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:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
10,733 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.
Warped brake rotors. Brake rotors on my 2003 Accord ex V-6 warped at about 5,000 miles. I was unaware of this website at the time (about August 2003). The dealer resurfaced the rotors but blamed me for driving too fast on mountainous roads... seemed a bit rude and presumptuous on their part since I don't drive faster than normal traffic nor on mountain roads. The rotors started exhibiting warping again at about 9,000 miles. This seems like a common complaint and I suspect it may be due to poor selection of material or design of the rotors or brake system.
While applying the brakes brake pedal went to the floor. This caused the vehicle to skid into a guard rail. Consumer had the vehicle towed to the dealer for analysis, and mechanic noticed that both rotors needed to be replaced due to corrosion.
On June 23, 2003, I took this vehicle to the Honda dealership in clovis, California. It had a problem with the vehicle shaking when I applied the brakes and a constant slight vibration in the steering wheel. This was done with the vehicle having 5,150 miles on it. The dealership resurfaced the front rotors. On July 17, 2003, I took this vehicle back to the Honda dealership in clovis, California, for the same problem as before. This time I was charged for a balance and rotation which I agreed to. I left the dealership with a slight vibration in the steering wheel and was still experiencing a slight vibration while applying the brakes. This was done with the vehicle having 6, 784 miles on it. On October 17, 2003, I took this vehicle back to the Honda dealership in clovis, California, for the same problem as before. This was done with the vehicle having 11,692 miles on it. The dealership resurfaced both the front and rear rotors. The vehicle now has 16,000 miles on it and it needs to go back into the repair shop once again for rotor warping. I feel there is a defect in the braking system with this new 2003 Honda Accord.
Vehicle is less than one year old, at 5000 miles brakes would give an uneven feeling when stopping. Now at 9500 miles vehicle shimmies and shakes when brakes are applied. Dealer states brakes should be resurfaced. Personal mechanic states rotors are warped. At highway speeds the shaking affects the positive control of vehicle.
- Rehoboth Beach, DE, USA
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My 2003 Honda Accord has 13,800 miles on it. Since the front rotors are warping, it already had these replaced once and resurfaced once. These repairs tend to last about 3000 miles before the symptoms of the problem return (vibration when braking at highway speeds, and pulsating stops at slow speeds).
At 8000 miles, had the front rotors turned down. Judder returned about 3000 miles later, but not repaired (explained as road conditions). Now at 22000 miles, need new rotors and pads for front left brake. Brakes went from acceptable to unusable within a 500 mile trip.
Around 5,000 miles the brakes on 2003 Honda Accord began giving a grab and release feel while apply constant pressure to the brake pedal at low speeds. At speeds over 40 mph this translated to a definite vibration in both the steering wheel and brake pedal. Took car into the dealership at 7500 miles and complained about the problem. It was found that the rotors were warped.050 and showed signs of bluing. Front rotors were resurfaced and brake pads replaced, no charge. Problem has been corrected for now with 1,000 miles added since the repair.
2003 Honda Accord 2dr coupe mt. Due to steerig wheel vibration induced by braking speeds >40mph I brought my car to the dealer and had my brake rotors resurfaced since the rotors were discovered to be warped. This problem is apparently a consistent problem on this vehicle. I have heard that possible wheel torque problems are causing the warping of these rotors. I have never had another vehicle with this type of problem.
2003 Honda Accord noticed pulsation in brake pedal after 1000 miles. Dealer resurfaced front rotors at 4600 miles. This did not fix the problem and the rear rotors were resurfaced at 9000 miles. This problem continued and the front rotors were replaced at 14000 miles. All of these repairs were done free of charge but done hesitantly. Now the car has 20000 miles and all four rotors are again warped and the pads are glazed. The dealership is now refusing to fix the problem free of charge and is blaming the problem on poor driving habits. 2/3 of the vehicles milage is on the interstate and is not driven aggressively in any way.
I am experiencing a brake rotor problem with my 2003 Accord sedan. The car has 25000 miles and is going in for the 4th time for service on the brakes. The rotors were resurfaced twice and replaced once and the problem is back again.
After three months of ownerships, brake rotors began to warp. Brought back into dealer, they stated the rotors were warped. They resurfaced the rotors two times during that visit. It has been only 2000 miles since the resurfacing and my rotors are warping again.003 Honda Accord ex V6.
My vehicle has been in the Honda dealer with problems with the front brakes(warped rotors), after having the front rotors resurfaced and pads replaced twice it was found that the front calipers were hanging up.my car just turned 17K miles and it has had problems with the front brakes since in had 8K miles, at that time I was told by the dealer that I was "riding" my brakes and they would only take care of this problem for me at no cost just this "one time". I feel Honda is knows that 03 Accord have brake probles and Honda puts the blame on everone else except themselves. My vehicle has now been in the Honda dealer for two weeks because they are unable to locate new calipers. From talking with other 03 Accord owners and reading information on other websites, I'm not alone with this problem.
There is a problem in the braking system of the new 2003 Accord coupe. In March, I had to have the rotors resurfaced because of vibration. It is now only July and now the problem is back. My local Honda dealer doesn't want to do anything about it, and that I must pay. I have researched the web and there are others who have similar complaints about the new Accord coupe's brakes.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Culver City, CA, USA