To verify my defective actuator claims.. All of my repair history is located at boch honda,279 providence highway, norwood ma. 02062 781‑619‑6776 I purchased new a 2003 honda civic ex (7/2003) . Since I purchased it, I have had numerous documented issues with drivers side door lock . I had the door actuator replaced twice first 7/20/13 my milage being 44,129 and again now 8/19/19 with only 71,718 miles. On 1/25/14 I was unable to open drivers side door and I had to have tumblers replace and lock cylinder replaced. The past 3 years I have commented and had them check the drivers side door several times because of lock noise and alignment. I have all my repairs done at the dealership where I purchased the car so they can provide my complete vehicle repair history if needed. My car is in a garage so it is less exposed to the elements and I never wait to have any concerned checked and take great care to keep my car safe. My car has always been stationary when the problem arose in park or when I am opening and closing the door. I have a recorded video of the actual noise the lock made from 8/19/19 before the repair was made. I had my vehicle in 4 times in the last month for a airbag recall and a routine maintenance and a gas door issues that had been previously repaired am mented each time the noise of the lock was getting louder.
2003 Honda Civic: doors won't lock, open or latch
8 of the 499 complaints about the 2003 Honda Civic describe doors won't lock, open or latch.
- owner complaints
- 8
- of this car's complaints
- 2%
- typical mileage
- 70,540
- recalls
- 0
Doors won't lock, open or latch by model year
What owners say
The door will not lock using the key. The key either gets jammed in the door or wont go in. When it does go in, it wont come back out. Frustrated because I cant lock/unlock my car without a break-in kit.
The peeling metal plating on the interior door handles causes cuts to fingers and hands. They range from severe paper cuts to deep finger cuts. The chrome plating on the interior door handles peel and create sharp edges that cut and draw blood. This occurs when the door is opened. Our whole family had cuts especially my daughter.
Issue 1) driver-side sun visor broke off while repositioning to block out obstructive glare; caused driver to pull off road as glare prevented safe driving; sun visor was replaced at consumers expense in 2012. Issue 2) during 2012, driver-side door lock became more difficult to unlock, initially intermittent issue. Honda dealership said not a problem. June 2013 the key would get stuck/unable to unlock or lock door consistently; therefore lock was replaced at consumers expense.
The key will not go into the door lock cylinder, or if it goes in, it will not turn. Honda has a service bulletin about this problem - 03-068 but does not fix them for free unless you are under warranty. Cars need to be recalled and door fixed for free.
Several interior controls, such as door handles and the parking brake, are metalized plastics. As the car ages, the metal plating starts to peal off. As it comes off in pieces, it presents a sharp edge that can cut the user. We have had three different instances of hand cuts that could have LED to accidents as the driver attempts to keep blood from the cut from getting on clothing, car interior, etc. The dealer replaced a door handle, at my cost, on the first instance. Subsequently we have tried to remove the rest of the plating from the effected parts. Unfortunately, the remaining fragments still adhere well to the parts for now and degrade slowly. I fully expect to sustain similar injuries in the future as the deterioration continues.
On 3 occasions over past 3 years we have had key/ lock/ ignition switch problems. Result: 1. Inability to start engine; 2. Unable to unlock driver side door; 3. Unable to open trunk. Latest repair on 3-28-06 consisted of replacing trunk lock tumbler and driver side door lock tumbler. Repair advisor verbally stated trunk lock tumblers were badly worn; door lock tumblers needed lubrication. We consider consequences of failure could be serious given circumstances at time of failure.
Problems with 2003 honda civic lx remote/alarm system.*mr the consumer had a remote/alarm system installed in the vehicle. The car alarm sounds off a disturbing piercing sound each time the doors open and close. When the consumer took the vehicle back to the dealer to have the sound turned off the entire system failed and the doors would not lock properly. The vehicle was returned to the dealer and the sound was turned back on. While driving the consumer became aware that the vehicle is not equipped with a door ajar indicator.
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2003 Honda Civic door locks
Is doors won't lock, open or latch a common problem on the 2003 Honda Civic?
8 of 499 owner complaints about the 2003 Honda Civic (2%) mention doors won't lock, open or latch. The model year with the most reports is 2004.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2003 Honda Civic?
There are 0 recalls and 4 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2003 Honda Civic
Airbag light 59No deployment 32CVT failure 24Shudder 23Slipping 20Jerking 18Transmission failure 18Stalling 17Headlights 15Sudden acceleration 13Hesitation 12Seat belt 11Grinding brakes 9Adaptive cruise 8Check engine light 8Brake failure 7Steering lock-up 7Loss of power 6Overheating 6ABS 5Fire or smoke 5
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2003 Honda Civic?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history