9.3

really awful
Typical Repair Cost:
$2,710
Average Mileage:
98,000 miles
Total Complaints:
504 complaints

Most common solutions:

  1. replace/rebuild transmission (348 reports)
  2. not sure (72 reports)
  3. Honda to pay cost as this transmission was a previous recall (45 reports)
  4. Honda assisted with replacement cost (25 reports)
  5. class action lawsuit (5 reports)
  6. transmission exchange (4 reports)
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This problem may be covered under warranty. Ask your Honda dealer.

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #284

Oct 012010

Accord EX 6 cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 160,000 miles

There needs to be a class action lawsuit for this model transmission

- pastor g, Columbiana, AL, US

problem #283

Aug 262010

Accord V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 121,000 miles

Thank goodness we were not still on I-95 traveling 60mph when my car came to a stop! We were turning onto a secondary road when all of a sudden my car wouldn't move! I had two six year olds, my sister in law with me and it was pouring rain! No indicator light, no warning what so ever. We purchased a Honda Accord in good faith, thinking this would be the car we could depend on for safety and reliability. Boy were we wrong!

American Honda covered half the cost with a "goodwill" deal. I told them I thought they should be covering the entire cost, they said no. Go figure! The next day I told them I realized they couldn't cover the entire cost because they would be admitting to guilt and wrong-doing due to a faulty transmission. I asked them if they would be waiting for someone to die before having a recall, this problem IS A SAFETY ISSUE!! This isn't the first problem we've had with this car - I am so very disappointed and now broke!

- cbond, Jefferson, ME, US

problem #282

Sep 232010

Accord EX-L V6

  • Manual transmission
  • 74,000 miles

Our Accord has ~74,000 miles and the transmission was starting to slip. I took it into the dealer that does my servicing, and they told me it would cost:

- $5,400 for the transmission - $500 for brakes - $400 to replace a heat shield that is loose

The mechanic said that it is dangerous to drive a car with the transmission in its current state. I purchased a 100,000 mile warranty when I bought the car (it expired in January). This is a tough pill to swallow. I have been diligent with servicing the car, and now I'm hit up for $6,300 dollars in repair for a car whose blue book value is ~$9K.

I looked online and saw that there are an unusually large number cases of where the 2003 Accord V6 transmission fails early. Per the advice on these sites; I called Honda and asked for a goodwill repair. They offered to reduce the transmission work to $2,900, and would not assist with the brakes or heat shield. Honda said they do not repair their transmissions; the only recourse is to install a new one ($5,400)

I understand that this is not a new car; but Hondas used to have a reputation for quality that would have their cars last to 125-150K miles and beyond. I asked what the dealer would give us in a trade, and they said $3,000. Obviously, they don't have faith in these cars either.

Wikipedia noted: "Despite the Accord's reputation for reliability, the V6 models were plagued by transmission failures and were even included in class action law suits against the company (4 cylinder models were also affected, but not to the same extent). This caused the Honda Corporation to extend the warranties for the 2000 through 2001 models to 7 years or 109,000 miles (175,000 km). "

Looks like Honda is having a great run from 1999 through 2004. I hope a class action suit is filed for the 2003 model year. My plan was to let my son drive this car to college when it reached 100,000. Now I have to dip into college savings to pay for it. This is our family's third (and last) Honda.

- John B., Libertyville, IL, US

problem #281

Sep 172010

Accord LX V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 148,000 miles

Ok, this is the 2nd transmission replaced in this car. Out of warranty by 6K miles. Warranty on the last transmission was 3 yrs/36K; it lasted 42K and 2 years (to the day!). Honda offered to pay 50% of parts/labor which is better than the 50% off parts only they offered the first time. I just hung up the phone with American Honda, where Dawn very nicely told me that my years of Honda cars and loyalty are only worth 50% off parts/labor.

This car is clearly an issue. Honda is not standing behind their product. They should be ashamed. This is my LAST Honda. This year of the car has serious transmission issues and should be recalled. There is no reason I should have to put over $4K into 2 transmissions in only 2 years. Honda, please admit it's an issue and return everyone's money!

- M C., Marshfield, MA, US

problem #280

Feb 092010

Accord EX V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 83,000 miles

bought a honda because thier so reliable...oh yea sure, starting having transmission problems right out of warranty at 38000 miles,,,,guess what the district mgr doesnt want o do a goodwill repair,,,oh well guess he wants a bigger bonus,,,,guess what folks , i am through with honda

- Deborah B., Crescent City, CA, US

problem #279

Oct 182010

Accord

  • Automatic transmission
  • 68,000 miles

Well Transmission went from I think my tranny has a problem to all sudden have to replace Trany, as of today am supposed to get a call from Rep with estimate which am not to happy to pay for , on my previous visit for regular maintenance I mentioned to Honda rep I felt trany slip and seemed gear was off a bit after I had reg maintenance done and I asked rep if they looked into the trany issue I was told they checked and all was normal .

a few months later am driving and all sudden rpm goes up and car stalls next thing I know D marker starts flashing and check engine light goes on so next day off to dealer repair center car gets checked and guess what, I need a new trany

and this is where am at , at the comment contemplating what I should do.

- jewelsjr05, Bell, CA, US

problem #278

Sep 202010

Accord V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 120,000 miles

Check engine light did not go on to let us know that the transmission crashed.

- sjyt32, Ontario, CA, US

problem #277

Sep 172010

Accord LX V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 40,200 miles

My car only has over 40,000 miles in it and it has a transmission failure. I was driving on the freeway when it started jerking around. There could've been an accident! It'll cost over $2,000 to fix and i'm not made of money. I always thought Honda makes a quality product but that's far from the truth. This car has had so many problems even when being maintained properly. I refuse to buy a Honda again.

- Marc S., Cerritos, CA, US

problem #276

Sep 012010

Accord LX 3.0L V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 106,000 miles

2003 Honda Accord LX V6 TRANSMISSIOM FAILURE. My Honda Accord transmission is shot. It won't shift into third gear and starts downshifting violently. Done some research and the cause is mainly from the torque converter failing which burns up the tranny fluid and eventually burns up the whole transmission. Honda did not send out a recall on this because according to the NHTSA this is not a safety issue. I don't see how it's not a safety issue when your car all of a sudden violently downshifts and someone can potentially ram you from behind. So NHTSA says it's not a safety issue so Honda is not required to pay for the repair. Then why did I find out that Honda gave Out-Of-Warrenty Compensation to SOME Accord owners for the same problem? If there are people out there with the same problem why would you fix some of them but not all? This is freakin rediculous. I'm not buying a Honda again.

- Maurice G., Hayward, CA, US

problem #275

Sep 132010

Accord EX 3.0L V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 167,000 miles

To start off this will be the third transmission my Honda Accord has seen! The first time it happened I put the blame on my fiance not knowing there were hundreds of other people like me. The first go around I didn't make a big deal out of it because my soon to be father in law was kind enough to pay for it. After getting a $3000 quote I did a little research and found this site. I was surprized to see so many transmission complaints similar to mine.

This will be the last Honda I purchase! This is a sad time for me and my family because Honda has alway been our first choice.

- e02ss, Los Angeles, CA, US

problem #274

Sep 132010

Accord EX V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 138,000 miles

As my car began messing up I took it to a shop and they told me to check online to see if there were any recalls for the tourqe converter. As I did, no there are no recalls because it is not a "safety" issue however there is a ton of complaints. Not happy at all. Haven't we always heard, "Hondas run forever". I disagree

- Misty D., Trussville, AL, US

problem #273

Aug 222010

Accord LX V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 109,361 miles

Intermittent transmission problem that happened when the car was warm. e.g. after 10-25 minutes driving. When giving a little gas, the RPMs increased from 2000 to 4000+ with no power. When you took your foot off the gas the RPMs dropped suddenly and the car slowed down as if the brakes were engaged. When going up a hill you could feel the gears slipping as the car sputtered up the hill (under high RPM). Occasionally when stopped the car would come completely out of gear so that it could not be driven.

Honda dealer said they could not reproduce the problem but on the way home it happened again so I went back. I was told they can't do anything for a transmission except replace it and quoted me $6300 for a new one from Honda and that they couldn't help me in any financial way. Instead found another shop to rebuild the transmissions for $1900.

I'm very disappointed with Honda and will not be buying another Honda.

- tuzo, Toronto, ON, Canada

problem #272

Jun 112010

Accord LX V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 58,814 miles

My car suddenly shut off by itseleve on the highway luckily i was on the far right lane other wise who know wether or not I'll still be here today tell my horror storty.

- linderui06, Phila, PA, US

problem #271

Jul 222010

Accord EX V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 74,000 miles

Purchased the car about 7 months prior to the transmission failure. Did notice that shifting was kind of rough but did not think much of it. One day driving up a hill while on the throttle the car was revving but the car was going back down the hill. This problem happened again and again throughout the day then finally the reverse gear and 3rd gear gave out. Honda says that the problem will cost $3600+ to replace the transmission. They said that they are willing to pay $1000 to fix so I would be responsible for $2600 which is still ridiculous. I will never purchase a Honda again. There should have been a recall on this vehicle looking at the amount of complaints.

- Shaun L., Hoover, AL, US

problem #270

Aug 202010

Accord EX V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 97,000 miles

My transmission failed on August 21, 2010 while I was on my way to a friends wedding. As I was driving along as I accelerated the car jerked as is I had hit the brake very hard. I was shocked and scared; Continued driving to a gas station, it occurred 3 other times as I got off the freeway to check to see what was going on - I couldn't see what the matter was but thought it might have something to do with the transmission - based on information gathered through my blackberry. Since I was over 150 miles away from home, I thought I would attempt to keep a steady speed and utilize cruise control and as the car automatically accelerated to maintain speed it started to jerked as if I had hit the brake hard. It even did it as it decelerated - at that point I just pulled off the freeway and called AAA. They towed it all the way home and I had it towed to the dealership on Saturday. They stated that they wouldn't be able to look at it until Monday morning and it was then that they confirmed that it was the transmission. Prior to the confirmation I spoke with the agent who stated that Honda was aware of the problem and that his boss would need to contact the district manager to see what could be done. I asked for a quote and was told that for my model it could cost up to $4200. I obviously was not planning on this and couldn't believe that the car, with no known problems could just fail so unexpectedly. I received a call later that day stating that management had contacted Honda and that they had agreed to reduce the cost to a remanufactured transmission and the cost would be about $1850 -it will be guaranteed for 3 years or 36,000 miles --- which really sucks since now I can assume that this will happen again.

I am not at all happy with Honda and wish that there would be a recall for a KNOWN problem that they refuse to take responsibility for. I could have been seriously hurt if a trailer was behind me when the car was jerking. It is not acceptable that I have to take measures such as reporting it on a site in order to have solution for this problem.

- Nidia F., Mountain View, CA, US

problem #269

Aug 212010

Accord EX 3.2L V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 78,500 miles

Recently driving down a roadway and I began to accelerate, when the transmission failed to engage when shifting into 3rd gear, was in heavy traffic and my abrupt failure to accelerate in with traffic (on a 3 lane congested road with a lot of traffic), could have caused an accident with the cars approaching with my vehicle that was abruptly stranded and non-mobile in the middle of the road. I was nearly rear ended as I was trying to get off the road and had no warning that this failure is going to occur. I was able to get it back in gear after several trys and get the car safely off the road & had to call a tow truck to take to a Honda Dealer.

I worked with the Honda Dealer in Charlotte and Honda is going to share "some " of the replacement cost. Not really sure how much a transmission (approx $4,000) cost but I will be charged $1,900, which is probably around 1/2 the total cost of labor & the part. Even though I appreciate the discount, I believe a Honda transmission should last more than 7 years & two months on a 78,500 miles driven car.

I believe this to be a serious safety issue and am very concerned. I think Honda is aware of the problem, but would rather handle these individually & not have a full recall on this transmission for something they know is a bad & unsafe product. I had a 1980 Honda Accord for over 12 yrs, over 120,000 and never had these kind of problems.

- Roy R., Charlotte, NC, US

problem #268

Jul 012010

Accord LX V4

  • Automatic transmission
  • 128,000 miles

Okay so I had just put a ton of workinto my car. I just had to replace a catalytic converter which was about $600, then I had to replace all 4 brake pads and rotors, and then I had to replace the main belt that keeps the car running. Then I swear I was only driving my car for a few weeks and on the way to work my car just stopped. It was still on but as I pressed the gas, the RPM just went up and my car did nothing. My check engine light came on, after it stopped and that was it. Took it to my mechanic and he told me I needed a new transmission which is gonna cost me about 1500 while I have not been able to drive my car for almost 2 months I am still paying a car note on a car I can't drive.

I think this is very unacceptable from Honda and the first car I owned was a Honda Civic and my transmission went on that also. I am just too through and althoug I love my car, and Honda I dont know how sure I am that I would buy another Honda. I have been researching and it seems this problem has occurred all over the country and to numerous people.

HONDA NEED TO FIX THESE ALL UNDER GOODWILL. This is ridiculous...

- laleepop14, Scoth Plains, NJ, US

problem #267

Aug 172010

Accord EX V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 132,000 miles

I was driving to work and got on the highway. While attempting to pass another car, my Accord dropped down to 3rd gear (as it should) but the transmission did not engage. I got no power at all. I slowed down and the problem went away.

A half hour later I was driving down a city street at 45 mph. I let off the gas to prepare to brake for a stoplight and the car violently shifted from 4th into 1st gear. It scared the crap out of me. I thought I had hit the brake somehow. I drove it the remaining 5 miles to work and this happened about 5 more times at various speeds.

I had the car towed to my normal dealer (who's been very good to me over the years). They could not recreate the problem for two days and finally asked if I'd let a technician drive it home. I said, "Sure, I'm not gonna drive it like that." It didn't fail on his way home, but on his way to work the next morning it did. It scared the crap out of him, too. They claim they've never heard of this and it's the first V6 transmission they needed to replace. The service rep (who, again has been super-helpful over the past 7 years - even replaced my broken radio for free!) told me he was shocked at both the problem and the cost to repair. I was quoted at $4100. He said he could maybe work a deal to knock of $500.

I don't know what to do. I can't decide if I should buy something else or fix what I've got. I cannot believe that Honda is not acknowledging the problem. (Oh, and I had the oil jet installed for the recall in '04.)

I've never had a problem with a Honda before, and finding so many with this failure is really scary. Who has to die for Honda to do something about this?

- Jonathan S., Frederick, CO, US

problem #266

Aug 192010

Accord EX V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 100,662 miles

The first signs seemed to be a a slow shift from reverse to drive when I backed out of my drive way. Then some time latter in June 2010 there was a rattle under the car. It sounded like a loose tail pipe or a clamp problem. When I took the car into the Honda dealership to change the motor oil I mentioned the rattle. They changed the motor oil, but said there was no problem found relate to the rattle. They confirmed that they did do a road test, The rattle continued. Even though I was due for a transmission fluid change, they did not recommend the transmission fluid maintenance. The in August on the way home, there was high revs, no shifting and in some cases the car jerked with a down-shift all of a sudden. There was sporadic shifting. It was a good thing I only had to go about 7 kilometers to get home. The next morning I went to the dealership and there was no problem. The problems seem to start when the fluid heats up. I was told the part cost $5000 and they are talking to Customer Service.

- billpeelontario, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

problem #265

Nov 172007

Accord EX V6

  • Automatic transmission
  • 56,000 miles

I bout this Honda Certified used car in October of 2007. End of November, I had to replace the motor mounts and the transmission. I was driving and all of a sudden my transmission started slipping and shifting out of gera. Because I purchased the Extended Warranty for close to an additional $2000, it was covered under the warranty. This was just the beginning of the nightmare that has been my relationship with this car.

- brandyb85, San Francisco, CA, US

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