Honda Accord 2003 EX-V6 Transmission Failure
Mar 4th, 2009 | By Christian Donner | Category: Consumer Protection[Visit the Facebook Group]
So we joined the ranks of people who own a 2003 Honda Accord with a broken transmission. As of 3/4/2009, Carcomplaints.com listed close to 200 similar cases, and it is safe to assume that there were many more who have not found that website, but paid the $3500 that it costs to have the transmission replaced. The damage to Honda’s reliability reputation must be devastating already, but no recall has been issued.
Initially, we did not feel quite ready to spend this kind of money, either. I thought that maybe a new transmission was not really needed. Given today’s market conditions, $3500 pays the lease for 3 to 4 years for a comparable car, and the Accord has already been costing thousands in repairs over the past 2 years.
I was especially frustrated because I suspected there was something wrong with this transmission from day one. The moment of hesitation that we always noticed before the transmission shifted from first to second gear was probably related to the failure (the transmission recall in 2004 was certainly related to the failure, but was designed to minize cost and liability, not to permanently resolve the issue). I had brought the car in after only a few months of driving in 2003 because of the odd characteristics of the transmission, but I was ridiculed and sent home again.
Here is a history of related events:
| 1/3/2003 | Purchased the car at a local Honda dealer |
| 7/28/2003 | Took the car to another local Honda dealer where a service technician drove it and determined that there was nothing wrong with the transmission (at 11,000 miles) |
| 9/21/2004 | Transmission recall, Honda dealer installed oil jet kit, transmission was not replaced |
| 9/30/2008 | Transmission service at Honda dealer (at 111,000 miles) |
| 2/13/2009 | Transmission failed on I95, shifts into first gear only, no reverse (at 120,000 miles) |
| 3/3/2009 | Transmission fluid replaced, old fluid was very dark |
The car seemed to drive fine when the transmission was cold, but when it warmed up after a few minutes of highway driving, the transmission would down-shift violently into first gear, regardless of the current speed. My wife reported the smell of ‘burnt rubber’ in the car after such a forced down-shift. This seemed to be quite dangerous. Once this happened, the transmission would fail to shift into anything but first gear.
Honda apparently lost a class action for the 2000/2001 Accord and other models in 2006. I was unable to find any current class action initiative that includes the 2003 model year. If you are an attorney who is willing to work with me on a class action against Honda USA, please contact me at . If you have similar transmission problems with your 2003 Accord, please contact me as well, or post your complaint on Carcomplaints.com as well so that there is a record of it.
Regardless of what you are planning to do, you should file a complaint with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration – they can force a recall if there is a sufficient number of documented issues.
3/22/2009 Update: We had to make a decision and decided to replace the transmission. Our side of the bill: $2200. Honda paid $900.
4/1/2010 Update: The NHTSA website today lists 328 complaints for the 2003 Accord and 188 for the 2003 Odyssey that describe transmission problems. A search does not show a current or past defect investigation for this problem. It is not documented what criteria and process the NHTSA uses to prioritize their work, but safety does not seem to be a factor. Instead, it seems that the NHTSA works on those problems first that pose the smallest financial risks to auto manufacturers. For instance, the February 2010 report lists a defect investigation for the 2003 Accord about a problem with the ignition switch (park/shift interlock). There are 11(!) complaints on file for this type of issue, and yet, the NHTSA chose to investigate it. Replacing an ignition switch is inexpensive, compared to the cost of replacing an automatic transmission.
People will die from a failing Accord transmission, or already have. Honda should be prepared for the same disaster that Toyota is going through right now. Apparently, neither authorities nor car manufactures can learn from past mistakes, and since nobody will be held accountable, why should they?
11/16/2010 Update: The NHTSA has issued a recall for the 2003 Accord because of the ignition switch problem that I mentioned above. Kind of funny, actually …
5/23/2011 Update: The number of comments added to this blog post every month keeps rising – a sign that the rate of transmission failures is rising?
Incidents per month
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my transmission died this morning. i called honda have case nimber but they want me talk to dealer, was hoping for goodwill repair i have 114K on my car, you spend kind of money on hinda you expect quality.
My car has 52,114 miles on it. I noticed as soon as I bought the car that it shifted differently between 1st and 2nd gear. I brought it back three times . I met a Honda rep. They said there was nothing wrong. The dealer in Florida says the transmission needs to be replaced. I called American Honda on 4/14/09 and told them my problem. They are considering my case and I wait to here there judgment.
Same problem happened to me two days ago with my 03 accord. 117,000 miles. Stuck in first gear and no reverse.
Oh what a wonderful start to the July 4th weekend when i experienced the same transmission issue on July 3rd. Originally took to local mechanic for original evaluation. Needs new transmission. Honda America wanted it brought to dealer for service. I delivered it last night and hope to hear back soon.(Jul 9 09)
My 2003 V6 Honda Accord with 162,000 miles has begun making a grinding sound. Looks like it’s time to call Honda!
We’ve just bought a used Honda Accord 2003 EX-V6 with 78,000 miles after owning a brand new Honda EX 4-cyl 2004 model. I immediately notice the hesitation of tranny from reverse to first – certainly not smooth like my 2004. Question: Is there anything that can be suggested that be done to circumvent what obviously becomes the replacing of the transmission in its entirety and frankly, after owning 3 Hondas and recommending them, I don’t like the $900 paid by Honda when the problem is obviously well-documented.
Not to my knowledge. Honda will do nothing until it breaks.
Same problem as everyone else, my car is sitting at the dealership and I’m awaiting their call to tell me how much for a new transmission. This is ridiculous, I just logged my formal complaint with the NHTSA. Have many people been successful with Honda contributing to this replacement.
Most 2003 Accords how have well over 100,000 miles. My impression is that Honda does the minimal amount of damage control necessary to avoid a recall. They seem to think that fewer people will try to get money back for a transmission repair as time goes by. They are probably correct about that.
You have to be persistent and take what you get.
Jane Turner
September 13, 2009 at 6:44 pm
My low mileage 2003 Honda Accord is also sitting at the dealership. They are currently replacing my transmission at a cost of $3200.00. Today, I just happened to google 2003 Honda Accord transmission problems and what a surprise. Everybody’s 2003 Honda has a blown transmission. I will be calling customer service on Monday. A recall is in order.
Looks like I am not the only one! My 2003 Honda Accord Ex-V6 is sittiing at the Honda Dealership right now, estimated 3335.00 to fix. I came home and google Honda 2003 Transmission Failure and to my shock I found all you. My Honda has 75,980 miles, and I am sick to my stomach. It almost took my life. While driving down the road my car shifted down to first, almost coming to a stop and the car behind me had to run off the road to not hit me. This is dangerous, something has to happen.
April, Sorry to hear about your transmission. I never drove the car when this happened, but I am sure if you talk to my wife, you are going to get an earful about Honda. As it is with so many things in this country, nothing happens until someone dies, ideally a child. Literally. I think that there is plenty of evidence that a recall is in order for the 2003 Accords. The NHTSA will not act until this is all over the media and someone paid with his life. Sad.
I have always had the same problem with the car stalling a few seconds when I would put it in reverse or drive, Tonight it slipped bad until I got stranded, Shut the car off for 5 minutes and it was back to normal for my short drive home? I will test drive tomorrow to see what it does. Do you guys belive its the transmission or torque converting that is the problem?
Has anyone tried to get a hold of their local news? I am considering doing just that. If there are so many of us, all the research is there. It might work. What about BBB, or consumer affairs?
My tranny went on Monday. I had all the same things happening, slipping into first gear when warm , no reverse. Boch Honda acted like they had never heard of this and tried to tell me I did not maintain the car because the fluid was dirty. They changed it , charged me $200 and sent me on my way, I was nearly killed on the way home because it violetnly downshifted into First gear on the highway. Its back in there now for a new transmission. Luckily I had bought the extended warranty and looks like thdey are going to cover it. This should be a Honda recall.
Just an update…Honda of America said they would pay 25%…that leaves me with 2200.00 to pay. I guess I should just be happy with that, but I am not. I would still love to see a recall, and get my money back! I plan on talking with my local news to broadcast this saftey issue, and maybe push some buttons once my car is fixed. I hope everyone is still pushing this issue hard, we need to prevent a major accident.
My 03 Accord EX-V6 transmission went out at 71,000 miles. Total cost of new trans was $3600. Honda customer service stated that since I paid a portion in cash and remainder in credit card, they are not going to consider the cash portion and may not consider the reimbursement on the cc. They are a joke.
Bought 03 Accord EX V6 in 2004 as certifed pre-preowned at 44K. Noticed the recall on the automatic transmission with service consisting of oil injector kit recall. Had the recall performed. About 85K miles noticed slight 2nd to 3rd gear hiccup. Went in for AT fluid change. No difference. Problem progressively worsened till about 110K miles. Made due by letting off gas between 2nd to 3rd gear so shifting can happen. When 2nd to 3rd gear fails to catch, car feels stuck in Neutral. Adding gas only revs the engine more. Have to bring car to stop and then re-accelerate. Called Honda customer service. They sent me to a Honda dealer to pay them for inspection to tell me that transmission is bad and that it is out of warranty. Then that Honda will not cover any of the cost. I have filed complaint with NTHSB
Well looks like I am a victim of the 2003 transmission issue. After getting married on Oct 17th ’09 my wife and I are traveling back from South Carolina to our home in Florida and the car al of the sudden slammed into a lower gear when I was doing about 70 mph. What a safe car I have! I called a friend of the family that was a master tech for Honda and he explained that Honda did not replace the transmissions when he was there but they installed a jet kit that lubricated the transmission rather than burning it up. I called Honda of Wesley Chapel and spoke with “Johnny” that said he has been working for Honda for 23 years and he has never heard of the issue with the transmissions. Are you kidding me! I have seen more complaints on the internet this morning than I can read in a week. I’m calling Honda and filing a complaint along with everyone else. Hopefully this will get through to someone before someone gets killed.
I just called American Honda and they said they will not be able to help with any of the repair because there are not enough complaints to do any type of recall. She said that just because prople are complining on the internet doesn’t help and that if a person is having issues with their Honjda transmission they need to call and report the issue with them. They can be reached at 1-800-999-1009. If you are having problems with your Honda transmission please call and let it be known. Thanks and good luck!
i have an 03 v6 accord, when it gets warm trans goes out. i was going to work yesterday and it lives no more funeral will be at 12:30 today . we have a few problems – power steering pump, head gasket, front motor mount which were repaired by hand job. we still have brake pedal fade when in heavy traffic, a clunking when put in gear, that took care of itself yesterday, others i just cannot recall at this time we have 87554 miles on our one owner accord. called Honda of America they are very nice people even when saying no way Jose.
2001 Accord with 56K miles on it – just had the tranny go. It is 6 months out of the warranty. Case being reviewed by American Honda and they have told me there are willing to help on the cost, but not the whole thing. My 3rd Honda so that may help as well. AH is calling dealer too. I am at the point of needing to do the timing belt and a few other things so $4500-$5000 for all the repairs probably would have sent me to a new car. If I can get it down to $2000 (tranny, timing belt, bushings, etc.) I would probably keep it and have it done (just did new tires and brakes). Good Luck all…
DMacL, did you check if you are covered under the 2006 class action?
http://www.hondatransmissionsettlement.com/php/login.php
Our 2003 Accord trans went south at 68,000 mi. 3 mo. ago our dealer replaced it free of charge and the new trans is good for 3 years or 130,000. Honda admitted to us there was an issue. Another 03 came in the same day-same problem. Don’t let them push you around-they also included a rental car at no $$
Good luck- I now have a power steering pump howling and the car is out of warranty
Our 2003 is in the shop right now with this exact problem. We purchased it new and had the recall work done in 2004. Dealership called Honda for assistance and Honda said NO. They are quoting me $4,142 to “replace with rebuild transmission”. I’m glad to know I’m not the only one with this problem because my husband was hinting it was my driving that caused it!
We have 101,000 miles on the car and the dealer would not budge on the price. The sales manager told me he would give me $2,000 for it as is. Thanks for nothing. I have always loved my Hondas but I’m not feeling the love right now. I’m supposed to start a new job 30 miles away and I’m stuck at home with no car.
I was notified a few months after purchasing my 2003 honda accord and had the transmission repaired. Now the car has over 117 and it is going out. Does anyone know just how many miles a tranny should have lasted? What about warranties? Does anyone here have one for a tranny?
Good luck to all.
Another one. 2003 EX V6, 129,000 miles
Kirk W.,
Holland MI 49424
Just so you guys know.. Honda sent a “Service Bulletin” to me in ’04 about a possible transmission problem in which they would inspect the transmission, possibly replace a part, or even replace the transmission. The bulletin mentioned the transmission may fail at 100,000 miles if you don’t do this. I was lazy and didn’t get my Honda in until I had about 175k on the odometer… when 2nd gear started slipping. The dealer actually perfomed the bulletin and replaced the transmission at ZERO cost to me. The Honda Regional Service Directors have the authority to authorize this. If you’re stuck paying money for this repair, it’s the dealers fault for not advocating on your behalf, and a Honda Service Director not wanting use up his “Goodwill” budget.
That service bulletin was a recall for installing an oil jet in the transmission that was supposed to address the issue with overheating. At that time the dealers were supposed to check the transmission if the overheating has already caused damage, and only then they would replace the transmission right away. I think that this recall was prompted by a design issue with the 2003 transmissions, but it failed to fix the issue in the long run.
Similar story here. Bought my Accord in May of 2003 and purchased a 7yr 100K mile extended warranty. Had the recall oil jet procedure done in October 2004 at 41K miles. At 97K miles started having transmission problems with car falling out of gear on hills. In the last week, it started taking forever for it to drop into gear when moving from Park to Drive and finally died at 101500 Miles. Had it towed to the dealer and dealer states it needs a new transmission. However, the dealer called Honda Corporate and HondaCare is picking up the entire tab (parts/labor). I assume they are doing this since I purchased the 7yr/100K mile warranty and had the recall work done. Service manager stated that they have been doing transmission replacements on 2003 Accords and 2001 Odyssey’s every week.
We own a 03 Honda Accord v6, tranny went out while driving on hwy. It started shifting by itself from 4th to ist and back and forth it went. Contacted honda and they told us it would be about 3400 to fix. Our car has 120k on it, but didnt expect major problem like this.
My 03 Accord V6 is doing similar things – won’t go from 2nd to 3rd gear. It started Wednesday and took it to the dealer on Thursday. They couldn’t duplicate problem, but when I drove off it did it again. I went back in and the mechanic hopped in for a test drive. He was riding in passenger seat and said that I need a new transmission. he thought I could go for a few months, so I was going to wait since I’m unemployed.
I drove it today (Friday) and it did it all three times I drove it. In fact, I was dead at one point where it wound’t go into drive or reverse. Dead in the middle of a busy road! I called American Honda to ask for “Goodwill repair” and I’m waiting to hear back.
The dealer said it would be $4600 for a new tranny. That seems way high compared to the quotes I’m seeing on here. I’m in the Dallas area.
Just got the news… I need a new transmission.!!!!! For a week now, I have taken my ’03 Honda Accord V6 to different mechanics and since the engine light was not on they couldn’t tell what was wrong, except by driving it. The codes wouldn’t show up. I would be driving for about 6-8 miles when all of a sudden, BAM! it would hit and the speed would drop from 60 mph to about 20 mph. It would make you feel like you were going through the front windshield. Then it would stay in 2nd or 3rd gear, no changing. It may go in reverse or it may not. It may take off from the stoplight or it may not. You start out driving, thinking there is nothing wrong and a few minutes later you can’t wait to get it parked. It seems like LOTS of other people are having the same problem. I am calling American Honda first thing in the morning. Thank goodness no one has hit me from behind. This problem is very dangerous. Glad to know I am not alone with this matter. I have 154,000 miles- bought it new.
update- American Honda wouldn’t help me with the transmission because of my miles and because I didn’t have my service done at a dealership. I choose to have a local, realible mechanic service my vehicle.
i live in los angeles and i have the same problem with my accord 03 if someone knows about a cheaper price to fix it please let us know
I wish this were not an issue but it is. I have a 2003 accord v6 and it is at the repair shop as i speek with a $3500 transmission replacement needed. Spoke with honda more than once and thay are rude and act like that could care less. This is not only a quality problem but also a safety issue. I have reported them to everything I can think of.
hello you can add the 2004 v6 accord to the long list of other poor souls who almost crashed in their car
’03 EX-V6, failed @ 131,000. Took the car in for ’04 recall. Problem has been brewing for a few months but I couldn’t put my finger on the conditions and was hard to recreate. Failed on my wife the other night, specifically hard shifting between 2nd & 3rd. I believe this is due to improper cooling on the 2nd gear, which was the root of the ’04 recall. Previously had the transmission fluid checked @ 120k, with no sign of problem. Regularly serviced at the local Honda dealer since purchase. Called on Saturday and got the ballpark estimate of 3500 miles from the service shop. Due to these posts I asked them to contact Honda for assistance with the repair. I plan on calling Honda on Monday myself as well.
’03 EX-V6 Transmission failed at 100177 miles 2 days ago. Almost the same story as many on this website. 7yr/100k warranty just expired, only good will from the dealer service department was a price break on parts/labor but still wanted 4K to fix. Will call Honda corporate.
My Honda 2003 V-6 Accord Transmission is going out. I went to the dealer and got qoute $4100.00+ ,I went to another Transmission specialtist and got a qutoe of $2300.00, thanks to the honest repairman he mentioned the vast recall on these models. Now I have to spend my time getting Hond Corp’s attention along with the thousand others getting this fixed-Thanks Honda!
I guess that I am forced to join the club
My transmission is doing the same thing as of this morning. It is stuck in a low gear and will not go into reverse. It started the violent downshift as I was traveling at 55 MPH; pretty scary…tires squeeling and forcefully slowing down with traffic barrelling down behind me. It seems that the 2003 Accord has many problems…the radio and display has failed in most of the models as well and you are also expected to pay for that. I have been driving hondas for decades and have loved their dependability and affordability…up until now. I dont think that I will ever buy another honda again!!!!! They have avoided their ethical responsibilites; they have not honored the customer with recalls — they are now producing unreliable junk! Between toyota and honda, American made is looking pretty good these days! Any more news on a possible recall?
I guess I joined the club of 2003 Honda Accords with shotty transmissions. On 3/23/2010 my transmission died. Fortunately I was stopped at a red light waiting for the light to change. My car was towed to the local Honda dealership who ran diagnostics and confirmed that my “torque converter was staying engaged,” causing my car to stall out. Here’s the kicker though — at the time of the trans failure, my car only had 80,512 miles AND my extended warranty just ended at 75,000. I called Honda and because I didn’t get my transmission replaced at the dealership, they said that I could write a letter once the work was done and ask for reimbursement.
Stay tuned for an update.
same thing just happened to my 2003 accord ex v6 w/140k.. the sad part is that i bought this lovely car from a used car dealership march 3, 2010 as my first vehicle purchase! i noticed the shifting/hesitating problem about a week after i had the car and of course the dealer “didnt notice anything”. about a week after that, i paid $120 to have it looked at by a local honda dealer and was quoted $4500 for a new trans. so now, i’m stuck with a car note and trans repair costs- how lucky am i? hmph.. anyone know if i’d be in the right to call honda and complain since i’m the original owner/purchaser?
Kristine,
Depending on where you live, you may have recourse through your state’s lemon law. Check out your attorney general’s website.
http://autopedia.com/html/LemonLaw/
Christian,
Thanks so much for that info, I’m looking into that now. There are no service lights on in my car however, there is the hesitation problem.. it is extremely annoying.
I had the same problem happen to me on saturday May 8, 2010 just as described. It happend to me on the freeway and I was nearly in a car accident. I saved myself by going into the shoulder line as fast as possible. I looked up the problem and I found this site. This is a honda accord 2003, V-6 with only 47,000 miles! I had my honda sent to the dealership to get it checked out and they charged me for a $150 diagonosis. They gave me a rough estimate of over $3000! What I wish to do is to get a lawyer and sue Honda for a car defect that they do not honor. I coulve died or gotten into a car accident. I have taken care of the car and had the tranny flushed just last year. It is Honda’s fault that a thier car had a defect. If I could get other people’s inquries and or information I wish to use that as well for the benefit of us all. Thanks.
I have a 2003 Accord DX as well and like many of you, my transmission went out on me at 73,065 miles back in December of 2008. Thankfully the Honda dealer here in Omaha went to bat for me with Honda Corp and ended up replacing it with a “Refurb” transmission from Honda at no charge to me. I kind of thought the word “Refurb” sounded concerning, but as a single mother of two children it deffenitly sounded better than “Total due today is $4,300.00………Would that be cash or credit?”
Here’s the Kicker………..It has now been a little over a year and 26,000 miles later and it did it AGAIN!
Any advice would be great!
Kim
I own a 2003 Honda Accord EXL V6. It has been reliable transportation and I made the last payment on the car last week. On the way to a soccer game the car shifted into first and that was it. The dealer says the transmission has to be replaced and it will cost $2,700 for the part and $750 for labor. The car was covered under a Honda extended warantee until three months ago. Honda will not stand behind their product. The Miles on the car are 85,000. I thought this would be solid transportation for at least two more years and now it is JUNK.
Why does consumer reports give these cars such high ratings if they just breakdown like this. I service the car regularly and had the transmision fluid changed to preserve the integrity of the car.
Does anybody make a product in the automotive segment that is reliable?
MY COMPLAINT TO NHTSA:
2003 Honda Accord EX V6. current mileage 62,000. purchased new, single owner/driver.
at approx 60,000 miles began with intermittent shifting failure. It will fail to accelerate when it shifts from 2nd to 3rd gear. It varies in time when it will re-engage and it has left me in a dangerous situation several times and ther is no warning for this failure. It has been reported numerous times and seems to be a common problem of this year and model. Recently I pulled out onto a roadway and began to accelerate, when the transmission failed to engage when shifting into 3rd gear, enroute trafffic caught up to me and my abrupt failure to accelerate/merge with traffic, caused an accident of several of those vehicles that were approaching with wet road conditions to my vehicle that was abruptly stranded and nonmobile. I was nearly rear ended and had no warning that this failure is going to occur. I believe this to be a serious safety issue and am very concerned. Please advise.
CJ,
Thanks for sharing. Your’s is the first report that I hear where the transmission problems of the 2003 Accord actually caused an accident. If you have the names and contact information of any of the parties involved, provide them with the report as well.
Christian
328 complaints on a seven year old car? Honda sold ~400,000 Accords in 2003. Plus, many of these posts are of cars car with 75,000 – 100,000 miles+.
Automatic transmissions don’t last forever, even in Hondas. In fact it is an inherently weak part of ANY car. 100,000 miles out one is a good life.
Those of you alleging it’s a safety problem: many of your very own posts admit that you kept driving the car when you knew it was having transmission problems – did you magically expect them to go away? That makes it YOUR fault, not Honda’s if there an accident.
Both your actions and your expectations are unrealistic. When you buy Honda you do pretty much buy the best cars on the road but they’re not perfect. When you buy ANY automatic-transmission car consider yourself lucky if you get 100,000 miles out of it. It’s just the way it’s always been.
Sal9000, it is nice to hear someone defend Honda here, but with all due respect, the data speaks a different language. The NHTSA only logged 115 transmission-related complaints for the 2000 Accord, but the underlying issue was severe enough for Honda to lose the class action law suit. Very few people go through the hassle of filing a complaint with the NHTSA, very few people even know about the option. In comparison, 328 is rather high for a single model year. Either way, the absolute number says little about the severity or the importance of a defect – only in comparison it becomes meaningful.
For instance, there are only 21 (!) complaints logged for the 2003 Camry in this category, which is also a 7 year old car with an automatic transmission. How do you explain that, other than by Toyota building transmissions that are 15 times better than Honda’s?
I think there is plenty of evidence that Honda transmissions in various models fail prematurely. Your comment seems arbitrary and is bare of any logic. Are you a getting paid by Honda?
If Honda lost a class-action suit it wasn’t because of 115 complaints out of ~350-400,000 cars. And good luck with proving the statistical significance of 328/400,000 vs. 21/400,000. (I do stats on/off for a living.) To presume this “relative” relationship proves a point is a failure in logic.
No of course I’m not paid by Honda. I stumbled across this and thought it odd that people were complaining about bad automatic transmissions in 7-year-old cars with 75,000 – 100,000+ miles. It’s a crappy and expensive situation no doubt but the car is well out of warranty.
Remember, Honda earned its reliability chops on relatively cheap and simple cars from the ’80s. Notably, the lion’s share of its cars from that period were equipped with small, light vehicles equipped with 80-120 hp 4-cylinder engines and manual transmissions, which is a FAR more durable combination than a 4,500 lb Odyssey with 240 hp and an automatic transmission.
A word to the wise is that ~100,000 miles is the expected life of an automatic transmission (which of course implies some won’t even last that long), even those from Honda. It’s been that way for quite some time as the fundamental design of the A/T has not changed for decades – the typical A/T still relies on the inherently weak technology of clutches and bands (this is what typically fails).
hi all, anyone that reads this message could you please email me your VIN and the city where your honda was made. I have a 2003 accord, v6 and the tranny went out, we are in the process of suing honda over this issue. thanks alot. any help will be greatly appreciated. my email address is trannydied@yahoo.com. thanks
add another to the list. pulled out of a parking lot and into traffic and the car went into neutral and just kept rev ving. almost caused an accident. i had the trans replaced a couple of years ago from honda while under warranty and they must have given me a refurb with the same issue. scary situation when it happens. have had other cars with transmissions that went but nothing as abrupt as this. someone could really get hurt on this. my last car went 11 years and 150,000 miles before the trans went so i don’t get it especially since i had it repaired probably less than 2 years ago from Honda. i do mind the money factor don’t get me wrong but this one is a serious safety issue. i am glad no one including myself was hurt when this one went. as far as how long a trans should last the answer is there is no straight answer. SAL is talking out his you know what. i know cars that have over 200,000 miles on an original trans. like most complicated things there are many variables. needless to say this seems like a regular problem around 100,000 miles for the honda between certain years. thank god for the internet so i can see i am not alone or crazy on this issue.
@Sal9000: “115 complaints out of ~350-400,000 cars” sounds nice & simple for the sake of making your point, but that’s not logical. To begin making any sort of valid statistical analysis, you’d have to factor in what percentage of owners go through the process of complaining to the NHTSA.
For instance hypothetically if 0.1% of all incidents are reported to the NHTSA, 115 complaints would mean there are 115,000 defective vehicles (~30% failure rate).
I have no idea of 0.1% is accurate. I’m only making the point that it’s unhelpful to discuss whether 115 complaints is significant based on the total alone vs the total vehicles manufactured, as apparently you were doing.
Another helpful way to look at the issue is compare the 115 complaints relative to other complaints reported _for the same model_. That type of relative relationship IS valid. In other words, if there are 115 transmission complaints & less than 10 complaints about anything else, transmission complaints are therefore 10x more prevalent than other issues, & that’s fairly significant. That’s how looking at the complaint overview on CarComplaints.com for the 2003 Accord, it’s clear the transmissions are defective: http://www.carcomplaints.com/Honda/Accord/2003/ … the significance is comparing the relative difference between the complaint totals.
According to our data, the average mileage at failure is 86,000 miles, not 100,000 miles. Also our total is up to ~400 complaints (combining “transmission failure”, “transmission slips out of gear”, “won’t shift into 3rd gear”, & “won’t go into gear”). Incidentally I’d be very surprised if more than 1% of 2003 Accord owners have posted complaints on CarComplaints.com.
@Christian: thanks for mentioning the site!
- Mike Wickenden
Owner, CarComplaints.com
Mike Wickenden is right on the point. There would be many others who did not know they were not alone and probably did not complaint. I have complaint to the dealer well below 50,000 miles, and since it was tricky to reproduce the issue, they always said oh everything was fine. They are definitely hiding something to cover the cause. And I will be damned if this doesn’t have anything to do with the 2004 repair service Honda issued for transmission.
Guys, let’s keep pushing. I am fed up that someone gotta pay for all this hassle. I did report to NHTSA, and >300 cases for the same problem, Honda people, I wish you could sleep peacefully at night !!
Total transmission failure on our 03 Honda Accord while my 20 year old daughter was driving 60 mph on outerbelt. Car locked up like someone pushed on brakes! Thank God no one was behind her and smashed into her. She had to coast to side of highway. Her body flew into steering wheel (and yes, she had her seatbelt on!) 107,000 miles on car and just had $1100 worth of new brakes put on a few months ago.
Here’s what we are doing to fight back. We have made phone call after phone call to Honda and get the run-around, but we refuse to take no for an answer. The local Honda dealership admitted to us that there IS a problem with these transmissions. We have contacted all the TV stations in our city to investigate this travesty of auto safety. Got a reply back immediately from one station anxious to expose this dangerous situation. We are ready to go.
Hey guys and gals, just drove my wifes accord today to get the tires replaced and notice its normally smooth no shift shock transmission had become abrupt somewhat/ rougher than ever before. So being an automotive technician for 32 plus years contacted the service manager @ Vann York Honda in High Point , N.C. which said their technicians @ the shop had very few transmission problems out of the 2003 EXL_V6 models, but what i failed to tell him was the head parts manager, and just had discussed this matter minutes before, and. he said there had been quite a few of these replaced, so you be the judge! Someone is lying, either the guy that sells the parts or the guy that oversees all the repair work @ this dealership in High Point, North Carolina. Now that i have read that this transmission has severe internal failures that could cause accidental loss of control of the vehicle, My wife and i strongly recommend to all persons reading this article in all America to join in this class action suite against Honda of America as soon as humanly possible to own save the lives of countless unknowing Accord owners. DOES SOMEONE HAVE TO DIE 1ST? L. Purtel please list the attorneys name and the correct e-mail address for all of us that care and want Honda the be held responsible for defective transmissions, loss of work, loss of time, loss of use of their automobile, and loss of money. Also everyone be sure to file your complaints with the NHTSA!!! Also with your local news like, eyewitness 8, also 2 wants to know. Also trannydied@yahoo.com. YOURS TRANS IS NEXT!!! Lastly http//www.carcomplaints.com/Honda/Accord/2003
2003 Honda Accord V6 same issues 145K , Code 0756 Solenoid valve & 0700 internal trans problem. Neither Poway Honda nor Honda USA will come to bat with this issue because of the mileage. What have you done? I seen many complaints and no solutions. Please help…I know i’m not the only one with this issue Thanks!! sdchargerfan1@gmail.com
wow… im screwed.. my tranny on my 2003 v-6 just started doing what all you people are describing…
Our 2003 Accord ex-v6 lost its transmission yesterday 8/7/10 at 107000 miles! Its doing the exact same thing described above,we purchased this Honda because of Honda’s reputation. I have owned the same JEEP since 1998 over 250,000 miles and the trans still works fine! But yesterday the Honda let us down, just as we were thinking about trading up for the new Accord. Now I think we’re going to go buy a new Taurus instead, FORD that is, yes AMERICAN. I really hope someone from Honda is reading this stuff, obviously it’s something wrong with their design. Considering I’ve found over 500 people so far with the exact same issue. 3200.00 for a trans repair is ridiculous! I could buy a good used car off craigslist for that and then take my accord to the SCRAP yard.
my 2003 accord with 170k miles-same problem
guess I now belong to this dubious club, of sorts. Our ’03 Accord EXL V6 died in front of a gas station today. thank goodness for a quick thinking and fast dialing co-worker who wrangled a tow for me in about 10 miuntes flat. car on the way to an errand was revving/surging up to red line , then THUNK 4th gear. It’s like it searched, but then felt like it skipped over 3rd. parked and turned it off, went in for errand. putting into park no issue. Putting into reverse to back out of parking space no issue. Then came out, and once past first gear, all quickly downhill. was able to slowly mosey on side streets back to work, but came to red stop light where the car died. felt like it was trying to shift up while completely stopped, and idling. I felt like i was in a power surging Toyota as it was revving, and lurching a bit.. then green light and NOTHING. never died out or anything. In retrospect, when 1st took off (gently mind you) made a sound like nuts and bolts rattling in a metal coffee can. So much for this awesome, reliable, safe Honda mind set I’ve been brainwashed into…this is our 3rd. might turn out to be last. Who says American cars are worse?Original owner, 94,000 miles and inoperable? Unacceptable. Thoroughly Unacceptable. Shame on you Honda. The real irony here is that we bought this car to replace an 02 Passat that a lemon law attorney helped us dump. ridiculous. oh yeah-and the darned AC conked out a while back too. at least with an American car, I’d start out with a low expectation level…car worth squat now… hey Congress, WHERE’S MY BAIL OUT??
If you ever get a class action suit started please count me in. My 2003 V-6 Accord transmission died on 11/27/2006 with 71365 miles on it. I’m now at about 144K miles, Aug 2010, and its failing again. I love the car and put a few thousand into it recently with other maintenance and was hoping for another two years/40K miles before looking to get a new car, but it doesn’t look like the car is going to make it. I’d like to keep it because just about every single component under the hood has been replaced in the past four years, some in the past few months, but I can’t see spending more money on what has turned out to be a money pit from the beginning.
I have a 2003 Honda Accord 6cyl. as well and the transmission is doing the same as above. Seems that 1st-3rd is the issue with mine. I have had the trans. fluid flushed, drained and refilled – lasted about a week then the same problems returned. I will continue to look for answers to this problem and be a thorn in Honda’s foot. The car is great but the transmission is subject! Good luck to all that have posed on this site, I hope that Honda acknowledges this problem and that we can all have our problems resolved with little or no money out of our pockets. Good day to all and keep on Honda they will have to do something.
My 2003 Accord EX with 108k miles is sitting at the dealership right now with a broken transmission they want $3800 to replace it but have agreed to pay 15% which brings it down minimally in addition they are also telling me the catalytic converters are bad and they want $1200 to replace. I thought these cars are supposed to last??? I’m more than dissappointed this is is not right. I am willing to be a thorn in Honda’s side until I get an acceptable result.
My transmission is slipping, downshifting etc. 135k miles on a 2003 Accord EX V6 Coupe. Yesterday, while driving 50mph+, the car violently downshifted which threw me forward and freaked me out; very unsafe. The worst part about it is that I called three Honda dealerships today, yes THREE, just for them to tell me “don’t believe everything you read online” when I brought up the fact that tons of people are going through this! One of the dealerships was unaware of the recall, the other two said that seeing as my accord had the recall done, they’re no longer liable. WOW! I used to think Honda was a very good make, but this is a fail beyond belief. I have to pay $100 Saturday just for them to look at it and tell me I need a new transmission. Then from there who knows how much they’re going to charge me for a new transmission. Seems it’ll be anywhere from $3500-$4500. Way to go Honda, way to go.
Another one bites the dust! I have a 2003 Accord LX V6 with 109,000 miles and experienced virtually identical symptoms to above (no burning, though). Running cold was OK, but once warm the revs shot up without shifting and then abruptly downshifted which dramatically slowed the car down. Twice when stopped at a light the car came totally out of gear. Since the problem was intermittent the dealer charged me $50 and said they don’t see an issue but to monitor the situation. Of course, on the way home, the problem occurred again. Went back to the dealer and they now seemed very interested in making the problem go away. The service adviser brought in the service manager who denied any defects with the transmission and that the 2004 recall couldn’t have anything to do with the fact I needed a new transmission. The dealer quoted me $6300 for a new Honda transmission and also got me quotes for a used and a rebuild ($4200 and $3200 respectively). When I said that the price for a new transmission with tax was ridiculous and that for that price I should just cut my losses they were very quick to get the used car manager to call around (he wouldn’t take the car since the tranny was broken) to get quotes (the highest was $2700). As I said, they seemed very eager to go out of their way to make the problem go away without costing them anything and they wouldn’t go to bat with Honda for me because of the service records (don’t get me started on that one!). I didn’t press the issue and found an independent transmission shop to do a rebuild for $1800. The owner there said that they see a lot of transmissions from V6 Honda’s (Accord, Odyssey, and Acura TL). I have a 1997 Acura which is bullet proof but it seems like those days are over for Honda. I’m very disappointed in Honda and I won’t be buying any more of their cars. As of Sept 10, 2010 the NHTSA has 406 transmission complaints.
I just experienced the same issue as all of you above. I got the your tranny needs to be replaced. $4200?? I can’t fathom paying that much to replace it. It makes no total sense that this isn’t a recall with so many people having this issue. I’m waiting to hear back from the case manager from American Honda on their decision.
add one more to the list. 2003 accord EX V6. needs new transmission $3800…101k miles…bummer.
add one more to the list .Our 2003 Honda Accord EX V6 is sitting at the garage awaiting a transmission .Like many others , it was slipping between 2nd and third for a while .While in for 110,000 mile maintenance , the tranny fluid was changed .It was a little dark and had a burnt smell . Mechanic said that should fix the problem .It helped for a day or 2 and then the problem reoccurred . Recently the car slips out of gear and revs up . Last week it would start out and shift to 2nd but wouldnt go to 3rd . My quote is 3400.00 .
Wow..! I can’t believe this. Our 2003 V6 would only go on one gear. Running late for a wedding, people hooting at you to speed up…etc. I am glad I am not alone. I called Shockley Honda Dealership and they said that it would cost $4121.00 to change it….bummer.
How can we get all this to CNN, they like such news.
Honda Accord 2003 EXi V6 – The same problem started yesterday while driving on highway, all of a sudden accelerator stopped working at the speed of 65 miles (could turned into possible deadly crash). I took the car to nearest Firestone dealer to find out the issue, they diagnose issue with Transmission. I called up Honda Service desk to see if I can get Goodwill Repair as it is a generic issue which several drivers have faced. But all I was told that the car has 124000 miles on it and cannot cover under goodwill repair. I am afraid of paying 3000$ for my repair. There should be some legal action against this or recall should be issued.
Hi Folks,
I am in the process of contacting a consumer attorney for my transmission issue with Honda. Based on what I have read on this website and others, I am confident that I have a case. If anyone would like to join please contact me so that we can see the way foward. I called Honda yesterday and they said that there is nothing they can do for me. I will keep fighting.
I have the same issue. Just got quoted 4100, but waiting to hear what honda says about goodwill repairs. Should I wait on this? Anyone make any progress with this issue?
Same here! 2004 honda accord v6 93,500 miles and transmission is out. car started kicking all of a sudden and wouldn’t change gears. literally 1 minute after that started the car died, would not accelerate, and wouldn’t move when i was flooring the gas pedal. Very scary!!! it didn’t give me any warning signs , not even a light to warn me to take it in. the lights came on AFTER the car died. had the recall done in 2005 and now this again! of course after the extended warranty is expired! found on the websites to call honda customer care to try to get a goodwill repair but was told it is on a case by case basis and it depends on the mileage of the car and your loyalty as customer. this is the 3rd honda that i’ve owned and the first one that had major problems like this! i get all my services done at honda. if you do that, the trick is to be SICKENINGLY SWEET and HELPLESS on the phone with the customer rep. If you go off on them or start yelling, for sure they will tell you NO! i heard that some people were able to get the whole bill comped but i was only able to get a 50/50 split with Honda and my part of the bill was still almost $2000! This sucks!!!
Another one today. 2003 Accord V6, original owner. 140K
please add another one. My car is at the dealership now. They are telling me 3800.00. I have an 03 Accord V6 4dr. this is just crazy. I was lucky not to get hit or hurt. Something needs to be done about this!!!
My 2003 Accord experienced transmission failure at 130km. After speaking to the dealer and writing several letters to Honda Canada, the transmission was replaced for $2200. One year and 21,000 km later, I’m experiencing the same issues that I had when the problems started with the original transmission (loss of drive from a stop with traction control light coming on, revving at unusually high RPMs when driving in the city, etc.). Overall, I’m very unimpressed how Honda is dealing with this issue and, as a result, this is the last Honda that will every be parked in my driveway.
I guess the last comment covered the thought that I had. Just to reiterate, I was wondering if anybody had had their transmission replaced and had a repeat of the issue. If one can imagine if this had not happened that would be that Honda has identified that there is an issue and addressed it with the replacements. However, given the previous posters comment and the theme that seems to be common throughout, it seems they refuse to admit there is an issue. I am at 139,000 miles and am now starting to experience the symptoms that everybody else has. Problem is that I am now in fear that I may also experience the problem where the car suddenly down shifts leaving me to the mercy of the current driving conditions as to if I live thorough what might happen. This being that I can just stop whatever is going on and drop over $3000 into what is suppose to be one of the most reliable cars on the road. That on top of the fact that they may put the same crap back into my car and have it happen again sometime down the road.
One question I do not see answered is whether anybody has had their transmission replaced after be inspected with respects to the 4/15/2004 NHTSA Campaign #04V176000? I see that this recall states that if your car has over 15,000 miles and discoloration exist the transmission will be replaced. I would find it hard to believe that out of all the Honda Accords sold in 2003 none of them exhibited discoloration or is it simply the fact that has a owner you will never know what the Honda Service Tech saw and have never admitted to the discoloration even if it actually exist.
I guess I will find out. I can tell you that my wife and I just started looking at new cars and were strongly considering a Honda. I think that we will look at other cars given this situation.
I sold my 2003 Honda to a Used Honda dealer today. Last week, my transmission shifted gears, while on a rural winding road…I was just there for the ride. Next day, the car was towed to the dealer and a call from service said nothing was wrong with the car. Three days later in the Used Car office, I was told by the manager the torque converter was failing and he could not give me much $$$ for my 8 year old car with only 89K on it. I sold it anyway… I had no intention of driving the car again.
I will begin my letter writing campaign. Honda needs to be held responsible for such negligence. I have been in discussions with them regarding the 2004 Transmission Recall, which Honda states they fixed but have no documentation…because files over five years old are ‘purged’.
It’s up to us to keep any further injuries from this faulty vehicle. We need to write letters and fight this wrong. Never again, will I own a Honda! Anyone who ever tells me they are considering the purchase of a Honda, will hear my story. BTW, forgot to mention while my car was in the shop…they did the work for the ignition switch recall…although I never received notice of this recall!
Stay Safe, folks!
[...] research it does seem like there are some major problems with this car. I found a good page here. A very interesting discussion of what the problem is can be found here. I was also surprised [...]
Unbelievable. I am the original owner of a 2003 Accord V6 with 118K. I bought the Honda for quality, reliability, and low cost of ownership. The car drove fine this morning on my way to work until exiting the highway. Approaching a stop light, the car jerked forward a little on the downshift and then revved and jerked forward on the upshift. No noticeable issues prior. Hoping it was a fluke issue, I started driving home after work with no issue until I hit traffic on the highway. At about 45MPH the car violently jerked me forward locking my seat belt and then jerked again at 40MPH. I honestly felt I could have got into an accidently. After that, the car had issues shifting gears, but I made it home. I noticed the car does not reverse. I called Honda CS and made an appointment with a Honda dealership. I will be logging a complaint with NHTSA when they open on Monday. I came close to getting into an accident. I would like to know if anyone has had success with Honda or taking legal action. Considering no apparent action by Honda and cost or repairs at a dealership, I am considering having the transmission fixed at a much lower cost at a transmission shop. I’m hoping the car will shift on a cold start.
Driving home a couple hours ago the transmission violently downshifted to first gear when I was accelerating on the parkway doing about 65mph. Threw me violently forward thank god I wear my seat belt or else I probably would have went through the windshield. Would not shift up out of first gear after the initial downshift. Pulled over and restarted my car. Continued about ten minutes really slowly in the right lane until I got off at my exit. I steadily began to brake coming to a red light and all of a sudden it downshifted to a halt making the person behind my slam on their brakes and come to a screeching stop. Continued to drive down the 25mph residential road leading to my house at 20mph because any more acceleration shot the rpms up to redline. When I got to my house I also realized that when I put the car in reverse, the reverse gear does not activate and instead the car just revs as if it is in neutral when giving it gas. This is ridiculous and a serious safety issue to say the least. Since purchasing this car I have always babied it and had the scheduled maintenance performed. There are hundreds of issues like mine and it is known by Honda that these transmissions are a problem. They should stand by their reputation and fix or replace the transmissions free of charge.
Add another to the list. Engine refuses to shift from first/second gear and when it does its prone to drop back into first regardless your speed cause sudden violent deceleration and skidding. Amost been rammed by a following vehicle once.
Not that my story is any different….just adding so there is a voice! My 2003 V6 Accord needs new transmission at just 114,000. This was my mother in laws car and was totally babied and all maintenance, etc. gears slipping bad and leaving me in a death trap on road today!
It is not about the problem necessarily…it is about how you fix the problem and do your customers right!! Honda this is a MASSIVE FAIL!!!! Someone is going to die and then it will be aired how all of this has been your knowledge backed my so many complaints…then the “Reliable” giant will fall………..and said cause only after a death!!! SICK!!!!
My Honda accord 2003 is giving me transmission problen is to much money to fixed it. We have put a lot of money in this car for many other issus into this car .
I think a recall should be done.
Well, I’ve joined the club. My 2003 Honda Accord 6cyl. transmission has died (111,000miles). An official from Honda Corporate says they can not give me help. When will this issue be dealt with? I can’t afford $3,700 for the repair! Nor can I afford a new car. Doesn’t Honda know that no one that has this problem will ever buy a Honda again? That’s right Honda, Never buy a Honda product again!
Lets say it again:
Never buy a Honda product again!
Never buy a Honda product again!
Never buy a Honda product again!
Never buy a Honda product again!
Never buy a Honda product again!
Never buy a Honda product again!
Never buy a Honda product again!
Never buy a Honda product again!
2003 Honda Accord Transmission Failure
2003 Honda Accord Transmission Failure
2003 Honda Accord Transmission Failure
2003 Honda Accord Transmission Failure
2003 Honda Accord Transmission Failure
2003 Honda Accord Transmission Failure
2003 Honda Accord Transmission Failure
2003 Honda Accord Transmission Failure
2003 Honda Accord Transmission Failure
2003 Honda Accord Transmission Failure
2003 Honda Accord Transmission Failure
2003 Honda Accord Transmission Failure
2003 Honda Accord Transmission Failure
2003 Honda Accord Transmission Failure
Another complaint filed with Honda, this morning. Have brought up the transmission issue multiple times, did the oil jet recall in 2004 on my 2003 Honda Accord V6, now at 121k. And hesitation in shifting is more and more noticeable where there is something very very wrong.
Will take it back to the Honda Dealer and see what kind of consideration they give me.
Bad for Honda not to step up and resolve this issue, the bad publicity is not going to help them at all as these cars are reaching the break point on the transmissions. I have noticed the problem since day 1, even mentioned it to the dealers I have come in contact with and they said that’s the way they are.
These models have what appears to be one of the worse designs in the transmissions.
Honda, please step up and issue a recall or at least a good faith repair process to at least cover 50-75% of the repair.
Ok me too! Car is @ 98 000 and is @ the dealership now. My car luckily began to down shift as I was slowing down for a red light thank God. I have a warranty that will cover repairs minus the freight and core ($1308). Soo I have a case with Honda consumer relations waiting to see if they will cover the balance. I am also told that this ‘core’ fee is a recycling fee that should be waived if the old transmission is returned. Doesn’t seem that’s a practice the dealership operates under. FYI, I was quoted about $5200 for the entire job. Why does this price vary sooo much from dealer to dealer.I also have a leaking power steering pump. Beardsley will covet that also and the dealership is willing to give a discount. This is such a pain in the ass. I feel sorry for myself and everyone on here who thought they were getting quality and not a piece of…
People please make your complaints to the NHTSA. Right now they have a record of 462 Records….everyone who is experiencing this should have their voice heard. We nor NHTSA should wait until someone dies to be reactive.
My 03 accord is doing the same thing and i dont have the money to fix this i have 3 kids and a house payment this is devastating to some of us well merry f***ing christmas…….
I’m in the same boat as everyone else. Just got back from the garage and they will only give me a ballpark figure on the transmission rebuild/replacement. 2003 Honda Accord V6 – 130,000 miles – this is my 3rd Honda (? Prelude, 96 Accord (180,000 miles), 03 Accord). I’m now going to another garage for a 2nd opinion. I agree that Honda does need to step up and at least pay a % of the repair. Honda’s are built to last….that’s why I buy them!!
Ditto to what everyone else said. I bought the car new in 2002, was told that this car would ‘”make it to 200k miles with no major repairs.” I did have the recall repair done in 2004. My first transmission flush was in 2007. I have had atleast 2 -3 transmission flushes since then. Earlier this year, I was on the highway and my car dropped the gear when I was driving 65 miles an hour. The force jerked so hard that the seatbelt scratched my neck. I thought that it might be because I was in stop-and-go traffic for a while. Fast forward a few months later and my check engine light comes on. I took it into the dealership and they said that I needed to have the torque convertor solenoid replaced and a transmission flush. Just to replace the solenoid was $700. I told them to go ahead and repair the solenoid but I didn’t want to do the flush because I had already had one done earlier this year (and I couldn’t afford another $250). One month later, my check engine light comes on again while I was out of town. I took it into the same place and they said that the torque convertor circuit was stuck off. They said that only thing they could do was to do a transmission rebuilt and it was “a $4600 proposition.” I was furious, told the service person that it was more than my car was worth. I also expressed grievance over having to get MULTIPLE tranmission flushes over the last few years. My sister has a 1995 Honda Civic and has never had to have a transmission flush.
I called the dealership back and they gave me the run-around, telling me that the service manager wasn’t in the office. I then called American Honda and they said they were “not in the position to offer financial assistance” because I am outside of my 3 year, 36k mile warranty. Personally, I feel backed into a corner because the only sound option is to trade it in, which is ultimately what the dealership (and Honda) want you to do. The will give you a lowball offer to trade in your car, fix the transmition and sell it for 3 or 4 times that amount.
I don’t know anyone who can write a check for $4600 off top. Literally, it was one of the most depressing things I’ve ever been told.
January 8, 2011
I have. 2003 Accord Ex V6 with 148k. I now have transmission problems AGAIN. My transmission was replaced by Honda with the recall back in 2005 with the 2nd gear. So I have now a non working tranny for the second time thanks Honda. I am having rebuilt by a local mechanic at half the price of Honda.
My Honda Accord V6 automatic died this afternoon with 97051 miles on it. Symptoms similar to the above: reluctantly sliding into gear between second and third, noticeable hard shifting when hot, and finally a pattern of very hard downshifting, one time so hard I inadvertently knocked it into neutral with my right arm. The transmission will now not shift above second gear and only reluctantly goes into reverse. I have been faithful about draining and flushing the transmissionm, draining and flushing twice and draining once. I had the trnsmission drained and flushed at 94,000 miles in November after returning from driving to Seattle, WA, from Fairfax, VA (8200 miles). I love the car and will have the transmission replaced with a new unit. My decision is whetther to use the dependable shop I have used for the six Hondas I have owned or my local Honda dealer who has not been trustworthy. The warranty on the new Honda transmission will determine. I am not looking for solace or comfort from Honda, although having worked in supply chain sourcing myself I think it is a bad investment for companies to chill their repeat customers, and encourage them to shop competitors products. When I have the official verdict from my mechanic on Monday I will add my chiy to the growing list with NHTSA. I am glad this column is here and I had a chance to see how the transmission might perform when failing; it was a very uncomfortable experience.
Please note my Honda Accord V6 automatic is a 2003 model (purxhased August 2003).
http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/08/honda-transmission-problems-seem-to-persist/#more-83349
I bought my Honda 2 years ago used. Its a 2003 Accord EX it had 80,000 miles on it at the time. The reason I bought it over the other cars was because i was under the impression that Honda was a dependable car that gets good gas mileage and all i had to do is take care of it and maintain it, which I have done by the way. The car now has 126,000 miles on it and my transmission went out. which couldn’t come at a better time because I just saved up enough money to replace the tires, timing belt, and the water pump a $700 total. Being in college and working part time you can’t afford to drop $3,500 for a new transmission every time it happens to go out whenever that maybe. So this is what I’m going to do. I am going to get the transmission fixed look for a new car, one that is actually dependable and not full of s**t, sell my Honda and try to get my money back out of it to put towards my new car. I will never buy a Honda again and I will make sure that anyone that I know never buys one because they a non dependable car.
Two days back on my birthday my car reverse gear stopped working. It started giving jerk. I went to a honda dealer today and they said the same thing transmission is gone bad. To replace they want $4158. I called honda america hoping for some help but all in vain. They said to contact the service manger and the regional filed manager. But after seeing all the post I dont think so any action will be taken . May be they will give me some discount. My car has just $64k miles on it . I got my transmission fluied changed by the deals 2 months back. Is there any way or any news from NHTSA ?
HONDA SUCKS BIG TIME !!!!
My transmission went out at at 90k miles on my 2003 Honda accd. V6. Got it replaced under warranty. Now I’m at 154k and seems like I’m having issues again. My check engine light came on and 2 mouter mounds cracked. I’m bout to burn dis bitch!!lol.
My story is similar to those of you above–transmission failure, which for me was as at 74K miles. My car was bought new and religiously maintained including a transmission service just months before the failure. Here’s the kicker for me–I’m military serving overseas and trying to find a dealer who would work on my Accord was a nightmare. I finally found a semi-local dealer to do the transmission work which came back at ~ 7,000 euro. Folks, that’s almost $9,000!!! They wouldn’t just fix the transmission, and Honda would only work with me if I ordered a new or fully remanufactured unit–which I did–AND find a cheaper dealer price. I had to have the car towed (again) over 150 miles at a cost of $500 to find a new dealer to do the job. Cost–still almost $7,000. I managed to get Honda to pay 1/2 of the cost. What gets me is my 1/2 is more than most stateside people are paying for the entire replacement. This maintenance nightmare is in addition to failed front wheel bearings, warped rotors, crankcase main bearing seals that went out, failed radio control head light, failed windshield wiper motor, and more. I’ve had more claims on this car than all the vehicles I’ve ever owned combined. I’m still driving the thing until the summer when I can dump it after getting a few miles in return on the transmission.
I will NEVER buy another Honda car product again–and this after 5 total Honda’s. Terrible service, terrible reliability, complete disregard for a KNOWN transmission problem, and the list goes on.
Epic FAIL!
I own a 2003 honda accord lx-v6 and i have 120,000 miles on the vechile and on 2/14/2011 my transmission failed. i took to one dealer and was told it would take $4000 to repair with a 3/36,000 warranty. i took to another honda dealer and will be charged $2700 to repair. I would never believe that an accord with 120,000 with one owner (me) who never drove that car hard, always took the car in for schedule maintenance to the same honda dealer i bought it from that the transmission would fail. I just had the car painted because the paint Honda uses began to peel off the car, and the tune up and timing belt was changed. sounds like a money pit and Honda should be ashamed of themselves for selling such a bad product.
there needs to be a class action suit about the 2003 honda accord Lx-v6 transmission problems. honda wont even acknowledge this and the highway and public transportation will not go after honda. I bought Honda cause i believe in its reliability and ease of use. what is going on with spending all this money on maintenance and the transmission failed at 120,000. i am not buying another honda.
My transmission on my 03 accord v6 died. Car had 75000 miles on it
I am sadly joining this group of very unsatisfied and traumatized owners of 2003 Honda Accords. I was driving on the freeway and slowed down as the traffic slowed ahead. I decelerated from 65mph to a terrifying 35mph in a split second as the car downshifted violently to 1st gear. If it weren’t for my seat belt, I would have slammed my face on the steering wheel or the windshield!!! I was almost rear ended by a semi-truck!!! I immediately pulled of the emergency side of the freeway and turned off the car. I checked the engine bay and under the car and found no apparent damage or leaks. I turned the car back on and proceeded to exit the freeway using the emergency shoulder. I drove the car to the nearest Honda Dealer (Gardena Honda), which was only a mile from where this occurred. The car continually downshifted randomly to first gear so I kept the car at 5mph to prevent it from going to second gear. I drove the car in traffic with the hazard lights on until I got to the dealer. I spoke to the Honda Service Specialist and was informed that the problem was most likely internal transmission and that it probably needed a new one. He quoted me $3500. In shock, I drove my car home (1/2 mile away) with the hazard lights on and going 5mph. I parked the car on the driveway and had been in that position for the past month. I looked around other transmission specialist and they quoted me around $1500 for a complete transmission rebuild with 1-year warranty.
My 2003 Accord’s transmission dowshifted in very violent way while driving on the highway on February 22. We almost had an accident! It was very scary! The local dealer told us that the transmission looks really bad and gave us a quote for $4,480!! Since that day we have been looking for information on the internet regarding this issue and to our surprise, many other owners have the same transmission failure. This is a terrible safety issue!!! We have contacted Honda of America and they are not willing to help us because our car has 107,000 miles and we are the second owners. (That is what they said)
We submitted a complaint to NHTSA (Dept of transportation). We joined a group on facebook called HONDA PROBLEMS GROUP. And this week we started sending letters of complaint to Honda of America because we want them to realize that their lack of responsibility and trustworthiness towards their customers can hurt their reputation.
I will never buy a Honda again and I am committed to continue my fight through letters, phone calls, complaints and joining groups.
Please join the group HONDA Problems Group on facebook!!!
My 04 Honda Accord V6 only has 64,000 miles and after limping into the local Honda Dealership and being told after they had my car for 4 hours that ‘nothing was wrong’ I headed home and almost didn’t make it. The car was losing power (it wasn’t shifting into gear) and when I pressed the eccelerator it let out a very loud whine! I headed right to my local repair garage and the mechanic drove it barely making it back to the shop! It now has a new transmission at the fine tune of $3900. I’ve prepared a letter to Honda and am sending it off tomorrow. My last Honda I had for 11 years without any major problems. To be continued…
My 2003 Honda accord ex coupe v6 transmission just dropped with only about 103,000 miles on it. Was told by Honda dealer ship that since I have not kept all my service records there is nothing they will do.
2004 Accord EX V6 (purchased end of 2003) occasionally hard downshifted while decelerating. Lost top gear at 114,000. Honda wants $3,879 to install a rebuilt transmission. Transmission shops charge around $2,000 to rebuild and install “updates”. My guess is Honda knows there is a problem…
My 2003 EX V6 Accord’s transmission, which I as original owner purchased in late 2002, started slipping yesterday. I have 82 K miles. Unhappy reading about others with the same problems that I have been experiencing. Took it to the dealership this morning, drove around with the technician but we could not reproduce the same condition when it was cool. I would assume the Honda dealership is aware of this problem in this class of car, and sure enough, as soon as the tranny warmed up (~15 miles of driving) I started experiencing the shifting problem. I’ll see if I can make it back, in one piece, to the dealership this evening. Yes, I have taken very good care of this car by performing all recommended service religiously.
03 Odyessy. engine replaced at 90k! now 140k get call from dealer, need to replace trans. Total around 10k. I have kept up on maintanence…..
Told him, if this is how honda products work, I will never buy honda product again.
03 Honda Accord V6 Transmission problem!! I am very dissapointed to find out that Honda is not accepting responsiblity for this after so many incendents. A recall definetly shoud be issued. This is putting not only 03 Accord owners at risk but everyone on the road with them! This is a saftey concern! I must say I will join any group of fellow consumers that have had this same problem! I fully intened to write a letter to
Honda Automotive Cutomer Service (ACS) at
1919 Torrance Blvd. Torrance,CA 90501.
I to thought of Honda to be a reliable vechile and did not excpect to have any major repairs. I do regular matiance as required. I am shocked at the cost involved in the repair or replacement of this transmission. Over half of what KBB claims the car is currently worth. (and I thought Hondas were supposed to hold thier value)Then what guarantee or warrenty do I have? None!
Well, here is another one. 2003 V6 ex with 195 km (121,000 miles) and delayed shift from 2 to 3 plus burnt fluid. I have been aware of this problem for some years and have had the fluid changed regularly each year in hopes of avoiding it.
This is not the Honda quality that I thought I was paying for. Next purchase will be based on price alone. The Honda name alone is not worth paying any kind of premium for.
I have deliberately rented cars to go out of town in order to keep the miles off of my 2003 Honda Accord V6 EX. I just passed 70,500 miles on my car today and also, today, I realized my transmission is on the way out. I was driving a quick 75-mile trip up the 101 and as I started up a slight hill, the transmission just slipped out. I had the cruise control on and the radio up, which kind of distracted me from looking at the instrument panel. When I noticed that I was loosing speed, I looked down to see that my RPMs were red-lining and I couldn’t get any power from any other gears. I pulled off the road, turned the car off for about five minutes. During that time I smelled a burnt rubber kind of smell, but noted when I turned the engine back on that that car was not over-heating. I was able to shift into gear and finish the drive without problems, but this is the fourth time it has happened now and twice within the past two days. I don’t think I have much longer with this transmission, car or brand.
Is there anything I can sign or do to help out with possibly getting a recall for this issue?
I hate to say it, but it looks like I’m joining the ranks. About a month ago, my 2003 v-6 accord (105,00 miles) was having trouble going from second to third gear. I took it into Honda, and they told me that the trans fluid was dark and needed to be changed. Big relief, right?! Wrong!! Over the course of the next few weeks, my car was doing the same thing. Yesterday, I was on the highway in Chicago going about 65mph when out of nowhere my car jerked so hard that my wife and I thought we got rear-ended. I have yet to have an engine light come up on my dash. You would think that something would appear. I haven’t taken my car in yet, but now that I’ve come across this thread, I have a pretty good idea what they will say. I have purchased 6 Hondas, and this is the first time I’ve had something like this happen. Depending on how I’m treated at the dealership, which I am now prepared for the worst, this could be my last Honda vehicle. I’m extremely disappointed. Much like many of you, we bought Hondas for the same reason as you. Not any more!! I will follow up with the NHTSA after I get word from the dealership today.
Looks like I am having the same problem. 90,000 miles. I had the recall “fix” done as well. I am waiting to hear from the dealer.
I will following up with NHTSA as well. This is ridiculous.
Pete,
I filed my complaint with the NHTSA shortly after complaining to Honda. I would recommend making a safety complaint when talking to NHTSA though. I don’t think they’ll issue a recall unless there’s a safety concern. My complaint was that I lost power and not being able to accelerate made changing lanes on a busy freeway extremely dangerous. Good luck.
My problem started last week with the “emission light on”. In reading the manual and followed the instruction, i tighten the gas cap. Light went out after two trips and came back after two days….I replaced the gas cap and still on. My friend did a diagnostic on my car and had this code error “P0741-Torque Converter Clutch Hydraulic Clutch Stuck OFF. I googled this problem and got so many hits in regards to my Honda Accord 2003, and all the issue points to transmission. The mileage on my car is around 95,000. I just don’t want to experience these problems that i read and Honda should be accountable for this issue.
I just bought a used Honda Accord EX V6 about 3 weeks ago with 68,800 miles on it. I am taking it to the dealership tomorrow to have it checked out due to the engine light coming on. I have noticed the transmission isn’t acting right for about 2 wks now and the rpms keep dropping. According to all the post I have found here, my car is having the same problem. I bought this car for the dependability I experienced when I had a 76 Honda Accord Hatchback. I love this car but the problems may land it back in the dealerships lap before the 30 days expire.
My transmission died yesterday and I JUST finished paying my car off! It really sucks!
2002 Honda Accord EX V6 3.0 current miles 44,000 just received the P0780 code for death of the transmission. I hear the solenoids become clogged because the torque converter is disentigrating within the transmissions then clogging the solenoids. Many people are paying and paying for rebuilt transmissions over and over again. Most do not last, costing more repairing of thousands of $$$$$. My problem started at around 41,000 and Honda in Schaumburg just rang me up a bill for couple of thousand for a rusted bolthole on subframe…which was replaced. Avoiding the transmission problem that had been building up over the 3,000 miles. They should be a large recall my warrenty expired, and my vin isn’t recalled…doesn’t make sense. I am going to put up a big stink…Honda should cover this no matter how many times it happens to fail. This is my first failure on my tranny and I am pissed. I will fight fight and fight this Honda Corp and I hope everybody will team up for class action lawsuite!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My car started to stop and go on the expressway. I got off the highway and now noticed my car won’t go reverse. Really!!! My 2003 Honda Accord won’t go reverse!!! I ain’t paying $3 to 4k for this puppy to work.
My daughter’s 2003 Honda Accord Ex 6cyl coupe just did the same thing at 127000 miles. While driving on the highway about 60mph, the transmission suddenly dropped to 1st gear, sliding the front wheels, throwing her violently into the seatbelt, and nearly causing a rear end collision. I then drove the car the next day and it drove fine for a few miles and then suddenly, the same thing happened. It nearly pitched me into a ditch and narrowly escaped an accident. While driving it to a shop slowly, the rpm stayed about 4000 and the transmission remained in ist gear. There was a burning smell. I checked the fluid and it looked like dirty motor oil. The fluid was bright red and clear prior to this problem. The garage says the trans has to be replaced. I plan to call Honda, NHTSA and others. Please, any help would be appreciated.
My 2003 Honda Accord v6 coupe with 179,000 miles just did the exact problem you guys have described. I was doing 60 on the highway then all of a sudden, a violent shift to first gear. This could’ve caused a major accident. I called Honda USA and they told me they are unaware of a transmission issue in the 2003 Honda Accord. My car is at the dealership waiting a diagnostic check. This is unfortunate to see but I really think someone has to get seriously hurt in a 2003 Honda Accord before someone will take action. How could Honda say they are unaware of this issue when all these 2003 Honda Accord owners are expieriencing the same issue???
My 2004 Accord EX failed yesterday on the freeway, dropping from 65 to 20 mph and then zero and getting me almost rear-ended while trying to move to the side of the road. Car had to be towed to the garage and we’ve just been told it needs a new transmission ($3800). A call to the Honda dealership near us resulted in “we’re not aware of any problem with transmission”. Am filing a complaint with safercar.gov.
I have a 2003 Honda Accord V6 that I purchased from a used car dealer. There is no warranty, however, surely they had to know that this was an issue. I have not had the car for one year and can not afford to have a new transmission put into the vehicle. I am going to contact the dealer 1st then NHTSA, SAFErcar.gov and Honda America obviously. This is just rediculous. My faith in honda’s has been broken.
I just bought an 03 Honda Accord from a Ford dealer and they offered me a complementary 3 month/3000 mile warranty. Good thing. It hesitated shifting into drive for about a half second, then would fully engage. After driving 30 miles, it would lurch forward at about 5 miles per hour. It did this several times and then it was like it went into neutral and none of the gears, including reverse, worked. Check engine, TCS and cruise control lights all came on. Tow truck driver said the trans fluid smelled burnt. This happened three days after purchasing with only 65,000 miles. Had it towed to the dealer and they flushed the trans and replaced some filters, reset the 700 code for internal transmission problem and said it was good. I pushed back and now they are sending it to a Honda dealer to get checked out. We shall see…
Our 2003 Honda Accord EX transmission failed at 127000 miles exactly as yours did. While driving at 60mph, it violently downshifted to 1st gear, causing front wheels to slide on pavement. We almost lost control and narrowly escaped a major serious accident. Honda American refuses to assist in any way to repair the unit. I appealed the rejection to a higher authority, but got the same rejection. I filed a complaint on carcomplaints.com. I will file a complaint with the NHTSA. Any other suggestions?
I transmission problem that kept slipping and it had 108k miles. I had to replace the transmission I paid $1700 repairs and Honda paid $1800 for transmission and delivery. That’s not including the cost I had to rent a car for 3 days. If there is a class action lawsuit let me know.
Ours died yesterday.
I bought a used 2003 Honda Accord way back. From the beginning I have been asking the dealership, where I get it serviced, why light indicating it is in Drive constantly blinks. Even if I have it in reverse the light is still blinking beside the “D”. The dealership said they didn’t know but not to worry about it. At about 115,000 the transmission began to “slip” it seems to downshift all of a sudden. I haven’t experienced anything that has caused a near accident but should I drive it until it fails or get it replaced now? I don’t want to have an accident while I have my granddaughter in the car.
My 2003 that I bought from my neighbor who had the car religiously service just had the tranny do all that you guys describe! I have to call Honda and by the looks of what everyone is saying I’m going to get screwed!!! This sucks! I just lost my teaching job and now have no car! Fml
http://www.odysseytransmission.com//ProblemCases?msgId=642 Check this out!
I’m an Odyssey owner because I believed that they were the safest van and most versatile & reliable.
Mine was until I reached 108k miles. I found the above website 2 years ago, and I was hoping I could decide what to do ahead of time should I suddenly find myself in trouble, which I did yesterday. I nearly lost control of the car when I was slowing down to stop at a stop sign. The trans. shifted up and the car lurched forward like a bucking bronco while I was mashing down the brake. My husband and I thankfully had our seat belts on or we would’ve hit the dash. Though I had the brake pedal to the floor the car shifted a second time and I heard and felt a horrible grinding sound. I just missed hitting an suv in front of me. I drove home carefully for a few blocks and I am afraid to drive it at all. A few months earlier the d light was flashing, but because it stopped after I shut off the engine, the dealership didn’t want to see my van when I tried to make an appointment. They told me that since the light went out they didn’t want me to come in, because the sensor “reset itself”. I’ve noticed it shuddering at times, and I took it to another dealer a few weeks ago because of a new whining sound I’ve been hearing when the trans. is shifting. They didn’t take it for a test drive – they didn’t hear the sound. I have always done all of the maintenance, including the ’04 recall, which probably extended the life of the trans. until after my extended warranty expired. I don’t know if I even want to bother with Honda. I’m seriously thinking of rebuilding or if I can afford it, a remanufactured Jasper transmission.
I have a Honda accord lx sedan 2003 and just hit 97,000 miles. I thought I was hearing something when my car wouldn’t go into 3rd gear (guessing because it’s an automatic)…pretty much sounded like I was revving the car in neutral. It’s happened twice since. Once going on the highway at about 65 dropped into neutral as well. Scary! The lights had been coming on in the car & I think I paid Iike 300 months ago to have that fixed. Then the steering pump made a screeching sound. But this tops them all. The Honda guy said hes seen numerous cases in the 2003 v6 model where the transmission goes out. Nice! So now, because I don’t want to sell to an individual my “doesn’t lose it’s value” Honda just went to crap! I was quoted 4200 initially. Then because a good customer, they’ve offered 3500 for the tranmission to be replaced as well as 2 engine mounts. They offer a three year warranty with 36000 miles for that price. I call Honda america to sound a complaint & waiting to hear back from case manager. So upset. I thought I was putting my money into a safe reliable car & now I’m afraid tp drive it or buy another one!!!
Count me in with my 2003 Accord V-6. 127,000 miles. I am pissed seeing so many people with the same issue and Honda not stepping up to the plate.
This is my second Accord, and my last Honda product.
My 2003 Accord V6 transmission just went the other day and the Honda dealer I brought it to gave me a cost of $4300 to repair.. I bought the car 3 years ago with 58K on it and the vehicle has 117K when the tranny went.. This is my 2nd Accord and I thought by buying a Honda I wouldn’t have to deal with costly repairs like this.. Boy was I wrong.. I really thing Honda should be held liable for this and should have a recall on this vehicle immediatly. There is certainly a safety concern when a vehicle goes from 55-60 miles on the highway to Neutral or will not shift into 2nd gear..
I also own a 2003 Honda. I took it in for the oil jet kit recall in May of 09, the day after I picked it up the transmission locked up in 2nd gear. Jerking…”fish tailing” etc…took it back and of course it was the transmission. Called Honda of Am because I felt it was the techs fault. But now I see several people had the exact same problem! The total cost to replace was $3700.00, I had to pay $1300 of that. Now 2yrs later, 600 miles short of the warranty, it starts acting up again!! Losing power, shifting hard & check engine light coming on. Its back at the dealership and they say its the “throttle body”……HELP. I do not know what to do & I pick it up this afternoon after them doing a ignition switch recall.
My 2003 transmission started acting funny about a month ago at 74,000 miles.I thought maybe it was a timing thing because it wasn’t very noticeable. Well I know have 75k and the 2nd and 3rd gear/automatic redlines and my mechanic said it’s shot. I drove a measley 75k miles over 8 years and need a new transmission.
To all 2003 Honda Accord Ex-V6 fellows, Damaged transmission Millage : 65630 miles
It seems as if this problem is too common. I went to go fix my breaks and after test driving, the mechanic found that there’s a problem in the transmission. He checked the fluid, and found a nasty black fluid with metal chips.
Need Tranmission replacement., even though my honda was recalled in 2004 to put oil cool jacket( installed) to prevent this problem.
I recommend calling this number, 1-800-999-1009.
I’m experiencing similar issues with my 2003 Accord. My car loses power while driving and when taking off. Of course my warranty is expired so I’m facing a large bill to pay out of pocket.
My wife’s 2003 Honda Accord Ex-V6 is having transmission issues as well. Second gear is slipping intermittantly. RPM’s rev very high with no acceleration. My wife is worried about getting rear ended by another car when the transmission acts up. Car has 117,000 miles. So much for Honda reliability. Local Honda dealer quoted me $4000-5000 for new transmission. Independant shop quoted me $2800-3000.
My wife’s 2003 Honda Accord EX V6 transmission just started hesitating/screwing up at 120,000 miles. Going to call Honda ASAP to see if the recall was ever done and see what my options are.
I’ve been having trouble with my 2003 Accord V6 since July of 2010 when mileage was at about 96k. I tried filing a claim with Honda since a former service manager told me that they have replaced some for free and they know that they have an issue but my regional representative wasn’t helpful at all. I had it replaced at a national chain and it hasn’t been right since. They charged me $3600 and I have had to take it back to them four times becuase it still falls out of gear, especially over speed bumps. This morning on the highway in downtown Atlanta it locked into “safe mode” and I was stuck getting to work in 3rd gear while starting from red lights….. Anyhow, for those of you who have not yet had the work done make sure that you check to see that your repair shop is BBB certified. I wish mine was, instead they have nothing but complaints listed for my shop.
Ditto here, my wife’s 2003 Honda Accord EX V6 experiencing gear slip and is sitting at the dealership. Glad we brought this in right away and not while we are doing 55mph on the highway w/my daughter in the backseat! We had the oil jet kit recall done, but I agree w/most, this was a band-aid job.
We bought this car new in 2002 and had it serviced at the original dealership. This car has been trouble from the onset. Everything from the a-pillar and sunroof leaks, rotor warp, traction control module issues, seat motors, stinky exhaust fumes, emission control failures, window actuator failure, numerous recalls, and poor poor dealership service to boot.
BEFORE you bring your car in to be serviced, call Honda Corporate (1-800-999-1009). Explain to them that you know these transmissions are defective and are flat out UNSAFE! Obviously, mention that you should not have to pay for a replacement. They will tell you to take the car into the dealership and you should report back to Honda Corp with any future claims. Then at the dealership, mention to your service adviser that you have already lodged a complaint w/corporate, the demeanor changes really fast.
My old 1993 Lexus ES300 had 264k miles w/o a drive-train hic-up. This is our first and last Honda brand product!
Will report back with a verdict.
I own a 2003 honda accord Ex V6 with 80,000 miles. When I first start to accelerate it wouldn’t go past the 20 mark. No matter how hard you press the gas all you hear is like a vaccume noise like the car wants to go but can’t. Eventually, the car will came to. I almost got into an accident because of it. So, I took it in to the dealership to get inspected. They said nothing was wrong with my car. If nothing is wrong with my car, why is it doing what its doing! A friend of mine said it sounds like a transmisson problem before I went in to the dealers. So, when they said nothing was wrong with my car I had asked did u check the transmission and he said “when they scanned the car nothing was wrong with it.” I ended up talking to a supervisor. He suggested I bring the car back the following week and leave it with them for a couple of days. Left the car like they had ask and not even two hours later honda called and said it the transmission. The car went from nothing is wrong with it to needing a new one. Which is going to run me $4000. My question is I have honda care, shouldn’t that cover the transmission??
Honda 2003 Transmission failure
While on a trip from St. Louis to the Chicago area 6-23-2011and just north of Springfield, IL the transmission made a pronounced sound, slipped into neutral, and I had to make an emergency stoppage in heavy highway traffic to the side of the side of Interstate 55 – very dangerous. Smoke was pouring out from under the hood. I opened the hood and the smoke was emanating from the transmission area.
We got towed ($136.00) back to Springfield, IL and as it was past 6:00 PM we had to leave the car at a local recommended transmission shop. The shop has informed us that the transmission was “burned up” and need to be replaced to the tune of $3,400 for factory rebuilt with 36 month, no mileage limit guarantee.
To get transportation to where we were going and back to St. Louis cost almost $300 in rental car fees. This does not count what it will cost to return to Springfield, IL to retrieve the car once it has been fixed. The transmission service business there said they have repaired another four or five 2003′s, and my Honda mechanic in St. Louis said he had done four as well.
The car has 148,215 miles and has been well maintained.
This has shaken my confidence in Honda. We have owned six Honda’s in the family, but this is the only V6.
Accord 2003 EX V6. I joined today 118,000.
2003 Accord V6 with 160,000 miles. Excellent service record. Tranny “jumped” when we were driving up to a red light on July 3. Find out today that Honda is going to cover 10% of the $3950 repair. I have a friend who contacted a buddy of his who owns a Honda dealership…and he said the coverage you are going to get from Honda Corp. is dependent on your car’s mileage, your service record, your “loyalty” to the dealership, and whether you had an extended warranty. In my case the mileage is going to keep Honda from offering to cover a higher percentage of the costs, but it’s a start. Will contact Corporate and file complaints in the hope that a class-action suit eventually is settled and I will get some money back.
I joined the club of transmission failures today.
Mine was at 160k and will not shift down. when it shifts down it goes into neutral. Will drive fine as long as you never slow down. when I slow down I turn off the car and start it up again and it works. I have not found the same condition on the internet.
My questions are….
How can i get Honda of America to help with the bill?
What is the process?
How much should a replacement Transmission cost?
Where is your $%#@!#! conscience, Honda? Geez! I purchased a used 2003 EX V6 Honda Accord at 99,000 miles because I was told they are reliable and safe and will last forever and blah, blah, blah.
Today, at 110,000 miles, the transmission went from 70 mph to neutral on the freeway in rush hour with my 6 year old little boy in the car. We were nearly rear-ended by three different vehicles. I am reporting this incident to every person/organization/company I can in hopes Honda will take another look and take responsibility for the countless lives they are endangering.
I wish I had visited this site four months ago!
Today (July 9), I experienced the following issues while driving my Honda Accord V6 2004 model on highway.
After a brief stop at highway traffic, my car suddenly lost most of its power (from 0 to 40 mph), moved forward slowly even when the gas pedal was pressed all the way down. Then, I realized both the engine and the two TCS warning lights were on. Engine temperature was fine, so I kept driving my car and it could slowly get up to approximately 60 mph but couldn’t go any faster. I had to drive it for another 10 minutes because I was still on the highway. After exiting the highway, I stopped my car and restarted the engine but the engine warning light still on. This time, the two TCS warning lights were off. I got off my car and checked the motor oil and transmission oil levels and they seemed fine. After parking my car for 30 minutes, I checked the ground and there was no obvious sign of gas or oil leak.
I will bring my car to the Honda dealer to check it. Is 2004 Honda having the same transmission issue? This is so dangerous and my car only has a little more than 70,000 miles on it. Someone needs to warn people of this known issue.
I have problems with my 2002 Honda Accord V6 Automatic. Located in Canada.
I’m having problems with the 1st to 2nd gear slipping when driving. No noises, etc though. Also, the rear main seal of the Engine is now leaking. To replace the transmission at “Warranty price’ is almost $4000 from Honda Dealer. Honda Canada is only willing to cover $800 of it. I think there should be recall. It only has 97,000 kms on it (60,000 miles!)
Anyone else with problems on the 2002 Accord. Was there no recall? Honda Canada tells me no, and they won’t consider it. Maybe i should consider an independant shop to do the work. They’d offer a better warranty(honda only offers 1 year 20,000, or up to 40,000km or 2 year – but only fix based on ‘your loyalty’ service history, etc…
Anyone know any other shops that would be worth it? Either in Canada (Vancouver area, or ) or in Washington State?
Thanks
KC
Are only the cars that were part ofthe 2004 Recall having these issues? I believe some of the 2003 V6 EXL Coupes may not have been included in the 2004 Recall.
My 2003 honda pilot can be added to the list of a shot transmission. Honda recalled it back in 2006 and replaced the oil jet kit. My car has been having same problems honda says is the reason why they replaced the kit. The deal says it will cost $4,900 to replace the transmission which is what honda should of done back in 2006. Honda will not cover a penny of it. They knew these cars have transmission problems and are very unethical to ignore it. I urge everyone to fill out a complaint. Lets hope a class action lawsuit is filed and we can all be reinbursed.
2 Days ago, July 13, 2011, the transmission on my 2003 Accord Ex V6 failed at 120,000 miles as I was exiting the freeway (luckily not while I was still on the freeway going 75-80). I purchased this car brand new in 2003 and have been the only owner. This was my third Honda, and I have kept up an excellent maintenance record, so, was surprised when the transmission failed so early in mileage (120,000 used to be “young” for a Honda). The dealer quoted $3800 to replace, of which Honda agreed to pay 50%. My total repair/replacement bill with any additional expenses will be approximately $2100. I have decided to replace the transmission but am now concerned with how long the new one will last and what type of situation I’ll be in when it decides to fail.
I was plannin on purchasing another Honda (my 4th) in a couple of years, however, after learning my situation is not exclusive, I may reconsider. Too bad Honda is allowing their reputation be diminished so greatly.
My Honda Accord Ex-v6 2003 has transmission problem too!!
I am looking for a replacement from out side because the Honda dealer asking for $5700.00 to replace it with a refurbished one. It is too much for a car that old to spend that kink of money. It is currently at 230k miles.
Ditto on the above transmission failure at highway speed. My 2003 4 dr V6 has 53K. In addition to the transmission I also had the radio light fail (out of recall warranty) – another major repair. I hate Honda!
My wife and I decided to buy another car, and went with a 2003 Honda Accord EXV6. After driving the car for 2 weeks, the transmission starting slipping. I did a little research online, and found all kinds of issues with these transmissions. After 1000 more miles, 3rd gear was gone. Through a little research and testing, I come to find out that that the 3rd gear clutch pack was brunt. (This is a common problem with early 2000 Accords) I went to the dealer that told me that they would replace it with a rebuilt for $3900. And Honda would not assist with any of the cost. With that being a little more then I wanted to spend, I pulled the transmission myself, and had a shop rebuilt it for me. Come to find out that the torque converter failed, and plugged the cheap filter that is inside these transaxles. This blocked the fluid to the 3rd gear clutch pack. This caused it to heat up and burn on the way down to the metal. In fact the clutches and the steels almost welded together. This was a big pain, and will think twice before buy an Accord again.
also have a 2003 honda accord with tranny problems. car pops out of 1st gear into nuetral. when im at a stop sign, a stop light. heres the dangerous time, when in traffic or on the street and i slow down to about 1-10mph car goes into nuetral and just rolles to a stop. I have to hurry and cycle gears from nuetral to drive, sometimes 2 or 3 times before the car goes back into first gear. strange to me because the transmission shifts perfectly through the gears. my wife was on the freeway and this happen she almost got rear ended. she refuses to drive the car now. cant blame her becasue shes 5 months pregnant.
Can’t believe this happening to my ride…… But it is and I’m beyond furious with Honda about this matter I have a 8 month old daughter and we almost got killed this morning because of this defect…….. On a lighter note thanks to everyone who supplied info on this matter. I’ve already filed a claim with corporate and am waiting to here the results… This is my last Honda after having 3 a them. Honda YOU SUCK!!!!!
Ooo my 03 accord coupe v6 has 91k on it now, what I didn’t mention is that my cars tranny had to be replaced after 3k miles of buying it cause again it was slipping. I bought it with 18k…… Sorry ass Honda’s
2004 accord v6 transmission failed in nov 2010 with 126000 miles. honda dealer referred me to honda of america. Got case number and they called back and said nothing they could do. Car was traveling 50 mph and lost power with tach reving. Glided to side of road and limped home in first gear. Really dangerous circumstances.
I have a Honda Accord EX V6 2003 as well and have just gone through the same deal. My transmission failed and had to be replace. It was stalling on the highway. It costed me almost $4000. I called the dealer and asked how could a honda transmission go out at 99000 miles, their reply was “you have the 1 in a hundred car that does that”. I am not sure I will ever buy a car from them again.
At the beginning of the year in february my honda accord transmission went up and I was very frustrated face 2895 to get it fixed. On top of that after I got it fixed the men did not even put my transmission mounts in correctly. My car was making a squeaking noise and when I got the mechanic to look at my transmission mounts the mounts where not even inside the frame holes they were sitting on top of the frame body and family is a transmission could have fell out and killed me….
2003 Accord V6 transmission failed last night on I95, no reverse, only low gear. Will NEVER buy honda products again. This is my third major drivetrain malfuntion. NO RECALL???
Wow….I also have a 2003 Accord and did a Google search on transmissions thinking it may help with diagnosing the problem…was I surprised to see all the the complaints on this site. My car has 179,000 miles and it is also doing the same thing. It will not shift from 1st to 3rd and almost a car to hit me from behind. Looks like I will have a $3000+ car repair bill!
Just filed a complaint with NHTSA. Same thing… V6 automatic transmission died on the freeway, pretty dangerous to maneuver it to the side but thankfully no one was hurt. Honda agreed to pay 50% as goodwill since we’d bought other Hondas and maintained them all at the dealership consistently. Too bad… because our Honda Care extended warranty had JUST expired, and I’m currently unemployed. It will certainly make us think twice about buying another automatic transmission Honda. I just hope this new re manufactured transmission will hold up.
Forgot to include my mileage, it was only 78,000…
my 2003 honda accord ex-v6 has 94,000 miles on it, but the grinding noise i have in my transmission has been there since i bought it when it had 21,000 miles on it….the noise has gotten worse and we took it to our machanic who intrun took it to a honda machanic who said i dont know what it is but we could pay 2500.00 for them to take the transmission apart to see if they could find the problem…well we did not do that, i am still driving it and it still makes the noise at 40 and 50 miles.
Hi all I am planning to buy 2003 Honda Accord Ex V6 Sedan which has 100K miles on it. for $ 8500. Any suggestions?
Yes. Don’t.
Just had the transmission replaced on my 2003 Accord 4 cylinder automatic. Set me back $3200. Full burn out of the 2nd gear clutch. I did manage to get 115k out of it before it broke down. Had noticed a slight vibration at 30-35 mph for a short time,. Had no idea the transmission problem was so prevalent among 2003 models. As a family, we have owned 6 Honda vehicles and have encountered no problems up until now. I think I will have to be a bit more selective with my next car purchase. Buyer Beware!
I have a 2003 Honda Accord and paid 3000 to have it replaced about a year and half ago. I did not get any money back from Honda but will certainly be calling them in light of the recent news of the recall for later Honda model years.
Update to previous post.
I have a 2003 Honda Accord and paid $3000 to have the transmission replaced about a year and half ago. I did not get any money back from Honda but will certainly be calling them in light of the recent news of the recall for later Honda model years.
Anyone get anywhere with these 03 Accords?! Let me know what worked or if I should accept my losses and start leasing new cars…I am 99 percent sure the dealership knew about these defects prior to selling me my ’03 accord less than two years ago. Lemon Laws apply?!
Took my 6 cylinder 03 Ex in to Honda for the Ingnition Switch recall. Guess what I was told? Transmission has internal failure and needs replaced to the tune of $4,000.00. Will be calling Honda today.
So update the case manager tells me that the most they can take off is $1000 leaving me with $3800 to pay outta pocket. I’m so mad right now I’m numb!?!?!?!?!?!?! She said my car has high mileage 90,000 and it’s old…… Who is involved in a class action lawsuit?????? I’d love to be involved cause this is sickening!!!!! Honda YOU SUCK!!!!!!!!!!
Hi everyone my car just died at 142k miles and the mechanic said it might be due to dirty transmission oil, well i got that cleaned and i am having the same problems still with my acceleration. Is it better to get a different mechanic to fix instead of further paying Honda for there crappy transmission and labor. I would prefer to not give them more $ on top of the crappy car i already got from them.
IT DOESNT MAKE SENSE TO HAVE ANOTHER FACTORY DEFECTIVE TRANNY PUT IN EVEN IF IT COST
$100 CAUSE REGARDLESS IT WILL BREAK AGAIN. HONDA NEEDS TO RETHINK AND REDESIGN THEIR TRANNYS. TO ALL U PEOPLE WHO HAVE PAID OVER N OVER AGAIN TO GET A NEW 1 PUT IN STOP WASTING YOUR MONEY AND TIME. IM DONE WITH HONDA ……. NISSAN HERE I COME
Did not read all posts but this happened to my 2000 accord coupe. It did have a recall which they replaced at around 60,000 miles. That one failed about 18 months later. My daubhter just looked at 2003 v6 coupe. Glad I found this site. Shame on you honda. I have been driving toyotas ever since. Too much competition out there to compromise your reputation.
count me in. 190k. trying to decide to go to the dealer or an independent shop….
i mean what will be cheaper in the long run to ‘possibly’ get a good will repair (not likely at 190k) at the dealer for gouging labor rates or go with a trusted tranny shop who guarantees their work?
Add me to the list. 2003 Accord with 140000 miles. Independent shop quoted me $2k to fix.
I guess I was relatively lucky in that I wasn’t on the freeway when this happened. The car suddenly became very slow to shift up and engage into 2nd and 3rd gears. Luckily I learned to drive in stickshifts that constantly broke down so I was able to manually coax it between 1st and 2nd,’even reaching 3rd a couple of times on the way to the mechanic.
Add me to the list of 2003 Honda Accord owners with Transmission problems! I will be filling a complaint with NHTSA and Honda America 1st thing Tuesday morning!! the car has 130K and the dealer quoted $3600 dollars for a replacement. AAmco offered to rebuilt for $1800-2300 with 1 yr warranty, add $300 for a 3 year, and for an additional $600 a life time warranty on the tranny. This warranty doesn’t include towing/rental, etc. Honda must learn to respect their customer!!!! Class action…appropriate legal action…count me in!!!.
Unbelievable… I thought it was just me? I see here the same problems I’m having over and over again.. 03 Accord, bad transmission since I bought it (used). Have taken it to dealership, somehow they were unable to find the problem??? Had the 60,000 service, mentioned it- still nothing. It now has 114,000 mi on it, and it’s sitting in my driveway and I can no longer drive it. And honestly I can’t afford to buy a new transmission now… shame on you Honda.
I have a 2004 V6 Accord with 110,000 miles and had a previous throttle position sensor replaced a year ago (on my diime) b/c the tranny did not shift down into lower gear intermittently on highway. Now I have the opposite problem, where tranny doesn’t shift up into overdrive. So there is another sensor problem. Turning off/on the car resets it.
But local mechanic said test drive showed jerkiness from 1 to 2nd gear, and I’ve always noticed/ignored a judder from high gear to low gear, e.g., slowing down at off ramp. And he said the tranny fluid looked burnt. And there is an emissions controller fault and leak too.
The recall for 2004 transmissions does not include my VIN…and reading the NYT blog from Jan 2011, suggests it might not have been a good recall fix anyway. But in my call to dealer service dept and to Honda N.America, I came across very defensive people on phone.
Can’t see buying another Honda again.
Well, it appears I am not alone. My 2003 Accord EX V6 Coupe started acting strange today. I was driving home from work on the freeway doing about 65 mph when my car started trying to downshift very violently. I pulled off to the side of the freeway, parked and turned the car off for a few minutes and then turned it on again and began driving. It tried to downshift 1 or 2 more times at highway speeds during the remaining 15 or so miles of my commute. As soon as I got off the freeway and started accelerating from the stop light the engine light came on as well as the TCS lights and the green light next to the D on my dash started blinking. I proceeded to drive home and shut the car off. I am going to take it to my Honda dealer tomorrow but after googling 2003 Accord transmission problems and seeing how many folks have had the same problem I am fearing the worst. Oh, I should also mention my car has 107,000 miles on it. I’ll check back in and let everyone know what my Honda dealer tries to tell me about my vehicle.
I have a 2003 automatic v6 with 120k miles, when I shifted to reverse it made a really loud noise. I’ve read this site and I’m afraid to drive it. I have a long commute to work on the highway and I’m really concerned. I’m going to file a complain. What is the best course of action to take? Who do I contact?
I have a 03 V6 coupe. Two days ago I had the same thing happen to my car. I was driving about 45 mph and my car violently jerked forward as though it were a stick shift and I took my foot off of the clutch or shifted into first gear at the wrong time. I have 99k miles on the car and have kept up all required maintence at a local Honda dealership since I purchased the car. If anything happens with class action lawsuit, please contact me.
Thanks!
A. Nieves
I just bought a 2003 honda accord ex v6 unaware of the transmission situation… Less than a month later the transmission on my vehicle is gone… Estimates comes up all the way to $1,800 and thats just a rebuild one. what can I do.. Is any honda dealer I go to will help me with my bill??????????
Add mine to your list. Original and NOT SO PROUD owner of a 2003 Honda Accord EX-V6, purchased brand new in March 2003 at Honda, Paramus, NJ. Heard unusual roaring noises recent months, suspected holes in muffler and tires balance issues. Re-balance tires yield no noise improvement. Also noted hesitation from 1st to 2nd gear. Made an appt’ with dealer to bring car back on Thursday for assessment and service.. Guess my Honda couldn’t wait any longer and decided to collapse today, Tuesday in the middle of traffic. Thanks GOD our car was ina full stop awaiting to turn into a small street. All of a sudden, a loud boom sound accompanied by a violence shake that felt like someone hit us at rear in huge force. I thought I was rear ended by a SUV behind me. My car was able to finished the turn and rolled ten feet off the traffic road onto a less busy street before it went completely dead, in an awkward stalled position interfering other turning vehicles. The SUV behind us drove passed us and I had “Shoot! Hit & Run” in my mind. My husband attempted to drive closer to the side but the gear failed to response. The car was dead. Then we knew it was a TRANSMISSION FAILURE! Police came, blocked traffic behind us and called a toll truck ( my luck of the day, a nice police officer and AAA memebership ). Car was tolled to the dealer, at 6:00 pm and someone will call us tomorrow. One girl in the service dept. desperately in need to refresh and improve her customer service phone skill. Rude and impatience. I have serious doubt about the dealer’s going to admit the problem as a Honda RECALL ISSUE. I am anticipating a big bill and some bad news heading my way. I had a 1991 Toyota Camry that last wickedly forever with 300,000 miles on it. I had to give up my Toyota in 2003 due to emission failure and other safety concern (no airbag). Instead of another Toyota, we came home with a Honda. 180,000 of highway miles on my Honda now with regular maintenance. Panel light was completely out in 2007. What do you guys think? Should I shell out thousands for a transmission knowing it would die on me again? Regardless, I am getting a new car and definitely not a Honda very soon.
My 2003 Honda accord had its transmission fail last year (August 2010), needless to say it cost me $2800 just to get it rebuilt. I tried to speak with a honda dealership about my transmission due to my car only having 66,000 miles on it at the time, but they claimed there was no recall. What a joke I must say now that I know that many others out there have had the same problem. Just today my alternator now failed on the same car costing me another $550. I will never buy a Honda again.
Well add Another to the list ,my 2003 accod is doing the same thing tranny is shot living paycheck to paycheck don’t know what I’m going to do!I haven’t took it to the shop yet I’ve owned enough old cars to know it is shot either rebuild or replace!doing research to see if I have any other options, this sux!!
my transmission went on a side street with absolutely no warning. Now it runs when its cool but as soon as it warms up, it shuts down. thankfully i was up the hill i live on when it died. i will never by honda again ever. the mechanic just told me 3,000 for a new tranny. this a year after the computer went.
Transmission on my 2003 has failed. Car will not go into 2nd gear and Honda tells me the recall has already been taken care of when the car had 17000 miles on it. Now it has 111000 miles on it and it is doing the same thing. Car runs ok until it warms up then wont hardly take off in second gear. This only started happening a few days ago. Drove it to Honda dealership who told me it was the transmission. Called Honda andtold them what happened and they told me if it was the same thing as the recall the car would not go at all, transmission would be locked up and frozen. If I drove it awhile longer it probably would lock up. Now I am going to be out 3600 to have it fixed if they dont help me. Thought Hondas was suppose to be a good car…Wrong
When my 2003 Honda Accord EX transmission started making terrible grinding sounds at 55,000 miles about 2007 I took it to the dealer and they replaced the transmission at no cost. A friend who purchased the same model had his totally fall apart at 125,000 miles. Honda offered a $1,000 discount on a $4,500. He found someone else to replace the transmission for $2,500 in Columbia, SC about 5/2011. He had been a very loyal user of the Honda service. I dropped Honda service because of the inflated costs.
Today had a rainstorm and had water dripping out of the side airbag that is located on the left windshield post. Really weird! Has anyone had the same experience?
My 2003 honda Accord V6 transmission failed on 78k, it just failed without any sign on highway, slipping into gear and clunking sounds while shift into gear, lucky i didn’t get killed. called Honda USA and they gave me a case#, haven’t hear anything from them yet after transmission inspected by honda dealer. Any legal action against this? count me in!! screw HONDA!
Again anybody here looking for assistance from Honda dont even waste your time. They might as well not even Offer anything cause APPARENTLY all the TRANNYS are due to fail before 100,000 miles. The next question is which lawyers are willing to take on this CLASS ACTION SUIT
Guess what happened to me this weekend my 2003 V6 transmission went out!! Ive only had this car 8 months and this is what happens. I had a 2000 Accord until this past December with no problems and I assumed all Hondas were reliable. Never buying a Honda again
Got in touch with Honda last week and was given a case number, they never call me back regarding my 2003 Honda with transmission problems. I called them today they offered me 600.00 toward the repair of my car. Was told this was a good faith offer since the car has 111000 miles on it. Transmission was a recall and was repaired once before. Can you believe this. A 3600 repair bill and they offer me 600. I am suppose to let them know if I will take the money. Anyone got any suggestions.
I just recently blew my transmission, my snag and my front mount in my 2004 honda accord v6 ex. It has 82,000 and i just missed my factory warrenty by 2,000 miles (coincident??) I called honda to see if my vin number was included with the recalls and they said no. I also filled out a report to NHTSA but havent heard anything back. Now I am stuck paying $220 for a new trans,snag and front mount. I am so livid. What else can i do?
Sorry the cost was $2200 not $220..
so they finally get back to me but they’re not covering any cost on my tranny repair, what they’re telling me is, your car is 9 years old with 78k mileage and its logical. What kinda of sense is that? my dad’s nissan altima with 120k still running like a champ, honda just fail, epic fail on Honda, never ever buy Honda no more!
UPDATE after a month and a half of not having my car it’s currently at AAMCO getting rebuilt I’ll get the extended warranty and save uP money til the warranty is up $3200. I jus wish there was more we all could to get a recall issued ASAP. EVERYONE ON THIS BLOG MAKE SURE YOU FILE A COMPLAINT WITH THE NHTSA!!!!!!!!!!
So my 2003 Honda Accord transmission failed at 74k and now the one that we installed to replace just failed as well. I am a lawyer and seeing all the clear evidence that this is a systemic problem and not random wear, I will be looking into a lawsuit over this, Really, now that we know the Honda has known all along that they have a defective product it is clear that their intent was to defraud consumers
At Rick G. I would love to be in involved in a class action lawsuit any details I can provide I’d be more than happy to forward them to you. After all there’s no reason y my car should have to have now 3 new TRANNYS put it in……. Ridiculous
The transmission on my 2003 Honda Accord EX-V6 has failed as well. It has serious trouble shifting between the 1st gear and 2nd gear around 0-30mph. Honda has declined to pay for any of the repairs, so i was forced to go to small transmission shop to try and get it replaced. I really hope Honda or the transmission manufacturer will be held accountable for their incompetence.
THIS is some bull it just happened today wont reverse $2000 plus to fix there needs to be a recall im never buying another honda.
This happened to me last night as I was driving on the freeway going 65mph. My car would abruptly decelerate on my drive home. I had problems accelerating on the freeway and took it to the shop, learning my transmission was blown. 2003 EX-V6 as well.
My 2003 accord started hesitating and running at a high rpm rate and going nowhere today 10/13/2011
Us too… 73,000 miles, We bought a Honda so we would’nt have had these kind of problems! I would’nt even tell my worst enemy to buy a Honda.
Well, I am joining the ranks. I own a 2003 EX V6 Accord Coupe with only 104,000 miles, Had just done the 100,000 tune up, then the AC compressor went out. So I have already put over $3,000 into the car hoping to get another 2 years out of it. VERY DISAPPOINTED IN HONDA. Have had electrical gremlins as well. Honda has offered to cover 65% of the repair but that is probably because I have a friend at the dealership. Have not decided a course of action. Will not buy another Honda.
This issue is dangerous and I will file a complaint. Luckily I was in the right hand lane of interstate when the transmission downshifted and was able to pull into the emergency lane. Thanks to everyone who took the time to submit comments.
I have an 03 accord also and noticed my transmission slipping. Like most of the people here I goggled trans problem and was not that surprised. My instrument panel light went out so I thought it was a fuse or something simple. Not $800 fix? No help from Honda-too many miles. So now to find out soo many people are having transmission problems too???? It has not downshifted yet so I too will never buy another Honda. If any recall or class action please post! Maybe I’ll try a FORD
My first transmission (2003 EX V6) failed at 43000 miles. Honda provided a new transmission for free less labor. I’m at 135000 miles and was told last week that this transmission is failing. After Honda providing me a new transmission, I appreciated there response and purchased 3 other Honda Accords, all 4 cylinder. No serious problems to date with any of these cars. These 3 cars have over 300,000 total miles. I’m disappointed with the continuing problem on the 6 cylinder. I love the power in the V6. I need a another car and have not ruled out Honda. I’m just surprised the Honda engineers can not find a solution. I’ll just stick with a 4 cylinder.
My transmission on 2003 Accord EX V6 just failed. The transmission slips and will cause the RPM’s to shoot up and then fall and will not engage. I only have 49,000 miles on the car. My dad bought the car new and I bought it from him 2 years ago. Not going to be a cheap fix. I think I’m looking at least minimum of $4000..ouch!!!!!!!! So much for Honda quality…
Add me to the list…I had a 2000 Honda Accord..Honda replaced the transmission about 18 months later, the transmission failed again. I replaced it with a rebuilt one. That failed about 18 months later. Needless to say, I sold the car. In 2009, I purchased my son a 2003 coupe with low miles, guess what it appears the transmission is slipping. Add me to the class actions suit.
144k miles. Can’t wait for this bill. I just bought the car a week ago. Driving through a snow storm and it failed. Traction control playing into this problem?
How many people can I get to give me some contact info on them. I have an attorney that might try and take a stab at this issue.
Please include:
full first and last name
Year, trim level, and miles( at time of occurrence)
Phone number and Email (for updates)
my 2003 honda accord transmission just died on me at 70,000 with exact same issue as above
when it warmed up after a few minutes of highway driving, the transmission would down-shift violently into first gear, regardless of the current speed. I had the smell of ‘burnt rubber’ in the car after such a forced down-shift. This seemed to be quite dangerous. Once this happened, the transmission would fail to shift into anything but first gear
I jusy bought a 2001 Honda-accord V6 a month ago. I took it to dealer to check problem with acceleration and they informe transmission bad 3900 for transmission and 1000 for labor. This is second honda first still running and I have done a lot of work on it runs great. i should have keep it. Any sujjestions
Add another one to the growing list !!
Wife called me on her way home from work said the rpm`s went to 6000 and then the car went from 110 kph to 60kph on the highway, very very dangerous !
Anyway it is getting the official diagnosis at the dealership right now, then it will be a battle with Honda Canada to get some `Goodwill` coverage, hopefully up to 80% as I have read some owners have been compensated.
We bought this car new and it has 198,000 klms or 123,000 miles. I used to love Honda`s……now not so much, won`t buy another new car from Honda. They are loosing so much business from people who have owned cars with these lemon transmissions and all the word of mouth that keeps others from buying Honda`s. They would have been smart to admit guilt and pay for the repairs, rather than loose a large customer base now in the thousands. bccu@live.com Scott
Same for me. 2003 Honda Accord, 162K, transmission has trouble shifting into high gear. Yesterday, at a high speed, my transmission jumped into 1st or 2nd and wouldn’t go any faster than 20 mph. So scary.
I don’t have $2,000+ at the ready. Honestly don’t know what I’ll do. Hoping I’ll get some compensation from Honda, but I’m a little worried about having such high mileage.
yea i agree i just about got my self in a cookie with one honda tryed to trade me for one and said there was going to be a new transmission put in if we did the deal we agreed did the paper work and found out when we got the car after them sending it to the tansmission shop it showed on the recipet that it was rebuildlt so we got our car back and now haveing to wait on the title some time today 11?3?2011 we was tradeing a 2004 passat disel for it that was a fail thing to do we have our car back because they did not do what they was suppose to do iam glad we did that they are liers and never will i go back to them again in this life time
2003 Accord V6 AT, 83k miles
I was driving 55 mph on I-495 and the car downshifted, causing the car to almost come to a halt in heavy but flowing traffic. The car behind me nearly rear ended me and swerved out of the way. I was scared for my life. Now it won’t shift past first gear and reverse does not work. I am not sitting in a Honda dealership lobby while they diagnose the problem. This problem is absolutely unacceptable and I can assure you if they mention $3200 to rebuild the transmission which was designed incorrectly, this will be a lawsuit from me. This is a safety issue where lives are endangered, mine as well as the lives of others. My family owns 4 Hondas; 2 v6 accords, 1 Odyssey, and 1 CRV. Again this problem is unacceptable and needs to be resolved from Honda ASAP.
I see I’m not the only one with this problem. My 03 V6 Honda Accord transmission has gone out at 97,000 miles, and Honda wants to charge $3600 to fix it. They should at least assist us a little better when they know 03 transmissions are no good. It looks like Honda intentionally screwed up there transmission so that we can pay them more money to get it fixed. This is my second Honda that needed a new transmission. I am highly upset with Honda!!!!!
After reading a bunch of these posts I’m very disappointed that the 2003 Honda Accord that I just got needs a new transmission. It is 4 cylinder with 126k. How has everyone been going about having Honda pay for at least part of the work?
Not that it is great to hear this but I thought I was alone in this.. I had my transmission replaced in 04 it went out Honda paid for most of it…Now the problem is everything else that could go wrong has.. I have had to replace almost everything under the hood. I have replaced two catylitic coverters and am now told that there is 3 on this car and the 3rd one is out.. how can three go out in 5 months I don’t get it. I thought cars only had one…This car has been such a pile of crap since I bought it… I am so fustrated….
One more.. 98k miles, 2004 Accord EX V6. $4500 quote from Honda dealer.. looking for alternatives..
My 2 door 2003 honda accord automatic transmission went out today! I’m a nursing student with no time our extra money for this! Thanks honda your amazing!
Unbelievable!!! 85k miles, 2003 Accord EX V6! Transmission gone – thought this car was going to last forever! Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!
Well…I have had 3 hondas, and have been very happy with all of them….even tried a Nissan, had problems with it. So I bought a used 2003 V6 Honda Accord 7 days ago. Guess what? The transmission is went out, so it is now back at the dealership getting a new transmission. I still love the car, and can’t wait to get it back. But after reading the all these post, I am afraid of the tranmission not lasting. Luckly… I got a warrenty with it when I bought it. But very dissappointed in Honda! They need to do something!
MY daughter has a 2003 Honda Accord v6 with the same identical problems, we took it to 2 different shops with the same response, its the transmission. The cost to repair is 2200. She dont have the money to repair and we cant help. She bought to car from a Honda Dealership 2 yrs ago and it was having problems at that time but it has gotten worse. When u excelorate, it doesnt shift or the rpms jump up by itself. Unfortunately, our hands are tied and we need help. she is without a car. we got the car with the asumption that because it was honda, it was a good car.. does anyone have any advice?
Add my 2004 Honda Accord V6 with 149,000 miles to the list of transmission failures. After reading all these posts and others online, I feel fortunate that my transmission didn’t suddenly downshift into first while I was in traffic–mine is “only” disengaging, slipping, and has no overdrive. I’ve shopped around at the dealership and a couple of reputable independent shops in the area, and it’s going to cost between $3200 and $4400 to get a remanufactured transmission installed. Like so many others, I called Honda Customer Service to see if I could get any assistance on the repair, and was politely told that they were not in a position to offer any goodwill support due to the age and mileage on the vehicle. I realize that 149,000 miles is a lot of miles on a car, but my 1999 Toyota Sienna has 216,000 miles on it and is still running strong. After owning 7 Honda cars and motorcycles over the years (starting with the first Honda Civic in the ’70′s), it’s disappointing to see how much Honda’s quality has slipped. Up until the transmission failed, I was still a Honda fan, but I think this failure (along with the undersized rear disc brakes that wear prematurely, the starter failure, the seatbelt sensor failure (covered under a recall), the complete failure of the radio head unit (also covered under a recall), and a mysterious squeak in the steering column whenever I turn the steering wheel more than 50 degrees) have me questioning my loyalty. My Accord is becoming a very expensive car to keep running.
I agree Dave this car is horrible. My stereo also went out a few months back it cost me 400 on to of everything else. I’m not sure what else i can replace but i’m pretty sure there will be more. I have put more money then I owe into it. My car is a pile of junk. The sad thing is I know I can’t trade it in because it is a pile. This is so fusterating. I will never buy from Honda again.
Add myself to the 2003 Honda Accord 2D owner with a transmission blowout. My issues started about 3 weeks ago when I was doing 70 mph on a freeway and felt a sudden jolt which caused me to break and almost get rear ended. After this I started noticing problems in my car shifting gears at low speeds, almost as if the car would stall around 25 mph and then give a sudden jolt trying to catch the next gear. So yesterday I get out of work and have the same issue except the check engine light and TCS light came on. And I noticed at 35 mph I was almost at 4000 RPM. I took it to a Honda dealer today, only to be told my transmission has failed and that it would $3800. I also have filed a complaint with Honda Corporate. I was actually shocked to see how many complaints have been filed recently on this site and at other websites. Seems like the transmission is their biggest issue by far.
The CV axle broke the other day on our Accord. At first I thought that the transmission had blown again and was prepared to junk the car, then I was happy to learn that the axle is only a $300 repair. Well, only in theory. They had to replace the wishbone as well because a bolt was stuck and could not be removed without damage. Add a battery, et voilá, there is another $1,000+ repair. We have sunk almost $8,000 into this car in the past 3 years. Leasing all of a sudden seems to make sense.
2003 Accord EX/V6 Automatic.
I have 99k miles on mine, and have lost 3rd gear. I dont have the money to replace the trans, and my warranty expired 2 months ago.
This started as a slight slip on the 2-3 shift, but now the car slips 3rd completley.
Add me to this list. 2003 Honda Accord V6/EX Auto/Sedan.
103k and car has been down shifting abruptly when it’s coming to a stop. This morning it would not move while i was pressing the gas.. gave it a few seconds then it moved. Was going to give it a transmission flush & see if that would fix the problem because there is not money right now for a new transmission, but after reading all the complaints don’t think that’s going to do it. All this around the holidays.. not cool. Honda should definitely be accountable after so may complaints.
115,000. College student and tranny went out. They want 4300 to replace it. Its a v6 coupe honda accord. Please help me, recommendations???????????
2003 Honda Accord V6/EX Auto/coupe
95,000 problem transmission!!!!!!
A follow up to my post on November 1st (post #224). I live in Canada and called Honda Canada. Through persistent bitching and complaining I was able to get $2000 towards the repair of the transmission from them, despite the car being well out of warranty and having 198,000 klms or 123,000 miles on it.
Aaron in post #242 if you want advice I suggest calling them everyday and having your case escalated, they will eventually give you money but they are all to happy to say no from the get go and hope you go away. Don’t go away and keep their phone line busy with calls, they will cave in and put money towards the repair…..the same with Honda USA.
The deal with our transmission was that in order for them to give us $2000 we had to agree to buy their over priced factory rebuilt transmission from a Honda warehouse, we also had to agree to no warranty. I still paid over $2000 on top of the $2000 they put towards the repair at the Honda dealership………..I have been looking into a law firm that will take on a class action suit also but that will be for Honda Canada.
Scott at bccu@live.com
Again I hope everyone who posts on this blog reports this to NSHTA that is only way this problem will be resolved
In January 29, 2010, my wife was driving home with my children when the car suddenly loss power. We had it towed to my mechanic who checked it and told us that it was the transmission. We eventually had it replaced for $2300. I was really surprised that the transmission failed so prematurely but since it had passed its warranty I didn’t bother notifiying Honda. However, the same thing happened again this November 11, 2011 while my wife was driving my children home. The rebuilt transmission we had put in failed as well after 30,000 miles. Luckily, it didn’t happened in the freeway. My family could have been killed. Now I’m having it replaced with the used one because I don’t want to spend another $2300. I thought I was alone on this but I found out that a lot of people are having the same problem. My neighbor has an Accord and the same thing happened. I hope something can be done about this before somebody dies.
’03 EX-V6, failed @ 79,000. I called American Honda and they paid 50% of the cost with three year warranty. I just have to pay $1500.
Not a surprise, but my 2003 honda accord ex v6 has joined the very large list of transmission failures! I went to a Honda dealership and they want $4,111 to fix it plus $750 to change my timing belt. I plan to call the honda corporation and fight with them to pay part of the cost. I bought the car in 2009 with 80,000 miles on it. It now has 124,000. When I bought the car I was told the transmission was completely fine and 40,000 miles later it completely dies! I’m trying to find a good place to do the repair for a reasonable price. Any advise?
I also have a 2003 Honda Accord V6 sedan. I am running on the third transmission. The first two failed with the same symptoms as others have described. Fortunately I had bought the extended warranty which still included money out of pocket.
Well now the warranty is up and the car has 130,000 on it. I am scared to death of this happening again. I feel I own a ticking time bomb. I should get rid of it ASAP, but I really do not want to enter into new car payments.
I bought my Honda because I wanted to avoid major repair bills. Honda is profiting off the repair work of a problem they know about!
What can we
I to have had to replace my transmission as well b/c of the same issues and it wasn’t cheap I had no idea there were as many others, I have also expierenced several electrical issues hope something can be done so others don’t have to go through it.
(Montreal Canada) i bought my 2003 automatic accord v6 coupe at 82 000 KM (51 000 miles) and tranny died at 89000 km ( 55000 miles) driving on the highway, and all of a sudden , if it wasnt for the safety belt, i wouldve banged my head against the steering wheel and the guy behind me missed me by a few inches.. i go on the internet, see all the transmission problems, so i print out the official government recall etc, bring it to the dealer, and a few seconds later,without reading anything, they tell me that my serial number isnt affected by the recall..so howcome mine breaks as the same time as everybody elses? bunch of clowns. anyways luckily i had bought an aftermarket warranty and it only cost me 400$ to have it rebuilt, lets see how long this piece of shit last this time……..where do you guys find that money anyways, is it written in the owners manual to have 3-4 thousand dollars handy in case transmission fails?
Our 2003 Honda Accord EX V6 also has the same problem. It began slowly, the car would slip trying to shift into 3rd gear, but once it got to third gear it would be fine. Then we were on the highway at about 60 mph and it down-shifted to 2nd. If we stopped and turned the car off and back on it would drive for a few minutes then do it all again. Our dealership said they would put in a new transmission for $3,500.. and could not guarantee that it would fix the problem, so we opted to deal with local people we know. Since April of this year we have had the transmission rebuilt twice, replaced the computer, cylinoids (spelling?), and valve body. None of that has fixed the problem. Any input on where to go from here? The car will be completely paid off in 8 months. What I would give to have a paid off car.. that works!
I own a 2004 accord EX V6 and without warning the transmission started acting up, losing power when accelerating, and today it almost died barely making it to work. The car only has 63,000 miles and up to two days ago it worked fine, although for some time now there was a delay when shifting from park to drive. The technician said this was a problem with the hondas, as the filter is placed in the transmission and when it gets clogged after many miles, these problems occur. To change this filter the transmission has to be stripped down and the filter is then replaced together with clutches, at a high cost,on a good note the engine works well.
Just adding to the list. Bought a 2003 Accord EX V6. Transmission needs replacing. 144,000.
I also own a 2003 Honda Accord EX-V6 and my transmission let go at 95 428 km. So I contacted Honda Canada who told me that if I had proper documentation to prove that my transmission fluid had been changed every 2 years (which I did not as I bought the car from a used car dealership) then they would cover the replacement cost. Since I did not have that documentation I decided I would be better off finding a used transmission somewhere and having it installed at a transmission specialist shop instead of at a Honda dealer for $1500 less. But after ordering a transmission and having it shipped, while it was being installed I was browsing my owner’s manual only to discover that according to it the tranny fluid only had to be changed at 96,000km (mine wasn’t even due for a change yet). So when I re-contacted Honda Canada they told me my manual was mis-printed/defective. I therefore faxed them a copy of that page and they still told me my manual was wrong. So because I hadn’t bought and installed the tranny at a Honda dealer the best they could do is give me a $750 credit to be used at any Honda dealer for having misinformed me which prompted me to go elsewhere to get it fixed. So I remain very disgusted with the service I received from Honda Canada and uninformed idiots that work there. I guarantee I will never purchase another Honda product again.
Add me to the list. Today my transmission went out on the way to work. Downshifted suddenly and almost jerked me off the road. 2003 Honda Accord Coupe, 102K miles.
I guess I am yet another victim……my 2003 Accord that my teenage daughter drives was just diagnosed as needing a new transmission. We have only owned the car for 5 months and now the $2500+ transmission will spoil Christmas for all of us. Either I put all my money into the car or my daughter is without transportation for work and school until we have the money.
We have a household with 3 Toyotas (2000, 2001, 2004) and never have had a problem like this. My Sequoia has 244,000 miles without any unplanned repairs, let alone $2,500 repairs.
It certainly seems appropriate for Honda to share in this……
My 2003 Accord EX V6 completely failed this week at 90,490 miles. I was driving on the freeway at 65MPH and the transmission went out with no prior warning and no warning lights. I was lucky and safely coasted off the freeway to a parking lot.
I also had the transmission oil jet kit recall taken care of on 10/18/04 at 15,555 miles. I had my transmission fluid changed again at 30,570 miles on 2/20/06.
Had transmission replaced at Honda dealer. They wanted $4,000 but they gave me $1,400 off as a “good will” gesture, so I paid $2,600. They said there has been no history of transmission problems for my car, which appears not to be true.
After doing some research and reading your post, sounds like Honda had major transmission issues that year.
Is there any class action suit going on? Any other information or advice?
Just yesterday my tranny (114K) was exhibiting the sudden downshift syndrome, and when I got it to the dealer they said it needed to be replaced. The car had the oil jet kit installed in 2004 so apparently this fix did not really address the issue.
I forgot to add it is a 2003 Accord 2Dr EX. It looks like we need to re-open the NHTSA campaign #04V176000. Go to safercar.gov to report your car if you have not already done so! It will make a difference if we go as one voice.
I put that number in and nothing came up
I got it there is a lot on there what can they do to help us
My 2003 Honda Accord 2 Dr LX V-6 transmission just died. Car has 52,000 miles on it. Has had regular maintenance thru the dealer where it was purchased. Dealer wants $4500 to replace. What has everyone else been doing. Is Honda standing by the car? Has anyone gotten an attorney involved?
My 2003 Honda Accord EX-L V6 transmission died with 160,000 on it. I guess I did better than others. I did change the fluid every 30,000. Filed a report with NHTSB and just starting the process of dealing with Honda but not expecting much.
I have a 2003 Accord EX V6 with 158,000 miles on it. My transmission just went out on 12/29/12. Same thing happened to me that has happened to others. Transmission slams into 1st gear at highway speeds. Now it is stuck in 1st and won’t go in reverse. I’m parking it for now and driving the old reliable Acura Integra with a 5 speed manual!
have a 2003 Accord EX V6 with 157,000. Today i was driving home from work on the nj turnpike when out of the blue my acculturate just started revving and the car felt it was pressing on the break. I stopped my car waited a few minuets and started it back up it was driving fine for a few minutes till it started to do the same thing i did this for about 8 to 9 time till i got home. transmission defiantly almost had me killed today for stopping short on the highway.
Same as Eddie above: “car started revving and it felt like it was pressing on the break. I stopped my car waited a few minuets and started it back up it was driving fine for a few minutes till it started to do the same thing.”
Happened last evening when driving back home. It really scared me and was happy no one was following me close as they could have bumped into me.
Honda Accord LX V6 with 115k. Honda dealer diagnostic: needs new auto tranny… Cost… OVer 3000$ with all taxes included.
My 2003 Accord EX V6 is still running with the original transmission but I’ve been tracking this problem for many years and will never buy another Honda product because they refuse to stand up to this. A similar refusal to address reliability problems reduced VW to a very small car company in the US and I just heard that Honda sales in the US were down 20% in 2011 so they’re getting just what they deserve.
I have a 2003 Honda Coupe, driving down the street car down shift like its a stick shift however its a automatic. Took it to the shop knowingit was the transmission. $120 n change for DIAGONOSIS, then I receive a call saying $5300 to replace the transmission. Hell I owe $5300 on it. Yes I took it to a Honda dealer they are the only ones I would allow to touch my car. You know what came next your miles exceeded the coverage you have. 116,000 miles. I thank you lord any how however let me break it down “i aint hot no $10,000 + ohhhhhhhh hell naw”. 757 287 2412 HELP PLEASE.
Here is the question..There are alot of these cars out there right now with new Transmissions in them. Are they worth the money?
Ours has been holding up so far – 50,000 miles and counting.
Thank you, Christian we are looking at a used one and because it has already been repaired we feel it is a solid deal. Sorry so many had to take on this repair new, bummer.
so honda of America called me back and laughed at me saying i have 155,000 is way to old for a transmission of being there fault. so now im questioning should i fix it. and should i replace it or rebuild the damn thing. i could sell it for 5,000 but need 2000 to fix.
Email from a reader: Hi my name is jeff smith. I read you blog and wanted to share my story. Bought a 04 accord with 87000 on it. I drive almost exclusively highway miles.at 122,000 the trans went out. Just had it rebuilt. Now it has 137,000 and it is going out again! I hate this car and will never buy another honda ever again!!
Yes, Today I got call from my ammco saying that transmission needs to be rebuiild and which will cost me $3700.00, it is HONDA ACCORD V6 ,miles 102000. I am not going to buy honda vehical in future and will make sure no one in my family (for next 5 generation) would buy this junk box.
My daughter bought a 2003 Honda Accord. It now has 145,000 on it, and guess what. The transmission is shot. We can spend $4,000 for a rebuilt transmission (and we’re told that all the kinks will have been worked out) or a used transmission with 85,000 miles for about $2,000. What should we do? Spend more for a rebuilt and hope it works, or spend less for a used and wait for it to go too? After reading all the prevoius comments, I’m not sure we should bother fixing it. But she’s at a point in her life where replacing her car is not on the list of must-haves. Has anyone had any luck with Honda?
Car has always pulled to the right. Tool it to dealership several times finally kept pushing and there was a bulletin finally posted with a suggested fix per dealership which they performed on the front end.. Still always continued to pull even with new tires. Complained about tranny as well from the beginning. Double shifts/delay shift going into drive. When starting car on cold mornings car would rock forward while starting in park. Starter issues as well dealership replaced starter.
I was driving and car started down shifting on its own i pulled over no drive no reverse shut car off and restarted car it seemed fine then it did it again caused me to run off the side of the road lost part of my bumper i cant afford $4000 to replace this transmisión
Is it just the V6 that has this issue? I have been looking for a commuter, and decided on a 03-04 v6 accord.. but now i may have to change my mind… Is the 4 banger tranny ok in the same years?
Beware the ones that have been fixed!!! They’ve likely been patched up with rebuilt trannies as was ours: repaired at shared cost with Honda back in ’09 @ 120k but now failing again at 150k… Do NOT buy one of these ticking time bombs.
I’m having the exact same problem…….. was there any solution to this problem?