2003 HONDA ACCORD Complaints

THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT (SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT SYSTEM [SRS]) COMES ON AND OFF RANDOMLY, BUT APPEARS TO BE RELATED TO THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT. *TT

TRANSMISSION DOES NOT SHIFT CORRECTLY, FEELS LIKE IT IS SLIPPING IN GEARS HIGHER THAN 2, NEED TO LET OFF THE ACCELERATOR TO ASSIST CAR IN SHIFTING. *TR

DRIVING 65MPH ON A HIGHWAY THEN THE CAR SUDDENLY DOWNSHIFTED AND CAME DOWN TO 40MPH. *JS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 HONDA ACCORD. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT CONSTANTLY REMAINED ILLUMINATED AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED ON. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS ADVISED THAT THE AIR BAG SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 92,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 102,000.

STARTING THE CAR FROM A STOPPING POINT AND SLOWLY INCREASING THE SPEED TO 40 WILL RESULT IN SLIGHT JERKS IN THE CAR. AS THE SPEED INCREASE BEYOND 45 INTO THE 60 THE CAR WILL JERK REPEATEDLY AND TRY TO SHIFT DOWN. RPM REVS INTO THE 5 OR 6 ZONE, NEAR REDLINING WHILE ONLY GOING 40 MPH. SOMETIMES THE CAR WILL SHIFT DOWN WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY CAUSING CAR TO JERK DRIVER FORWARD. COULD LEAD TO MAJOR CAR WRECK. THIS CAR MODEL ALREADY HAD A DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION, WHICH WAS FIXED BY HONDA, YET IT SEEMS TO HAVE ANOTHER TRANSMISSION ISSUE NOW.

SEVEN DAYS AGO, THE CAR SUDDENLY BEGAN SHIFTING VERY HARD AT MID-LEVELS SPEEDS (BETWEEN 30 AND 50 MPH). AFTER FOUR INCIDENTS IN TWO DAYS, I TOOK TO THE DEALERSHIP, BUT THEY WERE UNABLE TO RECREATE THE PROBLEM. OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS, THE PROBLEM CONTINUED INTERMITTENTLY, SHAKING VIOLENTLY, BUT NOW ALSO AT VERY LOW SPEEDS. TODAY, THE RPMS RANDOMLY SPIKED WHILE DRIVING, THEN VIOLENT SHOOK AT A MODEST (40 MPH) AND CONSTANT SPEED, THEN THE CAR WOULD NOT SHIFT PROPERLY (E.G., AT 40 MPH, THE RPMS WERE ABOUT 4100; PUSHING TO 50 MPH ONLY RAISED THE RPMS TO 5000). I STOPPED FOR GAS ON MY WAY TO THE DEALERSHIP, AND UPON RE-STARTING THE CAR, THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT, THE TCS (TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM) AND THE GREEN LIGHT NEXT TO "D" WERE ALL LIT UP. I MADE IT TO THE DEALERSHIP, WHERE THEY DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS A BAD TRANSMISSION THAT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED (COST QUOTED WAS $4281 PLUS TAX). *TR

WHILE DRIVING APPROX. 40MPH THE TRANSMISSION SUDDENLY ACTED AS IF IT WAS IN NEUTRAL. THERE WAS NO WARNING LIGHT OR ANYTHING THAT SHOWED A FAILURE OF ANY KIND. I SLOWLY NURSED IT TO MY HONDA DEALER WHO CHECKED IT OUT (CHARGED $108 JUST TO TELL ME I NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION WHICH WOULD COST $4400.) I TOOK IT TO AAMCO WHO SAID BASICALLY THE SAME THING BUT CHARGED ONLY $2900. THIS SEEMS TO BE A SERIOUS PROBLEM WITH THE 2003 ACCORD V6 5SP TRANSMISSION. HONDA SEEMS TO DENY THERE IS A PROBLEM...HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS SAY OTHERWISE. *TR

DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MILES AN HOUR IN 45 MPH ZONE. WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO ACCELERATE TO 45 MPH, TRANSMISSION SLIPPED OUT OF GEAR. VEHICLE CAME TO COMPLETE STOP. I HAD TURN OFF VEHICLE. RESTARTED ENGINE AND CAREFULLY AND SLOWLY ACCELERATED TO 30 MPH AND DROVE 2 MILES HOME. NEXT DAY I DROVE VEHICLE TO HONDA DEALER. VEHICLE SLIPPED OUT OF GEAR TWICE, EACH TIME WHEN ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE TO HIGHER SPEED LIMITS. HONDA DEALER HAS CALLED TO TELL ME IT NEEDS A NEW TRANSMISSION. WILL RECEIVE PRICE QUOTE ON 4/23/12. *JS

TERRIBLE AND DANGEROUS TRANSMISSION FAILURE. I HAVE TAKEN MY CAR TO EVERY REGULARLY SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE VISIT AT THE HONDA DEALERSHIP, INCLUDING A VISIT ONE MONTH AGO. THE TRANSMISSION ABRUPTLY FAILED WHILE DRIVING ON A FREEWAY. I ALMOST CAUSED A CAR CRASH INVOLVING MULTIPLE CARS DUE TO THE ABRUPT FAILURE OF THE TRANSMISSION. *JS

THE SRS AIRBAG INDICATOR LIGHT HAS COME ON ALMOST DAILY SINCE MY PURCHASE OF MY 2003 HONDA ACCORD EX V6 IN SEPTEMBER 2010, INDICATING MY AIRBAGS WILL NOT DEPLOY WHEN I NEED THEM MOST (IN THE EVENT THAT I NEED THEM). THIS IS A HIGHLY CONCERNING COMMON TREND OF THIS GENERATION OF ACCORDS. THIS ISSUE NEEDS TO BE THOROUGHLY INVESTIGATED AND A RECALL NEEDS TO RESULT. *JS