Dec 16 2010
Honda Accord 2003 Transmission Problems?

Honda Accord 2003 Transmission Problems?

If you are like me you are a Honda Accord owner and wondering if the transmissions have problems?

When I purchased my 2003 V6 Honda Accord in 2002 I was excited to buy a new car and one that I researched and found to be very very reliable based on countless reviews.

From the beginning I experienced some shifting apprehension and over the years it has progressively gotten more noticeable. And today it is like you hear spinning and slipping in the transmission.

What makes this disconcerting is that I asked the a few dealers several times of any known recall or issues with transmissions and was told that there was none. I even asked the Honda owner hotline and was told there was no problem.

Today I researching issues with the 2003 Honda Accord and find out that there are some known issues at least as reported by some owners, in the hundreds of owners, and who knows of those that have just thought it was normal and paid to have the transmission replaced or the torque converter replaced.

Here’s what I found online this morning and pretty much have posted it here:

What is Honda Doing to Fix the Problem?

Currently there is no recall for the transmission defect, because it is not a safety issue (according to the NHTSA). So far, a class action lawsuit has not been filed.

However Honda has offered some Accord owners out-of-warranty compensation for the transmission repairs. Rather than going through your local dealership, it’s best to contact Honda Customer Service at (800) 999-1009 and ask for a “goodwill repair”.

https://www.hondaproblems.com/problems/transmission-failure.shtml

I am on the phone now speaking to a American Honda Motors representative to see what they say, and they are telling me to take it into the dealer and have them diagnose the problem again.

  1. File your complaint at CarComplaints.com
  2. Submit your complaint to the Center for Auto Safety
  3. Report a safety concern with the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation

At this time I am working to get it to the dealer, and also have opened a case with Honda, although they gave me no case number?? Also posted on the facebook Honda group to see if I can get any response from Honda.

My Honda is a one owner vehicle maintained very well, with regular maintenance and care. I don’t drive fast and I use caution, the car has been great and I would love to see Honda address this issue so that I can feel good about my Honda experience. My family owns several Honda vehicles from the Accord to the Oddesey, to the CRV. We are actually look at the NGV or one of the hybrid vehicles, as a matter of fact we have a reservation on the Nissan Leaf and have been very serious about all electric vehicles. Would love to see Honda step it up in this area and perhaps become more competitive and offer something that would makes us reconsider our decision on the Leaf, of course address this transmission problem properly and in true customer relation fashion will only help.

I am a big fan of Honda and perhaps should have raised this issue on a larger scale sooner, but seeing that others have experienced these failures in the 100k mile range is why most of us with this problem are only in the last 2-3 years seeing how bad it really is. We can only hope that Honda will resolve these issue amicably.

There are several sites and facebook groups dedicated to this issue, one user even went to the extent of creating a graphic with the RECALL 2003.

Some sites and resources:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Recall-2003-Honda-Accord/128740053827828?v=info#!/pages/Recall-2003-Honda-Accord/128740053827828?v=wall

https://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=60518846891

Join this group if you believe you fall into this category. It appears that Honda transmissions have some inherent design flaws.

Automatic transmissions in 7th generation Accord and other Honda vehicles are failing by the thousands. Mostly cars with V6 engines are affected.

A class action lawsuit in 2006 only covered earlier models:

Car Model Year
Honda Accord 2000-2001
Honda Odyssey 1999-2001
Honda Prelude 2000-2001
Acura 3.2 CL 2001-2002
Acura 3.2 TL 1999-2002
Certain Acura 3.2 CL & TL 2003

Despite these earlier problems, Honda did not improve the quality of their transmissions. 7th generation Accords and other Honda models starting with the 2003 model years seem to have even worse transmission problems.

The 2003 Honda Accord ranks 8th among the top 10 worst cars on Carcomplaints.com, worse than the 2000 Chevy Impala and the 2002 Dodge Intrepid.

As early as in 2004, Honda issued a recall for the 2003 Accord, and transmissions on some vehicles were replaced. Most others just received an oil jet kit, intended to cool certain parts in the transmission.

A failing transmission is a major safety hazard. In our Accord, the transmission will down-shift into first gear when it gets hot, regardless of the speed. Imagine what can happen when you travel at 75 mph in the passing lane and the car shifts into 1st gear ….

As of March 2008, no recall has been issued and there is no pending action from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The purpose of this group is to connect people who own Honda vehicles with transmission problems, to combine our voices, and to channel them with the goal to make the NHTSA recognize the safety issues and get a safety recall issued.

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