Problems with 2003 Honda Accord ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The car can be shut off and the ignition key can be removed from the ignition switch without putting the car in park. (note that we are aware of a current recall for this problem, but our vehicle is not part of the general recall of american made honda accords. ours was manufactured in japan; however we are having the same problem as the american made models.)

Upon turning the car on, the backlight behind the radio went dark. it is impossible to read the radio lights, radio mode, station, time of day, volume, a/c and/or heat settings, temp of a/c and/or heat. i feel it is distracting and unsafe to attempt to use/control these "invisible" settings while operating the vehicle. there was a tsb released for certain 03 & 04 honda accords affected by this defective hardware, but only a warranty extension was given. i recently purchased this vehicle with the radiolight intact, no i am being told is will cost me 350$ to fix an already known defective hardware problem that i feel creates a safety problem when operating this vehicle. this problem has been made aware to honda for a number of years now, and they have not placed a recall on it, as one service rep told me, "because recalls deal with safety issues, this radio is not a safety issue." i beg to differ, a defective part and safety issue warrants further compensation by honda to its vehicle owners. *tr

Tl* tl-the contact owns a 2003 honda accord. while the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed that the display for the radio, heater, air conditioner and defroster were no longer illuminated. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for the failure. the failure mileage was 50,500 and the current mileage was 51,000.

My 2003 honda ex accord is experiencing ignition issues that fall under this known recall: nhtsa campaign id number: 02v120000 recall data: 05/16/2002 components: electrical system:ignition:switch units affected: 1000000 1999 honda accord electrical system:ignition:switch recall date: 05/16/2002 when i called honda and shared my vin number [xxx]they said that my particular vehicle wasn't covered under the recall, but i believe that it should be since the issue that i have been experiencing perfectly fit the issue outlined in the recall: nhtsa campaign id number: 02v120000. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Control panel display (audio-hvac display) failure. i have a 2003 honda 4 door (w/o navigation)accord ex. about 2-3 months ago while driving the display panel for the vehicle operating systems-radio, heat/ac, time blacked out. at-near the time of this occurrence i was on the new york state thruway. a flashing (emergency) sign -flashing 'emergency' 'check radio channel 530 or 1610 for details'- notifying an emergency. as i was driving and could not see the radio display. it was dark. i was unable to access the emergency notice. my vehicle was taken to honda and was told this repair was a defect. this repair was part of a campaign to fix this display, per honda service bulletin 04-027 but the program for my vehicle had expired. they mentioned the campaign was part of a campaign not a recall, even though they acknowledge safety was one of the issues in the program. i live in an area where the roads are equipped with emergency message signage' are frequent and commonplace. not having the ability to access these messages due to a campaign program where no notice was received by me (i am the original owner of the vehicle). this problem, with potential safety implications seems to rise to the level of a defect. as i write, the display is dark and has not even flickered since the initial occurrence. *tr

I first noticed issues with my auto tranny in my accord ex v6 at around 50k miles. they had just installed some jet for the recall for hard shifting for this car. at about 80k i noticed it getting worse, so i told my mechanic and he changed the tranny oil for me. it seemed to shift a little better and this was only from 2-3 gear that it would rev up to about 5k and then jerk the car to get into 3rd. it's very embarrassing and i'm afraid it's going to lock up on me on the freeway. i saw that california filed a suit against honda and honda settled. every state should be filing a suit - i'd be first in line! i too talked to honda and the hq for honda, but since mine has so many miles on it (all freeway), they are blaming that, even tho i have maintenance records showing it's been a problem. they don't want to step up to the plate. i hope some lawyer gets a hold of these complaints and sues them like california did. this is my 2nd honda and i swore by it, but i'll never buy another honda after this. even from day one i've asked honda about the dimming of the headlights when the car shifts and they said it was normal cuz they car needed all the power to do the shifting, so they wouldn't do anything about it. i've owned several other cars and this was never an issue. i don't know if it's the year of this accord or that it's a v6, but it's very frustrating and honda should be ashamed! if complaints keep happening, you'd think they would fix the issues or investigate it a little harder since they already did one recall on them. i have told all my friends not to buy honda and told them why. let's spread the word and maybe when their sales go down, they might wonder why and do something about it. i'm now faced with a $4k to rebuild my tranny. sickens me, especially when the car is only worth $7k cuz i have 140k miles on it now. email me if you can help sue them...[xxx] . information redacted ...

Was able to remove car key from ignition while car still in "drive". *tr

On jan 4th, 2010 my radio light went out! it is black, i can't see the time or settings for my heating or ac controls. i called my dealer and found out there was a recall for that problem. i never received a noticed of the recall and it has expired 2 months ago! it was 100,000 miles or 7 yrs which ever comes first. but than they extended 500 more miles but didn't add more time to the years. i have a 2003 honda accord and again it ended in november 2009. so they won't fix is for free! i don't know who to call about this situation. i should have been notified but wasn't! what can i do? *tr

Unable to remove key from ignition in 2003 honda accord during cold weather. the problem is my car could be stolen since i can't get my key out, therefore i can't lock my car. i am carrying a spare key, but anyone can look in my car and see my key in the ignition. all you need to do is break my window and drive away with my car. *tr

Srs light comes on intermittently while driving. talked with the dealer he told me to get the srs module replaced. i think this is a manufacturers fault not installing proper srs sensor module into honda accord ex model cars. i truly believe this is a safety issue. *tr

The heated seat element on driver's seat malfunctions, had sporadically come on at random times (had been occurring several times per week) with button in off position, on my '03 honda accord. it would get quite hot near lower back portion of seat. the dealer had disconnect at my request the wire on the console button, in hopes this addressed the situation. i'm not confident this has been totally resolved, and my vehicle has had 3 inexplicable electrical issues over the past 12-14 months. my concern is that this is a fire and safety hazard. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 honda accord. the contact stated that after he parked his vehicle in the garage and removed the key out of the ignition, the vehicle rolled backwards and crashed into a tree. there were no injuries. there was extensive damaged to the rear bumper of the vehicle. the insurance company repaired the vehicle; however, the contact was responsible for the repair cost. the dealer stated that if he was able to take the key out of the ignition that there was no failure. the dealer did not call the contact regarding the failure; although, he had taken the vehicle back for other routine maintenance. nhtsa recall #10v364000, electrical system ignition dated august 04, 2010 was related to the failure and was not expected to begin until on or about september 29, 2010. the manufacturer was not contacted. the vehicle was not repaired by the dealer. the failure mileage was 65,000. updated 11/05/10 *bf updated 11/05/10.*jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 honda accord. while driving 20 mph, the vehicle failed to shift from second into third gear. as a result, the rpm's increased and the vehicle failed. the contact was able to get the vehicle to shift into the correct gear after a couple of seconds. there were no warnings prior to the failure. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and they stated that the transmission was slipping between second and third gear, and also bangs when switching into reverse. the dealer spoke with the manufacturer and they offered the contact 50% off the total bill, which would amount to $1,508.73. the contact refused and no repairs have been made. the vehicle was repaired according to nhtsa campaign id number 04v176000 (power train:automatic transmission), but the failure has recurred. the contact is in the process of notifying the manufacturer. the failure mileage was 59,000 and current mileage was 59,500. updated 08/19/09 *bf also, the lights for the temperature, radio and defroster were out. updated 08/20/09.*jb

Bought this car used (with over 140,000 miles) for my teenage son. when he turned the headlights on - all the interior display lights for radio, heating and air conditioning and defrosters went dark. we called honda of america and they denied any knowledge of history of this recurring problem. they even went so far to say that because the honda was manufactured in mexico that no warranties applied. the car had a 6 cd player when we bought it honda said the entire radio system could only be replaced by a single disc player. it cost $1000 to have the problem fixed. i own 3 hondas, have owned hondas for decades and will look to american made cars for all my future purchases. *tr

My 2003 honda accord ex has had an ongoing problem of the accessory lights going out that control the radio and hvac controls. it is actually a transistor on the printed circuit board blowing that controls the consoles lighting. honda knows about the issue and has put out an extended warranty about this for 7 years or 105,000 miles, whichever comes first. if the warranty is out, the cost to fix it through the dealership is $700-900, not something many people these days can afford, and because they can't afford it, their safety is decreased. although this is a known issue and the warranty has run out, they really should take responsibility and fix any that have this problem because this is a serious distraction while driving. multiple times i've tried to change my temperature or radio settings and while trying to see the display almost gotten into an accident. there are message boards all over the internet addressing this issue and how much of a safety concern this is. an anonymous user posted this on the boards: : "can't view anything on the radio display or center controls. this is especially dangerous at night when trying to adjust the heat or a/c and can't see what i'm doing. honda should definitely fix the issue. it really is a safety problem." more details here: http://www.carcomplaints.com/honda/accord/2003/accessories-interior/stereo_backlight_blew_cant_just_replace_the_bulb.shtml. *tr

2003 honda accord ex. all the lcd lights on the center dash console went out, which includes all the radio indicators and all the temperature control indicators. this in my opinion is a hazard because you have to keep pushing buttons trying to find the temperature control that you want. after doing some research on the internet this seems to be a common occurrence. *tr

The wiring harness on my honda accord recently had various places where rodent(s) have chewed on it that resulted in engine problems. the same thing happened two times in 2007 on a chrysler pacifica. in researching online, it appears that this is a much larger problem than i would have thought, with hundreds if not thousands of incidents, primarily on newer vehicles. some of the posts have indicated that several manufacturers are using a soy based wiring harness material covering the actual wires. this seems to be attracting all sorts of rodents including mice, rats, squirrels, and even rabbits. if this problem is as big as it appears, this well may be costing consumers millions of dollars per year! *tr

The ignition switch heats up unusually after it is taken out of the car driven for 15 miles or so. *tr

This issue has occurred since 2008, but thought it was something the dealership service department did. the issue periodically occurs, but does cause me to startle while driving. it happened again on yesterday while driving and pressing the on and button on the control panel did not work as usual. i had to turn the engine off to stop the issue. i surfed the internet to find out was there anyone else having this issue and behold it happened exactly as the person mentioned. so, read below: radio static noise on 2003 accord forumstoday's postslog inregister home/audio/visual electronics radio static noise on 2003 accord #1 12-19-2011 12:46 pm by[xxx] c hello, i got headache problem with radio on my 2003 accord. actually since 2008, sometimes radio display is blank in the beginning when car starts up. it usually resumes normal in 1 - 2 mins. sometimes radio station info show up but no sound. if trying to turn off/on a couple of time, it can get it working. recently i am getting static noise occasional coming out from speakers in the beginning when car starts up. it lasts 10 - 20 seconds then completely gone. yesterday it scared me as the noise sounds like a big lightning strikes after i starts up car. it lasts 20 - 30 seconds, then radio gets normal in minutes as usual. the sudden noise takes you by surprise when driving and causes physiological and physical responses. so, it appears there was some sort of electrical issue with the radio with this make, model and year. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 honda accord. the contact stated that the key could be removed from the ignition when the vehicle was shifted into any gear. the gear did not need to be placed into park. there was no warning prior to the failure. the vehicle was not taken to an authorized dealer for repair. the contact was concerned of the safety risk involved. the failure mileage was 27,000 and current mileage was 28,000. updated 09/25/08 *bf updated 09/26/08. *jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 honda accord. while backing out of the driveway, the instrument panel lighting failed without warning. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and they stated that there was an extended warranty with the control circuit. the vehicle was excluded from the warranty due to excessive mileage. the vehicle has not been repaired. the failure and current mileages were unavailable.

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

No malfunction key gets extremely hot in all types of weather. so hot it is too hot to hold honda dealer says it's normal. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 honda accord. the contact experienced failures with the window motors, the front driver and passenger doors, and the rear passenger door. the dealer was notified and the front driver side door was repaired. the other two doors and window motors were not repaired. the failure continued to occur intermittently. the manufacturer was not notified. the approximate failure mileage was 90,000.

The back light that lights all of my instruments in my dash went out. i own a 2003 honda accord ex. there was no sign of a problem and then all of a sudden the lights went out...there is not a fuse or anything that controls this problem. it is a wiring issue in the stereo that causes the problem and it can be in upwards of $1000 to fix a light issue according to the forums online. *tr

During daylight, control panel/navigator is dark. cannot read controls resulting in failure to observe instrument settings. during night, navigation system will not dim, resulting in visual hazard to driving. *tr

I drive a 2003 honda accord with 71,000 miles. the ignition key is stuck at position 1 of 3 and cannot be returned to 0. i am unable to get the key out in any gear position (others have tried it as well) and am unable to retrieve the key. *tr

1.brake light stays on while engine is running and never goes out. when lead is disconnected from master cylinder, light goes out and remains out. 2. air bag light is on when temperature is below 70 degrees and goes out when outside temperature is higher. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 honda accord. sporadically, while driving various speeds, the vehicle would spontaneously stall. speed was not a factor during the failure. prior to the failure, the contact noticed an unfamiliar warning indicator illuminated on the instrument control panel. she also experiences difficulty when starting the vehicle and battery failure. the battery has not been replaced. she took the vehicle to the dealer on numerous occasions, but they could not duplicate the failure or find any error codes. the failure mileage was 37,520 and current mileage was 45,826.

The lcd on the console which controls the radio and air temperature, just blew out, this afternoon. we cannot see anything on there. i just researched the problem online and see that this is a common recurring problem. the fix is to replace the whole radio system which costs around $ 500 plus. i do believe this is honda's responsibility. i do not expect something like the lcd screen to blow out in just a little after 45000 miles. and i did not drive my car often. this is definitely a manufacturer's defect and problem.*ak

Tl*- the contact owns a 2003 honda accord with a failure mileage of 83,000. the contact stated that when she turned on the headlights the instrument panel became too dim to read. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer, and was told that the audio unit had to be replaced. the dealer replaced the unit free of charge, but the failure recurred. the current mileage was 85,975.*ak

What will be the determination and procedure for honda and acura motor vehicles as it relates to the 2.5% error on the odometers from 2002 to 2006? *nm

The ignition key stock in the ignition switch in accessories on position, twice i called to honda relations and to the dealer for service. *jb

The backlighting on the center console went out. no fuses were blown. radio and a/c are operation but you cannot see the status. you cannot control the heat or the defroster. without knowing the status of this equipment, an accident is almost assured..fogged front window. *nm

This problem has been occurring intermittently for 2.5 years, has never manifested itself while at the dealer. it all started with the yellow traction control triangle lighting up, right after we bought the car. no symptoms, just solid non-blinking light on dash. dealer had no solution. the problem got worse when my wife noticed that the car's transmission seemed to "bog down". i never experienced it, just my wife. dealer said this was just the traction control kicking in, no solution. last july, 4 hours from home, the car suddenly bogged down on me, i immediately looked down at the dash... the car was traveling 70 mph, the speedometer was dead, the engine was dead, i happened to be at an exit ramp, so i coasted off the interstate to a stop. i called the dealer in the nearest city, and they said to restart the car, i did, and it ran. i took the car to auto zone where they said the code was "speed control sensor/short". dealer checked it, and said there was no problem with sensor. they blamed it on having too much transmission fluid in the transmission. a few times since july, the car has mysteriously gone dead in traffic, notably while in the turn lane. 2 weeks ago, the red brake light started coming on. an isolated and separate issue i think. last week, i drove 1 hour to the airport. the traction control and check engine light came on, and every time i used the turn indicator, the car died. it restarted itself as soon as the turn indicator was released if moving fast on road. while looping around the airport terminal, it stalled several times as i tested to see if the turn signal still killed it, having to shift to neutral and restart, as the car was idling when it stalled this time. i turned the car off to load bags, and when i turned it back on, no symptoms, and it has not done it since last week. the dealer could not reproduce the problem, again no solution. *jb

Illumination in radio fails. not readily replaceable, not even by dealer. this failure also causes loss of illumination for thermostat and fan control on dash which creates a major distraction at night when trying to adjust these controls. this distraction could lead to loss of control, a crash, and/or serious injury. *nm

2003 honda accord. consumer states that her vehicle rolled into another vehicle when the key was taken out of the ignition. she had to pay to fix the other vehicle and would like to be reimbursed since there is a recall for this issue. *kb

2003 honda accord ex v6 - radio control, ac control and clock control backlight stopped working. contacted dealer and told that radio would have to be removed and sent to california for repairs. cost estimated in excess of $500. *nm

I have a 2003 honda accord with approximately 52,000 miles and yesterday the radio lights and the center pod lights which control the heating and air conditioning lighting stop working and i have no idea what happened, i have checked any and all fuses under the dash and also in the engine compartment and there are blown fuses. nothing else so far is out of the norm, i am just no sure where to look or what to do since the vehicle is out of warranty. *jb

Recently the back light on the radio/hvac/clock panel went out. after checking all fuses it was determined not to be a blown fuse. service advisor/mechanic informed me that it would cost between $200-$400 to fix and that the radio unit needed to be replaced. this led me to conduct my own research and was surprised and disappointed to find that this has been and continues to be a common problem on newer models of honda accords ('03 and newer). i also learned from numerous other owners that they'd received the runaround from the car dealership service departments. however, several indicated that after making numerous calls to honda of america the company agreed to pay for the repair. it appears to be a wiring problem, which could, in my opinion, lead to more serious problems. as a single parent i purchased the honda for my daughter, who attends college some 700 miles away from home and requires a safe and reliable vehicle. since honda of america is aware of the problem they really should issue a recall to owners. *jb

Dt*: the contact stated that while driving 45 mph, the backlighting on the center console climate controls darkened, making the controls impossible to see while driving at night. the vehicle was not taken in for service, however the manufacturer was alerted.

Center light for stereo and console is burnt out. this means that a driver can not choose critical controls why driving unless they turn an interior light on. *nm

Took my car in for a regular oil change. hours later i received a phone call from the service advisor asking me, if i had time so he could talk to me regarding my car. i said, yes and the service advisor from honda dealership went on to tell me that i needed my transmission fluid changed, brake fluid changed, and my engine coolant changed. the total amount of cost came to $500.29 which i thought i was being ripped off. the honda service advisor also went on to tell me that i need to have my front struts replaced because they are bad. i noticed when i would make a right hand turn i would hear a squeaky noise. he confirmed that it was my front struts. i ask the service advisor how long does it normally take for struts to wear out he told me around 80,000-100,000 miles well my 2003 honda accord ex only have 48,000 miles on it. i'm assuming that i probably started off with bad struts in the beginning since i had my honda accord ex, i have had nothing but problems. now, that my car is out of warranty i'm hit with a huge fee to get struts replaced on a car which i think was bad in the first place. my honda accord ex was originally purchased by me in december of 2002. i have been the only driver of the car. at this time i would never purchase another honda accord. i used to have an 2000 honda accord ex never had a problem. since i have had this car there have been recalls on my car. i have had problems with the door latches, inside panel on passenger side coming off. sunroof rubber coming unglued. i had to have the windshield replaced bad wipers which scratched the windshield up. new radio system. trouble with the lights for the heated seats, dash board lights went out. radio lights went out. i was sold a complete lemon. i believe honda should look into my maintenance record and see all the problems i have had with this car and really consider replacing the struts for me. i do not have an extended warranty it's going to cost me $700. ...

Problem statement: 2003 honda accord console control lighting and stereo background lighting has failed. why is this a problem: during night time driving you cannot see the controls to make adjustments and therefore have to turn on the overhead lighting to make any adjustments to the fan, temperature, change air flow position etc, or adjust the stereo. this is an error precursor to having an accident as it distracts you from driving. this is a generic problem: a quick research of the web indicates this is a common failure among honda accords ranging from years 2003 to 2005. in these honda accords all of the console control lighting is powered by circuits in the stereo and therefore the only fix is to replace the stereo at an estimated cost of $300 to $500 dollars. *nm

The back lighting on my radio clock has stopped working. *jb

Noticed honda factory service bulletin #05-034 explains why headlamps dim at night, faulty circuit in fuse box of 2003, 2004 and some 2005 hondas, why is this not a recal? *jb

The lights on the stereo and the center of the dashboard went out and would not come back on. unable to see the control switches for the ac/heater which was dangerous during night driving. the stereo worked - but it is completely dark - no lights. i called honda on 2 occasions about it ( case# : n032006-03-08-00025) and explained the situation to them and even reported that there was a service bulletin for a known problem with the 2003 honda accords ( bulletin : 04-027 ). however, the honda representatives were not particularly helpful and would not acknowledge the validity of the service bulletin. also, they did not want to admit that there is a known problem with the 2003 accords and back lights on the dashboard. i took the car to a honda dealership in woodstock and they eventually replaced the complete stereo with a re-furbished one which solved the problem (at no charge) - initially the dealership did not want to acknowledge that there was a known problem which caused the back lights on the dashboard to go out. luckily, the car was still under warranty, i found many similar complaints on the internet where it ended up costing the owners between $400 - $800. *jb

The illumination (back light) behind the climate control and audio system has gone out making it impossible to select the defrost controls which makes cold weather driving near impossible. also, climate control inside the vechicle is almost impossible during the day and impossible during the night. pulling off to the side of the freeway to adjust the controls (with the aid of a flashlight) poses it's own set of dangers. *jb

Defective hvac/radio backlight backlight malfunctions and hvac and radio controls and display goes dark. there have been previous service bullitens released on this issue and its a know defect; however honda refuses to replace part. *nm

I bought my accord ex when it was 2 years old. the light on the radio didn't light up, so the dealership fixed it before i bought it. they told me it cost them $300. also, my cruise control has gone out. and it's not the fuse. *tr