KnownCarProblems2003 Honda Accord Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 1,987 complaints with NHTSA about the 2003 Honda Accord, most often about the transmission (47% of complaints, typically around 98,000 miles). It is the most complained-about Accord model year since 2000 and has 13 recalls.
Most common 2003 Honda Accord problems
Transmission
924 complaints · 47%Half of these problems showed up before 98,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission, manual transmission, axle assembly, clutch assembly.
This complaint is regarding a 2003 Honda Accord ex v6 coupe and its automatic transmission. After a year of owning the vehicle I was informed that there was a recall on the transmission and there could be a potential problem with the 2nd gear and that's why a recall was instated. My Honda dealership changed a part in…
Tl contact owns a 2003 Honda Accord. The contact noticed transmission fluid leaking from the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who recommended that the transmission be replaced. The manufacturer offered to replace the transmission for free, but the contact would have to pay for the labor. The current and…
Air bags
318 complaints · 16%Half of these problems showed up before 90,000 miles. Parts named most often: frontal, side/window.
Tl contact owns a 2003 Honda Accord. While driving approximately 45 MPH at night, the contact's vehicle was struck on the front driver's side by another vehicle. The front driver's side and rear door were damaged. The air bags failed to deploy, but there were no injuries. There were no warning indicators illuminated…
Tl contact owns a 2003 Honda Accord. While driving 20 MPH, the contact's vehicle was struck on the driver's side by another vehicle. The passenger side air bag deployed, but the driver's side did not. The contact was wearing her seat belt and taken to a local hospital with chest pain. A police report was filed. The…
Brakes
171 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 12,000 miles. Parts named most often: foundation components, antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, disc, antilock.
2003 Honda Accord, been into dealer twice for brake shudder and grinding noise. Rotor was resurfaced, dealer says brake problems are the result of hard braking. Still have problems, not resolved.
Vehicle was taken to the dealer for maintenance. Dealer found there was 40% front brakes left and 75% rear brakes left. Brakes must be replaced within the next month.
Engine
146 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 99,000 miles. Parts named most often: exhaust system, engine, cooling system.
Camshaft failure 2003 Honda Accord 2.4 dohc ivtech .vehicle began to produce a slight valve clatter under acceleration with A/C on .technician was asked to adjust the valves when it was noted that on one of the lobes on the exhaust camshaft had lost its hard facing and the cam was experiencing rapid wear.this is an…
My transmission is shifting hard on my 2003 Honda Accord and I was told that I had to have the entire transmissin replaced. Transmission failure with the Honda Accord and civic is a widespread problem in models made from the early 2000s. The 2003 Honda Accord and 2001 Honda civic appear to be the worst years for…
Electrical
142 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 71,000 miles. Parts named most often: ignition, instrument cluster/panel, wiring, starter assembly.
I drive a 2003 Honda Accord with 71,000 miles. The ignition key is stuck at position 1 of 3 and cannot be returned to 0. I am unable to get the key out in any gear position (others have tried it as well) and am unable to retrieve the key.
: the contact stated that while driving 45 MPH, the backlighting on the center console climate controls darkened, making the controls impossible to see while driving at night. The vehicle was not taken in for service, however the manufacturer was alerted.
Steering
90 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 100,000 miles. Parts named most often: hydraulic power assist, linkages, rack and pinion, hydraulic power assist system.
I take my Honda to the dealership every 5,000 miles for maintenance. I was involved in an accident in august 2008 - someone hit my driver side rear. The wheel was bent and my steering wheel was turned 90 degrees. After it was repaired, I took my car to the dealership for the 5,000 mile checkup. They balanced and…
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…
Speed control
81 complaints · 4%Half of these problems showed up before 89,000 miles. Parts named most often: accelerator pedal, cruise control.
Tl contact owns a 2003 Honda Accord. While driving approximately 5 MPH with his food on the brake pedal, the contact stated that the vehicle suddenly surged forward. The contact applied heavy pressure to the brake pedal but the engine continued to increase in rpms. The contact shifted into neutral and shut the vehicle…
Tl contact owns a 2003 Honda Accord. While driving 55 MPH and entering the off ramp the vehicle suddenly accelerated. After checking the floor mats and the accelerator pedal there was nothing obstructing the area; however, the vehicle continued to accelerate and the rpms continued to increase excessively. Whenever the…
Visibility and wipers
75 complaints · 4%Half of these problems showed up before 64,500 miles. Parts named most often: windshield wiper/washer, defroster/defogger/hvac system, sun/moon roof assembly, rear window wiper/washer.
I own a 2003 Honda Accord ex and just last week I was driving along the interstate in tampa when it began raining heavily. I turned on the windshield wipers but they did not work and I almost rear ended the car in front of me. I had to pull over and wait until it stopped raining and basically crawl home as water spray…
My 2003 Honda Accord experienced a sudden windshield wiper motor failure during a recent severe rainstorm and it suddenly stopped working. Accordingly,I was unable to use the car during rainy weather. I had learned about the NHTSA recall for the same circumstances and so I delivered the car to pasadena Honda for…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2003 Honda Accord recalls
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began august 12, 2019. Owners may contact honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are q5a and y58.
Full defect summary
Honda (american honda motor co.) is recalling certain 2003 acura 3.2cl, 2002-2003 3.2tl, 2003-2006 mdx, 2001-2007 honda accord, 2001-2005 civic, 2003-2005 civic hybrid, 2001-2005 civic gx ngv, 2002-2006 cr-v, 2003-2011 element, 2002-2004 odyssey, 2003-2008 pilot and 2006 ridgeline vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with driver frontal air bag inflators assembled as a recall remedy part or replacement service part, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger frontal airbag inflator, free of charge. The recall began august 12, 2019. Owners may contact honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are e5d and x5c.
Full defect summary
Honda (american honda motor co.) is recalling certain 2003-2006 acura mdx, 2005-2012 rl, 2003-2007 honda accord, 2001-2005 civic, 2003-2005 civic hybrid, 2001-2005 civic gx ngv, 2002-2006 cr-v, 2003-2011 element, 2007-2008 fit, 2002-2004 odyssey, 2003-2008 pilot, and 2006-2014 ridgeline vehicles. The vehicles are equipped with passenger frontal air bag inflators assembled as a recall remedy part or replacement service part, that may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to high absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An explosion of an inflator within the driver frontal air bag module may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver, front seat passenger or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's air bag inflator with an alternate inflator, free of charge. The recall began april 10, 2019. Honda owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is o41. Acura owners may contact customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Acura's number for this recall is u40.
Full defect summary
Honda (american honda motor co.) is recalling specific 2003 acura 3.2cl, 2013-2016 ilx, 2013-2014 ilx hybrid, 2003-2006 mdx, 2007-2016 rdx, 2002-2003 3.2tl, 2004-2006, and 2009-2014 tl, 2010-2013 zdx and 2001-2007 and 2009 honda accord, 2001-2005 civic, 2003-2005 civic hybrid, 2001-2005 civic gx ngv, 2002-2007 and 2010-2011 cr-v, 2003-2011 element, 2007 fit, 2002-2004 odyssey, 2003-2008 pilot, and 2006-2014 ridgeline vehicles. The affected vehicles received a replacement driver air bag inflator as part of a previous takata inflator recall remedy or a replacement driver air bag module containing the same inflator type as a service part. Due to a manufacturing error, in the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver frontal air bag, these inflators may explode.
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An incorrectly installed air bag may deploy improperly in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the passenger frontal air bag module assembly, free of charge. The recall began june 22, 2018. Owners may contact honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are k1p, and m1o.
Full defect summary
Honda (american honda motor co.) is recalling certain 2003-2012 honda accord and pilot, 2010 accord crosstour, 2001-2011 civic, 2002-2011 cr-v, 2003-2004, 2006-2008 and 2011 element, 2007 and 2009-2013 fit, 2010-2012 insight, 2002-2004 odyssey, and 2012 ridgeline vehicles. The front passenger air bag may have been installed incorrectly during replacement.
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicle and replace any takata inflator used in the passenger frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin may 1, 2017. Owners may contact honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's number for this recall is kf0.
Full defect summary
Honda (american honda motor co.) is recalling certain 2003 honda accord coupe vehicles, equipped with a four-cylinder engine. If the passenger frontal air bag module has been replaced, such as after a crash necessitating frontal air bag deployment, the replacement air bag module may include a takata air bag inflator. These inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to lower absolute humidity, temperature and temperature cycling.
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the passenger seat occupant or other occupants possibly causing serious injury or death.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on july 1, 2015. Owners may contact honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Honda's numbers for this recall are ju4, ju5, ju6, and ju7. Note: vehicles that have already received a replacement passenger air bag inflator as part of the recall remedy for an earlier campaign such as 14v353 or 14v700 (honda recall numbers s95, jh6, jh7, jh8, jh9, jj0, jj1, jj2, jj6, jm5 and jm6) are not included in this recall. However, this recall does supersede 13v132 and 14v349. Note: on december
Full defect summary
Honda (american honda motor co.) is recalling certain model year 2001-2005 honda civic vehicles manufactured march 21, 2000, to january 20, 2005, 2001-2004 honda civic gx vehicles manufactured june 14, 2000, to august 19, 2004, 2003-2005 honda civic hybrid vehicles manufactured february 24, 2002, to january 18, 2005, 2003-2007 honda accord vehicles manufactured february 21, 2002, to august 28, 2007, 2002-2004 honda cr-v vehicles, 2002-2003 honda odyssey vehicles manufactured june 19, 2001, to july 12, 2003, 2003 acura mdx vehicles manufactured september 19, 2002, to june 19, 2003, 2003 honda element vehicles manufactured june 25, 2002, to july 31, 2003, and 2003 honda pilot vehicles manufactured november 26, 2001, to august 21, 2003. The affected vehicles have a passenger side frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion which, over time, could cause the inflator to rupt
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the driver's frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver frontal air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on july 1, 2015. Owners may contact honda customer service at 1-888-234-2138. Owners may contact acura customer service at 1-800-382-2238, select option 4. Note: vehicles that have had their driver frontal air bag replaced previously as part of a recall remedy prior to september 12, 2014 need to have their air bag replaced under this recall as well. Vehicles that, on or after september 12, 2014, received a remedy for a prior driver frontal air bag inflator recall already rec
Full defect summary
Honda (american honda motor co.) is recalling certain model year 2001-2007 accord, 2001-2005 civic, 2001-2004 honda civic gx, 2003-2005 honda civic hybrid, 2002-2006 cr-v, 2003-2011 element, 2002-2004 odyssey, 2003-2008 pilot, 2006 ridgeline, 2003 acura 3.2cl, 2003-2006 acura mdx, and 2002-2003 acura 3.2tl vehicles. The affected vehicles are equipped with a dual-stage driver frontal air bag that may be susceptible to moisture intrusion and other factors, including manufacturing variability that, over time, could cause the inflator to rupture.
Air bags
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passengerâs frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the passenger side air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began january 26, 2015. Owners may contact honda customer service at 1-800-999-1009.
Full defect summary
American honda motor co. (honda) is recalling certain model year 2001-2005 honda civic, 2003-2004 civic cng and element, 2002-2005 cr-v, 2002-2004 odyssey, 2003-2005 accord, pilot, civic hybrid, and acura mdx, 2005 acura rl and 2006 honda ridgeline vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in geographic locations associated with high absolute humidity. Specifically, vehicles sold, or ever registered, in alabama, florida, georgia, hawaii, louisiana, mississippi, south carolina, texas, puerto rico, u.s. Virgin islands, saipan, guam, and american samoa are addressed by this recall. Upon deployment of the passenger side frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.
Air bags
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passengerâs frontal air bag, the inflator could rupture with metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants potentially resulting in serious injury or death.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will replace the inflators in all affected vehicles, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin during august 2014. Owners may contact honda customer service at 1-800-999-1009.
Full defect summary
American honda motor company, inc.'s (honda) is conducting a limited regional recall for certain model year 2003-2005 accord, civic, cr-v, pilot and acura mdx, model year 2003-2004 odyssey and element, and model year 2005 acura rl, and 2006 honda ridgeline vehicles originally sold, or ever registered in california, and equipped with takata-brand air bag inflators. Upon deployment of the passenger side frontal air bag, excessive internal pressure may cause the inflator to rupture.
Steering: hose, piping, and connections
Risk: If this occurs, power steering fluid can leak onto a hot catalytic converter, leading to smoke and possibly an under-hood fire.
Fix: Honda will notify owners, and dealers will install a new heat resistant power steering hose, free of charge. The original recall began in june 2012, and owners of those vehicles may obtain the free remedy. Sufficient parts are not yet available for owners of the vehicles covered by the september 2012 expansion, but are expected to be available in early 2013. Honda will notify owners of these vehicles beginning on october 26, 2012, and will notify these owners again when parts are available so those vehicles can be brought to dealers for applications of the free remedy. Owners may contact honda
Full defect summary
Honda is recalling certain model year 2007 and 2008 acura tl and model year 2003-2007 accord v6 vehicles. In may 2012, honda filed a defect report to recall certain model year 2007 and 2008 acura tl vehicles. In september 2012, honda informed the agency that it was including an additional 573,147 vehicles including certain model year 2003 through 2007 accord v6 vehicles. The total number of vehicles being recalled is now 625,762. Prolonged under-hood and power steering fluid temperatures may cause the power steering hose to deteriorate prematurely, resulting in cracks and power steering fluid leakage.
Electrical: ignition
Risk: Removal of the ignition key when the gear selector of a vehicle with an automatic transmission has not been shifted to the park position can allow the vehicle to roll away, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will remove the original interlock pin and lever within the ignition switch, and replace them with new, designed components. This service will be performed free of charge. The safety recall began on october 7, 2010. Owners may contact honda at 1-800-999-1009.
Full defect summary
Honda is recalling certain model year 2003 honda accord, civic two and four door, and model year 2003-2004 honda element vehicles. The interlock lever of the ignition switch may unexpectedly deform, which can allow the interlock function of a vehicle with an automatic transmission to be defeated.
Visibility and wipers: motor
Risk: If the circuit breaker fails, it will cause the windshield wiper motor to become inoperative, which can increase the likelihood of a crash in certain conditions.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the windshield wiper motor for signs of corrosion. If no signs of corrosion are present, a cover will be installed over the wiper motor to prevent water from entering the wiper motor housing. If signs of corrosion damage are observed on the wiper motor, the motor will be replaced. The recall began on july 17, 2008. Owners may contact honda at 1-800-999-1009.
Full defect summary
Honda is recalling 351,000 my 2003 accord vehicles. If water enters the windshield wiper motor breather port, which is designed to allow the motor to vent warm air during normal operation, it can result in corrosion inside the motor housing. This can cause a failure of the electrical circuit breaker inside the motor housing.
Transmission: automatic transmission
Risk: Gear failure could result in transmission lockup, which could result in a crash.
Fix: On vehicles with 15,000 miles or less, the dealer will update the transmission with a simple revision to the oil cooler return line to increase lubrication to the second gear. On vehicles with more than 15,000 miles, the dealer will inspect the transmission to identify gears that have already experienced discoloration due to overheating. If discoloration exists, the transmission will be replaced if discoloration is not present, the dealer will perform the revision to the oil cooler return line. The recall began on april 21, 2004, for pilot, odyssey, and mdx owners. Owners of the accord vehicle
Full defect summary
On some mini vans, sport utility and passenger vehicles, certain operating conditions can result in heat build-up between the countershaft and secondary shaft second gears in the automatic transmission, eventually leading to gear tooth chipping or gear breakage.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Desiccated air bag inflator rupture
Summary
From 2000 through 2017, takata produced millions of air bag inflators using two types of phase-stabilized ammonium nitrate ("psan") propellant -- propellant 2004 and propellant 2004l. After prolonged exposure to high temperature cycles and humidity, inflators using propellant 2004 can degrade, causing the propellant to burn too quickly when ignited. The rapid burning can cause the inflator to rupture during deployment, potentially causing serious or even fatal injury to vehicle occupants. See 2016 blomquist report at www.NHTSA.gov/sites/NHTSA.gov/files/documents/expert_report-hrblomquist.pdf.consequently, all frontal inflators using propellant 2004 that do not contain a "desiccant" (a substa
Air bag inflator rupture
Summary
The office of defects investigation (odi) opened pe14-016 in june 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.all six vehicles were operated in florida or puerto rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag systems.during the course of pe14-016, odi determined that five additional vehicle manufacturers used inflators of a similar design and vintage also supplied by takata. No evidence of field failures was found in vehicles produced by these five additional manufacturers.nonetheless, at odi's in
Air bag inflator rupture
Summary
The office of defects investigation (odi) opened pe14-016 in june 2014 based on six inflator rupture incidents involving consumer owned vehicles produced by five vehicle manufacturers.all six vehicles were operated in florida or puerto rico at the time of the rupture and for the majority of their service life, and were equipped with inflators produced by takata, a tier-one supplier of automotive air bag systems.during the course of pe14-016, odi determined that five additional vehicle manufacturers used inflators of a similar design and vintage also supplied by takata. No evidence of field failures was found in vehicles produced by these five additional manufacturers.nonetheless, at odi's in
Ignition shift interlock
Summary
On august 4, 2010, american honda motor co. (honda) submitted a defect information report (dir) to NHTSA regarding a ignition interlock defect in approximately 384,220 model year (my) 2003 honda accord and civic and my 2003 and 2004 honda element vehicles with automatic transmissions (recall 10v-364).in a september 22, 2010 supplemental dir, honda expanded the scope of the recall population based on manufacturing and complaint data.the total population for the complete recall is approximately 551,498 vehicles.the information listed in this closing report refers only to the subject vehicles, my 2003 accords with automatic transmissions.according to honda's dir, under certain conditions the in
Ignition park-shift interlock
Summary
Odi has received 16 complaints alleging failures of the ignition park-shift interlock that allowed the ignition key to be removed from the ignition switch without the transmission being shifted to park in model year (my) 2002 and 2003 honda accord vehicles with automatic transmissions.eleven of the complaints allege that the failure of the interlock resulted in a rollaway crash.one owner alleged that she was almost into her house when she noticed the car rolling out of the garage and down the driveway and that when she tried to stop the car it almost ran over her, before crashing into a cable box at the end of the driveway.another owner alleged that the vehicle rolled out of the driveway and
Questions about the 2003 Honda Accord
- What are the most common problems with the 2003 Honda Accord?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: transmission (924 complaints, typically around 98,000 miles); air bags (318 complaints, typically around 90,000 miles); brakes (171 complaints, typically around 12,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2003 Honda Accord have?
- 13 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from June 27, 2019 (air bags). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2003 a bad year for the Honda Accord?
- It is the most complained-about Accord model year since 2000, with 1,987 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.