In my fifty years of ownership of autos too numerous to count, this is only the second time I've experienced a transmission failure. The first was a 1956 Studebaker I owned in 1963. So my Honda now joins an elite category of manufacturers of defective parts.To be fair to Studebaker, a previous owner's mechanic replaced the valve body with the wrong one which led to the failure. The Honda failed from an obvious manufacturing defect. Actually Honda recalled this model in my first year of ownership to rig up a way to squirt more fluid into the top of the transmission. The recall specified that the transmission would be 'inspected' and if already damaged from the design, it would be replaced .So the design was faulty from the get go A design that resulted in the most expensive repair I've ever suffered through. Honda should have extended the warranty since one doesn't have to read too much here to find a major pattern of Honda transmission failures. But you have to believe the dealerships love this by providing a steady stream of high dollar income from the defective Accords. But those like me who have experienced this defect will likely look elsewhere when trade-in time comes.

Driving my vehicle only 1000 miles above the extended warranty... and my car force shifted down to first gear and almost threw me through the window.. the scariest thing that ever happened to me in my life actually..... Ironically my car had the recall, and they told me nothing was wrong.. but I do remember bringing it back right away because of strange shifting and sounds when going from 1st to 2nd gear....... Cost me $2600.00 .. Was a bad time in my life because I was in the police academy at the time. Very stressful.. couldn't fight with Honda.. just had to pay and get back to PT formation! Things tend to happen at bad times. Car was over $30,000 and it shouldn't have died... currently have $173,000 after rebuild and now engine has a vacuum leak. Not sure if I will get another Honda.

My car started jerking several weeks ago and took it into our trusted auto mechanic and they diagnosed transmission failure. They told me that this happens frequently with this year of Honda and to take it to a Honda dealer since common knowledge that transmission has defective parts. They also told me to contact Honda customer care. The mechanics who work on my car were originally Honda certified repair techs.

Did all of that starting on May 24, 2011 and after several weeks of waiting Honda said it would cost around $3700 for a rebuilt transmission of which I must pay around $2200.

I have appealed again because everyone, including the Honda dealership, has admitted it is defective parts. Plus I made some calls to several transmission rebuild outfits and the general consensus it would cost me $2100 for a complete rebuild as well as the information about defective Honda transmissions for Hondas running from 2001 to 2005.

My argument is that Honda knows this is a defective transmission, I have provided the proof that this car has been well-maintained throughout its life and that everyone else’s rebuild quotes $2100.

They argue that I am not the original owner but one reason we bought the car from the original owner (my mother-in-law) is for Honda’s “well-known” reliability and how they stand behind their cars.

While on a trip from St. Louis to the Chicago area 6-23-2011and just north of Springfiled, IL the transmission made a pronounced sound, slipped into neutral, and I had to make an emergency stoppage in heavy highway traffic to the side of the side of Interstate 55. Smoke was pouring out from under the hood. I opened the hood and the smoke was emanating from the transmission area.

We got towed ($136.00) back to Springfield, IL and as it was past 6:00 PM we had to leave the car at a local recommended transmission shop. The shop has informed us that the transmission was "burned up" and need to be replaced to the tune of $3,400 for factory rebuilt with 36 month, no mileage limit guarantee.

To get transportation to where we were going and back to St. Louis cost almost $300 in rental car fees. This does not count what it will cost to return to Springfield, IL to retrieve the car once it has been fixed. The transmission service business there said they have repaired another four or five 2003's, and my Honda mechanic in St. Louis said he had done four as well.

What was normally a four hour plus trip turned into nine hours.

The car has 148,215 miles and has been well maintained.

This has shaken my confidence in Honda. We have owned six Honda's in the family, but this is the only V6.

Another one bites the dust!!! I am furious. My car was jerking violently while on the highway and my speed dropped from 75 to 35 in like 2 seconds. I was almost rear ended and seriously injured. I think that is probably what its going to take for Honda to do a recall on these transmissions. I spoke with the dealer today and was informed I would need a new transmission at a cost of $5000! They are speaking with Honda of America for me to see if they will cover anything and once the dealer tells me what Honda will cover, I plan to speak with Honda of America myself. My mom is planning to buy a new vehicle, a CRV actually but I will be informing her not to purchase another Honda if they don't help me out BIG time with this issue.

Screw Honda, transmission went out at 110000 miles, cost $3500 to get a remanufactured one from Honda, car now has 185000 on it and guess what happened again. Honda failed to do anything about the first one, and I am waiting to see if they will replace the second one. For a company that prides itself on customer service, long lasting cars and high resale value, they sure didn't seem to care about my situation or my business. The complaints are massive about the 2003 Accord, just do a recall and solve the problem already.

Complete BS, I still owe on the car and have no other option but to pay out another 3500 to have it fixed if they will not pay for it. Avoid this car and all other Honda's. You lost another customer, hope you're happy.

Update from Jul 12, 2011: Honda never did pay for the second transmission, had to bite the bullet and dump the car on a dealership and get another car. Stay Away from Honda and this car

Was driving home the other night and transmission would NOT downshift and car seemed to be losing power. Stopped to get gas and restarted journey home. On the highway car bucked VIOLENTLY and had to pull off on the side of the road. Had to do this a few times but was able to barely make it home. Then in my driveway put the car into reverse and nothing would happen.

Called Honda and reported it, they are looking into it and seeing if they will help out any. Dealership says that transmission is shot and needs to be replaced along with the torque converter for $4600.00 !!!!

Well, here is another disappointed Honda owner. My wife and I purchased this top of the line Accord EX V6 new, had to order it from the factory and wait 6 weeks for it. We had planned to keep it for 2 more years and then purchase another new model 2013. Even after having the transmission fluid changed regularly the transmission still failed at 195,000 kms (120,000 miles) If this were a Ford or Gm at least I could have gotten a rebuild at a reasonable price but to pay import prices for SUB domestic build quality just doesn't make sense. Bottom line, HONDA TRANSMISSIONS SUCK!!!

Just like everyone else who had transmission failure with their 2003 Honda Accord V-6, mine just happened last week at 89,100 miles. Luckily for me, I detected the problem before I was put into a dangerous situation, but the same results as everyone else. The dealer said I needed a transmission replacement and quoted me $5600. Thanks to websites like this one, I was given the suggestion of seeking assistance from HondaAmerica. I'm not sure how much the discount actually was percentage-wise but they got the price down to $2950. I'm greatly upset because like everyone else, I paid more money to buy a Honda because I wanted that Honda dependability but apparently that stopped around 2001. I can't afford a new car so I'm stuck paying the price to get it fixed. I only hope this doesn't start a snowball effect.

I guess you can add me to the list of people being screwed by Honda. I bought a used 2003 V6 accord almost exactly one month ago and now my mechanic is telling me that the transmission is shot. I was driving about 60mph on the freeway and the car slammed to almost a complete stop and the rpm's jumped to about 6000. Luckily no one was behind me or I could have easily been in a serious accident. I pulled over and shut off the car, thinking maybe that would help. When I tried to drive it again it did the exact same thing. I know you take your chances when you buy a used car, but you try to lessen those chances by buying a reliable car. Or so I thought.

I've call both the Honda dealership I bought it from and corporate, neither is will to admit any problem or assist with any repairs. My mechanic says its going to cost between 2500-3500 to repair.

I was driving my 2003 Honda Accord when all of a sudden it felt like it shifted in neutral. I was on a back road and cell phone did not work. I was terrified that I would not get home. I turned my car off and a few minutes later turned it back on. It went for a short distance and did the same thing again. It took three hrs. to get home from my destination. When the car violently stopped I was almost hit by a truck who was behind me. I could have been killed. I feel Honda is responsible to replace the tranny. at their cost. My car only has 95,000 miles on it. Since this occurrence I have had a problem with my neck from the jolt of the car. Recalls should have been done and the tranny fixed before this problem occurred. Honda new the problem and failed to recall these cars.

I was driving in morning traffic when I tried to accelerate my accord begun to jolt and almost caused me to be rear ended by a huge cement truck. I was able to turn my car off and on again which allowed me to pull off the freeway. I bought my Honda because I thought it would live up to the Honda name for quality, but I was horridly wrong. my tourque converted failed causing catastrophic damage to my transmission. I like others was left stranded on the side if the road, holding keys to a now broken 2003 Honda accord ex and a huge repair bill. I tried calling Honda USA but my issue and request fell on deaf ears. Im completely taken back by Honda as a company after this and will never buy one of their products again!

I HAVE A 2003 V6 HONDA ACCORD THAT HAS REACHED 100K THAT HAS A COMPLETELY FAILED TRANSMISSION. WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE FREEWAY TO WORK MY CAR VIOLENTLY DOWN SHIFTED IN WHICH I ALMOST LOST CONTROL. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER AND CHECKED TO SEE IF MY CAR COULD SWITCH BETWEEN ALL THE GEARS. WHEN I FELT CONFIDENT I CONTINUED MY TRIP. THE CAR SEEMED TO DRIVE FINE TO MY DESTINATION SO AGAIN I FELT COMFORTABLE TO DRIVE IT HOME. I DECIDED TO TAKE SIDE STREETS HOME AND GOOD THING I DID. MY CAR AGAIN AFTER TRAVELING AROUND 40 MPH VIOLENTLY DROPPED TO FIRST GEAR. THE CAR SHOOK SO VIOLENTLY THAT MY SUNGLASSES FLEW OFF. AGAIN I PULLED OVER AND DOUBLE CHECKED SWITCHING BETWEEN GEARS. I THEN PROCEEDED TO HEAD HOME IN WHICH I TRAVELED CAREFULLY AT VERY A LOW SPEED IN WHICH NOW MY CAR JUST SITS.

I UNDERSTAND FAILURE HAPPENS BUT A CAR SHOULD NOT FAIL AFTER ONLY 100K MILES. I HAD AN EXTENDED WARRANTY ON THE CAR IN WHICH IT WAS REGULARLY MAINTENANCE, UNFORTUNATELY MY WARRANTY EXPIRED. IN 2004 THERE WAS A TRANSMISSION RECALL FOR MY CARS MODEL THAT WAS TO CORRECT A POSSIBLE FAILURE OF THE PART. ALTHOUGH THIS WAS SUPPOSEDLY CORRECTED, THERE WAS STILL A FAILURE OF THE TRANSMISSION. I THEN BROUGHT MY CAR TO A LOCAL HONDA DEALERSHIP THAT HAS MANY TIMES PERFORMED SERVICE MAINTENANCE ON MY VEHICLE FOR DIAGNOSIS. THEY THEN PROCEED TO TELL ME THAT I NEED TO REPLACE MY TRANSMISSION FOR A COST OF $4500. I WAS OUTRAGED THAT I WOULD NEED TO PAY THE AMOUNT FOR AN OBVIOUS FAULTY PART AND I LET THEM KNOW THAT. I WAS THEN TOLD THAT, "WELL, HOW LONG DO YOU THINK A TRANSMISSION IS SUPPOSED TO LAST?", WHICH FURTHER ENRAGED ME. MY COLLEGE CAR OF ANOTHER MAKE MADE IT TO 250K MILES, AND PROBABLY EVEN MORE, IF IT WASN'T DONATED TO CHARITY.

NOW I'M CURRENTLY DEALING WITH HONDA IN HOPES TO RESOLVE THIS MATTER. I'M HOPING THAT THEY ARE WILLING TO TAKE ACCOUNTABILITY FOR THEIR FAULTY TRANSMISSION AND SALVAGE ANY RESPECT AND CONFIDENCE THAT ME AND MY FAMILY HAVE FOR HONDA VEHICLES.

UPDATE: ALTHOUGH I SENT HONDA WHAT THEY REQUESTED OF ME TO SHOW HOW WELL THE CARE WAS MAINTENANCE (A 35 PAGE MAINTENANCE RECORD) THEY ULTIMATELY TOLD ME THAT THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO AND THAT WAS IT. I THEN ASKED THE SOUTHWEST CUSTOMER SERVICE REP "BETTIE" WHY, AND SHE JUST SAID IT WAS BECAUSE OF MY MILEAGE. I'M VERY UPSET THAT HONDA WILL NOT HOLD ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR PRODUCT AND BECAUSE OF THIS I'M SPREADING THE WORD TO WARN ANYONE TO STAY CLEAR OF THEIR VEHICLES. I COME FROM A FAMILY THAT DRIVE 6 HONDA VEHICLES: 2000 ACURA TL, 2007 ACURA, 2006 TSX, 2005 ACCORD, 1999 ACCORD AND MY 2003 ACCORD. MY FATHER WITH HIS 2000 TL HAD A FAULTY TRANSMISSION THAT THEY HONORED A REPLACEMENT FOR BECAUSE HE WAS A COUPLE THOUSAND MILES OUTSIDE HIS 100K WARRANTY (HE HAD TO RAISE HELL).

BECAUSE OF THIS EXPERIENCE I WILL NEVER PURCHASE ANOTHER HONDA PRODUCT AGAIN!

Similar to the other complaints regarding this model's transmission, ours failed as we were driving along - luckily just after leaving an expressway. All of a sudden the engine began to rev but the car was coasting. We were able to park the car and have it towed. Our mechanic has said the cost will be $3500 for the transmission from Honda plus $1200 labor. AND, if Honda is unable to use our old transmission for a rebuild, there will be an additional "Core charge" of $1,200 -- and they can't tell us that until they've had it for a couple of weeks. Ridiculous! I called Honda and received no assistance or satisfaction -- first the rep said they couldn't verify that the car had been serviced according to Honda guidelines. When I pointed out that all service to the car had been reported using the VIN number and she could look it up, the explanation changed to the car was too old and passed warranty. I challenged her about why a car wouldn't be covered until 100,000 miles and she had no explanation. She reported that the estimate we had been given was in the ball park. A dealer quoted me less, but it was off the top of his head with no questions about what had happened. An independent transmission repair place quoted $3200 - $3500. We loved this car, but Honda has probably lost a customer.

On the way to work yesterday going 60mph in a center lane of a 4 lane highway during rush hour traffic, tach all of a sudden nearly redlined, and I had no drivetrain power - like it was in neutral (like most other reports here.) Attempted quickly to manually downshift to 3rd then 2nd but it made no difference. Luckily found a hole in the lefthand lane and was able to "coast" to a stop. Once stopped, gears re-engaged for about 10 feet (luckily I was able to position the car off the very busy highway) Very very uncomfortable feeling and very dangerous obviously. Then no reverse, no forward gears - nothing, as if someone actually removed the transmission completely.

I've not had one single problem with this car other than regular maintenance (oil changes done myself but everything else by Honda dealer.) Car has been highway driven ~95% of it's mileage (work car and I work 30 miles from home - and it has NOT been driven hard.) Honda dealer has it now and waiting to hear back on what the damage is. I received a call from Honda Recall department this morning and he stated since it was not in a "lockup condition" IE - gear tooth chipped - and was instead "slipping" that it will go over to the "Courtesy" department - and we all know what that means - and had nothing to do with the previous 2nd gear heat problem recall in 04/05. Also had the nerve to tell me that "transmission failure is possible with any car" WHAT????!? He would not allow me to speak with his supervisor (said he was "out" but oddly also refused to give me his supervisor's extension) Filed NHTSA complaint soon after that call.

How this is not a forced recall is beyond me (and how someone has not been killed yet as well - or have they?) Imagine you're on a steep incline going uphill on a two-lane narrow road in California with no shoulder, a cliff on one side and a mountain on the other, and a semi roaring up behind you. Nope - obviously no danger there... Or you pull out at a stop sign to cross a non-stop highway and then have no power so you get broadsided by oncoming traffic, thinking you had plenty of room. No danger huh??

Last 3 cars have been Hondas/Acuras - Leased this one then purchased off lease, so have been paying a very long time for it and now this happens. However it ends up, I will be afraid to drive it. I'm sure everyone here knows that it's definately related to the heat/oil jet recall. I'm pretty sure I do. Honda apparently wants you to think it's just a "coincidence"... Wow.