9.0
really awfulTypical Repair Cost:
$3,027.00
Average Mileage:
81,397 miles
Total Complaints:
6 complaints
Most common solutions:
- not sure (3 reports)
- replaced transmission (3 reports)
transmission problem
Helpful Websites About 2003 Honda Accord unintended downshift
2009Oct 20
Accord EX 3.0L V6
- Automatic transmission
- 82,000 miles
Bought 2003 Honda Accord V6-EX, automatic, a few months ago in an excellent condition, hoping that it is a reliable vehicle that I can count on. Yesterday i was getting on a ramp going about 60 mph, when all of the sudden the car shifts down on 1st gear. My wheels locked up and I almost crashed. Later, on low speeds, I noticed that when shifting 1st to 2nd gear the vehicle just jerks really hard. Overall, gears just started changing when not appropriate and the car keeps downshifting at any speed. As I noticed, a lot of other drivers have the same problem with their Accords. I filled complaint with Honda and waiting to hear from their case manager. I highly doubt that anything will be done to reduce my financial burden. I am a college student and pay for tuition on my own; if Honda is not going to help me, then I will have to spend my tuition money on the new transmission and miss a semester of school. I really hope that their conscience will wake up.
Update from Oct 24, 2009: Honda dealership contacted Honda Motor Co. and offered me a 50% discount. So, my total now is 1700$. I am very far away from being satisfied. After calling to the Honda Motor Co. myself and explaining them what has happened, a representative told me that a case manager will call me back the next day. He did call me back, his name is Ronald Rubinoff. He declined my case or any additional help because apparently I am not the first owner and don't have all service records. I told him about a possible class action lawsuit and he said, I quote "It is your right" and damn right I will complain! I am really disappointed with Honda. Think twice before you buy Honda...then don't buy it! I am filling an official complaint letter and if they don't do anything about it afterwards, then I'll call Stamell & Schager Law firm: (212) 566-4356
2009Sep 13
Accord Ex 2 Door Coupe V6 Vtec
- Automatic transmission
- 106,000 miles
I purchased a 2003 Honda Accord 2 door with the V6 VTEC engine from a Honda dealer in late March of this year. (Less than 6 months ago) The car had just over 93,000 miles on it and now it has just over 106,000 miles. So I've only driven it about 13,000 miles since I bought the car and most of those miles have been on the highway. My past experience with Honda cars has been outstanding until this 2003 Accord. As a matter of fact, my last car was a 1999 Honda Accord that had over 296,000 miles on it and only then did it start having transmission problems. (That's why I decided to go ahead and trade it in on the 2003 Accord.) Since my history with Honda cars has been so good I didn't even blink an eye about the 2003 Accord having 93,000 miles on it when I bought it. Unfortunately that decision has come back to haunt me.
On Thursday, September 10, the transmission acted up when I was accelerating from a stop. Somewhere between 3rd and 4th gear the RPM's shot up to about 5000 then came right back down. I now know that this was caused by the transmission dropping down at least a gear or two causing the RPM's to suddenly surge.
The very next day, Friday, September 11, I took the car to the dealer I purchased it from and had them change the transmission fluid because when I got home on Thursday I looked at it and it was almost black. I also told the service adviser what happened the day before and they simply changed the fluid and said nothing to me about any potential problem.
At any rate, on Sunday, September 13, my wife and I took a trip that was about 130 miles each way. The transmission did the same thing it did to me on Thursday. But only one time. (On the 1st leg of the trip)
On the way home, the real problems started. As I've previously read from other complaints, I was traveling about 75 to 80 miles per hour then all of the sudden the transmission dropped from 5th gear down to 1st or 2nd. The tires actually screeched and thank God I was holding on to the wheel firmly when it happened and the car behind me was not too close. Needless to say, it really frightened me and my wife. So I slowed the car down to about 60 MPH and it did the same thing, 2 more times, almost in succession. We were very close to a rest stop and pulled in. So we sat for about 15 minutes to decide what to do and made the decision to get back on the road. When I put the car in reverse, nothing happened so I had to push the car out of the parking space. The car did engage in 1st gear but that was all it would do. So we ended up driving at about 3500RPM for the rest of the way home. The entire time we had the hazard lights on and kept going from the right lane into the emergency lane. I was careful to not let the engine RPM get much over 3500 knowing that I was at least protecting the engine that way. We almost had one accident when a car came up on us too fast and almost hit us from behind. I thought for sure the SUV was going to flip over when the driver finally realized how slow we were traveling. How that car car didn't filp into us or onto the median God only knows.
Anyway, this whole time the check engine light never came on. Neither did any other warning light. That is until we stopped again to let the transmission cool down. This time we let the car sit for over 1/2 hour and the transmission did in fact try to shift normally, but only for about 2 seconds. At that time, the check engine light and the TCS warning light came on. Also, the green light on the dash that showed the car was in D1 started blinking. And of course the transmission was stuck in 1st gear again. We finally made it home and I had my wife take our other car and follow me to the dealership.
I took the car to the dealership I bought it at and left it there with an explanation of what happened and put the key in the night drop along with an explanation of what happened. (I am not willing to mention the Dealer name at his time)
The very next day, Monday morning, September 14th, I called the dealer to see what the problem was. To make a long story short, they told me the transmission needed to be replaced with a remanufacturered one AT A COST OF $3800.00!!!!!! That is more than 1/3rd the price I paid for the car from them less than 6 months ago! They told me since the car was out of warranty, that they were really sorry but that was the best they could do. They also said Honda of America would not assist me in this matter either. Needless to say, I was very upset about the situation but maintained my cool when I was talking with them.
On the advice of a friend, I then called AAMCO transmissions and they offered to fix the proplem for no more than $2200.00. It might turn out to be less because they just started working on the car today. I am having the manager take detailed pictures of the transmission after they take it out and before the tear it down. I am also having him take picturs of the damaged parts as well. He believes the torque converter is going to be completely shot but will not know until they open it up.
One thing I forgot to mention. When I told the service adviser what I was going to do, all he did was badmouth AAMCO transmission and then offer a small discount. Once he did that, I knew I was making the right decision. Being in sales myself, rule number one is to never talk bad about the competition. As a professional salesperson, you are supposed to convince the customer to do business with you without knocking the competition.
At any rate, I also called the law firm that is mentioned in another complaint I found on this website, who is putting together a class action lawsuit against Honda for the problem with the 2003 Accord transmission. As of today, they have over 600 registered complaints and plan on filing the suit in the near future. I URGE you to do the same. The firm name is Stamell & Schager and their phone number is 212-566-4047.
I will also be filing a complaint with Honda of America and getting a case number. The law firm suggested I do this. (I was planning on it anyway but did not know about the class action suit until I found this website.) I will also be sending a copy of the complaint to the dealership owner and plan on including this website address in my complaint. There is no doubt in my mind that Honda has been aware of this problem for a long time and has not acted in the public's best interest to fix this very serious, potentially life threatening, transmission problem.
I will be uploading the pictures of my transmission in the next day or two for all to see.
I believe that Honda should be held accountable for this problem no matter if the car is under warranty or not. They obviously have a design flaw/ or flaws, with this transmission. Maybe its simply not built tough enough to handle the horsepower the V6 VTEC puts out in the 2003 Accord. Eithery way, this transmission, if it has not already done so, is going to get somebody killed or seriously hurt. Traveling at highway speeds, this car is definitely not safe given my experience and apparently the experience of many other 2003 Accord V6 owners.
Thank you for taking the time to read my story. Please look for the photos I will be adding in the next day or two. They may be quite helpful to others who are dealing with this issue.
Update from Sep 17, 2009: I had the transmission rebuilt by AAMCO for $2200.00 plus tax. The transmission was COOKED! (Especially 2nd and 3rd gear). And, according to AAMCO, the only way for the 2nd gear on this transmission to be inspected was to have the transmission removed, then taken apart into three pieces. The technician told me that he does not believe there was any way the dealership could have inspected this gear with any sort of camera or scope since there is no way to visually see the gear without doing what I described above. The technician who rebuilt my transmission has been doing this for 32 years.
I will report more as the story unfolds. And believe me, it's far from over.
Update from Sep 27, 2009: I uploaded two pictures last week of the torn down transmission parts but they never appeared here. Sorry folks. I will update as I can. This issue is still far from over.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2009Mar 02
Accord EX V6
- Automatic transmission
- 105,633 miles
Car down shifted into second gear at 80 mph! Good thing I was going straight in no traffic. I am glad I found this sight before I go to Honda. I wonder how many accidents this has caused?
2009Jan 15
Accord ES V6
- Automatic transmission
- 58,751 miles
)3 Honda transmission problem. I've read most the complaints on this site and they're all the same so no reason to bore you with the same details. My wife was driving home yesterday and the tranny downshifted hard, them slipped out of gear. She got it to work again but noticed it shifted hard at the signal light, spinning the front tires. I called the 800-999-1009 number and requested a reference number and "goodwill repair". The guy pretended not to know what I was talking about. He said I had to take it to a dealership first and get it diagnosed. He said Honda is willing to help sometimes but it's on a case by case basis. The dealership told me the same thing. 58,751 miles. Honda should be open to a full repair! I'll let you know what happens but it's definitely getting sold.
2008Dec 13
Accord V6
- Automatic transmission
- 45,000 miles
I was on the Long Island Expressway at 70 miles per hour when the vehicle suddenly slipped into second gear, posing immediate threat to occupants and motorist around us.
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2009Oct 29
Accord EX V6
At 91000, the car abruptly downshifted to first gear while going 60 MPH on the highway, nearly throwing the driver into the windshield and nearly sending the car spinning. The auto repair shop initially could not replicate the problem, for the car had not yet warmed up. Then, at 55 MPH, the same thing happened at 55 MPH. Once the car warmed up, the downshift problem and related problems of not entering the correct gear (such as not entering reverse, or lurching after delayed entry into drive) would persist until the car was turned off and cooled down. Honda dealer said there was no program to help us, but that for $3695 they would replace the transmission with a rebuilt one, and we would have to pay the full bill. The national Honda customer service office could not promise or decline to pay anything, even if we took the car to the Honda dealer 20 miles away, but they would not discuss it further if we did not take it to the dealer. We had the transmission replaced at a local shop rather than at the distant dealer.
skern
Hunt Valley, MD, USA
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