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Transmission Failure
2003 Honda Accord (Page 6 of 26)
This problem may be covered under warranty. Ask your Honda dealer.
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.
9.3
really awful- Typical Repair Cost:
- $2,710
- Average Mileage:
- 98,000 miles
- Total Complaints:
- 504 complaints
Most Common Solutions:
- replace/rebuild transmission (348 reports)
- not sure (72 reports)
- Honda to pay cost as this transmission was a previous recall (45 reports)
- Honda assisted with replacement cost (25 reports)
- class action lawsuit (5 reports)
- transmission exchange (4 reports)
transmission problem
Helpful websites
- NHTSA official complaints - Guys, please keep pushing persistently to get the justice. Honda USA and all Honda dealership have been robbing us!
- Transport Canada Defect Complaint Form - If you are in Canada, you can file a complaint with Transport Canada. If the link above does not work try using the secure URL: https://wwwapps.tc.gc.ca/Saf-Sec-Sur/7/PCDB-BDPP/
- Transport Canada Defect Complaint Form (New URL - If you are in Canada, you can file a complaint with Transport Canada. If the link above does not work try using the secure URL: https://wwwapps.tc.gc.ca/saf-sec-sur/7/pcdb-bdpp/fc-cp.aspx .
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
Same story as everyone else - 135K miles transmission started slipping. Immediately drove it to an independent (trusted) shop and was diagnosed as "internal failure." When I called they said they've had a lot of 2002-2003 Honda transmission failures and that it was a "known problem." Apparently it's known to everyone else but Honda. I spoke with Honda Customer Care today, their answer was that "the car is out of warranty and therefore the repair is at the owners expense." The lady I spoke to said it is not a "known" problem and that they "don't go off what's posted on line. We only assess manufacturer responsibility based on complaints files with them." She would not tell me how many similar complaints they had. Everyone in this forum is spot on - Honda is choosing to ignore a massive safety issue with their vehicles. My new lease in life is to campaign against Honda! I will be "off loading" our under-engineered P.O.S. ASAP and writing to the NTSB. Good luck everyone!
- Jeff W., Hugo, MN, US