7.8
pretty badTypical Repair Cost:
$2,500.00
Average Mileage:
74,706 miles
Total Complaints:
8 complaints
Most common solutions:
- not sure (8 reports)
engine problem
This problem may be covered under warranty. Ask your Honda dealer.
Helpful Websites About 2003 Honda Accord excessive oil consumption
2009Jun 01
Accord LX 2.4L
- Manual transmission
- 86,992 miles
Just want to add to the list of the same problem faced by other 2003 Honda Accord owners. The excessive oil consumption. I barely can make 1200 Km without adding one litre of oil. The odometer just turned 140,000 Km.
I complained to thre dealer and they handed me off to the customer care at Honda. The attitude of the person on the phone was in my opinion was deplorable.
The 2003 Honda was my third Honda purchase and I can certainly state that I will never buy another one.
I do believe that the engine has a flaw but the Honda won't admit to the problem. They are saying that it is within the acceptable limits of failure!!!!!!!!!! I wonder who sets the standards.
2009Jul 02
Accord EX 2.4L 4-cyl
- Manual transmission
- 86,000 miles
Problem was first noticed around 50k miles when the low oil light started coming on between oil changes (which are done according to the manual - ALWAYS!). As stated by others - Honda refused to consider this an issue, stating on numerous occasions that consuming up to a quart of oil every 1,000 miles is considered normal! The engine has a 4 quart oil capacity - so it wouldn't make it to the 5k stated in the manual for an oil change without being bone dry!
Thankfully (???) I have an extended warranty (pre-owned certified) that covers the car to 100k. I am sitting in my Honda dealership right now for an oil consumption test at 86k. I have owned other Honda's, other vehicles, and know my way around engines and mechanics in general. The fact that 1 quart every 1,000 miles is considered acceptable by Honda has convinced me this is the last F&*!ing Honda I ever own - the reliability is just NOT there.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2008Apr 09
Accord EX 2.4L
- Automatic transmission
- 86,371 miles
I HAVE A 2003 HONDA ACCORD EX WHICH BURN 1 LITER OF OIL AT 2000KM.WHEN I WENT TO DEALER AND THEY SUGGESTED THAT I GO TO BOTTLE OIL 5W20 INSTEAD OF USING THERE BULK OIL.ALL THE SERVICES FOR MY CAR WAS DONE BY THE AUTHORIZE DEALER.NOW IT BURN 1 LITER PER 3000KM.I CONTACTED HONDA CANADA PUBLIC RELATION EMPLOYEE AND WAS TOLD RUDELY THAT IS NORMAL FOR A HONDA TO BURN 1 LITER IN 1500 KM.NOBODY IN THERE RIGHT MIND WOULD PURCHASE A CAR UNDER THESE CIRCUMSTANCES.THE LOCAL DEALER TELL ME THAT IT IS A RING PROBLEM AND ALSO SHOULD SWITCH TO 10 W 30 BOTTLE OIL.I LIKE EVERYTHING ABOUT MY HONDA EXCEPT THIS PROBLEM WHICH HONDA CANADA HAS NO INTENTION OF FIXING THESE PROBLEM.I AM GOING TO PURCHASE A NEW CAR WITHIN THE NEXT MONTH OR SO AND IT WON'T BE A HONDA UNLESS SOMEONE TELL ME THAT HONDA HAS FIX THIS PROBLEM.ONE UNSATISFIED HONDA OWNER
2008Mar 16
Accord EX 4 cyl
- Automatic transmission
- 80,000 miles
My Honda consumes 2 quarts of oil every 900 miles. I have had the oil changed every 3000 miles . by the dealer. Yet there are no leaks. What I have found is that there are other 2003 Hondas out there with the same problem.
2007Jul 16
Accord LX 4 cyl
- Automatic transmission
- 47,502 miles
My wife and I notice and reported the problem at our dealer Gatineau Honda about the excessive oil consumption only to be told like Roger from Port Hope and Luc from St-Jean Richelieu that it is normal to burn .07 liter when doing 1,000km. After arguing the dealer suggested that we do an oil consumption test. So every 1,000km I brought the car in which took 30 minutes since they had to wait until the oil drops back in the oil pan to get a accurate test. This went one for 10 tests. I requested a copy of all the paperwork which they refused. Again after a argument they finally gave me a copy. The dealer kept the car for 4 days and basically told me and my wife (she is a witness) that they contacted the engineers at Honda Canada and they did some readjustment and now I have to do another 5 oil consumption tests. I ask what they mean by adjustment and they basically told me they could not answer this since in their computer its all various codes and when I wanted a copy for my files the said that they needed to close the complaint to be able to print a copy and if they do that then I accept the car the way it is. Now the engine is burning 1 liter of oil every 1,000km. Unfortunately when doing these 5 tests (which are not completed yet) the dealer personnel service department made an error on the paperwork and the dealer is all confuse with the paperwork which perhaps brings me back to square one! who knows. Interesting facts: they suggested that I change the PCV valve, perhaps its defective and this would improve the oil consumption but prior to my wife and I noticing the excessive oil consumption they did change the PCV valve and I have proof since during an oil change they told me that my PCV valve needed to be change. I did not question this. All maintenance are done at the dealer. So I believe that they knew the car had excessive oil consumption. We decided to by a HONDA because of their reliability and we did include everything, undercoating, extended warranty, etc. hell we even put $20,000 on the car.I am tired and just want to go and trade the car in. With that experience and with todays society, I believe that every consumer should RENT, then it wont matter if the car has nay problem. Never put cash down on a rented vehicle, you don't get the money back.
2007Apr 09
Accord EX 2.4L 4
- Automatic transmission
- 68,351 miles
I am annoyed by the dealer, Cobourg Honda, telling me different information. I first complained about this a year and a half ago and was told that it was normal to consume a litre of oil every 2500km or so. The reason for the oil consumption was that I was using synthetic oil (5w20 as the maker states) which Hondas don't like. The problem got worse and I was told that Honda didn't consider oil consumption to be excessive until it consumed more than 1 litre every 1500 kms. I was then requested to document the oil consumption by doing an oil consumption log/test. I did this at approx 113,000 kms and have found that I am consuming a litre of oil approximately every 1400kms. I am now told that excessive oil consumption is 1 litre every 1000kms and that is normal for NEW Hondas. I contacted the Honda Canada customer service who told me to request a diagnostic report of the cause of the oil consumption. This would be at my cost and any problems would be noted and if I needed repairs that I would have to contact Honda Plus Warranty to see if the needed repairs would be covered. I am not at all happy with the way that my dealer has handled this issue. The dealer told me if I wasn't happy with his answer that excessive oil consumption was not a problem or existing until 1 litre every 1000kms, then contact Honda Customer Service. When I did so, Honda Customer Service told me it was a dealer issue.
PS I drive this vehicle almost exclusively on the highway and have had all servicing at the same dealership since new, Cobourg Honda (Cobourg Ontario, Canada)
My questions are:
1) Does synthetic oil cause consumption issues?
2) What is considered excessive oil consumption by Honda
3) Are the directions I received from Honda Customer Service appropriate or should I use a different approach.
GRRRR! Thanks! Roger
Update from Aug 12, 2009: I did have this issue eventually resolved however it cost me $3300.00 Canadian. I was told by a Honda Canada technician that my Accord wouldn't be looked at until it consumed more than 1 litre every 1000kms. I stopped pursuing the issue because by the time my extended warranty expired at 160,000kms I was only consuming 1 litre every 1250kms. At 174k my timing chain went and I had my car towed to a differnt dealer close to where I was working (Pickering). I told the service manager about my oil consumption problem and he said he might be able to do something for me. He ran an oil consumption test and found that my car was consuming 1 litre of oil every 950kms. He got back to me and informed me that his area representative approved a new complete block to be put in my car but that since my warranty was expired I would have to pay the labour. I agreed and had the heads redone (1 valve needed replacing - no cost to me) and since 1 camshaft was also damaged (scoring/pitting/burnt) and the second had burn marks, I replaced both of them also. In total the cost came to $3300 Canadian not including the timing chain which I fixed several weeks earlier at a cost of $1100 Canadian. The car runs great now and I haven't consumed any oil between the 3 oil changes since the new block at 181,000 kms.
PS The dealer stated that the problem may have started because I put synthetic oil in the car since I bought it new. My suggestion, since this is the second dealer who has told me this, is to wait until you have at least 30,000 kms on the motor until you start putting in synthetic oil or don't use it at all. Apparently this allows the rings time to properly seat and will prevent oil blow-by in your rings. Hope this helps!
Roger
Port Hope, Ontario, Canada
2007Sep 21
(reported on)Accord LX 4 cyl
- Automatic transmission
- 53,438 miles
I bought an accord 2003 thinking I would have less problems. Every 1000 KM it burn .5 to .7 liter of oil. So just do the calculation and yes the oil lamp goes on before the next oil change! My friend has the same car and guess what, she also have the same problem! We are both normal drivers and always doing the maintenance to the dealer. I'm lucky, it's still under warranty. But guess what, as soon it's repair, I'm selling it since I'm scare that they will just fix the result of the problem and not the cause of it.
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2009Sep 18
Accord EX 2.4L
Hello everyone! I have a 2003 Honda Accord EX 4 door sedan. I bought the car about 2 years and a half years ago. I've been told by MANY people that "You'd be stupid NOT to get a Honda. They're stylish and EXTREMELY cheap to work on. There are NO problems what's-so-ever on them!" So, took me a week to find the vehicle that I now have. I can't tell you how many vehicles that I looked at! The car had a few minor problems when I first purchased it (I bought it used Honda in Fife, WA as a certified car) But that's to be expected buying a used car, right? Well at around 88,500 miles, my car really started to act up. The car was kind of gutless. At 88,990 the RED "low oil" light came on. Now by then the car was 6,050 miles since it's last oil change with 5w20 in it. (GASP) I know I was 1,050 miles over due. Well, that was the first time that I neglected to have it changed it on time. I went into the Honda dealer, and they looked at it at no cost. Yep! I avoided the stupid automatic $80 "diagnosis charge" (I have a friend that works there). They told me that I was 3 QUARTS low. I was amazed! The car had NEVER lost a DROP of oil before that oil change. I am Extremely disappointed and concerned. I was excited about MANY people having so much success with their Hondas. Two of my friends have over 300,000 miles on their Hondas, and they still run great! I don't know what to do, other than grit my teeth and hope that the dealer forgot to put in the 3 quarts my last oil change. (More to come next oil change!)
Evan R.
Olympia, WA, USA
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