Problems with 2003 Honda Accord POWER TRAIN

2003 honda accord coup im having transmission problems. *tr

My car is a 2003 honda accord and the transmission is slipping. the car is only 5 years old! i bought it new and it gets regular maintenance and oil changes. i have seen several similar complaints on http://www.carcomplaints.com/honda/accord/2003/transmission/transmission_failure.shtml. i don't know if anyone has reported this to nhtsa. *tr

The transmission has broken in my 2003 honda accord. i have almost gotten into an accident. i have looked up the problem on the internet - it is a wide spread problem. people might get killed because of that! *tr

I have 2003 honda accord that's having transmission problems so i called the honda and they said that the car was fixed in 2005 but im still having problem with the transmission. *tr

Transmission failure while driving. odometer at 113,730. had the vehicle towed to a honda dealer. dealer advised a transmission replacement. honda provided a remanufactured transmission, i was charged for labor ($749). *tr

Transmission wouldn't shift from second to third gear, engine would rev over 5 rpms. honda replaced with remanufactured transmission with only 12 month/12,000 mile warranty. *tr

Yesterday, i had noticed a couple of rough shift changes earlier in the day. later, that afternoon, the car did not want to shift from drive to reverse and back again, but finally it slipped into gear. i checked the transmission fluid, which was fine. that evening, i got back on the road and entered the freeway, but the car would not accelerate enough to merge with traffic. the rpms were high, but could not get much above 40mph while trying to accelerate to 65mph. very dangerous, as freeway traffic was barreling down on me -- i used the hazard light to get to the first available exit. as the car slowed down further, it would not accelerate and eventually stopped moving altogether as i entered a parking lot next to the freeway. i was never able to get it back into gear at that point. i had the car towed to a mechanic, who said the transmission is shot and needs to be completely replaced. received a quote of $3500 my regular dealership, which honda requires for any possible consideration of liability, and will take 5 days. opened case #n012009-08-0500964 with honda of america. waiting for a return call, which can take 2 days. on standby to see if a different dealer can offer a better price. my regular dealer is outside my tow mileage range, so trying to mitigate expenses. *tr

2003 honda accord v6 with 83,000 miles .transmission failure. many cases of the same problem in this make and model. honda usa needs to be made aware of this problem and recall the transmission. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 honda accord. the contact stated that the transmission failed and was replaced by the dealer. the contact noticed that after repairs that when shifting from park to reverse, there was a fifteen second delay before the vehicle would respond. the contact believed the transmission was replaced with an older transmission. neither the dealer nor manufacturer was contacted in regards to the most recent failure. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 50,000 and the current mileage was 60,000.

Beginning at 16,999 miles in 2004, the transmission was slipping between second and third gears of the 5-speed automatic transmission.. the auto was taken to a local honda dealer, since there was a transmission recall involving this type of problem (nhtsa 04v176000). the dealer diagnosed the condition, said there was no damage, and installed a transmission oil kit. over the years, the condition worsened but the honda network merely said they had taken care of the problem during the recall visit. less than 4 years later, at 61,010 miles, the transmission had to be replaced. the repair was done by an independent shop, since honda wouldn't accept responsibility for a no-charge replacement. a complaint was filed with honda america before the transmission was replaced. honda refused to pay any part of the cost of the transmission rebuild (honda america case #n012008-07-0900349 7/9/08). the case was appealed after the repair was made, and it was also turned down, honda continuing to allege the transmission failure was due to my use of "unapproved services", e.g., 2 transmission flushes done at 37,000 and 60,000 miles, respectively, using bg systems, inc. processes and approved honda transmission fluids. honda claimed these services "damaged" the transmission, a statement that auto transmission specialists have said was "insulting" and "completely false". honda recommends the first transmission flush be done at 60,000. it should be noted that an internet search on " 2003 honda accord transmission problems" turns up hundreds of items, including a video of the slipping transmission for this very make and model. i believe honda allowed an originally defective automatic transmission to stay in this vehicle, allowing it to be driven for 44,000 miles in a basically unsafe and dangerous condition. had the additional maintenance not been done by me, the failure probably would have occurred years earlier. honda must pay $1376 to make this matter right. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 honda accord. the contact heard loud noises coming from the transmission. he took the vehicle to the dealer and had the vehicle repaired according to nhtsa campaign id number 04v176000 (power train:automatic transmission). four years later, the failure recurred and the vehicle was taken back to the dealer. the dealer replaced the transmission again at the cost of $2,376. the failure mileage was 16,999 and current mileage was 61,010.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 honda accord. while driving between 25-35 mph, the rpm's increased and the gears failed to shift properly. the contact had the vehicle inspected at a local transmission shop and they stated that there was a defect in the first and second shifts, which needed to be repaired or replaced. through online research, the contact discovered nhtsa campaign id number 04v176000 (power train:automatic transmission). the manufacturer stated that the previous owner of the vehicle checked for that recall, but there no defects at that time. no repairs have been made. the failure and current mileages were 80,000.

Transmission failure causes the transmission of slip and down shift while driving. radically changing speeds in traffic because of the downshift or slippage. *tr

Transmission is not catching going from second to third gear. when it does finally shift it jerks hard. doesn't happen all the time though. dealer cant get it to do it. 2 weeks after my passenger seat heater light went out, i only drove my car 6 miles; i took my key out, and it was burning hot. i touched the ignition and it too was burning hot. it did it 2 other times. i went straight to the dealership. they looked at it the next day and couldn't get it to get as hot as it was with me. they said it was "normal."i only have 58,000miles. *tr

The srs airbag light has come on at least 6 different times requiring a visit to the dealer each time. in each case the problem recurred within a few weeks to a few months for unknown reasons. no collisions were ever involved. no bags ever deployed prematurely. each time we have taken the car to the honda dealer. the first time they cleared the dtc code and test drove it. that was $90.00 plus tax. the light did not come back on again for some weeks later. we took the car back again on 11/14/2008 for the same problem. they replaced the driver seat belt at no charge under warranty. a month later the light came on again and we took the car back in on 12/12/2008. they cleared the code for another $90.00 plus tax. back again on 12/03/2009; same problem. this time the blamed it on a seat belt tensioner and repaired under warranty. back again on 5/31/2010. this time they replaced the drivers side seat buckle again under warranty. and finally back again on 6/20/2011, this time not only having this problem, but they say the transmission needs replacement at a cost of over $4000 plus tax. i've filed a separate complaint for that. i see online that there are a very large number of complaints for the srs light, the transmission and many other problems. i see that the srs and transmission problems have caused accidents and injuries. this is a very dangerous vehicle. we are no longer driving it. please investigate asap.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 honda accord. the contact stated that the transmission in his vehicle was previously repaired according to a recall. while driving less than 55 mph, the transmission slipped. the vehicle would not shift gears or accelerate. the contact managed to pull the vehicle over to the side of the road. the dealer stated that the transmission needed to be replaced at the cost of $4,500. the manufacturer would not assume any liability and there were no recalls for the failure. the contact was concerned with his safety and having the vehicle shift into neutral at normal highway speeds. the failure and current mileages were less than 94,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 honda accord. while attempting to pull out of a driveway, the contact depressed the accelerator pedal, but the vehicle failed to move. suddenly, the vehicle shot backwards into the street at 45 mph. she then attempted to place the vehicle into drive once again, but it would not move. suddenly, the vehicle sped forward. she heard a loud noise, but did not know the origin. the contact attempted to drive home, but the vehicle failed again on a main road with moderate to heavy traffic. she aimed the vehicle toward the nearest curb and restarted the vehicle. pointed in the direction of a curb, she was able to move the vehicle towards the curb with one jerk. the previous week, the contact noticed the transmission banging into gear when shifting. the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign id number 04v176000 (power train:automatic transmission), although the failures were similar. other failures include the abs sensor light, cd player, air compressor leakage, trunk release not functioning, and the catalytic converter. the vehicle was towed to the dealer as instructed by the manufacturer and a local mechanic also inspected the vehicle. the vehicle has not been repaired. the failure and current mileages were 60,446. updated 07/29/08. *lj updated 08/05/08. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 honda accord. while driving approximately 60 mph, the transmission suddenly locked and the vehicle came to an immediate stop. when the contact attempted to drive the vehicle again, it lunged forward and stopped several times. there were no warning indicators prior to the failure. the vehicle is currently being diagnosed by the dealer. the current and failure mileages were 120,000.

Bought 2003 honda accord ex v6-mt less than a year ago, with well-documented maintenance schedules (no problems). while normal highway driving, transmission slipped out of gear and would not engage. *tr

Transmission failure which almost caused an accident on highway 17 in lexington, ms. i had just had my car serviced 2 weeks prior to include the transmission and was told the computer could not find anything wrong with the transmission. well, why 70 miles away from home in a curve doing about 50 miles per hour, the rpm went up but the speed went down while in the middle of traffic. i thank god i was not rearended due to the quick decrease in speed. i managed to pull to the side of the road to try to find out what happened. after about 30 minutes, i coasted to a parking lot and had my car towed to patty peck honda in ridgeland, ms. i had 94,000 miles on the car. i had complained about the transmission for years. my car had the 2nd gear recall in 2004, which i had repaired. i had to have my transmission replaced. honda paid 75% and i paid 25%. the transmission failed may 11, 2008 and now my transmission is acting up again. something needs to be done soon. *tr

Honda 2003 accord i was driving home from detroit one day when my car started "jerking". at first it was very mild and i thought it was my imagination. it progressively became worse. i was driving 65 mph when my car stopped immediately and lunged me forward into the steering wheel hitting my head. it was as if someone had hit me from behind. i was on a two lane highway with heavy traffic. i am not sure how i wasn't injured more. honda said the repair was out of warranty and not covered. the car had an earlier recall for the transmission around 20,000 miles for this problem and they tried to say they wouldn't cover it. the corporate office wanted to know if i planned on buying a honda again. when i said no, they said "we might was well stop right here as this program is only for loyal honda customers" (i had bought 3 honda's previously, amazing what they called "loyal") two days later honda called back and said the transmission and part of the car rental would be covered. there are many complaints on the internet about this model year honda for the transmission, but yet it seems honda is not going to recall the transmission. i am concerned there could be and may have been serious if not deadly accidents related to this malfunction, that may not be recognized as such. i am wondering if you are aware of this problem and already investigating crashes involving the honda 2003 accord. *tr

The contact owns a 2003 honda accord. the contact stated that while driving approximately 30 mph, the vehicle slipped out of gear and would not accelerate. there were no deaths, injuries or police report. the current and failure mileage is 102000. jp

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 honda accord. he received a recall notice last year related to a transmission. the dealer replaced something related to the coolant; however, there were no failures with the vehicle at that time. while driving 35 mph, the vehicle's front end hit the ground. he was able to move the vehicle to the side of the road and and restart it. while in route, the failure occurred. the dealer stated that the second gear chipped and he would need a new transmission. the failure and current mileages were 75000.

Automatic transmission failure on freeway led to disabled vehicle. car previously inspected by dealer under transmission recall and deemed ok. transmission rebuilt by third party for $2500 with lingering problems. *tr

On april 3, 2008 i took my car to kuhn honda at 3900 west kennedy blvd, tampa, florida 33609. they did a routine oil change, tire rotation, regular maintenance service. four days later my transmission fell out of the car on the highway and i had to have the car towed to the dealer. i had the 105,000 mile warranty and they replaced the transmission. as driving off the lot i notice the transmission would not shift from second gear. next day i took it back to the dealership, they ordered another transmission and put the new one in. that was wednesday april 16th, 2008. i left the dealership around 3:00pm and the traffic was horrible so i drove less than 3 miles to the mall to shop. parked the car at the mall, when inside and was there less than 10 minutes when i was called by the tampa police department telling me my car was on fire in the parking lot and burnt the entire engine to a crisp. the car was melted like a piece of plastic nothing up to the windshield. the dealership claims no responsibility. they have no idea what happened or why! they claim these things happen and they do not know how it could have happened. they did not even apologize! *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 honda accord. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer for its 70,000 mile service. when she left the dealer, the entire transmission failed. the vehicle was towed to the same dealer and they replaced the transmission. while parked, the entire vehicle caught fire and spread to some tree shrubs. the police and fire departments arrived on the scene and filed a report. the insurance company stated that the vehicle was destroyed. the failure mileage was 70,000. updated 05/13/08. *lj updated 05/13/08

Check engine light came on. took car to honda mechanic. computer code indicated imminent failure of the transmission. called honda and they told me my 2003 accord was not under warranty. this vehicle was recalled in 2004. *tr

Began feeling a shutter when shifting from 2nd to 3rd gear. dealer informed me that their was an internal transmission failure and the transmission had to be replaced. *tr

Make : acura; model : 3.2cl; nhtsa campaign id number : 04v176000 component: power train:automatic transmission bought a honda certified used 2003 accord v6 exl and it is the biggest lemon ever. based on the forums and my currently being replaced transmission, following the recall - honda needs to have a lifetime warranty on their problematic transmissions. my children and i were nearly rear-ended on and off the highway trying to get the (closed) service center d/t transmission slipping and not engaging. unfortunately, as well, honda needs to get the dealerships to on track and provide service and sales that support honda's reputation. i will never buy another honda and that is a shame. i wanted to trade up for the diesel 2010 model but i can't afford another car lifetime of repairs with the exorbitant purchase price of the honda "name"!! *tr

The transmission on my 2003 accord started slipping between 2nd and third gears. i almost got hit from behind with my one year old in the back seat. the transmission had to be replaced. there are numerous cases of such failure. honda seems to have been aware of the problem in 2004. the company had a safety recall to address an issue with the same and to install new oil pumps. it is now clear that the recall was only to prolong the transmission to beyond the warranty limit. the transmission seems to be of substandard quality. i don't know why they don't issue a safety recall. how come the problem was a safety issue in 2004 but not so in later years. because the problem occurs at lower speeds the damages may not include injuries and deaths right now. but that does not mean it is no possible. i guess the gov.'t and honda wont issue a recall as long as there are no injuries or deaths. it is amazing that a car company with such low quality parts is touted as a 'quality' car. just a sad state of the automobile industry. *tr

There were no events leading up to the failure. total automatic transmission failure while driving. no warning. the transmission had to be replaced. no parts are available. the old transmission was returned to honda. this happened while in third gear. *tr

When accelerating between 30mph to 40 mph there is a power loss and the tachometer revs to 6.5 rpm and beyond. the only way to get car to move forward is to take foot off accelerator and let rpm fall below 1 rpm. this will usually work in most cases. usually happens within 3 to 7 miles of first driving the car and when it has been sitting for at least 3 to 4 hours or overnight. *tr

2003 honda accord v6 transmission failure on freeway traveling at 70 mph. luckily no accident occurred due to failure and american honda did replace transmission with remanufactured one. i was able to walk away from this incident and only had to pay the labor to install the new transmission. hopefully the problem will not occur again while i own the car. this seems to be a major safety concern. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 honda accord. while exiting the highway at 45 mph, the vehicle began to accelerate and shifted into second gear. the vehicle suddenly stopped and all the warning lights on the instrument panel began flashing. the check engine light remained illuminated. the contact placed the vehicle into another gear and the rpm increased. he was able to drive to the dealer and they stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. the current and failure mileages were 94,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 honda accord. while driving approximately 50 mph, the contact heard a loud revving noise and the vehicle dramatically decelerated. there were no warning signs prior to the failure. the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure; however, they stated that the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign id number 04v176000 (power train: automatic transmission). the vehicle has not been repaired. the failure and current mileages were 86,000.

Took car to dealership 3 months ago complaining that shift between 2nd and 3rd gear did not seem right. dealer did test and said everything was ok. the other day driving at 40kms/hr, car would not shift into 3rd gear at all. luckily i was not on the highway or far from home when this happen. took car to same dealership, told me they would replace it under warranty of 7yrs and 130,000 kms. luckily i'm only at 99k. honda obviously knows that this transmission is malfunctioning on all v6 automatics, they should be held liable for any serious injuries that this may cause. *tr

Driving on freeway @ 75mph, transmission slipped out of gear and engine redlined at 7500 rpm with loss of acceleration. pulled to side of highway and continued to dealership with hazard lights and minimal acceleration. *tr

While traveling at approx 55 mph the cars transmission suddenly slipped into neutral and then down shifted into 2nd or 3rd gear at 6500 rpm and my speed dropped to 40 mph and lower as the car shuttered and kept slipping in and out of neutral and grabbing a lower gear as i tried to go over a long suspension bridge. it was only by luck that a car or 18 wheeler didn't plow into me. i got the car back to the original dealer who told me that i need a new transmission for $2400 at only 41,000 miles!!!. this transmission was under a recall back in 2004. there is an obvious problem with these honda transmissions that the nhtsa needs to address before someone gets killed or severely injured. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 honda accord. the contact began experiencing transmission failure with her vehicle. shortly afterwards, she received a recall notice for a transmission defect. she took the vehicle to the dealer and they replaced the inner transmission line. the failure was temporarily corrected for approximately three weeks. during that time, the vehicle hesitated while shifting into third gear. the engine revved and a few seconds later it returned to its normal speed. at times, the vehicle would not travel more than 30 mph, and other times, the vehicle just hesitated and stopped pulling. the contact attempted to call the manufacturer, but they would not assist because the recall had previously been repaired on the vehicle. she believes that the recall was not properly done because the failure was still occurring. the recall number was unknown. the failure mileage was 85,000 and current mileage was 113,000.

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 honda accord. when the vehicle is placed into gear and the accelerator pedal is depressed, the contact hears a loud noise. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and they stated that the transmission assembly failed and a new one was needed. the manufacturer stated that the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign id number 04v176000 (power train:automatic transmission). the failure mileage was 115,000 and current mileage was 163,000.

I was driving on the highway going about 65mph, when all of a sudden my rpms shot up to around 6500 and my car slowed to about 40 mph all about a second. it was as if i had slammed on my brakes. this happened about 4 more times before i could get off the highway. my car was recalled for a transmission in 2004 and i took it in but apparently the recall was not enough. this problem could have cause a serious injury to myself and to others and i hope that this can get resolved. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 honda accord. while driving 20 mph, the transmission slipped. the dealer stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. the manufacturer stated that the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign id number 04v176000 (power train:automatic transmission). the current and failure mileages were 91,000.

2003 honda accord transmission failure due to defect is a serious safety issue. honda did emergency recall at 2004, but the recall didn't fix the problem. my experience shows either damage already done or that preventive approach from recall doesn't work. my understanding is honda didn't replace the transmission on most case based on the mileage or degree of damage. i purchased the 2003 honda accord ex-v6 at nov. 2002, i did recall at 2004. when i drive on new jersey 615 last week, all of sudden, the car speed dropped from 60mph to 45 mph. after another five minutes drive at 45 mph, less than one second, it dropped to 25 mph. i see quite few complaints with same horrible experiences at www.carcomplaints.com. my car is 5 years old and with 109,000 mile on it. honda owner's manual requires transmission maintenance at 10 years or first 120,000 mile. obviously the transmission is a defect and is very dangerous (see the complaint on www.carcomplaints.com) , honda should do another recall to fix it. *tr

I have a 2003 honda accord ex v6 automatic (111,000 miles) i had transmission problems yesterday with my car...i had problems 4 times yesterday while driving on the highway, all 4 times, my car wouldn't not accelerate and would eventually go into neutral and not go and this in effect caused a very unsafe situation on the highway. i understand if this was a normal problem with my transmission...but i just have a little over 100k miles and i started doing research on this matter, and found that this particular year and engine and this problem is happening to lots of people. please read some of these ... http://www.carcomplaints.com/honda/accord/2003/transmission/transmission_failure.shtml. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 honda accord. while driving 30 mph, the gear would not shift into third. the vehicle would not accelerate for approximately ten seconds and the rpm's increased to 5,000. the dealer repaired the vehicle under nhtsa campaign id number 04v176000 (power train:automatic transmission); however, the failure continued. the vehicle was taken back to the dealer and they stated that the gears were discolored, but not severely enough for them to replace the transmission. the current and failure mileages were 47,000.

My 2003 accord v-6 ex tranny failed at 83k. honda dealer says 3rd gear gone. what if he's wrong. if thermal breakdown shouldn't matter which gear. fluid levels were fine. went out going downhill! dealer wants 3k for rebuilt tranny. i disagree that i should pay for a part that will fail again. not my fault their part is faulty.*cn

My 2003 accord v6 ex sedan transmission did not shift from 2nd to 3rd gear. this has happened on 3 occasions in less than 1 month (12/6 & 1215/07 & 1/4/08). if this failure occurs when my husband or i need to accelerate into traffic, we are at risk for being rear-ended. on the last occassion, i had to stop to get my car, put it in neutral then put it into drive to function correctly. i found information on this issue at carcomplaints.com. *cn

December 5th, 2007 i drove my 2003 honda accord onto our driveway pad, just like any other night. i turned off the car, took the key out and got out of the car. as i was getting ready to close the door, i realized the car was rolling backwards. i started back towards the car when the door was knocking me down. when i fell, i tried to get up immediately. i must have had my right leg bent, because the car ran over my left leg at the calf area. i sustained a crush injury to the leg. the squad was called. i was taken to unc memorial chapel hill ed, where i was treated for a crushed leg injury and sent home to observe for increasing compartment syndrome symptoms. i ended up with two large blisters/wounds to my left leg. one healed the other required skin graphs/donor site left thigh. hospitalized one week on bed rest for the grafts to take. have suffered permanent damage and chronic pain to the left leg. *tr

Automatic transmission has difficulty shifting to next gear between 2nd & 3rd and between 3rd and 4th. *tr

The automatic transmission on my 2003 honda accord ex v6 failed suddenly while my wife was driving. luckily, she was able to steer the car to the side of the road and avoid an accident. but this failure could have been catastrophic in heavier traffic. i bought the car new and have had it serviced according to honda's recommendations. the car had 64,800 miles on it when the failure occurred. although honda paid 25% of the cost, i was still left with a substantial bill for a repair that should not have been necessary at the car's age and mileage. moreover, i believe the transmission problem in certain honda v-6 vehicles is a known defect--one the company has not adequately addressed. honda recalled '03 accord v-6s in '04 to retrofit the transmissions with oil jet packs to correct an insufficient lubrication problem. the fix apparently didn't work. i'm concerned the transmission in my car might fail again with more serious consequences. *tr