Problems with 2003 Honda Accord POWER TRAIN

I recently purchased the 2003 honda accord for travel. after purchasing the vehicle i noticed that the check engine light was on. the mechanic told me that there was a torque converter that needed to be replaced. after doing additional research i found that other honda owners had this same issue. my car rumbles when driving through residential areas. when i try to enter my vin number in to see if my car is eligible it won't come up, but i'm definitely experiencing the transmission slipping in specific gears. *tr

2003 honda accord. consumer states car stopped while driving due to transmission failure. *ta the consumer stated the vehicle just stopped. it would not go forward, made noises and at times hesitated. the problem was diagnosed as a faulty torque converter solenoid. the consumer drove the vehicle for one week, when the problem returned. the dealer informed the consumer, the transmission needed to be replaced at a cost of $5400. the consumer took the vehicle to a repair shop, where the transmission was replaced for $3,000. *jb

Transmission just downshift to first gear while driving in the highway. almost got rear end really bad . *tr

The transmission slips into 1st gear has a burnt rubber smell in fluid. i had recall complete and still have problem! *tr

My 2003 honda accord ex v-6 has 229000 miles and is need of its fourth set of engine/motor mounts. i have owned several accords and have never had this problem. the car jerks upon take off and makes grinding sounds when decelerating . also, the car squeaks, moans, and groans when slowing down to make left and right turns. my mechanic told me it is rare for a car to need motor mounts so often for a vehicle. due to the broken motor mounts, the car's oil pan has begun to leak due to movement of the engine and transmission and power steering fluids are leaking due to the movement. also, my airbag warning light turns on intermittently. i have checked several times and my car is not included in the takata airbag recall, but it does concern me. i don't know if there is a problem or if it is an electrical problem.

As driving along normally, the car started to downshift and rev up very high, sudden drop of speed came and the car behind me almost rear ended me. when checked online, it was the transmission that has failed and it has happened to everyone who owned this year model. *js

I purchased my 2003 accord brand new from a honda dealership. in 2004 there was a recall to fix a defect with second gear in the transmission. my car was fixed under the recall (or so i thought). i have been having continuous problems with second gear slipping. in other words when the car is in second gear it feels like its in neutral because you step on the gas and the car does not move. you have to wait for the car to shift again. you never know when or where it will happen. on 11/17/14 i was trying to get on the highway. i made a left turn to enter the highway when the second gear slipped. my car was stuck under a traffic light when the traffic light changed from green to red. oncoming traffic was approaching my vehicle at 65-70mph. i was almost broad sided. honda knows about this defect and will not replace the transmission in my car. there have been several class action lawsuits against honda for this problem. i believe this is a serious safety issue not just for me because i own the car, but for anyone who is operating a vehicle on the roadways. honda should be held accountable for this defect. i also have a takata airbag which is not subject to the recall. so i have 2 problems, the defect with the transmission puts me at a higher risk for getting into and accident. if i am in an accident and the airbag goes off, i could be injured and/or killed by the airbag. how can honda get away with this? *tr

Transmission failure...suddenly disengaged! luckily i was not on the freeway (i-80); only driving 35 miles per hour three block from home. *tr

When i drive on the road at around 45mph, i experienced a sudden shift to low gear and then the gear is neutralized. i pressed the pedal, but no speed increased while the rpm got very high. i must have pulled over and restarted the car. i have struggled much to get home dangerously. i brought the car the honda dealer. they offered to replace the transmission at the price $4300. this is ridiculous! i bought the car last year for $8500. i have replaced many parts including the timing belt. it cost me more than $3000 already. i could have bought a new car with all the money i already spent and will spend on it. i have called honda america and also asked the dealer to call them for a good will repair. no good will is got. honda do not respect their customers' life. they suck my money and leave me stranded. i have checked on line and found this is a wide-spread and well-known transmission problem of honda accord 2003. honda become murderers because they leave these cars with defective transmission run on the road. a recall definitely is in need to prevent fatal accidents. *tr

Transmission locks in second gear when driving violently downshifts to second gear and over revs and no reverse after it cools same result seems to be overheating and starving for fluid. *tr

I have experienced the same problems that over 800 people on this site alone have had with the 2003 honda accord transmission. i am the original owner of this honda, when purchased had 30 miles on it. received the recall notice and immediately took the car to the closet dealership for repair. was told by the service guy that they only inspected my car but did not do anything to it.they did not feel it was necessary. i felt this was odd because honda knew there was a problem. on october 30th, 2014, now at approximately 150,000 miles i was on my lunch hour, when suddenly my vehicle downshifted and began losing all power on a very busy 4 lane highway.before coming to a complete stop, i managed to slowly get off to the side of the road before causing any kind of major accident.had my local trusted mechanic take a look at it and he called me back today to let me know that i needed a new transmission.he contacted several "transmission specialist" and they have refused to even try to fix my vehicle because they are fully aware of the transmission problems with the 2003 honda accord.i have contacted honda's customer service department as well as the honda product concern department and was told the only thing that i can do now is to have a new transmission put into my car, at my cost.i am not asking for a handout, but honda has known for a long time that the 2003 honda accord had major transmission problems and they refuse to accept any kind of responsibility.fortunately, no one was injured when my defective transmission decided to blow but what if that had not been the case?does it actually take someone being seriously injured or losing their life for honda to step up to the plate and seriously take responsibility for their mistake?have always been a loyal honda owner up until now always trusted that they would stand by their product. boy was i wrong!!!!!!!!! *tr

I started to use the honda around 2008 for work. it's mileage was about 25000 miles due to the use of a second family car at the time. i have an extensive record of maintaining my honda with a local honda dealership since i purchased an extended warranty that expired in april 2014. on aug 26, 2014 i left my work and entered the freeway ramp at about 30 mph ready to accelerate and merge with traffic. the car started hesitating and the rpms would race without the car picking up speed. concerned about the cars behind me and making a very fast decision to move right as fast as i could without getting rear ended, i managed to exit the freeway to a right off ramp. i experienced the same rpm acceleration a week or two prior to this incident, but i thought i had just hit the gas peddle in a strange way while driving. i exited the freeway and drove home. when i arrived by my home 10 minutes later, the car stopped accelerating and i drifted into a parking space on the side of my house. a family member helped me straighten out the car in two moves after i placed it in neutral. i ended up towing the car to my local dealership who diagnosed it as aa broke transmission. the honda was purchased brand new, i'm the only owner and it was bought because of it's reliability, reputation and quality in general.. *js

2004 safety recall for defective transmissions. vehicle was with dealer for one hour and returned to me with statement that transmission was fine. i asked about paperwork and the answer was "none needed. it's fine." transmission gears recently locked up, almost causing rear-end collision. *tr

Driving family of 4 home from church, stopped at an intersection stop sign. came off brake and onto accelerator to cross the intersection and transmission immediately and unexpectedly broke apart, leaving our car stuck in the intersection. extremely dangerous as traffic was continuous where we were crossing. more importantly, the transmission failure was without symptoms, with maintenance kept.... the transmission was a 4 year old honda dealership replacement for another transmission which failed in may 2010. total mileage on replacement transmission = 86k miles, with transmission fluid replaced 2 years ago by honda. in may 2010, i was driving the same 2003 honda v6 accord vehicle on the highway at night, when the transmission (@ 122k miles) slammed down from 4th gear to 1st gear slamming me forward (thankful i wear a seatbelt)....extremely dangerous situation, near miss incident. honda had a recall on the original 2003 accord v6 transmission, which they "fixed" with an add on kit in 2004, not a replacement of the transmission. honda refused to pay for or contribute towards the replacement transmission in 2004 or in 2010! honda never reported back to me what was the cause of failure to the original transmission which they took upon installation of replacement in 2010. i also owned a 2003 honda odyssey which honda recalled though that transmission and replaced by honda versus the "kit". i believe that near miss incidents are as actionable as fatalities, fires and physical injuries. i feel fortunate that my family was spared injury or death yesterday, however i am deeply concerned that these honda transmissions are time bombs and lives are constantly at risk wherever these cars and minivans are on the road. please encourage honda motors to take 100% remedial action to protect the public from these poorly engineered and manufactured transmissions. *tr

As i was driving to work the car started slipping, then as i arrived to my destination the car wouldn't go into gear at all. the car was overheating, as i called for service after work i tried starting the car again and it did go into gear. i drove it to the place for service but having to stop and let car cool down a couple times on the way there. they told me it's the transmission and will need a new one, or have it repaired. now i'm aware of many 2003 accords with the same problem, there should be a recall on this! i've owned 4 honda cars and all from brand new vehicles and never a problem like this before. i have had this problem one other time of not going into gear, but it came out of it after it was cooled and sitting for a few hours, so never had that problem again until now. we don't drive this car very much as i work from my home, so it didn't go out until now. i'm told we must drive it little, which is true, and not hard on our vehicles at all, because this would have happened much earlier if we had. also the air bag lights come on randomly with no reason, we had it tested and they said it was fine, humidity? that's another one to be recalled! honda, you need to help us and recall the faults that you know are an issue if you want us to continue buying your vehicles! a used to be loyal honda owner for all my life. *tr

Transmission failure causing rapid deceleration in the middle lanes of an interstate highway, i-95. *tr

Traveling north on i-83 from baltimore to pennsylvania, the car started jerking violently, and came to a complete stop, front wheels quit rotating (locked?). we were thrown forward against our seatbelts, the rear of the car jumping slightly to the right. gratefully, traffic was light. we shifted gears on the console back and forth and got the car moving again, taking the middletown rd. exit, pulled off the road, checked transmission fluid, read the car manual. half-hour later, we continued slowly, but after a few miles, the car began jerking again, slowing, sometimes stopping. we were able to get home with hazard lights flashing, letting cars pass by pulling to the side. this was early afternoon, very little traffic, and we were not far from home. had car towed to dealer who said transmission failure, needed to be replaced. we bought this car new in 2003, maintained it per manufacture suggestions, and had no prior problems or indication the transmission was failing as the car was running as smoothly as it has since it was new. *tr

Transmission slipped then violently down shifted into 1st gear. could not shift out of first gear until getting into neutral. i was almost rear-ended going 45 mph because of this! *tr

This has happened 3 times in just a couple of weeks and probably would have occurred more but i'm scared to drive it and only do so when necessary now. i live off a one lane highway on the mountains and should this happen with someone right behind me, i fear my life being in jeopardy. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 honda accord. the contact stated that the gear shifter separated from the handle while attempting to change gears. the contact placed her finger into the left side of the gear shifter in order to shift the gear handle. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the gear shifter plastic holder had melted in the gear shaft. as a result, the gear shifter knob and cover needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacture was not made aware of the failure. the failure and current mileage was 96,928. updated 08/21/14*lj updated 09/5/2014 *js

The total transmission had to be replaced in my accord due to it not shifting into gear properly. i've owned multiple honda's over the years, so i am greatly disappointed in the quality i've grown to expect from honda. needless to say, this was dangerous as well as a costly repair. honda was obviously aware of the problem just due to the number of complaints, yet did nothing for their buyers/car owners. *tr

This is the second occurrence of the transmission failing in this car. originally honda recalled the vehicle for a gear failure issue. in oct. 2004 i took the vehicle to a dealership where i lived at the time and they replaced a cooling line that supposedly would resolve the issue. five years later the transmission failed and would not shift out of 2nd gear and i do not drive many miles per year. i took the car to aamco because honda was talking about charging me over $3000.00 for the repair but at no time did the representative at honda state that this could be due to the recall and that honda may in fact replace the transmission at no cost to me if it was determined that the failure was due to the previous recall. so i negotiated with them (honda) and they refunded me approximately 40% of the $2150.00 i paid to aamco in lawrenceville ga. here i am 4 years later and the same issue has resurfaced. the transmission has locked up again and luckily i was not traveling at any significant speed. thecar now sits in my garage with everything on it working except the transmission, same scenario as in 2010. i have received three or four recall notices on this vehicle and have complied with honda to take the vehicle to the dealership to resolve any issues. i am the original owner and would have expected much more reliability and dependability from this vehicle that after financing with honda motor corp i paid in excess of $30,000.00 in 2002. there seems tobe a pattern that after about 80,000 miles the transmissions in these vehicles are subject to fail when all warranty coverage has passed and leaving the consumer with little or no recourse. if i am correct this should surely fall under lemon law provisioning. *tr

Driving down the road at 65 mph, my 2003 honda accord v6 suddenly decelerated. it was like the car downshifted by itself. i let off of the gas and turned my hazard blinkers on. i accelerated to 65 mph again and after about half a mile, the car suddenly decelerated again. i pull over to the shoulder and drove slowly to the nearest honda dealer (only half mile away). the dealer told me that this issue was a problem with the transmission and i would need a new one. i asked if any work was done when i brought in the car (a couple of years ago) for the 2nd gear work. the service manager said that the car was inspected at that time and nothing abnormal was found, so no work was performed on the transmission. *tr

Driving down the road at 65 mph, my 2003 honda accord v6 suddenly decelerated. it was like the car downshifted by itself. i let off of the gas and turned my hazard blinkers on. i accelerated to 65 mph again and after about half a mile, the car suddenly decelerated again. i pull over to the shoulder and drove slowly to the nearest honda dealer (only half mile away). the dealer told me that this issue was a problem with the transmission and i would need a new one. i asked if any work was done when i brought in the car (a couple of years ago) for the 2nd gear work. the service manager said that the car was inspected at that time and nothing abnormal was found, so no work was performed on the transmission. *tr

2003 honda accord with under 80,000 miles. v6 with automatic transmission. transmission started slipping while making turn in neighborhood. while turning, pressing the gas only raised the rpms, but the car was not moving. i thought i was going to get hit by oncoming traffic. after trying to re-create trouble, it appears if the car tries to downshift into a low gear and gas is applied heavily, the car red lines and does not shift gears. this was a bad moment for this to happen. very dangerous to think pressing the gas pedal has the potential not to move. slow acceleration and the transmission shifts fine, but if you need to get out of the way, you can't accelerate hard. *tr

Car has dark transmission fluid and is not shifting into 3rd gear. car has 124,062 miles on it and won't shift into 3rd gear transmission ports are made too narrow not allowing fluid to cool transmission causing fluid too burn over time clearly a recall is in order honda knows this year has issues with v6 automatic transmission and won't stand behind their product. *tr

I pulled out from a gas station accelerating to mix into the traffic flow. i only got to 20 mph and then, even though the engine was turning at 3000+ rpm and the car was in drive, i started to just coast. traffic approaching at 40+ mph had to hit their brakes and swerve to avoid me as i coasted ever more slowly to the side of the road. it is truly amazing that someone was not injured or killed. the transmission had totally failed in the blink of an eye with no warning whatever. i have looked this up online and there are hundreds of complaints about this problem. "why have you not made honda recall these models?" seems to be the general question people have. 2003 honda accord v6 transmission

Sudden and violent rpm shifting, from ~2500 to 5000, no warning, severe lurching for several miles until we could exit highway. subsequent failure to shift into correct forward gear, as well as failure to shift into reverse. a dangerous situation on a 65-mph road, which could have resulted in a fatal accident, involving either multi-vehicle or single. we are in touch this morning with the dealership service dept, who so far are feigning surprise at the story, even though it is a known issue. *js

After driving at highway speed for just over an hour, the car's transmission suddenly and unexpectedly down shifted. both my wife and i found ourselves flying forward, thank goodness for the seat belts. i am not sure which gear it down shifted to, but it might have been 1st or maybe 2nd gear, but it was a huge lurch forward on our part. the car was running hotter than normal, but less than 1/2 way on temperature gauge. no indicator lights on the dash. took the car to our mechanic who said that the transmission requires replacement (~$6,000.00). the current blue-book is in the $6,000.00 range and we expected it to last for several more years an a whole lot more than 121,000 miles... the car now has the orange triangle with the explanation point inside and the tcs light is on and the tcs switch has no effect. the car has been well maintained, is excellent mechanical and physical condition, except for this transmission issue and i believe that we followed the recall id 62639. *tr

While driving with around 35 mph the vehicle start shifting gears violently random which made me pull over and turn off the car. luckily i was very close to home and i decided to start the car and drive it to my parking lot. the transmission would not shift up from 1st gear and i was going with 20 mph for more than a mile. on the next day i tow the car ($130.00) to a shop and the mechanic there told me that my transmission is done and i either need to rebuilt it or get a new one!!!! so far $200, $130+$70( diagnostics). the estimated price for rebuilding the transmission that i got was $2700.00 after the accident i searched and realized that i am not the only one with the exact same problem, not even close to be the only one, but nothing has been done regarding that particular issue so far and basically everybody who has 2003-2007 honda accord is suffering from the same problem. it is unbelievable how no recall procedure was initiated, yet! this is a serious problem which can cause the car to get into an multiple car accident! i am writing this complaint hoping to change something in that forever postponed problem! i also would like to ask is there is a way to get some kind of compensation for the repair cost? one more time i really hope someone reads this complaints and they are not left in the general pile of paperwork on some forgotten desk in the corner covered with dust! ps: i am e-mailing to the manufacturer's headquarters and i am calling everyone who is reading this to do the same! *tr

2003 honda accord v6. going approximately 70mph on a major highway and the car violently downshifted as if i had slammed on the brakes. almost hit by other cars on multiple occasions as the problem persisted. also heard a whining noise/rattling under the hood while driving in 2nd gear. once i smelled burning i knew it was time to give up. had to get car towed an hour away. *tr

2003 honda accord. consumer writes in regards to transmission problems. *smd the consumer stated prior to purchasing the vehicle, the transmission was replaced. the transmission was replaced in march 2014. the consumer wondered if the transmission was properly replaced by honda. the consumer stated this will be the third transmission. *jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 honda accord. the contact stated while driving 75 mph, the transmission locked and there was a sudden increase in engine rpms without any warning. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 190,000 and the current mileage was 195,000.

Driving along and transmission would not shift up. stayed in a low gear, slowed down to see if it would shift into higher gear and wouldn't. pulled over and put shifter into park. waited a couple of minutes and put it back into drive. it took a minute for it to engage. pulled onto road, and again, it stayed in low gear, refusing to shift higher. pulled over again, tried the same thing and even turned the car off. pulled onto road and began to drive, still would not shift, then it began to stop moving intermittently. it would move slightly, then stop moving while in drive. all i would hear is the engine revving, but car not moving. acted like i was going from drive to neutral but car was still in drive. it finally quite altogether on a very narrow,dangerous steep uphill road. had to have it towed. *tr

The car transmission has engagement issue and had to be towed home it barely made it into garage 2003 honda accord i thought it will last a bit more than 108000 miles. *tr

Driving car at 35 mph on feeder road, went to enter freeway so accelerate, car did not accelerate and a big thunk like a brick fell into engine, car stalled, rpms accelerated, car did not. now drives fine up to 35 mph but that's it. *tr

Transmission was slipping. then suddenly car felt like someone slammed on the brakes. took car to dealership and was told transmission was failing. the transmissions on these cars were recalled in 2004 when an oil jet kit was installed per the recall to provide extra lubrication to the transmission. talked to honda and they refuse to provide any help with these multiple transmission failures. cost to fix this is 4100.00 at the dealership. *tr

I purchased a used 2003 honda accord in april 2011. it now has 132, 000 miles on it. this week i was driving on the interstate when my "d" drive on my hear start flashing in my car rpm started revving up & my check engine light came on. so i put my emergency flashes on to get the shoulder of the expressway my car. my car wouldn't drive anymore in the d drive shift to make it home safely i had to drive my car in d3 all the way home. my mechanic is now saying i need a new transmission which will cost me $2500 i don't have. i've driven honda accord's all my life this is the first honda that i've had a major issue with. *tr

I was driving my 2003 honda accord ex,v6, on the freeway at 70 mph when my car went into a front wheel locked skid. the duration of the unsuspected skid was less than one second, but i almost lost control of my car. several seconds later, at 50 mph, my vehicle again went into a unsuspected front wheel skid, with a duration of less than a second. there was no warning light notification. the cause of the front wheel locked skid was the transmission clutch was burned out on gears #5 and #3. my vehicle transmission fluid and filter was changed every 30,000. this notification is for public safety. american honda corporation was notified and they felt i should investigate this incident at my own expense. *tr

I bought my car used and granted it has almost 200,000 miles on it but i trusted in honda that it was a good car now my transmission has gone out and i haven't had my car a year yet granted i'm disappointed in honda bc i have read several forums about 2003 accords have transmission issues with way less mileage than mine honda really needs to investigate this issue. it's christmas time and i'm out a car i would fix the transmission on this vehicle but it's no point in doing 3000 dollars worth of work on a car when i owe more than that on it and i have already had to replace engine mounts, thermostat, crank shaft pulley. *tr

Vehicle transmission has been hesitating for over a year. dealership insisted that there was nothing wrong. two months ago i was told the rear main seal may need to be replaced soon. three days ago the car violently shifted into a lower gear and nearly caused the vehicle to be rear ended. i'm told that the transmission now needs to be rebuilt or replaced. when i contacted american honda i spoke to a customer services representative by the name of sopana. he first told me that because my car was over 120k mile honda would not provide any goodwill assistance, i reminded him my car was at 115k mile, he was then flustered and said well i mean 100k mile or whatever. *tr

My transmission and torque converter failed on brownsville road. i called honda who refused any type of assistance. they said it was out of warranty. i have had numerous cars in my life and never heard of the transmission dying. it seems, as i check the internet, that the honda accord v-6 has a history of transmission failures. to date, honda refuses to acknowledge that issue.

This is a 2003 accord exl 6 cylinder with automatic transmission. under normal driving conditions we noticed in the later months of 2013 that the transmission seemed to slip when it shifted from 2nd to 3rd gear. as of february 23rd it has gotten worse. we have taken it to the honda dealer who told us that it was indeed a transmission problem. this was confirmed by a 3rd party mechanic who also told us that the transmission fluid was turning brown and showing signs of turning black. as we live in the country, this automobile has been driven on the highway for well over 50% of the time. we have always come to a complete stop before shifting the transmission from or to another gear. the car has not been abused. this is a known problem! there are many complaints about this on the internet (same year and same engine). even consumer reports lists this 2003 6 cylinder vehicle as one to avoid due to transmission problems. *tr

Traveling at 55 mph car jerked back and forth, loud noise from under car. car slipped between gears, and continued to jerk. the car will now not move can move gear shift through gears but will not move. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 honda accord. the contact stated that the transmission independently shifted out of gear and into third gear. the failure was recurring. the vehicle was taken to a mechanic, who advised that the transmission needed to be rebuilt. the vehicle was not repaired. the vehicle was serviced in 2004 under nhtsa campaign number 04v176000 (power train). the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the failure and current mileage was 110,000.

Automatic transmission suddenly failed into 1st gear with sudden drop in speed and control. transmission locked in first gear, no reverse. apparently a known issue with honda automatic transmissions of this era. *tr

My daughter was driving the car at highway speeds when the transmission downshifted into first throwing them violently forward and nearly causing impact with another vehicle, when she told me i did a web search and found that this is a common problem with this model and year. what has been done about this serious safety defect? *tr

Driving 60 on a busy interstate the transmission drops gear making my car jerk hard and slow almost enough for the person behind me to slam into me. pulled over and turned car of then back on transmission seems to be slipping bad. bought it used 2 years ago it has 93,000 miles and never misses servicing. i see it is not uncommon, why is this issue not being taken care of? *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 honda accord. the contact stated that while traveling approximately 40 mph, the vehicle suddenly lost acceleration power. the vehicle was taken to a private mechanic where it was found that the front axle had failed. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was contacted about the failure. the failure mileage was 163,072.

This is just unbelievable. every three months i take my car in to get service and now my transmission is failing me. i place the car on drive and it does not go anywhere. i turn the car off and turn it back on and it finally drives. i really was not expecting this from honda. my car was in perfect condition and drove very smooth because it is well maintained. not in a million life years would i guess my transmission would be an issue right now. *tr