Hi all, new here, be kind!

I've got a irritating 'feature' in my 05 accord – the steering column covers don't seem to fit very well – it closes nice and tight as you get deeper into the dash, but new the steering wheel itself, it's got a ugly gap about 4mm wide.

I have taken apart the steering column, and tried to piece it together again, thinking perhaps one of the 'clips' was out of position... but no luck.

The soft plastic seems bent, or not to spec.

I have also tried 'bending' the plastic to make it fit better, but of course that didn't work either!

Any suggestions other than gluing those damn pieces together?

It's not a big problem, but once you've noticed it, it's one of those problems which sticks in your mind everytime you get in the car... :dunno:

Can't quite picture what you're talking about. Can you post a pic?

ah... ok, I don't have my camera for the weekend... but I have found some pictures of the steering column of a CRV. Not exactly like the accords, but it's close enough.

it's the cover for the steering column which houses the steering tilt lever. The circled areas where the TOP and BOTTOM covers meet are where the gaps are.

Note that it's not a consistent gap running accross the entire line where the covers meet, just at the indicated areas.

Is this similar to what you are talking about? This is the column in my 06 Accord.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b5/ItsaHonda/CrookedColumn.jpg

Yikes! That's pretty blantant. It does look like it's warped or something. I checked mine and it's fine - for now. I wonder if this is a time sensitive issue?

One trim issue I had with my 2003 Accord was on the steering. The trim piece around the steering wheel controls ends in a point above the cruise maine and the audio mode buttons. I've scraped my hands up and even drew blood once on the sharp corner. :paranoid: Everything is fine in my 06. It seems to be shapped differently.

Is this similar to what you are talking about? This is the column in my 06 Accord.

YES! That's exactly it. My gap's a little bigger, but it doesn't look quite as 'warped' as yours. (yours seems to be 'pushed' in... not sure how to explain it)

It's quite a sore sight once you know that it's there, isn't it? :(


Wonder if getting replacement covers would be any better. I've just dropped by a dealership and had a look at 05 accords – same symptom.

I wonder if this is a time sensitive issue?>>>

Mine was like that when I bought the car... so I believe it's more of an assembly issue. I've never been one to nit-pick, so I didn't think it was worth bringing back to the dealer. As long as I don't sit there and stare at it, it doesn't bother me :)

Mine's slightly out of whack too. It MAY have been worse before he had it all apart....or it may have been better..... :dunno:

Between my wife and I, we have had 3 Preludes, 5 Integras, 3 Accords and an Odyssey. My current 06 Accord is the worst of all for fit and finish. I've come to expect nice clean tight fitting dash components, but the new accords just don't meet my expectations. The dash boards used to be only 2 peices, now it seems to be made of 6 or more.

We had the wheel radio remotes on the Odyssey fixed, and the dealer could not get the steering column covers back on correctly. It is too much of a pain to take it back again to get them to fix it.

Otherwise, I don't have any major complaints about my 06, but I feel your pain.

You could try bending it again, but use a hair dryer to warm up the plastic first. Watch out for color changes if it gets too hot.

My steering column's fit is pretty bad, too. I didn't let it bother me since I don't usually see it and it doesn't make any noticable noise.

That's a really ugly lookin gap. I don't think mine has it :dunno:

thanks for the replies. This looks to be a fairly common defect I guess.

will try to get it replaced under warranty at my next service, and insist on a replacement that actually fits...

It could be that the pieces just aren't mated together correctly. When you install the Honda accessory security system into a car, you take apart that cover to inset the led on the top of the steering column cover. To do that, you have to remove some screws and then unsnap the cover pieces. From the pic posted above, I'd bet if you unsnapped it and put it back together you could line it up perfectly. Might save a trip to the dealer....

andy

It could be that the pieces just aren't mated together correctly. When you install the Honda accessory security system into a car, you take apart that cover to inset the led on the top of the steering column cover. To do that, you have to remove some screws and then unsnap the cover pieces. From the pic posted above, I'd bet if you unsnapped it and put it back together you could line it up perfectly. Might save a trip to the dealer....

andy
Think he said he tried that already

Think he said he tried that already

Doh.... :headbash: Guess I should read all the posts going backwards....

Is this similar to what you are talking about? This is the column in my 06 Accord.

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b5/ItsaHonda/CrookedColumn.jpg

My '05 has that exact same gap! I noted it on the delivery inspection and assumed it was because all the cars on the lot (Anderson Honda in Palo Alto CA) had aftermarket Karr imobilizers pre-installed... thought some monkey tech messed it up.

I haven't taken my car to the dealer even once since getting it so I'm not sure if/when I'll ever have it fixed... but that is definitely a defect.

Looks the same as what i've got by my wiper stalk...

You would think that Honda would fix this widespread manufacturing issue, right?

Looks the same as what i've got by my wiper stalk...

You would think that Honda would fix this widespread manufacturing issue, right?
I assumed they would have fixed a lot of different things by now but apparently Honda ain't what it used to be.