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.
10.0
really awful
Crashes / Fires:
5 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
5 / 0
Average Mileage:
94,151 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
Rear sub frame allowed for rear suspension arms to be bolted to. One of the locations where those arms have ways to be attached to is no longer safe to do so because of corrosion and rust. I noticed there was a recent safety concern for a generation of Honda CRV having a similar, or indeed the same complaint.
Honda Accord paint completely fades after 10-15 years of owning the car, very embarrassing to drive the car. This did not happen to Ford Mustang and Cadillac Escalade I own that are at same age. I would like this issue be resolved during recall.
I was going back home from work at 5:50 am in the morning in my Honda Accord. I lost control over my car and hit side walk and a mail box on the right side of the road my car toppled on the left side. The driver side window was under my feet as the car toppled and the passenger side door window was on the top of my head as I was standing in the a toppled car. To come out of the car I removed the head rest from the drivers seat and started hitting the window glass to break it with metal part of the head rest. I hit it as hard possible, I brought the head rest down to my knees to gather force, distance and speed so that the window glass can be broken and I can come out. I tried for few minutes but the window glass did not break. I want bring it to the attention of you all that if a window glass cannot be broken with metal in case of emergency in the car. The trapped people will burn to death. If you have further questions/query to clarify please feel free to call me or write to me at the following address: [xxx] thank you, [xxx] ps: Take the above matter seriously to save the lives of trapped people in the car information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Body paint on the Honda Accord is fading in patches across various areas of the vehicle. I was unsure of the cause of this issue until seeing photos online of other Honda vehicles from that same time period with similar damage. Websites blame the problem on Honda's primer/paint from the period when the cars were manufactured. I believe the carmaker should cover the cost of repairs for the body paint.
- Huntington, NY, USA
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A few years ago the paint started wearing away and now it's pitted all over the car after normal use and driving. It looks horrible, so bad that people keep asking me what's wrong with my car.
Takata recall I was driving down the road when I lost control of my car. This resulted in my air bag being deployed as I came into collision with a guard rail on a city street. Luckily, only the passenger side airbag deployed. This resulted in my windshield being cracked.
Trunk lid won't stay up. When trunk lid up, it comes crashing down on my head. It has done this for several years, and has gotten worse. It has put several gashes in my head. Honda says the bar connecting to the hinges own made anymore. There must be a way to fix this before I get a concussion.
I've noticed over the last couple of years that the paint has faded. It seems like the clear coat has been removed. There's severe damage to the hood, roof, front fender, and the trunk. Possibly because the manufacture used poor quality paint.
Several years ago, the clear coating on the top, back area of roof started peeling off and this year it became bigger about the size of 6 " X 18 " area. Despite to my complaints to Honda service dept., the auto body shop said it requires whole top rework is the only option that I have to pay for. Last June, I reported to complain Honda service dept manager, I was told to buy the paint pens for $15. Even though I bought it, I have not apply it yet because the problem requires professional work to be done. I requested that Honda is to be responsible to cover the work expenses, not me. After the service manager took the pictures of it, he claimed he will send paperwork to home office for review. I requested several times for a copy of paperwork to prove his claim he had processed the paperwork with photos. He never give to me. Only he claimed he has not heard form corporate office. Our last contact is last August. I researched recall and learned that civics are the only one being recalled for bad painting job. I request for an investigation that Honda should recall for Accord 2003 painting job, not just the civics! I can provide the photo when you contact me because I could not upload it to the desktop from my cellphone,
There is excessive rusting on the: Wheel wells and in spots throughout the painted surfaces of the car. The rust on the painted surfaces do not seem to originate from any damage to the paints integrity (they start as bubbles that then break, showing bare metal past the primer). I have noticed these since the car's first year of ownership (2003) and new spots appear continuously. Here is a representative picture I found on the web: smg.photobucket.com/user/andyxle/media/img_4151.jpg.html.
The paint on this car has drastically began to peel and show chalky white. I thought to speak to the dealership about possible coverage in repainting but sat on the task. However, in the past few months I've been noticing this issue with the paint to be occurring on other Accord that appear to share not only make and model but year and color. This is not supposed to be occurring on our cars and this utter humiliation deserves repair.
Driver's car (left front) keyhole won't accept my key, electronically. I went to different auto services and have the same comments that most of the complaints were the same. I checked the internet, youtube.com, many owners of the same make, model & year have the same issues and problems, even the Honda chat room help site. I thought this is an isolated problem, but it's not, if there is some ways that your company could do something about this matter/issue concerning the manufacturer's (Honda) defect issue, please let us know, we don't want to shoulder to expenses on their behalf. Thank you very much for your concern and looking forward to hearing from you the soonest and for the immediate response to repair the problem for the inconvenience that we are experiencing for a long time. I have tried cleaning the inside of the keyhole by air pressured and wd 40, nothing happened. I can insert the key halfway only and then it will stopped. All other keyholes are functioning well, except the driver's keyhole.
Called american Honda today on a different matter. My concern was if the air bags in my car were manufactured by the company that is presently in the news. The case manager, [xxx], assured me that the air bags in my Accord were not subject to recall. However he was unable to advise the manufacturer of the air bag. Furthermore he did advise that media reports and information from nhtsb were not totally accurate and erroneous. I did ask him to send me a written correspondence that my air bags were not subject to recall and would not explode by accident. He declined to do so.I guess Honda does not want to place itself in a product liability issue with me. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
My Honda Accord 2003 has the clear coat of the paint coming off. The locations right now are the hood and the roof of the car. The car has been kept out of the sun under a carport. I've read where several people have had the same exact problem with the defective clear coat. I believe that Honda should repaint my car for free.
The paint began peeling under trunk lid and has now started on roof, hood, and around rear and front glass. Paint is peeling all the way to the metal in large sheets up to a dollar size at a time.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Cortez, CO, USA