I bought this car new with only 102 miles in December 2005 from Atlantic Honda in Bay Shore NY. They advised me that this vehicle happened to be a hold over from 2003. I though it was a steal. Boy was I wrong. I get my car serviced from the same dealership every single time my car needed service on time. Never was I told about the transmission recall on the vehicle when I bought it. One day while driving on the Southern State cruising at 65MPH, my car shifted down and my car jerked almost to a complete stop. Luckily the car behind me had room to change lanes. I drove the car going 30MPH, while the RPM's were at 5000, immediately to the dealership. They did a diagnostic test and said there was no problem with the tranny. Since I was due on maintenance, I got the it serviced and had the tranny fluid flushed and refilled.

I thought everything was fine with the vehicle until 3 days later it happened again, this time with my son in the car. I brought the vehicle back to the dealership. At that time service rep Barry advised me that it sounds like the recall that was back in 2004. He advised me he will have it diagnosed again. He said the computers were down and I would have to wait until Monday (it was saturday) to get my car looked at. He said he couldn't give me a loner because I was not under warranty. I was forced to rent a vehicle for two days until I called him back because I couldn't afford a rental any further. He said being that the trouble was due to the recall he'd give me a loner. I thought everything was fine until 3 days after that he called me and told me the tranny was shot and it had nothing to do with the recall. He then said I had to pay $3000 if a wanted a new tranny or $2400 for a remanufactured one which I had no money for. He then said he'd let me keep his loner until he called corporate honda to see what they can do. They said they'd pay 70% of the cost for a remanufactured one and I have to pay the rest which was $800. When I went there to review everything, they had in their system that they were charging for a new tranny. I called corporate honda myself and they had no record of my case on file. They put a case in which I'm waiting for. Barry is now threatening to charge me storage fees and rental costs for still having their loner. What an a--hole.

So it looks like my story is just like everyone else's. About a month ago, I noticed the transmission slipping once or twice. Then while driving home for the holidays, the car really started acting up. I'd ease on the brake and suddenly the car would slow down really quickly. Basically it was dropping into first gear. Then after I pulled over for a few minutes, and I pulled back out on the road, the car would not shift out of 1st. Pulled over again, couldn't get the car into reverse. Had it towed. Transmission specialist stated I needed a new transmission. Still dealing with the solution. My friend has the same car and my advice to her was get rid of it before it gives you problems!

Experienced what appears to be a similar problem as several others on this web page. When pulling out onto a busy highway in Chattanooga, the car shifted from 1st to 2nd gear as usual. The shift from 2nd to 3rd gear not so smoothly. The engine simply revved to 5K and I realized the car had a problem. After letting off and making sure I hadn't knocked the car into neutral the second attempt to press the gas and the car began to pull as normal. Later that same evening, while running ~50 mph the car suddenly down shifted to 2nd gear without warning. The car would then begin to rev up as it failed to shift back into 3rd gear.

Had car towed to dealer and the verdict was transmission failure and that it needed to be replaced. I contacted Honda of America at 1-800-999-1009 and was assigned a case number. After several (4-5) days of leaving voice mail messages without response I finally spoke with a case mgr. After ~15 minutes of debating the AT fluid change schedule and whether it should fall under normal driving conditions (120K miles before AT fluid change) or severe driving conditions (60K miles before AT fluid change) I was able to convince the case mgr. that the transmission shouldn't have failed at 70K miles in either case. The case mgr. agreed and offered to pay 75% of the cost to replace the tranny with a remanufactured one (old housing with all new components) with a 3 year warranty. I will be out $675 maximum, but all in all I'm pleased since the car was past the 3 year/36K mile warranty. It is slow but definitely worth calling Honda of America and let them know you have read of several similar problems to get help from them.

I bought my Honda thinking it would last forever. At least until I had the money to buy a better car. You hear that Honda's are long lasting cars but boy did I happen to pick to exact model that didn't live up to that hype.

First there was a transmission recall back in 2004. My transmission had already shown some signs of wear and was bothering me. So I was glad when I heard there was a recall and that they would take care of the transmission at no cost to me. I wouldn't have paid for it even if they made me. The car at that point had a little over 20,000 miles on it so instead of repairing the transmission they replaced it. Good, I thought.

December 2007. For the first few weeks I noticed that when I would put the car in drive after reversing the car would hang for a moment before engaging in drive. I shrugged it off. But it really started to happen on Christmas Eve. At first the car wouldn't engage the gears in drive but reverse would still work. To make a long story short the car died on the freeway as I was trying to go home. I waited 3 hours before I was home. I had the car towed to my dealership, Stevens Creek Honda. Jim Duffer the service technician said that he would do his best to see what he could do and what Honda Corporate could do. I was really upset and a little bit afraid because I knew a new transmission would cost a lot of money and that's something I don't have right now. Especially since I had 99,000 miles on it I thought there was no way Honda would cover it But I found this board and read some of the complaints. And from one of the posts I knew I could get Honda to foot the bill. So I waited and called back everyday to ask about my car and to see if they had heard from corporate. They said no. So the weekend goes by, and so does New Years. Still nothing. I called today, January 2nd 2008, and I was told that they still hadn't heard from the local Honda rep yet so they can do a thing. That means they can't even give me a loaner car. I had all week off last week so I didn't really mind but now I have work and it's a real pain to have to ask for rides and whatnot. So I decide to give Honda Corporate a call. I talked to a lady who opened a case for me and said they'd look into it but I shouldn't be expecting a call until this Friday or next Monday because everyone is coming off a vacation. But the next thing I know, five minutes after I hung up with Honda Corporate, Jim from my Honda dealership calls me and said that he got a call from Honda and that they were going to take care of 100% of the cost. Now I"m just waiting to get a loaner car.

To sum it up, Honda has disappointed me with the bad build of this cars transmission. Even though Honda pulled through at the end this will be my last Honda. Once the transmission gets fixed I'm trading this car in for something else. I can't and will not deal with this further down the line. No way no how!

Obviously, this is an ongoing problem for everyone that owns this year/make and model but I will complain anyway. I own a 2003 Honda Accord EX V-6 coupe I bought new in Florida. I moved up to North Carolina for school in July '07. I had been living in Durham for one month when one day I decided I needed to go to Sam's Club for supplies. So I hop in my car and head towards 15/501. Just as I cross Mt. Moriah Rd, my car all of the sudden slams into second gear and almost sends my head into the steering wheel. I was going up a hill at the time so I foolishly thought, "Well, it's a Florida car, it's not used to hills". You'll believe anything when the alternative is a $3,000 transmission replacement. Well, I go to the top of the hill and the car went back to fourth gear and I thought, "Whew". Well, I soon as descended down the hill the car slammed back into second gear and every light on the dashboard came on. At that point I knew I was finished. So I pulled into Mark Jacobson Toyota dealership, turn the car off, and start it back up hoping this will help. Well, the transmission was dead. All I had was second gear. The car wouldn't even shift into reverse, it would grind gears. You could hear metal pieces bouncing around in the housing. So, I go into the service area requesting any kind of help. Well, their service guys are total assholes and refused to help me one bit. They wouldn't even help me push the car out of the parking spot, they just sat there watching me. So I push the car out myself and drive to Crown Honda of Southpoint in 2nd gear. At this point, I don't even care if I destroy the engine. So I pull in and they told me they would check the car on Monday. Well, Monday rolls around and they tell me I need a new transmission (for $3,100), but also that it's ridiculous that a transmission could die at 67,000 miles. So they take it upon themselves to call the main office and figure out this situation. They call back two days later telling me that Honda will cover all but $450 of the repair. At first I thought they should pay the whole thing, but the car is well out of warranty so I will take whatever I can get. It's been about 4 months and so far so good, although I am starting to notice some of the same warning signs that the transmission is probably going to die again. So what is the moral of this story:

1) This is an ongoing problem for Honda and make sure you call the main Honda office before shelling out $3,000 for a new transmission.

2) Apparently, a new transmission is not the answer as the warning signs of a dying transmission are returning

3) The service guys at Marc Jacobson Toyota are lazy jerks who won't help you unless there is money in it for them

4) The service department at Crown Honda of Southpoint is the best I have ever seen and I will always rely on them for all repairs. Thanks guys. It is not their fault if the transmission dies again. They can only place what Honda sends them.

5) Buy a Toyota (not from Marc Jacobson obviously). My dad has owned Toyotas all his life and they are problem-free cars. I have owned three Honda Accords in my life and this is the second transmission I have had to replace.

So I have a 2003 V6 Accord Coupe. I purchased her used (only 1 year old) with 15k miles and with the intention most Honda buyers have… to have her last almost a lifetime. Over the past 3 years I commuted to work for over an hour for the first year and a half and only a half our for the last)… I now have just over 91,000 miles on the car. Story: Day 1 (Friday night) So I’m driving a couple hours south to my parent’s house for Thanksgiving. About 40 minutes into the drive, my car starts with the same signs mentioned below… sudden jerking as if I slammed on my brakes and then floored the throttle… then the RPM’s revved up past 5-6 and I was only going 30 mph. After I pulled off the highway and received some advice to turn back and see a mechanic… I was unable to go in reverse. After I got a push from the station attendant I headed back north with my flashers never going over 30 mph. Day 2 (Saturday) Since my Honda Dealership was not open and I had hopes of heading home for the holiday week, I took it to Meinieke (the only open mechanic shop I could find). Even after dropping it off at 9 am… they were unable to figure out the problem before they closed. Day 3 (Monday) Meinieke: Diagnostic, flushing my transmission, diagnostic, checking electrical communication, repairing a sensor, diagnostic, deciding the transmission needs to be replaced… ~$900 Honda Corporate: After reading numerous message blogs about this situation call the 1-800-999-1009 number for Corporate Service. I speak with someone and plead my case. I am informed that I need to bring my car to a Honda Dealership and have them identify the issue for them to consider it. I contact my local dealership (I have received 1 service at) and they are pretty busy given the shorter week and most likely won’t get to it till Friday). Day 4 (Tuesday) Pick up car from Meineke and drive 20 mph to drop off at Miller Honda. Take a 7 and a half hour bus ride to my parents for something that normally takes 3 hours. Day 5 (Wednesday) Miller Honda calls and believes the Transmission definitely needs to be replaced. They still haven’t heard from Honda Corporate. I call Honda Corporate to investigate the situation. They claim they have not been contacted by Miller Honda. The representative is kind enough to have me give Miller Honda their number and have the ball start rolling. I also inform them of my prior services at Rossi Honda (when I lived in NJ). Day 7 (Friday) Miller Honda calls and said the case is moving. He has spoken with the rep at corporate. Honda Corporate Calls and said they are reviewing the case but I am beyond my warranty extension period and the case will be solely based on “goodwill”. Day 11 (Tuesday) I receive a call from Miller Honda who had been working with Corporate. While Corporate seemed reluctant, Miller informed me they had a strong relationship with the area rep and was adamant on providing me with this transmission at a discount. I had missed one service to have my transmission flushed and Miller was kind enough to insist it could be covered by the one done at Meineke. He informed me that Honda would be covering 100% of the cost of a re-built transmission ($3,900) but I would have to cover the labor for the installation. I was ecstatic. Sadly the labor and the initial diagnostic came to almost $800. Bringing my total to almost $1,700. Much much better then $5,600. Day 14 (Friday) 2 weeks later I picked up my car with the re-built transmission that HONDA COVERED FOR FREE!!!!!

Moral of the Story: As much as you feel it is expensive to have your car serviced at a Honda Dealership, the goodwill return of the company is WELL WORTH IT.

When working with a dealership and corporate, STAY ON TOP OF THE SITUATION. Don’t wait for them… keep the ball rolling.

*Even if your dealership isn’t open on weekend, wait till Monday, I would have saved myself a lot of money by skipping the Meineike part.

Thank you Miller Honda!

I have just finished my 60K tune up. I have kept up with all the maintenance, oil change, ...... One week after my 60K, out of the blue when I was driving. I experience a slight shake from the car. Then it didn't happened. I was so close to house, I thought it would be fine. The next day I drove to work when I exiting the highway, all of sudden, there was another knock. This time was more serious. I called the bought that to to machine. On the way, it was almost a complete stop on the highway for a second. My safety belt pulled me back. Then the car went again. I was few blocks form the shop.

The problem is my transmission was in the recall list and Honda didn't do anything to replace it. It said that it was fine after examine the transmission at 30K.

I still believe the Transmission is defected. However, I know why they don't want to replace the transmission $$$$$$$$$

This is a follow up on my complaint form November 12th 2007.

We purchased our 2003 Honda Accord brand new from Schroeder Honda in Benton Harbor, MI and that is where the car was always maintained. I contacted the GM, sales rep and service rep and I hit a stone wall. Doug in service advised me that the car has 120K on it and it is not their responsibility to help in this situation. Apparently, all this time that we were advising Rick in service on the jerking issue between the 2nd and 3rd gear, it was never noted in their system and basically told us to get lost. The sales rep advised me to contact Honda myself but on his end there was nothing that they could do. I never heard from the GM.

I took the car to Fox Honda in Grand Rapids, MI. Pat in service told me that her manager, Brian Davidson, will contact Honda USA directly and get back to us to see if there is anything Honda can do for me. 24 hours later, Pat called me back and advised me that Honda USA will cover 75% of the cost of the transmission and labor and the new transmission will carry a warranty for 36, 000 miles. Total out of pocket $600 only.

I am very impressed that Fox Honda went out of their way to help me out while Shroeder Honda left me hanging dry. This is what I call service. Thank you Fox Honda and Honda USA.

Fox Honda: you just gained my business.

Shroeder Honda: My car will never be serviced at your dealership again and my next purchase will definitely not be from your dealership

Honda USA: I am very happy that you are taking care of your customers. We'll keep being loyal to the Honda/Acura brand.

It was a disappointment that tranny went out at 120, 000 miles but Honda made it right and I am a happy customer.

This is a follow up on my original complaint. My Honda dealer replaced the transmission in my 03 Accord and covered 90% of the cost. All was well for the first week then the indicator light on the dash that let's you know what gear you're in would start to flash when in DRIVE. No matter what gear you shifted to the DRIVE light would continue flashing until you shut the car off and restarted. One day no indicator lights came on. The next day the traction control light came on and stayed on.

I took it back to the dealer and they said it was just a loose connection. I'm not so sure and I'm not taking any chances. I pick up my new Nissan Maxima tonight.

Good bye Honda, never again.

We purchased our Accord brand new. It currently has 120, 000 miles, mostly highway since I commute 120 miles a day. All the recommended maintenance was done by the Honda dealership and the car was in great shape till the transmission gave up.

About a year ago, I noticed that the transmission was slipping between the 2nd and the 3rd gear. It started with a slight dip/jerk when the car was shifting from the 2nd to the 3rd gear. Each time the car goes into service, we advised the dealer to check on the issue but the Honda service dept could not locate anything wrong with the car. Last Monday, the transmission really took a turn for the worst. It was stuck in a gear and the RPM was hitting 6000 while the car was only going 40 mph. I would put the car in reverse and it would not move. It was as if the car was not even in gear. Once the car was shut off for 10 mins, it would reset itself but the same behavior would re-occur. I dropped off the car at the Honda dealership and unfortunately, it sounds like I need a need tranny. Cost of replacement: $3117.50. I am dumbfounded. Aren't these cars supposed to last forever or at least 200, 000 miles?

Anyway, the dealership is cooking a "deal" for me and I am waiting on the verdict. I also contacted Honda USA and advised them of the situation. I pleaded my case and looking for a goodwill from Honda. A case manager will be contacting me in 2 business days to let me know if Honda thinks I have a legit case.

It is very disappointing that the tranny went out on a car that has been dealer maintained since purchased. I love my Accord and I am hoping that Honda will do me right by covering most of the cost of the repairs since it seems to be a known issue. Time will tell....

I have had my 2003 Honda Accord for only 8 months I brought it used. I thought I was getting a great car since Honda were suppose to be the best out there.My boyfriend thought my transmission was slipping 3 months After I had brought it, but when I drove the car I never felt it slipping because far as i could tell the car drove good. But to make a long story short my transmission went out 5 months later. I took it to the Honda dealership for the recall that I never knew about until I read this site and the man told me that the transmission had burnt out and it wasn't because of the recall. So they would not fix it and i had to pay out of my pocket. I believe that my transmission did burn out because of the recall on the second gear. I owned a 2001 Honda Accord before this one and i never had problems with it. The display light on the radio on the 2003 Honda Accord keeps gong out and this will be my third time replacing it. The next time I buy a car it wont be a Honda.

The extended warranty company added 10 days to the repair process.

I had to pay for 15 days of rental fees, the warranty co. paid for 5 days.

They did pay for a rebuild transmission to be installed.

Honda warranty covered up to 50000 miles. It took several days to hear where the noise was coming from, by the time I got to the dealer it had aprox 51000 miles.

I trust no car to last for ever, and that is the reason why I purchased the waranty for the Honda.

From now on I will only purchase the Manufacturers extended warranty.

My wife first reported something wrong with our Accord about a month ago. She didn't describe it very well so I used the car the next two days and nothing seemed wrong.I had taken the car back for the 2004 quick fix recall and hadn't given it a second thought.

We just got back from a two week vacation on Friday, had driven about three thousand miles without a problem.

Last Sunday night on the NJ Turnpike in heavy stop and go traffic we had a problem. I would step on the gas to accelerate and the engine would rev and go nowhere. It would then slam into gear almost putting your face in the windshield. I managed to get home but it was definitely a scary ride.

I called for a service appointment on Monday morning and then Googled Honda Transmission Problems. I had no idea the problem was so wide spread.

I found a Honda Contact number on this or another website and gave it a call. I explained my problem and said I didn't think it would be fair for me to pay for any necessary repairs since Honda is well aware the problem exists. The woman I spoke with was very nice and said she would contact a regional service rep and have him contact the dealer and then get back to me.

I dropped the car off this morning and just got a call this afternoon saying, yes, I need a new transmission and Honda will pay 90% of the cost. My cost will be $269.00. I think that's a pretty fair deal.

I would urge anyone having the same transmission problem to call the 800 number and calmly explain your situation. It can't hurt.

Car started revving high while I was driving at 80kph (50 mph). Problem stopped after turning engine off and letting it cool. This was on a Saturday. The car's performance profile had changed and it was dragging when I stepped on the accelerator. Took it to Honda on Wednesday and they could not find anything wrong. Honda asked that I return the next morning to show them how the car performed when the engine was hot. That evening my wife drove the car to the chiropractor. On her way home the car started "acting up" and jerked her neck. She is still in pain. Took the car to Honda the next morning (Thursday) and it had the check engine light on. Halfway to the shop the drive light started flashing and the car started jerking like a bumper car. Asked Honda to replace the transmission on warranty because it had just passed warranty by 7000 km (4349 miles). Furthermore, there had been a recall on the transmission which MAY have required a replacement. However, Honda added a pump instead of replacing the transmission. I contacted Honda head office because a transmission failing with such low mileage is ridiculous. I have been without a car since Thursday and the dealership has not made any attempt to provide a complimentary vehicle although I have asked several times. The service rep thought the problem was a failed solenoid that was stuck open. Really now? They replaced it and the vehicle was still not working. The cost was $500 and they claim that I must pay for the item. Really? How about replacing my original part seeing that there is nothing wrong with it and only charging me the $100 for the diagnostic labour? The service rep started offering an used transmission. I stopped him and asked for the price of a new one because this on is on Honda. It will take a week to get the new transmission from Japan and 12 hours to install the transmission. The cost is approximately $6000CDN (5500USD)

I notice that there are no transmission complaints on this site for the 2004 Honda Accords... hmmm. It looks like a case of bad engineering on the first batch for the new model which debuted in 2003.

I bought my Honda based on the thought it would be reliable. Well have I been wrong! My transmission went out at 75500 miles right after the standard warranty expired. Luckily, I was able to get a REBUILT transmission through Honda (with some out of pocket expenses of course). That transmission went out within about 5 months!! What a piece of crap. We have had other problems with this vehicle as well (radio backlight and gas tank leak, which we have to pay for out of pocket, $400 and $1600) Needless to say we are not happy with this vehicle.

My wife went to Philadelphia for a class in CT, and the transmission went out leaving her stranded on the turnpike at 11:30PM. After towing it to the dealer, we were told that the transmission needs to be replaced and that would cost $4000. She has to rent a car until this is settled. Does anyone know what position Honda takes on this? This was supposed to be a great car that lasts 200,000 miles. We took good care of it. This is my first foreign car, and expected better than this from Honda, but after reading the reports, they should issue a recall. I think a lady stranded on the turnpike at 11;30 at night is a safety concern.