7.8
pretty badTypical Repair Cost:
$885.00
Average Mileage:
96,625 miles
Total Complaints:
8 complaints
Most common solutions:
- not sure (5 reports)
- replacement transmission (2 reports)
- replace brake switch/solenoid (1 reports)
transmission problem
Helpful Websites About 2003 Honda Accord won't go into gear
2009May 26
Accord LX
- Automatic transmission
- 108,000 miles
My 2003 Honda Accord won't go into gear. This happened once or twice a few months ago, then nothing, so I paid it no mind. Then a couple of days ago, it started happening all the time. I use the shift lock release button to get out of park. The fix was to replace the brake switch/solenoid.
2008Nov 29
Accord V6
- Automatic transmission
- 130,000 miles
...and here I am, sitting at a truck stop after my Honda decided it no longer wants to shift into gear. It's the day after Thanksgiving and I'm trying to get home to work sunday. This has been a bit of a shock after only a few sporadic issues over the last month or so. the transmission had slipped as it goes from 2nd to 3rd gear momentarily, before catching and continuing normally until tonight. Over the course of an hour it went from harmless to dead. Now, as I'm sipping bad coffee and wondering what to do next (AAA decided they didn't want to recognize the premium membership I've been paying annually--with customer care closed till Monday) and seethe with thoughts that Honda must know this is a common issue. I have been a huge Honda advocate until recently (I have a Honda motorcycle and even a Honda lawnmower for God's sake!), but I will be getting an attorney before they can say, "that'll be 4 thousand dollars for your new transmission, sir," if they decide not to play a major role in satisfying this situation.
I need to get back to finding a tow company, but will be back to update with the results of the issue. *sigh* good evening.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2008Feb 01
Accord EX V6
- Automatic transmission
- 60,000 miles
I was so surprised to find this site and see that so many other people have had the same problem as me. It comes as such a shock. In terms of caring for my car, I always do what Honda advises, and even they said I had a pristine record.
I reported my problem to Honda months ago (the car doesn't go into gear at around 20 miles) and they kept telling me that nothing was wrong. They did not keep a record of my complaints and the last time I was there, they implied that it was my word against theirs. At that point, I complained to the owner of the dealership, and it is only then that I got any attention. They are going to replace the transmission for me and said that I would only have to pay $135.00 out of pocket for the whole job. I was wondering why they were being so nice until I found this site.
I have been such a loyal Honda fan and enthusiast for 15 years but I fear that both their product and their service are slipping. Sadly, I am losing confidence in the company and will have to think twice about my next purchase.
2008Oct 01
Accord EX-L V6 3.2L V6
- Automatic transmission
- 93,000 miles
I cannot believe the problems that the 2003 Accord is having. This is my family�s fourth Honda. We recently purchased a Honda Odyssey so we decided to sell the 2001 Accord EX-L V6 with 150k miles that did not give us an ounce or problems thinking that we would keep the 2003 since it was newer. Well logic was a waste on this because at 90000 miles if left as if the car had a slight drag which was not something that Honda saw as a problem, but at 93000 miles we were driving home about 40 miles an hour and it felt like someone had just deployed a parachute because the car downshifted to first and the tires screeched. Luckily we were less than two miles from home so we drove home VERY slowly and parked the car for a week because we did not have time to take it to the shop.
The day before we were going to take it into the shop I decided to take it out again so that I could try and pinpoint the problem so I could explain it to the technician. The first trip was to AutoZone where they did free codes scans and not one of them showed any transmission problems. Thinking that it was just a fluke, I went to three stores and had no problems and just as I was heading back home it happened. I went to back out of the parking space and the car would not go into reverse. I turned the car off and tried again with no luck. The car would not move but the engine would just rev and not catch gear. I tried this about three more times and luckily someone pulled out of the spot in front of me so I was able to just pull out. I got out of the shopping center and when I was going through a light the car did its air brake thing again and downshifted until first causing the tires to screech and cause the car to jolt. This time I was about 5 miles from home and had to stay under 20 miles an hour to keep the car from jolting.
Before heading off to bed I decided to search the web to see if anyone had reported anything similar when I came across this website where I was sad to learn that there were a lot of us with this problem. Honda should be ashamed of themselves to be in the top 10 worst cars. To be hones I am still having problems believing it since this is the first of four Honda�s that have given me ANY problems. This site helped me by providing the ammunition I needed to deal with my Honda dealer.
I contacted Honda Corporation after reading over the postings for transmission problems and asked if there were any outstanding recalls and I was told that the only recall outstanding was for a windshield wiper motor. I asked if there were any transmission issues and I was told that it had been resolved in September which was five months before I purchased it off lease. I explained the problems that I was having and I was told to take it into a local dealer.
Due to my work schedule I had to do a night drop off and I left a VERY lengthy explanation of the problems that I was having. Needless to say it was a VERY long drive because I stopped about 50 times to let the car cool and I had to keep it at a slow pace.
I received a call the next day stating that it was transmission failure and that I would need to have it replaced. I paused and asked if I needed to call Honda Corporation and I was told that they would do it on my behalf and that they would give me a call the next day. The next day came and I was quoted $1595 for my half. I grudgingly consented and my car was ready the next day. I drove it home with no problems but two days later and under a hundred miles��.
2008Jun 02
Accord EX Coupe 3.2L V6
- Automatic transmission
- 96,000 miles
After dealership replaced transmission, key gets stuck in ignition and gear is stuck in park. Have to take key out, put in gear release lever (near gear stick), shift to neutral, take key out, put back in ignition, start car, then move from Neutral to Drive or Reverse, then go. Dealer says it's a brake indicator malfunction...that my car is not realizing it's in park and therefore won't release the key. Repair: $300. Didn't have this problem until tranny replaced. My thought is that they didn't make the proper adjustment after the tranny replaced and my gears are not fitting correctly into their slots.
2006Jul 06
(reported on)Accord LX
- 67,000 miles
I started my car to leave the shopping center. I turned on the car and tried to put it in to gear. It does not allow me to move it in to drive. So I'm stuck here in the parking lot!
2007Aug 12
(reported on)Accord EX 3.2L V6
- Automatic transmission
- 85,000 miles
my car won't upshift! max speed is at 85 mph... rmp is blasting just to drive 85mph.... gonna take it back to the dealership and tell them to fix... if not i would stay of the lot and tell everybody who wants to buy an accord should go look at mine.
We have partnered with JustAnswer to offer online auto repair help and advice from expert professional automotive technicians. You describe your transmission problem or ask your question and they try to help you figure it out. The fee is typically $9 to $15, but you can offer to pay more for really tough questions. You will usually receive an answer in 10 minutes or less, and you do not have to pay anything unless you accept the answer.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2009Sep 20
Accord EX V6
I've been in a mild panic since the transmission in my 2003 Honda Accord started doing some bad things a few months ago. First came the rough shifting (I tried to ignore it and pretend that I was being oversensitive), then came the violent downshifts (usually when I was going 20-30 mph down an incline and applying the brakes gently), and now the car refuses to shift out of 2nd, sometimes 3rd, gear. I've been managing the issue with denial and laying off the accelerator to give the tranny a chance to catch up but, tonight, in highway rush hour traffic, I experienced about a minute of true terror when the engine just revved and the car went nowhere while I attempted to accelerate. It did upshift finally and I got moving again but was scared the whole rest of the way home. I'm still in denial that this six year old car is going to need an expensive transmission repair/replacement. It's a Honda! It's only a 2003! As if I didn't have enough problems! The car that I depend on to commute to work has a bad transmission? Ugh! How did this happen?
Erin S.
Austin, TX, USA
SEND A COMMENT »