2004 Honda S2000 Transmission and drivetrain Problems
- Complaints
- 4about this part
- Share
- 80%of 5 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 25,000miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 4 complaints about the transmission and drivetrain of the 2004 Honda S2000, 80% of the 5 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 25,000 miles.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“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. …”
NHTSA complaint #11217637, filed 2019-06, 130,000 miles“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.”
NHTSA complaint #10100094, filed 2004-11, 25,000 miles“I have an 04 Honda S2000. The transmission will sometimes pop out of 1st or 2nd gear when you let out the clutch. Almost like it was not in gear to begin with. This is a known issue on the 04 S2000. The service engineer that works for Honda knows about the problem but Honda refuses to make the repairs. This is especially dangerous in a high traffic area because you could try to accelerete through a small break in traffic, making a left hand turn and drift right into oncoming traffic with the engine revving and no acceleration and get killed.”
NHTSA complaint #10100068, filed 2004-11, 20 miles“2004 Honda S2000 manual transmission will pop out of gear from 1st to 2nd and from 3rd to 2nd gear. Unable to put the car into gear until the car slows almost to complete stop. This is dangerous. Requested dealer to service problem multiple times, but their repeated response is that this is a known problem when the car is cold, and for us to drive easy until the car warms up. This issue occurs also when the car is hot and had been driven at highway speeds for 45 minutes. The problem remains unresolved and is experienced every time the car is driven, whether cold, warm or hot. …”
NHTSA complaint #10142482, filed 2005-11Related service bulletins
- 10017429Jan 12, 2006Transmission pops out of 2nd gear.
- 10018868Dec 16, 2005Transmission grinds at shifts, skip shifting.
- 10018085Dec 16, 2004Rear axle creak or grunt noise at low speeds.
- 10014230Feb 16, 20042nd to 5th or 3rd to 5th gear upshift.
- 10014228Feb 16, 2004Grinds at upshift when cold.
Transmission and drivetrain: other model years
Other parts of the 2004 Honda S2000
← All problems reported for the 2004 Honda S2000
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 30, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology