with the hose. This happened while the previous owners had the car.

I’ll try checking the subframe by poking it like suggested above. Thanks.

[EricTheCarGuy]

It doesn’t look rusted through to me. I’d go with College man’s suggestion and try poking through it with a screwdriver just to be safe. If you can’t poke through it, don’t worry about it.

I wouldn’t hold your breath for a recall. It would be one thing if the vehicle was only a couple of years old, but 13 years is well beyond anything that would merit a recall.

Yes that is normal but It’s not entirely because of the AC draining, I suspect you live in an area that sees salt on the roads in the winter and that likely took it’s toll more than anything.

[Y]

Hi Eric,

Thanks for your reply.

Yes, you’re right about the salt on the roads, however, they might have changed that recently where I live.

The rust on the passenger side is noticeably worse than on the driver’s side. After I noticed the rust, I did some searching online and found that it was a common problem for this generation of Accord and that it was strongly believed to be due to the placement of the A/C drain hose.

Also, last year the Center for Auto Safety had requested that Honda issue a major recall on these cars, which is why I brought it up (It probably won’t happen like you said).

Anyways, I started poking at it with a screwdriver; the top part started flaking off and the bottom part was covered in a bunch of rusted metal powder. Below the powder the metal seemed to be pretty solid from the feel and the knocking sound. I wasn’t able to reach and clean up the powder but I sprayed the whole area with a bunch of rust inhibiting spray and hopefully that will keep it lasting as long as possible.

I think anyone with this generation of Accord should have that drain hose extended and re-routed, as suggested above, as a preventative measure.

[EricTheCarGuy]

Thanks for the update. It sounds like you’ll be OK. I think you did right using the rust inhibitor. As for the recall, I don’t think that’s very likely but who knows?

[Author]

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