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.
6.3
fairly significant
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
11,800 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.
A small stone hit my windshield today and seemed to cause more damage than it should have. I've been driving for many years and have had many rocks hit the windshield. Since owning my new car, this is the second time a small stone has hit my window (different place), and the first one also seemed to cause more damage then it should have. The first time, I didn't have to replace the windshield, but I will have to this time. It just seems very unusual to me with my experience as a driver. The car is rather new, and I'm two for two with stones causing damage, where as with my previous cars, most times no damage happened under similar circumstances.
Windshield creaks in cold and dry weather, to the point that it sounds like it will crack in very cold weather. Dealer claims to not hear the problem. Noise was present when we drove car off lot.
- Alexandria, VA, USA
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- Old Bridge, NJ, USA