Honda Accord 2003 EX-V6 Transmission Failure Christian Donner, March 4, 2009December 22, 2013 [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? 1/8/2011 The New York Times publishes an article about transmission problems on Honda vehicles 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? 2/14/2013 Update: It is now clearly visible from the updated chart below that the number of incicents peaked late in 2011 with almost 30 posts per month and has now decreased to mere noise. If you are having this problem as late as 2013, you will be just a blip on Honda’s radar screen. Incidents per month Related Posts:Amazon threatens customer of 26 yearsThe Great Cat Litter Poop OffTyreWiz not working after battery changelitter closeSUTAB Scam? Consumer Protection 2003failurefeaturedhonda accordtransmission
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
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.
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 .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 $4121.00 to change it….bummer.
Honda Accord 2003 EXi V6 – The same problem started yesterday while driving on highway, all of a sudden accelerator stopped working at the speed of 65 miles (could turned into possible deadly crash). I took the car to nearest Firestone dealer to find out the issue, they diagnose issue with Transmission. I called up Honda Service desk to see if I can get Goodwill Repair as it is a generic issue which several drivers have faced. But all I was told that the car has 124000 miles on it and cannot cover under goodwill repair. I am afraid of paying 3000$ 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!!!
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!
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.