Honda Accord 2003 EX-V6 Transmission Failure

Christian Donner,
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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:

Consumer Protection

Comments (464)

  1. (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?

  2. 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!

  3. 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.

  5. 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.

  6. 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.

  7. 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……

  8. 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?

  9. 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.

  10. 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.

  13. 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?

  14. 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.

  15. 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!

  16. 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.

  17. 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.

  18. 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.

  19. 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.

  20. Here is the question..There are alot of these cars out there right now with new Transmissions in them. Are they worth the money?

  22. 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.

  23. 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.

  24. 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!!

  25. 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.

  26. 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?

  27. 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.

  28. 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

  29. 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?

  30. 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.

  32. I just had my motor replace literally 2 days ago for $2000, and now the car will not go in reverse. Could there have been something that was hooked up wrong? (03 Accord, V6)

  33. My 2003 Honda accord has 155,000 miles on it. I just recently had it inspected, passed without problem. I have loved this car, it has been issue free and a joy to drive. This past Friday, the car jerked suddenly and was thrown into a lower gear, I grabbed the shifter and put the car into neutral (it didn’t seem to matter) to come to the next stop sign. I put the car into drive, and it never left first gear. Fortunately I was only a Half mile from my home. When I pulled into the driveway and collected myself, I tried to put the car into reverse to no avail. I pulled it into the garage and went inside assuming the transmission had failed. The next morning my fiancé came to look at it, and as He tried to push it out of the garage, remarkably it went into reverse. I have driven it two miles at best, and it seems to be fine ( except for the lag in shifting between 2nd and 3rd ). I am so afraid to take it to the highway after reading all of the comments on this post.
    I recently had it looked at for the shift lag in between 2nd and 3rd gears….they said they didn’t notice anything.

  34. I experienced the same thing first hand today. I drove my 121,000 mile V6 03 Accord directly to the dealer where the tech drove with me and said the car would not move out of 3rd gear (manual transmission). Dealer quoted me $4,795 to fix with a remanufactured transmission.

  35. I’ve replace my transmission 3 times and im about tired of the problem wish there would be a recall on it. I was on the highway in a construction area when my tranny violently down shifted and a truck behind me had to swerve into the constuction barrels. Not a good day.

  36. I just bought my 03 honda accord v6 coupe today with 137k miles. I got on here because tonight i was driving it and noticed the cd player light was flashing when i touched the above dome light button (odd). So i was trying to look up possible problems and solutions to that when i came across this Nightmare!!!! I have owned a 2006 accord 4cyl before and loved it with no problems so i decided to get this one because it was clean and really taken care of and a great price. As of right now i have No tranny problems but after seeing all this im afraid to drive it. I mean what if this happens to me what if i get injured in a car accident due to the transmission going out suddenly. I dont know if i can take this car back since i bought it from a private party. SCARY!!! Hope and pray nothing happens to my accord. Sorry to see all this happened to so many people! Can we say RECALL!!!!

  37. I’m unfortunately now in this club. 2003 Honda Accord EX V6 with 112k miles and transmission violently downshifts. Drove to my neighborhood garage and waiting for the verdict. I’m calling Honda tomorrow. This is BS.

  38. My daughter bought a used 2004 Accord V6 automatic transmission with 98,000 miles on it one year ago. With 104,000 miles on it now the transmission failed. Honda refuses to reimburse anything. I’d like to join a class action on this issue also. Anyone know of any other recourse? I noticed a news story about a month ago about a woman that won in small claims court against a car manufacturer. Any thoughts on that?

  39. Add me to the bad luck club. I also have a honda accord 2003 with a faulty transmission. Driving on the highway at 65mph and what do you know, the transmission downshifted all on its own and my head ended up on the steering wheel. I still drove home another 10 miles or so and a bloody lip. But wait there’s still more, the transmission was still clunky two more times in the last ten miles. The next day i drove it to the mechanic in D2 (second gear) and there it sits. Now after reading this webpage i feel i am likely to not get positive results from honda. Perhaps it is time to stop waiting for honda to do something(like they ever will) and to stop waiting for a class action law suit and take matters in our own hands. We could organize a negative publicity campaign or something worse? Perhaps some action that involves rolling our broken 03 accords down a hill while on fire into a honda factory?

  40. I already change my transmison 3 years agoand i can hear a weird sound from the transmission, same sound than when i had to change it the first time so im pretty sure the transmisson has to be change again. Well tha`s mean i spend 6500$ in less than 3 years for two transmissions!!!! I dint have any problem with the rest of the car but seriouslly they have a major issue with the transmissions but they don`t want to change them. Honda is really far on my list for the service now and for that reason it`s gonna be my last one.

  42. i own honda accord 2003 ex . the transmision light “d ” from time to time starts blinking .i was worried and parked my car by the road .,i switched the ignition off and started again .,the blinking stopped but left behind check engine light which lasted few dys then vanished…when it happened two many times i took it to transmiton shops and heared from them different advices and all were asking at least $1000 with one month waranty.that did not encourage me to do it.i am thinking of getting rid of my car because of that.today i cam say that it is a defict and more than ready to share accusation to the company for this defect.

  43. Another one.
    Australia. 2004 Accord V6 3.0ltr.
    Transmission just sht itself at 120kph. now just sits in driveway doing nothing. will go into first at cold temp but then when warmed up all sorts of erratic stuff happens. mr Honda dealer who sold me the car could not care less. ive replaced the fluis in some vain attempt to fix it but Nothing. Transmission costs aroud $6500 Aus and the car would be worth around $14000 if it was going. i continue to harrass Honda but to no avail.

  44. 2004 Acura TL Automatic/Tiptronic – original owner. Had the transmission oil jet kit dealer installed in year 1 of ownership. I will admit that I have driven the vehicle sportingly over the last 7+ years.

    Well after 142,000 miles, 3rd gear has finally given out. I’m actually surprised it has lasted this long given all the headaches apparent in the 2003 TL models. If you are currently in an 03-06 V6 honda, particularly the odyssey, accord, and TL models, I would definitely recommend switching at the very least to Aimsoil transmission fluid or Redline ATF.

    Coming from guys who like to modify their cars (suspension upgrades, engine performance upgrades, exhaust upgrades, etc.) and drive aggressively, I can tell you that getting the crappy Honda ATF out of your car should be priority #1. Do a transmission fluid flush aka drain/refill x 3. That will help get a lot of the old, useless Honda ATF out of the system.

    Also, if you’re hitting that 100k mark, I would recommend changing out your transmission filter (yes there is one on the tranny itself) and also changing out your 3rd and 4th gear transmission sensor/switches.

    Assuming your vehicle is still running, you can always install a transmission oil cooler (usually $100-$200) to help things out / keep your tranny fluid cooler.

    Btw, probably worth the extra $120 to get a AAA membership. Worst comes to worst and you find yourself stranded, they will tow your car at no extra cost for up to 200 miles and you get a free 1-day rental from Hertz. A 75 mile tow is already and easy $300 out of your pocket so the membership is definitely worth the peace of mind. Believe me, I went ahead and used it even though the car can still be driven in sport mode through gears 1, 2, 4, and 5.

    Good luck.

  45. Have a 2003 Accord V6. Transmission failed — won’t drive at all. Quote from local Honda dealer is $3800 for new. $3100 for rebuilt, with one-year warranty.

  46. I just started having the same issue about a week ago. Mine is an automatic 2003 honda accord ex. It is fine when I first start driving it (for about 10 minutes), then it violently jerks, stopping the car as if I were hitting the brakes. The rpms go up wildly, sometimes all the way to 6000 rpms. The burnt rubber smell is present as well. I was almost hit several times just today. I am researching this with a friend that is more savvy with this stuff.

  48. WELL CRAP!!! I like so many others here am joining a club that i had no idea existed. In 2003 my wife and I bought the first and only brand spanking new car that we will ever own, my V6 LX Accord. I am an aircraft mechanic by trade and maintain all my own vehicles very well. I also like many others noticed immediately that the transmission did not shift properly from 1st to 2nd gear the first time I drove it. After taking it to the dealership 3-4 times to take a maintenance tech on a ride along so he could hear the issue (which by the way no one ever agreed that there was any abnormal sounds) it was deemed to be a non issue. Well everyone that reads this blog already know about the recall in 2004. We took ours in for that which didn’t change a thing and long story short, now at 130K miles my very well taken care of tranny seems to be shot. I am just starting to research this issue and have no problem leaving a complaint on the safercar.gov site but my question would be, is that our only recourse? Has anyone made any headway at all in dealing with Honda or getting some kind of compensation for this defect? Are there other websites where i need to be adding my name to make a list longer???

  49. Car shifts hard and lags when shifting from second to third gear. I have performed all necessary service tasks since purchasing new from dealer. I now have 136,000 miles on car. All the kids, three, have Accord, Pilot, and Civic. We also have a Toyota Tacoma with 212,000 miles and no problems. We will be staying with Toyota in the future. Too bad, Honda appeared to be a good value.

  50. Honda accord coupe 03 also my transmission went out 109 xxx miles it stars like shofting to neutral and then get traction and after like one minute in neutral until i turn off and back on the car and same problem happens over and over total costo 2700 =[ fuck men i though hondas where reliable cars but look at this piece of shit. Any recalls or anything that i can so to get some reimbursement.? Here is my email. Cry_soto@hotmail.com thanks! And im with any of you guys! I know the feeling of paying money for things that u dont spect!

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