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Transmission Failure
2003 Honda Accord (Page 9 of 26)
This problem may be covered under warranty. Ask your Honda dealer.
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.
9.3
really awful- Typical Repair Cost:
- $2,710
- Average Mileage:
- 98,000 miles
- Total Complaints:
- 504 complaints
Most Common Solutions:
- replace/rebuild transmission (348 reports)
- not sure (72 reports)
- Honda to pay cost as this transmission was a previous recall (45 reports)
- Honda assisted with replacement cost (25 reports)
- class action lawsuit (5 reports)
- transmission exchange (4 reports)
transmission problem
Helpful websites
- NHTSA official complaints - Guys, please keep pushing persistently to get the justice. Honda USA and all Honda dealership have been robbing us!
- Transport Canada Defect Complaint Form - If you are in Canada, you can file a complaint with Transport Canada. If the link above does not work try using the secure URL: https://wwwapps.tc.gc.ca/Saf-Sec-Sur/7/PCDB-BDPP/
- Transport Canada Defect Complaint Form (New URL - If you are in Canada, you can file a complaint with Transport Canada. If the link above does not work try using the secure URL: https://wwwapps.tc.gc.ca/saf-sec-sur/7/pcdb-bdpp/fc-cp.aspx .
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
In my fifty years of ownership of autos too numerous to count, this is only the second time I've experienced a transmission failure. The first was a 1956 Studebaker I owned in 1963. So my Honda now joins an elite category of manufacturers of defective parts.To be fair to Studebaker, a previous owner's mechanic replaced the valve body with the wrong one which led to the failure. The Honda failed from an obvious manufacturing defect. Actually Honda recalled this model in my first year of ownership to rig up a way to squirt more fluid into the top of the transmission. The recall specified that the transmission would be 'inspected' and if already damaged from the design, it would be replaced .So the design was faulty from the get go A design that resulted in the most expensive repair I've ever suffered through. Honda should have extended the warranty since one doesn't have to read too much here to find a major pattern of Honda transmission failures. But you have to believe the dealerships love this by providing a steady stream of high dollar income from the defective Accords. But those like me who have experienced this defect will likely look elsewhere when trade-in time comes.
- dennisj550, Starkville, MS, US