CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2003 Honda Accord suffers from widespread transmission failure & problems with the stereo backlight failing. We recommend avoiding this model year like the plague.

The transmission begins slipping & eventually has to be replaced, typically soon after 90,000 miles & with a repair cost of over $2,000. Transmission failure has been a huge problem for the Accord & several other Honda models all through the early 2000s model years. Honda extended the transmission warranty to 93 months/109k miles for the 2000-2001 Accord as a class action lawsuit settlement, but owners of other Accord model years with transmission problems are out of luck.

The stereo backlight problem has been an issue since these Accords were only a few years old. Honda eventually issued a recall which covered the repair for 7 years/100k miles, which was nice while it lasted but now that period is over. Honda initially was replacing the entire radio ($800) but eventually began replacing just the PCB which at ~$300 is much cheaper. That sounds like a deal, but keep in mind we're talking about a backlight bulb that costs $2 to fix in most other cars.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
50,029 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2003 Honda Accord accessories - interior problems

accessories - interior problem

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2003 Honda Accord Owner Comments

problem #19

Jul 052008

Accord

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

In 2008 I was driving my 2003 Honda Accord. I had a terrible front in crash with another car. My front end was crushed and my front passenger head cracked the windshield. My passenger airbag did not deploy. Every one I called gave me the run around. I didn't know who to contact. My repairs cost me $3800. We didn't have medical insurance so we declined to go to the doctor. The body shop that repaired my car said the airbag should have deployed.

- New Albany, MS, USA

problem #18

Jul 242011

Accord

  • 78,000 miles
The transmission was slipping, and did not allow me to accelerate in an intersection. Near collision by 2 cars caused an incredibly unsafe and hazardous situation.

- Encino, CA, USA

problem #17

Jul 132011

Accord

  • miles
Since the purchase I've experienced continual transmission problems. Upon speaking with the dealership I was assured all was fine. You can imagine my surprise when I received notice of the transmission recall (NHTSA 04V176000). Upon repair, in September 2004, I did not notice repair improvement, and continued to detect the rough grind of transmission shift and a whining sound. In 2009 I experienced a catastrophic transmission failure to which I had sought repair. In December 2010 I experienced another transmission failure. I have just now experienced my 3rd transmission failure, July 2011. My power steering pump had always had a faint whine, but Honda services never identified it as concerning. The problem progressively became worse until Honda finally suggested a repair, but informed me that the component was then out of warranty and would be a costly repair. I decided to delay repair until June 2011. Ac problems manifested in September 2005 and required replacement in April 2008. My center council clock and temperature display has been flickering, dimmed, and absent since 2009. The interlock stuck issue first materialized in 2008 and serviced in July 2010. My airbag warning light has been active since 2008 with an occasional but repetitive tcs alert; and my headlamp glass has been hazed since 2005. The paint deterioration is ridiculously embarrassing, the leather seating began showing wear 2 years in, my seatbelt doesn't return to the original released position, head liner has water leak stains, cd player stopped working, exposed wiring is visible at the driver door hinge, I've gone through 3 batteries, countless tires, one cracked windshield, and I have always suffer from poor radio reception and occasional navigational signal roaming issues. In these times of thrift conscious fuel consumption, I utilize my nav tools to monitor my driving activity. I'm stunned to report I get a fuel economy of 24 mpg highway, not the 31 mpg as sticker reports.

- Menifee, CA, USA

problem #16

Aug 092010

Accord

  • 95,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Honda 2003 Accord exv6 automatic. Complete transmission failure. Began slipping out of gear on Aug 9 2010. Vehicle slipped out of gear rev but vehicle would not move finally slipped back in gear. Extremely concerned I was going to be hit while stalled in intersection. Second time after going to dealership engine did the same thing but on the freeway and had to pull off to emergency lane.

- San Juan Capistrano, CA, USA

problem #15

Aug 092010

Accord

  • 85,535 miles
The catalytic converter on my 4 cylinder 2003 Honda Accord exl was replaced under the 8/80 warranty on 7/10/09 at joyce Honda, denville, NJ. The car had only 67,187 miles on it. Now, less than a year latter and after only 18,348 miles on that genuine Honda replacement part, aron cooper, the joyce Honda service manager, says it needs to be replaced. He says that the code P0420 came up after the mechanic diagnosed the reason for the check engine light to come on. That is an extremely short life span for such an environmentally important part. It is also an extremely short life span for an expensive part replaced under warranty. Mat hatch, the Honda factory representative, said that Honda will not stand behind the replacement catalytic converter which is a Honda part, installed at a Honda dealership within the 8/80 warranty period. Mat's rationale was that although the car is within the 8 yr. Time period, it is 5,535 miles over the 80,000 limit. He refuses to acknowledge the unusually short life of the replacement part that was installed under the warranty. As a consumer I am suspicious of a genuine Honda warranty replacement part that lasts for less than a year and only 18,348 miles. As a citizen I am concerned that Honda won't honor any reasonable longevity for an environmentally sensitive part. Perhaps Mr. Hatch doesn't share Honda's advertising department's efforts to market Honda as reliable and ecologically sound transportation. Perhaps he doesn't share the Honda's marketing department's efforts, for he has ignored a legitimate claim from someone who has bought a new ex model vehicle every 3 years during the last decade. Such a 'penny wise, pound foolish' response will leave me describing my dissatisfaction to my neighbors rather then sharing my pride in owning Honda.

- Rockaway, NJ, USA

problem #14

Jan 032010

Accord

  • miles
I have 2003 Honda Accord. The sun visor on the driver side and passenger side failed. I have been on the web and is a problem with Honda. I brought it to the dealer attention early this year. Honda said they are not responsible for this situation. There are thousand S of Honda owners with the same problem.

- Indianapolis , IN, USA

problem #13

Apr 232010

Accord

  • 79,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Stereo backlight died not allowing me to see radio, climate control, etc. This is a known issue with the radio circuit board. Took to authorized Honda dealer and was told of an extendwarranty, but I was not eligible for this warranty. Warranty is for 105,000 miles or 7 years. My mileage was 79K, but the car was 7 years and 4 months old. Car was repaired at my expense. Call Honda customer service but they would not reimburse for the repair. Honda felt that the extended warranty was sufficient.

- Clifton, VA, USA

problem #12

Apr 082010

Accord

  • 98,711 miles
My airbag light came on in my 2003 Honda Accord. The dealership told me that this was due to an open circuit in the driver's side airbag inflater as well as a the drivers side seat belt buckle switch. I had these fixed and the light came on again on my way home. The dealership checked again and could not find out what was wrong and sent me home after resetting the light. The light came on the next day that I drove my car and when I called the dealership wants to charge me for another diagnostic fee. American Honda said that there is no recall on my model, although there are recalls on other years for the same problem. P.S. the model number for the equipment is not in the dropdown menu, but on my paperwork it has 06788-sda-A82. Once I started writing 0 in the field it automatically picked something else beginning with a 0.

- Deland, FL, USA

problem #11

Feb 272010

Accord

  • 159,000 miles
Transmission failure - gears would not engage in a 2003 Honda Accord. Gears shifted and revved back up then shot back down. Almost got killed by tractor trailer that was behind me. I was on thornton rd. Which is a two lane major roadway, which is heavily traveled by large trucks for industrial purposes. The area of roadway is very dark. I am a police officer and what I just experienced in my 2003 Honda Accord scared me half to death. I can't even imagine what may have happened to me if I didn't think quickly. Thank god my children were not in the car with me at the time of the incident. Honda needs to seriously address this problem immediately before someone gets killed or badly injured. A teenager with minimal driving skills would have panicked and may not have known what to do. This is very serious situation and someone needs to be held accountable. Honda now has a reputation for their vehicles having severed transmission problems. They continue to overlook the problem as if it is not there. What will it take for them to address this issue now? Toyota should be the example! also, there was no warning to this! no orange or red indicator light that something was in need of being looked at. Something is very wrong here!

- Atlanta, GA, USA

problem #10

Nov 052009

Accord

  • 75,056 miles
2003 Honda Accord V6 transmission failure while driving on highway. Vehicle as well as occupant were in danger of injury/etc. Honda had issued a recall on this model of Honda/transmission for inspection/repair. Repair based upon Honda's evaluation was completed. Vehicle was then cleared as repaired and safe to drive. After repair transmission failed as stated above. Vehicle was repaired after a quick mediation while we were away on a trip. This was mediated via a representative for Honda dealers. Upon return from the trip, dealer was contacted to pay for the repair and told no further contact with Honda representative by customer was allowed. Honda dealer/service manager told me to contract Honda via their 1-800 number for possible further consideration of money lost for transmission repair. Contact with Honda at their 1-800 number was made. After a long question/answer series, I was informed there was nothing further Honda via this representative was able or willing to do. During this conversation I attempted to gain certain specific information such as the number of transmissions recalled and ultimately replaced due to faulty equipment/part(s). I was told that type of specific information unique to Honda of that year/model would not be available and or given to myself. I have attempted to contact various sources, such as the California department of Consumer Affairs/motor vehicle section. This site/number was one of several recommended for possible assistance. Any further information or contact would be appreciated. Thanks for your consideration.

- Lincoln, CA, USA

problem #9

Aug 312009

Accord

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Hello I have a 2003 Honda Accord. The failure happened to my radio it will not operate. They only thing that works is the time. It was while driving my radio just turned off, never came back on......can you please look into the defect thanks...

- Bridgeport, CT, USA

problem #8

Apr 152009

Accord 6-cyl

  • 78,020 miles
We were driving South on the interstate highway with myself, wife and granddaughter who was in the back seat, in our 2003 Honda ex Accord V6 with 78,000 miles on the odometer. The traffic congestion was moderate to heavy with semi-truck and trailers in front of us and behind us. We were traveling at 65mph in drive when the automatic transmission failed and went from drive to low gear. The automobile locked up the back tires and made a screeching sound and the smell of burnt rubber and heat was prevalent inside the car. After nearly being hit in the back of the car, we put on our emergency flashers and proceeded to the next off ramp. Although an attempt was made to drive in the high gear, the drive transmission would go back to low. After calling a tow truck to have our car delivered to Honda dealership, they confirmed that the automatic transmission had failed and would require replacement. The overall cost to us with rental, tow, and new transmission was approximately $3,700. We were not reimbursed for repairs for the transmission failure. This was not user abuse or normal wear and in my opinion this failure can only be characterized as a Honda engineering defect and safety issue.

- Watsonville, CA, USA

problem #7

May 292006

Accord 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 78,400 miles
While traveling on the highway at approximately 65-70 mph my 2003 Honda Accord ex-V-6 bucked real hard. Dropping from 65-70 to about 35-40. The first time this happened I pulled the vehicle into the breakdown lane. I checked all belts and fluids and re-started the vehicle. Sounded like it always does when it starts. I pulled into the right travel lane and continued for about 10 miles when the vehicle did the same thing. This time I couldn't control the steering and unfortunate for me I was bearing to the left through a turn and went off the road. Luckily nobody was injured. I had the vehicle towed (130 miles) to my house, as it was a holiday weekend and had no other way home. So 600 bucks later I contacted Honda the following morning. Brought the car around the corner and several hours later it was determined the transmission needed to be replaced. When I asked about my warranty I was told it expired. My next question was what it would cost to install a new transmission. I was put on hold for about 7-10 minutes. The service manager came back and said Honda was willing to pay for the transmission and fluids if I agreed to pay for labor. At that point I needed a the vehicle on the road so I went through with it. Labor was $1000. I have to bring the vehicle back to Honda tomorrow for an inspection of the transmission and an adjustment at no cost to me. Now.......isn't it odd that in a 5-10 minute period Honda was willing to pay for the transmission but not the labor. Yes $1000 is better than 3-4,000. But why should I pay anything. I think Honda should pay for the tow too.

- New Bedford, MA, USA

problem #6

Jan 242006

Accord 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 48,500 miles
Audio-HVAC display module is dim or dark (as described by Honda service bulletin 04-027).

- Sunnyvale, CA, USA

problem #5

Jun 092005

Accord

  • Automatic transmission
  • 31,857 miles
The back light went out in center console display (radio, cd player, & A/C displayed there), making the console look like it was turned off. The dealership diagnosed the problem as being caused by the radio and it would need to be replaced. Thankfully my car is still under warranty, therefore the dealership made the repair at no cost to me when the part came in 1 week later. The center console display is now functioning correctly.

- Lake Worth, FL, USA

problem #4

Feb 212005

Accord 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 36,900 miles
Purchased 2003 Accord ex V6 in 5/03. Had a few problems with car after purchase: Delay when shifting from reverse to drive (dealership said was normal), muffler sound like it has a leak (dealership could'nt find a problem), noise has gotten worse. My car has been out of warranty since 1/05. Went on vacation in 2/05, when I went to crank the car, put the key in the ignition and turned, all of the lights on dash and radio lit up, turned the key further to crank, once started the dash lights came back on, but the radio lights did'nt. The radio still worked, you just cant see the display. Called the dealership after we got home and they said it sounded like a bulb went out, they would replace it but I would have to pay $80 labor and they could'nt guarantee that was the problem. I took my car to a local automotive repair shop for them to change the bulb, they took out the radio and called the Honda dealership that I called and they told the mechanic there was no bulb in the radio. They put the radio back in and gave me the car back. I bought a new radio and took it back to the repair shop, they put the new radio in and the same problem as before, radio works, no lights. They put the old radio back in. I called the dealership again and this time I explained again about my radio lights, they suggest I contact Honda customer service and follow their suggestions, so I did, and explained the situation to them. They advised me there was a bulletin already on the problem with my radio, that the problem is due to faulty equipment. Told me I should take the car to the dealership, give them the bulletin number, let them diagnose my problem and if it is due to faulty equipment, get an estimate of how much it would cost to fix. Call customer service back and let them know how much the dealership would charge me and ask for goodwill assistance for financing the cost to fix faulty equipment that obviously is an ongoing problem with Honda, not the consumer.

- Thomson, GA, USA

problem #3

Nov 202002

Accord

  • miles
I have had my 2003 Accord ex in the dealer's shop well over 15 times for various reasons. The front windshield rattles and has been looked at 5 times and cannot be rectified. The cd player would not load cd's properly and have had the stereo replaced. Now the cover to the stereo will not stay in place. The stereo has been looked at 4 times and has to go back in a 5th time to have the cover replaced again. The brakes have been looked at 5 times, since the first week we bought the car. The first 3 times they could not find anything wrong. The 4th time, they had to resurface the rotors because they were warped. At this visit, there was only 9,000 miles on the car. The 5th time we took the car in, it had 12,000 miles and the rotors needed to be resurfaced again. Now the brakes are grinding and squealling again. This is now the 6th time we have had a problem with the brakes. The seal around the door gave way at around 5,000 miles. The door seal seems to be very thin and does not hold up very well. We purchased an after factory anti-theft device. My wife's fob failed to deactivate the device. I realize that this is an after factory installed device, but the Honda dealer should back what they sell.

- Clovis, CA, USA

problem #2

Aug 262003

Accord 4-cyl

  • Manual transmission
  • 6,500 miles
Brakes are no good after 6500 miles the dealer won't fix them under warranty because Honda claims it's the way I drive.

- Oceanside, CA, USA

problem #1

Jan 082003

Accord

  • 80 miles
While driving the ABS and traction control warning lights illuminated. Consumer took vehicle to dealer who advised that the anti-lock brake and traction control systems had failed. Dealer also advised corrective part is not in the United States and would not be able to obtain until possible 02/15/03.

- New Hyde Park, NY, USA

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