2003 HONDA ACCORD Complaints

KEY FELL APART IN HAND WHEN PLACED INTO IGNITION AND MADE VEHICLE UNABLE TO START ENGINE. GEAR SHIFT BUTTON WHICH NEEDED TO BE DEPRESSED TO SHIFT FELL OUT AND MADE VEHICLE UNABLE TO BE SHIFTED INTO GEAR. *TR

2004 SAFETY RECALL FOR DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSIONS. VEHICLE WAS WITH DEALER FOR ONE HOUR AND RETURNED TO ME WITH STATEMENT THAT TRANSMISSION WAS FINE. I ASKED ABOUT PAPERWORK AND THE ANSWER WAS "NONE NEEDED. IT'S FINE." TRANSMISSION GEARS RECENTLY LOCKED UP, ALMOST CAUSING REAR-END COLLISION. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2003 HONDA ACCORD. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE AND THE BRAKES BECAME DISENGAGED. (BRAKES DISENGAGED BEFORE CRASH) THE OTHER VEHICLE PULLED OUT IN FRONT OF THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE, WHICH RESULTED IN A CRASH. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE CONTACT AND THE FRONT PASSENGER WERE INJURED. THE DRIVER OF THE OTHER VEHICLE WAS ALSO INJURED. MEDICAL ATTENTION WAS NOT RECEIVED.( INFORMED BY OTHER DRIVER, HE DID GO TO THE ER. HIS NAME IS [XXX]) A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED (THEY WERE NOTIFIED OF THE AIRBAG FAILURE) . THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 76,000. UPDATED 2/3/15*CN UPDATED 08/28/2017*CT INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

FRONT END COLLISION INTO THE DRIVER SIDE OF ANOTHER CAR (4-DOOR HONDA ACCORD) THAT RAN THROUGH A RED LIGHT. IMPACT WAS AT APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH. DRIVER SIDE AIR BAG IN MY VEHICLE DID NOT DEPLOY. THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG IN MY VEHICLE DID DEPLOY, HOWEVER, NO ONE WAS SITTING IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG ALSO CAUSED THE WINDSHIELD TO SHATTER. A CONCENTRIC SHATTER PATTERN WAS EVIDENT DIRECTLY ABOVE WHERE THE AIR BAG EMERGES FROM THE DASHBOARD. *TR

I WENT TO PUT THE KEY IN TO START MY VEHICLE AND THE KEY TOTALLY FELL APART IN MY HAND. IT WAS DARK AND I HAD NO WAY TO START MY CAR. I TRIED PUTTING THE KEY PORTION WITHOUT THE ENCLOSURE INTO THE IGNITION BUT IT WOULD NOT WORK TO START THE CAR. I THEN TRIED TO REASSEMBLE THE KEY IN THE ENCLOSURE AND TRY TO TURN THE CAR ON SO I COULD AT LEAST GET HOME...IT DID CATCH LONG ENOUGH TO START THE CAR AND I HAD TO HOLD IT TO GET HOME. SINCE THEN BOTH OF MY KEYS HAVE FALLEN COMPLETELY APART AND I HAD TO USE GORILLA GLUE TO HOLD IT TOGETHER BUT BECAUSE OF THE GLUE THE AUTO LOCK DOES NOT WORK....AND THE KEY IS VERY WOBBLY IN THE ENCLOSURE. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY FACTOR WHICH I HAVE SEEN WRITTEN ABOUT ON THE COMPLAINT WEBSITES. I HAVE ALSO CALLED AND REPORTED IT ONLY TO FIND OUT THAT THIS IS NOT A SAFETY FACTOR. *TR

DRIVING FAMILY OF 4 HOME FROM CHURCH, STOPPED AT AN INTERSECTION STOP SIGN. CAME OFF BRAKE AND ONTO ACCELERATOR TO CROSS THE INTERSECTION AND TRANSMISSION IMMEDIATELY AND UNEXPECTEDLY BROKE APART, LEAVING OUR CAR STUCK IN THE INTERSECTION. EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AS TRAFFIC WAS CONTINUOUS WHERE WE WERE CROSSING. MORE IMPORTANTLY, THE TRANSMISSION FAILURE WAS WITHOUT SYMPTOMS, WITH MAINTENANCE KEPT.... THE TRANSMISSION WAS A 4 YEAR OLD HONDA DEALERSHIP REPLACEMENT FOR ANOTHER TRANSMISSION WHICH FAILED IN MAY 2010. TOTAL MILEAGE ON REPLACEMENT TRANSMISSION = 86K MILES, WITH TRANSMISSION FLUID REPLACED 2 YEARS AGO BY HONDA. IN MAY 2010, I WAS DRIVING THE SAME 2003 HONDA V6 ACCORD VEHICLE ON THE HIGHWAY AT NIGHT, WHEN THE TRANSMISSION (@ 122K MILES) SLAMMED DOWN FROM 4TH GEAR TO 1ST GEAR SLAMMING ME FORWARD (THANKFUL I WEAR A SEATBELT)....EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION, NEAR MISS INCIDENT. HONDA HAD A RECALL ON THE ORIGINAL 2003 ACCORD V6 TRANSMISSION, WHICH THEY "FIXED" WITH AN ADD ON KIT IN 2004, NOT A REPLACEMENT OF THE TRANSMISSION. HONDA REFUSED TO PAY FOR OR CONTRIBUTE TOWARDS THE REPLACEMENT TRANSMISSION IN 2004 OR IN 2010! HONDA NEVER REPORTED BACK TO ME WHAT WAS THE CAUSE OF FAILURE TO THE ORIGINAL TRANSMISSION WHICH THEY TOOK UPON INSTALLATION OF REPLACEMENT IN 2010. I ALSO OWNED A 2003 HONDA ODYSSEY WHICH HONDA RECALLED THOUGH THAT TRANSMISSION AND REPLACED BY HONDA VERSUS THE "KIT". I BELIEVE THAT NEAR MISS INCIDENTS ARE AS ACTIONABLE AS FATALITIES, FIRES AND PHYSICAL INJURIES. I FEEL FORTUNATE THAT MY FAMILY WAS SPARED INJURY OR DEATH YESTERDAY, HOWEVER I AM DEEPLY CONCERNED THAT THESE HONDA TRANSMISSIONS ARE TIME BOMBS AND LIVES ARE CONSTANTLY AT RISK WHEREVER THESE CARS AND MINIVANS ARE ON THE ROAD. PLEASE ENCOURAGE HONDA MOTORS TO TAKE 100% REMEDIAL ACTION TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC FROM THESE POORLY ENGINEERED AND MANUFACTURED TRANSMISSIONS. *TR

1ST INCIDENT WAS TRANSMISSION FAILURE WAS IN AUGUST OF 2009 WHEN CAR HAD 77,000 MILES ON IT. WAS TRYING TO TURN RIGHT AND AFTER STARTING THE TURN LOST ALL POWER TO THE POWER TRAIN. COULDN'T MAKE A TURN WAS ABLE TO MAKE IT OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. COST OF 1ST TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT $2500 (HONDA ACTUALLY PAID HALF (HOW GRACIOUS, WHEN THEY KNEW THAT THEY HAVE A FLAW SHOULD HAVE BEEN 100%. (REPLACED WITH FACTORY HONDA TRANSMISSION) 3 YEAR, 360000 WARRANTY 2ND INCIDENT 8/1012014 WAS DRIVING ON FREEWAY AT 65 MPH AND CAR SLAMMED INTO 1ST GEAR (AND REDUCED SPEED BY AT LEAST 15 --20 MPH. LUCKILY I WASN'T REAR-ENDED AS IT JERKED THE WHOLE CAR AND REDUCED THE SPEED IN SECONDS. ISSUE TRANSMISSION FAILURE. COST TO REPLACE $4500. *TR

AS I WAS DRIVING TO WORK THE CAR STARTED SLIPPING, THEN AS I ARRIVED TO MY DESTINATION THE CAR WOULDN'T GO INTO GEAR AT ALL. THE CAR WAS OVERHEATING, AS I CALLED FOR SERVICE AFTER WORK I TRIED STARTING THE CAR AGAIN AND IT DID GO INTO GEAR. I DROVE IT TO THE PLACE FOR SERVICE BUT HAVING TO STOP AND LET CAR COOL DOWN A COUPLE TIMES ON THE WAY THERE. THEY TOLD ME IT'S THE TRANSMISSION AND WILL NEED A NEW ONE, OR HAVE IT REPAIRED. NOW I'M AWARE OF MANY 2003 ACCORDS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM, THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL ON THIS! I'VE OWNED 4 HONDA CARS AND ALL FROM BRAND NEW VEHICLES AND NEVER A PROBLEM LIKE THIS BEFORE. I HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM ONE OTHER TIME OF NOT GOING INTO GEAR, BUT IT CAME OUT OF IT AFTER IT WAS COOLED AND SITTING FOR A FEW HOURS, SO NEVER HAD THAT PROBLEM AGAIN UNTIL NOW. WE DON'T DRIVE THIS CAR VERY MUCH AS I WORK FROM MY HOME, SO IT DIDN'T GO OUT UNTIL NOW. I'M TOLD WE MUST DRIVE IT LITTLE, WHICH IS TRUE, AND NOT HARD ON OUR VEHICLES AT ALL, BECAUSE THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED MUCH EARLIER IF WE HAD. ALSO THE AIR BAG LIGHTS COME ON RANDOMLY WITH NO REASON, WE HAD IT TESTED AND THEY SAID IT WAS FINE, HUMIDITY? THAT'S ANOTHER ONE TO BE RECALLED! HONDA, YOU NEED TO HELP US AND RECALL THE FAULTS THAT YOU KNOW ARE AN ISSUE IF YOU WANT US TO CONTINUE BUYING YOUR VEHICLES! A USED TO BE LOYAL HONDA OWNER FOR ALL MY LIFE. *TR

TRANSMISSION SLIPPED THEN VIOLENTLY DOWN SHIFTED INTO 1ST GEAR. COULD NOT SHIFT OUT OF FIRST GEAR UNTIL GETTING INTO NEUTRAL. I WAS ALMOST REAR-ENDED GOING 45 MPH BECAUSE OF THIS! *TR

I HAVE HAD MANY INCIDENTS OF MY CAR NOT SHIFTING FROM 2ND TO 3RD FOR THE LAST COUPLE YEARS, BUT ON JULY 25TH, 2014 I WAS APPROACHING A RED LIGHT WITH TWO CARS IN FRONT OF ME IN A 45 MPH ZONE. I WAS AT 40MPH WHEN I PUT MY BRAKES ON BUT THE CAR WOULD NOT DOWNSHIFT AND THE ENGINE WAS RACING. FINALLY JUST BEFORE I GOT TO THE CARS, MY CAR DOWNSHIFTED WITH A TREMENDOUS LURCH. I THEN DROVE TO A NEARBY PARKING LOT. THE CAR LURCHED THE ENTIRE WAY WHICH WAS ABOUT 2 BLOCKS. *JS