Honda Accord high idle in Reverse gear

[Richard St.Louis]

I have a 1996 Honda Accord LX that is fully loaded for its era. A recent problem that occurs is that the engine revs to about 3000 rpm when the car is shifted into reverse. This problem happened a couple of months ago when my daughter slid into a tree (icy roads that day). I checked the vacuum lines and they all seem to be intact and not leaking. This problem is a a major safety hazzard because I have to put the break pedal to the floor in order to get the car to stop. The idle seems to get higher the longer I leave the car in reverse. Any thoughts here on what might be causing the problem?

Topic

[Richard Kirshy]

You say you checked the vacuum lines.
Have you looked for possible wiring and / or component damage due to the impact?

[Richard St.Louis]

Yes, I have checked all wiring and connectors in the engine bay. Nothing around the impact area is disconnected or broken. The car idles normally when starting out in park. Something must be getting triggered when the gear-shift lever is moved from park to reverse.

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