2003 Honda Accord problems
Owners have filed 2,384 complaints with NHTSA about the 2003 Honda Accord. Transmission is the most reported problem area, at 25% of complaints. After that come drivetrain & axles (15%) and air bags (13%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 2,384 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Transmission 25% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 189 and 23
- Injuries and deaths
- 186 and 2
- Typical mileage
- 88,000 miles 1,886 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 297 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 112 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 161 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 249 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 330 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 266 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 197 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 135 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 62 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 34 |
| 200k+ miles | 43 |
What the data shows
Among the 1,886 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 88,000 miles. For transmission specifically, the median reported mileage is about 91,000 miles (544 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 189 complaints mention a crash; 23 complaints mention a fire; 186 injuries reported; 2 deaths reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2003 ranks 4th most-complained-about out of 36 model years of the Honda Accord with enough data (869 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 13 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
I was traveling on the interstate and my gas pedal locked, then my steering system, followed by the gas pedal. I was surrounded by huge trucks and was traveling with small children and was able to stop the car. I then repeatedly smashed the brake pedal and forced the steering to stir me to the side of the road the car went into the ditch and came to a fairly abrupt stop. When I arrived to the dealership, they told me that it was a problem with the alternator, but suggested that I should replaced the water pump.
Takata recall (possibly?). I was in a car accident on june 21, 2018, in my 2003 honda accord coupe driver side airbag did not deploy. I was driving on a city street, the road was wet, and I was going around a curve in the road (going about 40 MPH). My car lost traction and fish tailed, then ended up slamming into a telephone pole with the passenger side being impacted first.
Tl*the contact 2003 honda accord. While driving approximately 55 MPH the vehicle was involved in a crash in which only the passenger side air bag deployed. The contact was not sure if a police report was filed. The driver suffered injuries during the crash. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to an insurance lot. The vehicle did not have the failure diagnosed. The failure and current mileages were 87,000.
Honda accord 2003 v6-85,000 miles transmission lockup, then failure. The problem with honda v6 accord transmission, reported here on this website. Note, my transmission has gone on my 2003 accord with only 85,000 miles on it. Had the car diagnosed at markley motors honda in fort collins colorado 80527-0520. I submitted the problem to 'american honda', and because of the sheer dangerous condition the car displayed today, probably won't drive the car until 'american honda' decides to do something about this.