The car has potential hazard as the transmission will occasionally rev up to 4000 RPM but the car is stuck at low gear or sometimes it is not moving. There have been many complaints by different owners across the country for the same issue but the santa clara honda dealer never admits to it. Please see the following for all similar complaints: http://www.carcomplaints.com/honda/accord/2003/transmission/.
2003 Honda Accord transmission complaints
Page 23 of 32: complaints 641 to 670 of 924, newest first, as owners wrote them.
My 2003 accord has transmission recall that supposedly has a fixed. The recall was at around 40,000 miles the gears start to slip on automatic transmissions. The fix was a jet kit in the transmission to help cool down the fluid. My transmission was too late for the kit and was already damaged so I had to replace it at 65,000 miles (in 2005) and to top it off the dealer said my car is not part of the recall but when I registered in honda owner link site it clearly says that my VIN is part of the recall. Well now it is 2009 and my transmission has 50,000 miles and it is failing again. This fix they supposedly did is not working and it needs some investigation because there is way more complaint not reported and I think this will give them a push telling them this is a serious issue. I honestly think honda need to come out with a better solution. Or even convert the vehicle the manual transmission free of charge.
Driving car on us highway 90 between lafayette louisiana and new iberia louisiana at a speed of about sixty (60) miles an hour when car suddenly and violently downshifted into either first or second gear. The sudden deceleration practically shoved me forward feeling as if I had been rear-ended. I was barely able to maintain control preventing car to spin or swerve to the right. Traffic was moderate or slightly heavy. Luckily no one was directly behind me at a close distance. Had there been, an accident would have been very likely. The cause of this problem was transmission failure or torque converter lock up. Corrective measures are to replace transmission, which will be done in the next few days by honda dealership.
Transmission is going out with less then 100k. Could cause a crash if your trying to get out into traffic and your transmission decides to go out. Big problem on this year and model from what I read.
My 03 accord ex-v6 transmission failed while my daughter was driving. She was very upset as she was traveling at 45mph when transmission locked up nearly causing a rear end crash. She attempted to restart by the d4 light and several dash lights started blinking and car wouldn't move. Had vehicle towed to repair facility and determined that the transmission had failed at a owner cost of $3600. The 03 accord v-6 coupe is the worst year of the transmission problems and honda ignores the owners.
My 2003 honda accord had a transmission failure shifting into first gear on the highway nearly resulting in a crash. Apparently many people have experiencing the same thing. Honda should be forced to recall.
2003 honda accord ex v6 has faulty transmission. I purchased this car used in 2006 and was unaware that the transmission had been recalled. The car did not come with any service records. The car is slipping out of gear and downshifting suddenly as well as getting stuck in 2nd and 3rd gear while driving in heavy traffic. I was on an incline in rush hour highway traffic today and the car would not go over 20 miles an hour.
2003 honda accord transmission failure, on 9/19 I was driving down the road at about 45 MPH and my car shifted down to first gear, with the engine revved up to 3 RPM's. My car came to an abrupt holt and the car behind me had to run off the road to miss from hitting me. I have taken my car to the dealer, its the transmission. My car has 80,098 miles and should not be having transmission problems like this. There was a recall, but obviously it wasn't the right thing to fix the problem. I have seem over 200 cases just like me and I believe its going to have to take lives before something is done.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 honda accord with 113,236 miles. When the vehicle shifts between second and third gear the solenoid caused the vehicle to lose power. The dealer advised the contact that recall 04v176000, power train automatic transmission was repaired with the previous owner.
On 9-17-09 I was traveling at approximately 45 MPH when the vehicle, honda accord, ex 6 cylinder violently lunged causing me to be thrown forward, hitting the steering wheel with my upper body and then backwards into my seat. I experienced no loss of power and the car continued to move. If I had been close to any other vehicle this would have caused an accident because I began to swerve into another lane. If I had been knocked out I may be either dead or in a hospital, and even worse could have hit another vehicle, injuring someone else. The next morning I had my car towed to a repair shop to evaluate the problem, and after there inspection recommended I go to the honda dealership for further diagnosis/repair. I will be taking the car to the dealership on monday 9-10-09, the service manager is already aware of the situation and will determine if the transmission is faulty.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 honda accord. The contact stated that while driving 75 MPH, the vehicle down shifted into first gear. As a consequence his risk for a vehicle crash was increased. He was able to accelerate to the intended speed, after a few minutes. The vehicle was taken to a local repair facility for inspection. The mechanic replaced the transmission at an expense of $ 2,300.00. The manufacturer was notified, but no assistance was provided. The failure and current mileages were 106,600. Updated 10/20/09 *cn the consumer had the transmission was replaced and according to aamco the second and third gear had totally failed. Updated 10/22/09.
I was driving on the 405 freeway with my wife and three young children at 65mph when my 2003 honda accord violently downshifted and reduced speed to 25mph and then to a dangerous 10mph which caused everyone driving around me to have to slam on their breaks. The car would not reaccelerate which caused me to have to veer into the left shoulder just seconds before we were rear-ended by a semi-truck. Once on the shoulder the car would not go in reverse or past first gear (20mph) causing chp to stop traffic so we could cross the freeway to the right shoulder and wait for a tow-truck.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 honda accord. The transmission was stuck in neutral and would not shift into gear. A mechanic stated that the transmission failed. The dealer and manufacturer have not been notified to confirm if there was a warranty or a recall. The failure mileage was 130,000
2003 accord v6 taken to century honda (cincinnati, oh) many times but dealer unable to duplicate the problem. Aug. 13, 2009 traveling approx. 55 MPH, within seconds car slammed down to 15 MPH, due to quick thinking major accident avoided. Towed to dealer, service tech, stranded by car. Problem was duplicated. Quoted $3400 to replace transmission. It's now sept. 16th, worked with honda america on price, problem. Relunctantly, came down to $1700 plus tax but no acknowledging that transmission is big problem. Agreed upon solution, now honda service says unable to get transmission. That's right, 1 month, big expense and still no car. Safety, security put at risk.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 honda accord. The contact stated that while driving 35 MPH the vehicle unexpectedly began to down-shifted and then resumed normal operation. Unintended vehicle deceleration increased the risk of a vehicle crash. The vehicle has not been inspected to determine the cause of the failure; therefore, no repairs have been made. The current and failure mileages were 133,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 honda accord. While driving approximately 30 MPH, she heard a loud noise and was unable to shift gears. There were no warning lights illuminated. The transmission was replaced on august 7, 2009 by an independent mechanic. She was responsible for paying $1,265 to replace the transmission. She spoke to a honda representative regarding a goodwill repair listed on their website and was advised to fax her receipt and she would notify her about the reimbursement amount on september 8, 2009 since the warranty has expired. The representative gave her a case number and also stated that she needed to investigate her method of payment. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
2003 honda accord with v-6 while traveling 215 miles to a friends funeral my transmission began to violently shift into 1st gear regardless of the speed traveling. This started after exiting the interstate and stopping to look at the map about 40 miles from my destination. I tried driving as gently as I could and the car would start shifting normally and at some point after shifting into a gear higher number gear than 1st it would downshift into 1st. None of the gears were slipping. After a number of starts it went into limp home mode staying in 1st gear and I finished my trip in 1st on country roads. I let the car sit all day while at the funeral and when I started it to put it on a trailer it was working fine. Therefore I left for home. Once the engine was up to temp it started doing it again. This time I quickly put the trans in neutral for 2-3 seconds then back into drive and all was well for a few miles, sometimes 20-30 and it did it again. If I weren't an experienced driver and able to maintain control while quickly putting the car into neutral it I have no doubt it would have caused a serious accident. When traveling at 65-70mph on the interstate downshifting to 1st is very dangerous. My car is at the dealer who just says the trans must be replaced for $,3610.00 and cannot explain why it shifts fine when cold but starts acting up when hot. We have about 112,000 miles on this car and haven't had any problems until this which was shortly after the dealer flushed and refilled the transmission. I've called honda USA and am waiting to hear back from them. Many talk of their trans going out of gear and coasting with the RPM suddenly shooting up as if it were in neutral after which no gear will engage. Mine never slipped in any gear, just downshifts abruptly to 1st without warning. I've asked honda why it works fine when cold and not when warmed up. They don't know and just repeat that the trans needs replacing. This is definately a safety hazard.
2003 accord starting with transmission slipping around 2nd gear. On wed. Aug. 26 traveling south of winston salem nc on hwy 52 when car jerked to an almost complete stop. While trying to pull over to stop lane it jerked several more times. Started to drive on shoulder to next town when stopped by state trooper and explained situation. Told me to be safe and get it off main highway. The engine light,tcs and maintenance light all on plus green light at drive is flashing. Very lucky I did not get hit or hit someone due to lockup.
I have a 2003 honda accord ex v6 model with 107,000 miles. I am having apparent transmission problems as I was driving down the interstate at a normal speed when the transmission downshifts from 5th gear to the 1st gear, which feels like slamming on the breaks going 70mph. The vehicles directly behind me had to swerve into other occupied lanes in order to avoid a rear end collision. The instance was very scary and although there was no wreck or injuries, this could have resulted in a catastrophic wreck. From the research I have done, there is a manufacturers defect with transmissions in this particular model and that a recall on this defect has not been established because the defect is not a "safety hazard". I just wanted to relay my story of the defected transmission that nearly caused a major hazard.
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.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 honda accord. While driving 65 MPH, the vehicle suddenly shifted into second gear. Days prior to the failure, the vehicle would not shift into reverse. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and they stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. The current and failure mileages were 59,000. Updated 8/28/09 *cn updated 09/04/09.
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.
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 the federal safety agency 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.
2003 honda accord transmission slipping. When going up a bridge had to drop down to 20 MPH to keep car going.
While driving the 2003 honda accord v-6 with 109,000 miles, the transmission started slipping out of gear; within 500 miles of the slip out of gear and whilst traveling at 65 miles per hour on interstate-5 in los angeles, the transmission completely failed; RPM shot up, and pushing gas pedal had no affect of speed or control. Car immediately slowed down in the fast lane and created a major freeway hazard; other drivers swerved to avoid me whilst I continued to slow and drift to right shoulder and off-ramp; upon shutting of car and waiting 20 minutes I was able to travel at a slow rate of speed to my house in first gear only and in no gear some of the time. In front of my house, transmission failed again. Afraid to drive car and the scar of nearly causing an accident, I had car towed on a tow truck to mechanic. Transmission mechanic diagnosed that transmission has "died" and needs to be completely rebuilt or replaced. Transmission mechanic with 30+ years of experience is correcting situation by rebuilding the transmission completely. This sudden failure almost caused a catastrophic accident that had to potential to involve me and other motorists. This is a major safety hazard and defect.
While trying to switch lanes on the highway my transmission locked up and lost power while pushing the gas. I took my car to the dealership and had to have a whole new transmission put into my car.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 honda accord. While driving approximately 35 MPH, the contact noticed that the transmission was slipping. He was unable to change gears and the vehicle would not accelerate over 35 MPH. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and they stated that the transmission failed. The cost for a new transmission was estimated at $4,000. The manufacturer filed case number n012009-071300056 regarding the failure and stated that there were no recalls. The manufacturer offered to pay $1,500 towards a new transmission. The contact believes that honda should pay for the entire repair. The vehicle has not been repaired. The current and failure mileages were 97,244.
While driving down the street the transmission on my honda accord ex 3.2l v6 locked and car screeched to a halt. Car was drivable but, shifting is now hit miss, sometimes engine revs to high RPM and will not shift gears. Took car to honda dealer and they suggest transmission replacement for $5,000. Car has 87,000 miles and transmission has already been serviced once under factory recall.
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.
I own a 2003 honda accord. The other night I was driving home and my transmission started to go crazy. I was scared for my life. The car started slipping gears and the engines RPM went to over 7000. I had my car towed to a local honda dealership and they said they had inspected it and nothing was wrong. That same night while driving home it happened again!!!! I have not driven the car since fearful for my safety and others. Why wont honda recall these transmissions and give what people paid for. A good reliable car. My car is a 2003 4 door accord with 40,600 miles!!!!!!!!! Please help me and the million others that are effected by this. Honda is turning their nose and they need to be help responsible!!!!! *tr updated 09/02/09.
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