Problems with 2003 Honda Accord POWER TRAIN

I was driving at 65mph on the freeway when the transmission failed and the car shifted into a lower gear causing immediate deceleration of the vehicle. since the initial incident back in august 2010, the vehicle has only be driven 8 miles and each time someone dares to "test it out" it only takes a few miles before the vehicle is lurching and the driver is fearing for their life. this problem is real and if it hasn't already it will eventually result in someone(s) losing life or limb. *tr

Car - 2003 honda accord ex 4 cylinder-driving from work august 24-2010, car just quit going forward, no power. no indication of a problem with car. car has 101,131 miles. no warning lights. nothing. stopped car, put it in park, turned engine off, restarted car, put into drive, went forward less than 10 ft., car stopped going forward. repeated sequence, car ran in 1st gear or 2nd gear. drove very slowly to honda dealer, honda representative took it out and came back and told me the 3rd and 4th gear were gone, i asked if this was a common problem with the hondas, he replied any transmission can go at any time. looked up honda recalls and discovered there was a recall in 2004 on 2003 honda accords, i do not recall receiving this recall on my car, if i had received it, i would have acted on it and had the problem corrected then. i feel very fortunate i was not on the interstate or in heavy traffic when this occurred. *tr

2003 honda accord ex v6. current mileage 78,500. purchased new, single owner/driver. recently i pulled out onto a roadway and began to accelerate, when the transmission failed to engage when shifting into 3rd gear, en route traffic caught up to me and my abrupt failure to accelerate in with traffic (on a 3 lane congested road with a lot of traffic), could have caused an accident with the cars approaching with my vehicle that was abruptly stranded and non-mobile in the middle of the road. i had several cars which almost rear ended as i was trying to get my car off the road and there was no warning that this failure is going to occur. i believe this to be a serious safety issue and am very concerned. i was able to get the car off the road and called a tow truck to take it to a honda dealership. when we called around to other mechanics, we were told he was seeing "an epidemic" of transmission problems in this 2003 year / model of honda. i had to have the entire transmission replaced, total cost around $3,900 to $4,200, of which i paid $1,900 and honda shared the rest, even though i believe they should have borne the whole cost. i just went over my 7 year warranty by 2 months and only had 78,500 miles on my car. *tr

My 2003 honda accord routinely revs up without getting into gear. this often happens while i'm in traffic. it hasn't caused an accident yet but it is only a matter of time. i've tried having it serviced multiple times and am told that it cannot be duplicated in the shop. i've even gotten honda's 500$ transmission service...i still have the problem. *tr

2003 honda accord v6 ex with 130,000 miles on it. transmission shifted into 3rd gear to pass another car and never engaged. 30 minutes later, driving at 45 mph, while coasting towards a stop-light the transmission suddenly shifted into 1st gear and i almost hit the steering wheel. drove 5 more miles and at various speeds the transmission dropped from 3rd or 4th gear into 1st gear 5 more times. had car towed to dealer who was able to reproduce the problem after testing for 2 days. told me that i shouldn't drive it, it's very dangerous. it could be deadly if running at high speed. scared the technician driving. i was quoted a repair price of $4100. i'm still contemplating action. *tr

2003 honda accord exl v6. car driven by original adult owners since bought new. car was regularly maintained, and generally garage kept. at 94,300 miles, started to shift hard from 2nd gear to third, then into 4th. this hard shifting was not dependent upon weather or temperature condition. on the day of the transmission failure, car was driven in town to run a nearby errand. was driving in moderate traffic when car started to rev up to 6-7000 rpms before shifting into next gear. whenthe transmission would finally shift, it did so with an audible thump. then parked car, did errand, returned to car. it started right back up, shifted into reverse and then into drive without issue. once driving back from errand, car was noticeably loud when shifting from 2nd into third. eventually came to a stop light. when i tried to accelerate to leave the stoplight, the transmission completely failed, and car was towed for repair. we feel fortunate that our young son was not in the car at the time of the transmission failure, nor was my husband on the tollroad. we feel lucky to have found a local, reputable transmission shop that rebuilt the transmission and replaced the torque converter for $1500. this seems to have been a terrific price on a repair i would never have imagined needing to do prior to 100,000 miles. so much for honda's reputation for quality and long-lasting reliability. *tr

On the way home from work my 2003 honda accord 3.0 l v6 did an unexpected rapid deceleration from 50 mph to 25 mph in a split second. it happened so fast that it rammed me into the seat belt causing me to almost chock from the sudden impact with the seat belt restraint. i am very lucky that no one was behind me. i was pretty concerned about what else it would do so i gingerly pressed on the accelerator. the engine roared but i was only going 27 mph and the rpm's went up to 3500. it was loud. i drove 3 more miles to get home. i drove with my flashers on since i couldn't get above 30 mph. the engine roared and shifted roughly the entire time. i took the car to the honda dealer and he said they couldn't get it to repeat the incident and the transmission checked out fine. however, he said that the transmission fluid does have a burnt smell. he recommended a transmission flush. they found metal shavings in the fluid. but, he told me the transmission was okay. i picked my car up today. i now own a car that has a transmission problem that i don't have any confidence in and i am afraid to drive. *tr

I bought this car less then a month ago. after driving it for only 7 days it started downshifting on the freeway at 75mph and bucking almost out of my control. i called the dealership i bought the vehicle from and the told me to call the people i purchased the warranty from. i called them they told me to take to a shp of my choice. i did and the said it was the solenoid a that needed to be replaced (a electronic part) which is not covered under my warranty and to top that of they can not guaranty me the transmission will not need to be replaced. which after having it back for a week the car started bucking again on the freeway while i was doing 50mph.... the repair cost me $524. and now i have to come out of pocket again another $2500. this could be a very bad situation when the car starts downshifting on it's own on freeways. i see their are other complaints of the same nature. what are we waiting for to make this a recall for some to die. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 honda accord. the contact stated that while driving 20 mph, the transmission would slip into second gear and jerk. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was repaired, by a previous owner, under the recall associated with nhtsa campaign id number 04v176000 (power train:automatic transmission). the failure mileage was 103,209.

When driving my 2003 honda accord through the mountains, uphill, my car suddenly downshifted into neutral. the engine revved like it could not choose a gear. the car was jerking as the engine continue to rev and it shifted in and out of gear (i don't know if it tried to engage each gear separately, or the same gear each time). i pulled over to the shoulder and turned the car off, however when i turned it back on i continued to have the same problem. the only way i could drive the car was to put it in 2nd gear and leave it there on a mountain freeway with many switchbacks and a speed limit of 45-55mph. this happened within 10 miles of starting my trip home after the car had been parked for several hours. i had noticed a few days previous to this event that the transmission felt like it was slipping out of gear so i had made an appointment with the mechanic to have it checked. when i brought it in the next morning i explained what happened and after examining the car he said the transmission would need to be replaced. i then took it to anderson honda who examined the car and also said the transmission needed to be replaced. the car has a clean history and has only ever been maintained by a honda dealer with on time scheduled maintenance. i contacted honda of america for help paying for the transmission replacement as i feel this is a manufacturing error, not a driver/maintenance error. i contacted a lawyer who was able to speak with a regional manager of honda usa who said that because my car was over 3 yrs old and more than 36,000 miles they were not responsible for the car's performance and suggested i trade my car in for a new honda. the failure occurred at 94,000 miles. the dealership is helping me with a 25% discount. i will never buy another honda after the problems i've had with this one (multiple recalls already) and the curt costumer service. i would never have expected this from honda. *tr

Transmission failure while driving on highway. *tr

Honda 2003 accord exv6 automatic. complete transmission failure. began slipping out of gear on aug 9 2010. vehicle slipped out of gear rev but vehicle would not move finally slipped back in gear. extremely concerned i was going to be hit while stalled in intersection. second time after going to dealership engine did the same thing but on the freeway and had to pull off to emergency lane. *tr

Car began revving up to 2500 rpm's at 25-30 mph, then up to 6500 rpm's at 50 mph, and never shifting back down. was told by the dealer that the entire transmission would have to be replaced. *tr

Noticed the transmission had been slipping for a couple of days. i made an appointment to take my car into the dealer on 8/3/2010. i had my 3 year old and 5 month old infant in car with me while driving to the dealership to drop off my car. was on a short strip of the freeway going about 40 mph when all of a sudden the car began to sound as if it was struggling to shift into another gear. it abruptly stopped then thrust the car forward immediately. my car crashed into the side of the street leaving a scrape on the left bumper. when i arrived at the dealer, the service person told my husband that they would not touch my car since it was 145k miles and was well out of the warranty. they are charging us a $100 diagnosis fee only to figure out what is wrong with it. i called american honda to file a complaint only to get the same "at the mileage that you are at we are unable to cover any cost to repair the vehicle" husband just got a call from dealership stating there are two problems with the car one is with the part that communicates with the car to shift to a correct gear and the other is a problem with the internal transmission. the solution is to replace the transmission. honda and the honda rep again stand by their admission that they are not responsible for the replacement cost since the car is out of warranty. i can understand if i do excessive damage to my car, but i drive less than 25k a year and only drive locally transporting my family. this is disconcerting and i am very upset that honda refuses to stand by their product! please investigate as my "crash" could have been more serious and could potentially harm the safety and lives of both my passengers and others on the road. thank you for your consideration. *tr

Automatic transmission began slipping around 90k miles (2 weeks ago). has gotten progressively worse with violent jerking between shifts and unexpected downshifts which equate to suddenly flooring the brakes. have had incidents on highway when in overdrive and slowing, transmission searches, or does not go back into gear leaving engine disconnected from drivetrain. almost rearended on 3 occasions thus far as car suddenly downshifts around 40 mph in town. problem continues to worsen and now do not have reverse gear on occasion. should not drive car but have no alternative. will attempt repair myself if honda will not cover cost. extended warranty expired 3 months prior. *tr

Driving on the highway and the car would not shift up to a higher gear and motor kept revving. engine light came on. will take it to mechanic to see what is wrong. *tr

Transmission originally slipped going uphill at 30mph, but did not have engine light come on. transmission fluid changed again and car was good for another 300miles. traveling at 70mph uphill on freeway, car jerks into lower gear and immediately jumps back into high gear and happens continuously. within a few miles, car stays under 40mph at 4,500rpm and continues to slip. had vehicle towed to honda dealership and an eventual $3,900 charge to replace transmission. *tr

2003 honda accord ex-v6, 76,000 miles: automatic transmission slips, causing violent downshifts, erratic shifting, and an undriveable condition. condition occurs after car is driven for at least 20 minutes. non-honda shops have replaced fluids, sensors, but to no avail. honda dealer had previously installed a jet kit in 2008, and their eval today says the entire transmission must be replaced at a cost in excess of $3,200. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 honda accord. the contact stated that the vehicle hesitated when driving at any speed and would exhibit a grinding noise. the failure recurred intermittently. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and a diagnostic was performed, but the dealer was unable to generate a failure code. the dealer also test drove the vehicle but the failure could not be to duplicated. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 93,000 and the current mileage 108,000.

2003 honda accord ex v-6 had failed transmission after only 61,000 miles, suddenly shifting into 2nd gear while going approximately 45 mph. each time this happened, the car would jerk violently, throwing my head forward and slowing the car drastically, as if the brakes had been slammed. this would happen suddenly, with no warning and could have caused an accident, with me being rear ended. i was fortunate that didn't happen. this is too soon for a transmission to go out, which cost me $4,000.00. this is not the typical quality that i've come to expect from a honda vehicle, and am very unhappy to have had to spend this kind of money on what i consider a premature transmission failure. *tr

2003 honda accord 3.0 4dr automatic - transmission failure occurred while driving in rush hour traffic at 30 miles an hour. the vehicle suddenly slipped out of gear and rapidly decelerated nearly causing an accident. the vehicle would not stay in gear and when the transmission did engage it would only go into 2nd/3rd gear. the failure occurred again while attempting to get the vehicle to the dealership resulting in a loss of vehicle control. the dealership now has the vehicle and has stated that the vehicle requires a new transmission. due to the age of the vehicle the part will cost more than the vehicle is valued. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 honda accord. while traveling at 40 mph, the automatic transmission would not shift into fourth gear and the contact was unable to travel over 40 mph. the vehicle was neither diagnosed nor repaired for the failure. there were no prior warnings. the current and failure mileages were 146,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 honda accord. while driving at approximately 30 mph, the vehicle began to jerk violently while switching gears. the vehicle then independently surged forward. the contact stated the failure would occur whenever switching gears. the dealer advised that the transmission would need to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileages were 62,000. updated 10/25/10 *bf the consumer stated the vehicle has a violent/harsh between 1 and 2 gear. updated 10/27/10

2003 honda accord with transmission recall performed on second band lubrication problem recalled by selling dealer@ aprox12,000 miles at my request was noted that if transmission had early failure that ho mo co would need to be responsible for repairs incurred and all expenses .then at 78,658 miles transmission began harsh shift from first to second ratio ,also audible turbine noise noted . after reading multiples of same issues blogs from vehicle owners that crashed or barely avoided being in a crash due to inferior transmission designs and internal trans-lubrication problems even after said recall was performed by dealership in n.c. we believe that our 2003 accord is no longer safe to drive / transport passengers as of this day of 07/26 /2010 and request that a complete study which consist of all the affected vehicles be repaired by ho mo co. at their expense for parts ,labor, for all parties in question and all persons that have filed claim with local dealerships and also with all persons so mentioned above that have contacted ho mo co. customer service. in hope that no one dies! *tr

My 2003 accord ex v6 started experiencing unintended downshift on the 24th of july, after years of great care that follows or beats the recommended schedules. when it happened, the car jerked violently. lucky i was only hearing horning behind me on a 50km/hr road instead of a crash on a 100km/hr highway. for safety issue i have not driven this car locally or on highway since the problem, except to the honda dealership (experienced the same jerk at low speed about 2 times on average for a 2km trip), who says the entire transmission needs to be replaced. although online forum is not a completely credible source for information, from what i'm seeing so far a recall on the transmission is warranted. please consider this a significant safety concern, which i believe is becoming a widespread problem, and i hope you could confirm and agree. sincerely, 2003 honda accord ex v6 customer. *tr

The transmission on my '03 accord v6 (97k miles) started to fail when driving home from work on 7/22/2010. i couldn't reverse and on a busy road i couldn't exceed a speed limit over 35-40 mph. i took it to my mechanic that evening, who said the problem was due to the failure of the pressure sensor solenoid a. i had to wait 3 hours for the new part to be delivered, but when my mechanic replaced the part, the problem still preceded. so, i went back to my mechanic, who finally found out the problem was due to my transmission. currently my family of 5 has only one car and are being forced to pay both for a rent car and a new transmission. *tr

2003 honda accord v6 transmission failure. car rev's but doesn't engage, especially in overdrive/3rd/4th/5th gears. the issue came on pretty suddenly. still waiting for an estimate on the repairs; honda had a recall on it in 2004/5, but has since expired, and is unwilling to assist in the repairs. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 honda accord. the contact stated while driving at 50 mph up an incline in rainy weather, the vehicle was hesitant to accelerate. in addition, the vehicle would shift gears abruptly and abnormally hard. the contact had a tune-up performed at a local repair facility but to no avail. the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure and advised the vehicle was safe to drive. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure became progressively worse over time. whenever the accelerator was depressed, there was a lengthy hesitation before the vehicle would engage from 40-60 mph. the contact was able to locate a recall for her year, make and model (nhtsa campaign id number: 04v176000: power train:automatic transmission) the dealer advised her vin was not included. the vin was unknown. the vehicle was never repaired. the failure and current mileages were 113,000.

Driving my family home from vacation on crowded interstate 287, the car suddenly and without warning rapidly decelerated creating a real hazard for occupants in my car as well as vehicles behind. the fault was a defective transmission that had jumped into 2nd gear on it's own. furthermore, the cost of repair effectively totals the vehicle. i received no help or even consolation when i contacted american honda. *tr

'took 2003 accord ex to south bay honda in milpitas on feb 24, 2010 for applicable recall service' 1.they performed recall 08-043 wiper motor inoperable. 2.up shift flaring in second and third gear diagnosed 'said transmission. recall already performed by anderson honda 3.problem 'traced to internal transmission concerns.' 4.fluid level ok, but leak noted 5.recommended transmission replace $3,596.00 6. escalated to mgr who declined to fix 'contacted honda america same day explained situation to rep. in recall dept 1.said recall already performed-transmission; transferred to post-warranty svc dept. 2.rep. in that dept said anderson honda did recall and added 'jet kit' on sept 28, 2004 at 20,491 miles, (far exceeding recommended period by honda w/o removing second gear and inspecting and rebuilding transmission if gear damaged) 3.asked whether they took pictures of gear and could provide records of that service' rep told me 'that's internal information. we don't give out that information.' 4.rep. said that the problem with transmission. was not gear lock, was flaring ' not covered by recall 5.rep said to follow up quickly ' did so but no response. 'car drove ok, so continued to drive while waiting for response. 'july 13, 2010 at approx.9:45am while in route to business meeting - car locked in gear on freeway, loud clunk, tires chirped a tad, and car downshifted to lower gear' ea 'drove car slowly in 2nd gear position to dealership on freeway with hazards' nearest dealership in fairfield, ca ' steve hopkins honda 'service advisor said definitely transmission. he said 'i got it to lock up on me here in the lot'. advised honda rebuilt transmission repair w/warranty costs $3,750' i explained situation in greater detail' said he would contact honda 'american honda regional manager refused 'any and all assistance' with the repair. 'paid over $4,400.00 in all for repairs at honda dealership. *tr

2003 v6 honda accord with 104,000 miles fails to shift into third gear occasionally. i started having trouble about two years ago, when i had about 70,000 miles on it, with the sudden down shifting. i took the car to my dealer in philadelphia. they tested it and took me for a road test with no evidence of a problem. while on vacation that summer i had my first experience with the trans not shifting into third gear so i took it to the nearest dealer, avalon nj, and had them test it. again no evidence of a problem. i told the mechanic to take it home with him for a couple of days in hope that he would find something but no luck again. i have been to two dealers and to aamco and no one can find the problem. from my perspective, if it works sometimes it probably isn't mechanical. the fact that the on board computer does not retain the code is at least part of the problem. honda doesn't seem to take any responsibility for its failure to provide a reliable vehicle, which is why like so many others i bought the thing in the first place. moreover, no one will even say they know what is wrong with since the error does not register in the onboard computer. *tr

2003 honda accord transmission failure, trouble shifting into 3rd gear ~ dangerous no doubt, especially while driving with my 2 children in the car. this problem caused damage to my engine as well. *tr

While driving on the freeway all of a sudden my engine light came on , and the gear indicator located on the dash, the green light that showed that the car was in drive started blinking. then come to find out this car is know for transmission failure, regardless of the maintenance the care received from the dealer. *tr

My 2003 honda accord v-6 with automatic transmission surged to 6500 rpm's and then lost all compression while driving on the interstate. my wife had been complaining of similar problems while driving in town but never lost the drive train. i was lucky i was able to get over to the side of the road without being hit. the mechanics at the dealership told us this was a problem in this model year accord, and after contacting american honda motors, they are not going to help out with the repairs due to the fact they have not recalled the vehicle for this problem. this could have led to a serious injury if i had been in heavy traffic at the time. *tr

Transmission on my '03 honda accord v-6 (118k miles) started slipping as i was driving home last week (7/1/2010). took it to my local repair shop to have the transmission serviced, but within 2 days, the transmission completely failed as i was driving 2 miles from my home in the middle of a major road. since the failure, i've found volumes of information online attesting to identical transmission problems with the '03 accord and other honda vehicles of similar age and wear. additionally, the tow-truck that took my car to a transmission specialist and the mechanic at the transmission shop each provided similar experiences with an epidemic of transmission failures on '03 accords that are just outside of the manufacturer warranty. i will be writing a very strongly worded letter to honda corp. expressing my displeasure. cost of replacement $2235 for a car that's only 7 yrs. old, with only 118k miles on it. unacceptable. *tr

I own a 2003 honda accord that is having constant problems shifting from 2nd to 3rd gear (automatic transmission). this has caused me numerous issues merging onto the highway because the vehicle fails to accelerate. i have nearly caused accidents and have had to make emergency stops on the side to try to work through this issue and get the vehicle to shift and accelerate. the shift from 2nd to 3rd fails almost every time. *tr

My husband was driving to work on a very busy highway when his car violently jerked and then went instantly from 70mph to almost a complete stop. he was able to coast onto the shoulder and wait for a tow truck, but this could have easily been a very serious accident given the high speeds. he has been complaining of back and neck problems since the incident which seems to be a direct result of the car jerking abruptly during the sudden downshift. we have been told that the transmission needs to be replaced. please investigate the transmission failures for the 2003 honda accord! this is obviously a defect in this model and needs to be recalled and repaired. our car is currently at a honda dealership awaiting repair. we have submitted a request for goodwill assistance and have not yet heard back on the outcome of that. *tr

Complete transmission failure. our daughter was lucky not to have been killed driving on a crowded outerbelt when the honda accord just quit. local dealership recognizes a huge problem with this model, but corporate honda is just waiting for a tragedy to occur. just spent $1100 on new brakes, and now they want $4000 for new transmission. we are going to fight this. honda is pathetic. *tr

2003 honda accord v6 transmission failure while turning into oncoming traffic. almost hit by oncoming traffic. this definitely is a safety issue with this model. burning smell in car. these cars need to have a recall in regards to transmission. *tr

The transmission on my 2003 honda accord ex-v6 has failed. the car was running fine, and then it started slipping when shifting gears. it would not accelerate from a stop without jerking, making it very scary to drive in traffic. when cruising at a relatively constant speed, it would downshift unexpectedly creating what i would consider very dangerous driving conditions. the diagnosis was complete failure of the inner workings of the transmission, and it must be replaced. this is a 7 year old car with 91,500 miles. it has been carefully maintained, including manufacturer recommended maintenance. *tr

I am the owner of a 2003 honda accord ex v6. on yesterday, 6/23/2010 ,i was driving to work on the highway, during rush hour,when my car started to choke and slip. it felt like someone was pushing and pulling the car. the rpms were going up to 4-5 when i tried to accelerate. naturally i was scared. my car was disrupting the flow of traffic, but thankfully no one hit me. i had my car towed to northwest honda in owings mills md on that day. nw told me that my transmission needed to be replaced due to an internal malfunction. this was unusual because i bought a certified preowned honda in 2005 and i had all of my regularly scheduled maintenance done at that dealer. lastly my car gave no warning of possible defects , no lights etc. after doing research i found out my year/model of honda accord is notorious for transmission defects and several people have had similar experiences. i'm sure some may have even been in an accident. honda did a recall on the at in 2004, but that was only to fix the gears and prevent the transmission from locking. that does not fix the transmission problem from slipping and defecting without warning. my car is slightly out of the manufactured warranty which expired in on 11/15/2009. my extended warranty expired 01/01/2010. i obviously took the precautions to avoid this type of incident. i am now without coverage for this defective part. honda offers good will assistance but it is granted on a case by case basis and is not a guarantee. i do have a claim in with honda. i feel honda should be held liable for their product before someone get seriously hurt or injured, much like the toyota recall. this is an ongoing issue that must be addressed. thankfully i am without physical harm, mentally i was shaken up. the situation could have easily been worst. please check online for the numerous complaints on this car. it is a serious issue. honda should be required to recall all 2003 accord transmissions for safety reasons. thanks. *tr

2003 honda accord v6 transmission fails. it is very unsafe, car stalls at 20mph with no warning and shifts violently. lucky to avoid 2 crashes. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 honda accord. while driving at approximately 60 mph, the vehicle violently jerked approximately three times. the contact moved the vehicle from the roadway and had it towed to a local repair facility. the contact was informed that the transmission would need to be replaced. the transmission has yet to be replaced. the failure and current mileages were 120,000.

The first time i discovered there was a problem with my car was when i was going about 45 on a parkway and the car bucked. i wasn't sure what happened and there for everytime i slowed the car down, slipped when i would pull off. it even had an issue when i tried to put it in reverse. i then turned the car off and started it again and drove it around and it was fine. a couple weeks later the car did the same exact thing, it would rev up and the car wasn't moving. it then would buck and would cause my head to lash. the car is dangerous to drive and i don't feel safe going any where with it. *tr

No known events leading up to the failure. my accord will rev up and wont shift- the car seems as though it is stuck. when driving around a lot of other cars it is very frightening. the failure is that the torque converter failed. i have not had it replaced yet due to costs. *tr

Purchased the car about 7 months prior to the transmission failure. did notice that shifting was kind of rough but did not think much of it. one day driving up a hill while on the throttle the car was revving but the car was going back down the hill. this problem happened again and again throughout the day then finally the reverse gear and 3rd gear gave out. honda says that the problem will cost $3600+ to replace the transmission. they said that they are willing to pay $1000 to fix so i would be responsible for $2600 which is still ridiculous. i will never purchase a honda again. there should have been a recall on this vehicle looking at the amount of complaints. *tr

We have a 2003 v6 honda accord. when putting the car in reverse we were hearing a noise that sounded like a saw operating. took the car to the same honda service station that we have been using since purchasing the car. they said it was the rear brake pads and rotors that were causing the noise so they replaced them. the noise actually did go away. then about a week later when my husband was driving he felt the car "buck". in addition the car would not always go into reverse. took it to the dealer who said we needed a new transmission. the car is currently at dealer as we await the parts. i am very concerned since many people have written about this problem and have said that even when the transmission is replace the problem happens again. why isn't someone forcing honda to do something about this??they are not replacing these transmissions at no cost to the consumer! *tr

I was driving on the highway going at least 65 mph, i noticed that my trans started slipping very bad. it felt like i was hitting my brakes on and off at 65 mph. i had no idea what the problem was. i took it to the dealership and they told me that the trans was dead. i was shocked...a honda trans dead!!!. i had complete trust in my car, after all, it is only 7 years old with barely 100,000 miles on it. i could have been killed on the highway because of the bad trans. after searching on the internet i found that there were tons of people complaining about faulty trans on the automatic 2003 accords and that there was service bulletin "recall" issued from honda to fix a broken 2nd gear in the trans. so after calling the toll free honda america corporate people, they told me that my car was already taken into a honda dealer and had this 2nd gear replaced by the previous owner. so basically according to honda, they did their part by repairing the 2nd gear, and even though the transmission is now broken with barely 100,000 miles, there is nothing honda will do to cover the cost of a new transmission. i requested a goodwill repair but the person (reggie) nor his supervisor marla foster give me answers on how many of these type of calls were coming in or if they could assist me with the repairs. he basically said the local dealer would need to address this. after not getting anywhere with honda america i was assigned case #[xxx]and immediately he proceeded to close the case with no solution to my problem. i am very disappointed that honda isn't doing more to address this with loyal, long-term customers, knowing the transmission problem is a consistent issue with this model, as well as a potentially very dangerous situation. this is the 2nd honda accord i have owned and both my kids presently own honda accords. part of the reason i spent more to get a honda to begin with was to get the reliability, quality. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).*tr

After getting a transmission flush (fluid was dark and apparently already damage to the transmission had already occurred), a week later the transmission would violently upshift and downshift repeatedly. this occurred on side roads at 20 miles an hour and on the highway at 45-50 miles per hour. at 45 miles per hour it would up and downshift every 5-10 seconds on the way to the transmission shop. i did not drive faster than that in order to avoid a resulting accident. this occurred with about 119,000 miles and required a rebuild of the transmission at a cost of $2,800. honda says they had issued a transmission recall in 2004 but i never received a letter. also all searches by vin on honda's site had failed until yesterday. when i went to the dealer they said it was fixed for my car. but i never brought in my car for this work, and they have no record of fixing it that i can see. honda should put a new transmission in my car as the rebuild is not the same as a new transmission and i already paid for it. *tr

2003 honda accord 5-speed automatic transmission lock-up problems..... transmission will lock up on 2nd gear, and wont upshift. car just turned 80k on the odometer. all regular servicing and regular maintenance done by ase certified honda mechanic, all records and paperwork on file . from current reports and recall notice from honda north america, it is a recall and a safety concern. when dealership was informed of problem, they stated that they would have to contact their representative at honda of north america and get back to us if we qualify. this is after the fact that the oil jet kit.... was already installed and stated that "problem was corrected" well the problem wasn't corrected.... thus the transmission locked-up.... well, notice came back from the dealership, that honda of north america isn't going to honor the recall notice and replace the transmission as stated.... effectively "were on our own" ! why should we have to pay for a defect and a major safety defect at that, where honda is accountable for? so now, like the 300+ other complaints for the same problem... we now have to decide what were going to do.... honda of america... why can't you keep your word.... ! looks like this is the last honda i ever buy or my friends or family.... another thing, you would think that honda of america, would at least compensate us with a rental car, till the problem is taken care of? would they? nope...... this is your mess-up. honda of america.... you designed the car.... fix your mess-up!!!!!!!!! nhtsa... is their anything that you guys can do to light a fire under american honda motor company? i do wish we had dug deeper into buying the 2003 honda accord ex... our autocheck or carfax said nothing about problems or concerns or even a flag about the recall on the 5-speed automatic transmissions in the 2003 honda accords. now our family is in a real difficult situation, and not alot of options. bad public relations american honda motor company. *tr