I purchased this car expecting it to be a "honda" (a reliable car) . When it turned out to be nothing more than a veryu bad investment, and huge finacnial loss. I literally drove this car 2 miles before trhe transmission went out on me. I almost got in an accident because it was on the freeway and I lost power. Honda told me that it was out of warranty and that there was nothing that could be done. The person I spoke with on the fun seemed to be having a good time with my misfortune, and was extremely rude as well as unhelpful. I would like honda to replace the faulty transmission in my vehicle.

Update from Nov 27, 2010: I did some research on hondas website and apparently 1HGCM82653A003171 my car had this procedure done Summer 2004

Safety Recall: Accord V6 Automatic Transmission Second Gear Inspection

Dear Accord Owner:

This notice is sent to you in accordance with the requirements of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act.

What is the reason for this notice? Honda Motor Co., Ltd. has decided that a defect relating to motor vehicle safety exists in certain 2003-04 Accord V6 vehicles with automatic transmissions.

Certain operating conditions can result in heat buildup in the transmission second gear set and may lead to gear tooth chipping. In very rare cases, gear breakage can occur. Gear failure could result in transmission lock-up, and a crash could occur without warning.

What should you do? Call any authorized Honda dealer and make an appointment to have your vehicle repaired. For vehicles with less than 15,000 miles, the dealer will install an oil jet kit to provide additional lubrication to the gears. For vehicles with more than 15,000 miles, the dealer will inspect the affected gear for heat discoloration, which indicates possible damage. If heat discoloration exists, the dealer will replace the transmission. If heat discoloration is not found, the dealer will install an oil jet kit. This work will be done free of charge. Please plan to leave your vehicle all day to allow the dealer flexibility in scheduling the inspection and installing the oil jet kit. If transmission replacement is needed, the work will take more than one day.

Who to contact if you experience problems. If you are not satisfied with the service you receive from your Honda dealer, you may write to:

American Honda Motor Co., Inc. Honda Automobile Customer Service Mail Stop 500-2N-7A 1919 Torrance Blvd. Torrance, CA 90501-2746

If you believe that American Honda or the dealer has failed or is unable to remedy the defect in your vehicle, without charge, within a reasonable period of time (60 days from the date you first contact the dealer for a repair appointment), you may submit a complaint to:

Administrator National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 400 Seventh Street, SW Washington, DC 20590

Or call the toll-free Safety Hotline at (888) 327-4236.

What to do if you feel this notice is in error. Our records show that you are the current owner or lessee of a 2003-04 Accord involved in this campaign. If this is not the case, or the name/address information is not correct, please fill out and return the enclosed, postage-paid Information Change Card. We will then update our records.

If you paid to have the transmission replaced, you may be eligible for reimbursement. Refer to the attached instructions for eligibility requirements and the reimbursement procedure.

Lessor Information. Federal law requires that any vehicle lessor receiving this recall notice must forward a copy of this notice to the lessee within 10 days.

If you have questions. If you have any questions about this notice, or need assistance with contacting a Honda dealer, please call Honda Automobile Customer Service at (800) 999-1009, and select menu option #2.

We apologize for any inconvenience this campaign may cause you.

Sincerely,

American Honda Motor Co. Inc.

Honda Automobile Division

If they fixed this recall then why is it having the exact same isssue that was supposedly fixed? Is there a recall on the recall service that was provided? There should be.

July 6 first experienced severe bucking. I called Continenat Honda, LaGrange, Il & spoke to service tech. He said the problem was maybe bad gas but made an appt for me to bring vehicle in on July 8. The car continued to buck like crazy on July 6 - like the brakes were being applied. I felt the car was dangerous to drive. Called Continental again and brought the car in July 7. They had the car overnight. Diagnosis--a switch between the traction control and the brakes. Cost $140. July 9, I drove to Chicago with friends. The car did the exact same bucking I had complained about to Continental. Friends recommened an independant service station that they had used for many years with their Hondas. I had alway been very pro dealer figuring they knew their car and would have the best information regarding any possible problems. I tried the independant. He took the car for a ride with diagnostics and found the transmission was bad. Cost for repair $1795. Funny that Honda dealer did not have a clue that it could be the transmission even though I have found out that the problem is very well know at Honda.

Spoke to Honda customer service in Torrance, CA. They would not do anything for me since 1-work was not done at Honda dealer, 2- I got a reconditioned transmission rather than a remanufactured transmission.

I am furious at Honda and Continenal. The vehicle was maintained by the dealer since day one. Why would I return to a dealer who sent me on the road in a potentially dangerous vehicle.

Car has been dealer maintained since I purchased it new. Transmission started hard shifting into 3rd and would sometimes miss 3rd completely on a downshift going up a hill. On my way to the dealer to have them check it out- it got worse and was on it's last legs by the time I pulled into the shop. It failed over the course of about 1 week.

I am currently waiting for the new/rebuilt transmission to be delivered to the dealer and then be installed.

Very expensive and should not happen on a HONDA with only 119K miles. I have loved my car since I bought it but this is very upsetting. Based on all the complaints on this site, I think Honda should at least split the cost with the customer on the replacement trans.

Ridiculous that these cars have NOT been recalled! There are complaints everywhere about this model and Honda has done nothing to correct the problem. It's going to take a death (or several) for anything to be done. My daughter can thank God that she was not injured or killed on the highway when our Honda Accord's transmission just QUIT. She had enough composure to coast to the side of the road. She said it was like slamming on the brakes, but she had her foot on the accelerator going approximately 60 mph. She flew into the steering wheel (and she did have her seatbelt on!).

The car is not driveable..it is sitting at the Honda dealership until we get some resolution to this problem. We just put $1100 into the brakes back in the spring. It's never ending with this model. I have even been contacted by a local TV station about our problems with this car. I'm pushing forward with this and going to FIGHT for some kind of recall. It's not just about my daughter's safety; it's about other people's safety, too.

My transmission failed on August 1, 2010 while I was on the interstate. It failed very spectacularly. I was driving 70ish mph (that is the speed limit). I slowed when I approached a car in front of me. When it pulled over so I could pass, I lightly touched the accelerator and the car jerked as is I had hit the brake very hard. I was shocked and scared; I quickly took my foot off the accelerator and let the car slow. I removed my sandal to be sure my foot was only touching the correct pedal and I could feel exactly the pressure I was putting on it; I put my sandal in the seat beside me. I lightly stepped on the accelerator again with my bare foot, and again the car jerked as if I had hit the brake hard. I braked gently and pulled over to the shoulder, stopped and put the car in park. After I calmed from the fear, I shifted into D3 to try another gear (rather than D). I slowly accelerated and in a few seconds the car started jerking as if I hit the accelerator hard, then the engine revved with no engagement of transmission, then it jerked as if I braked hard; all this in a matter of seconds at a slow speed on the shoulder. Again I braked gently, stopped and put the car in park.

Last night, Aug 1, I had it towed to the dealer where the technician test drove it this morning, Aug 2. He told my Service Advisor the car was frightening to drive; he told my Service Advisor that the transmission was very bad, that he felt as if he might get whiplash. They gave me an estimate to replace the transmission at $4500.

Huggins Honda just did my Maintenance on my car tim belt,water pum /plugs IZ, filter, coolant, belt com. drove my car off lot and it was running rough and that at idle tic was moving slightly i called Huggins and they said shouldn't be rough but bring it in and they will have a look took it by ck engine light was on mark turned the ck engine light off and said it coded idle needs to be adjusted then said car will run rough but wont break down . took it by a couple of more times car was jerking said need to replace throttle body. Now i just forked over 1616.42 now Huggins is asking for 700.00 when i took it in again mark now said i needed transmission

My transmission worked very well for most of its life but the last couple of weeks it had been a little slow to shift. I was trying to arrange some time off so I could have the transmission fluid replaced. One day while driving home from work it suddenly began act up alarmingly. At the next stop it was fighting my brakes and when I went to go again I lost drive. I shifted from park to drive several times without success and restarted the car a couple of times. I was finally able to get it going again so I limped to a Honda dealer. I left the car overnight with instructions to diagnose the problem. When they called me the next day, they said I needed a new transmission and it would cost me $5100 (no typo).

I arranged to have a transmission house come and get the car so they could do the work for half that amount and later learned that while the car was at the Honda dealer another customer had hit my car with hers. Now when I get my car back from the transmission house I have to take it to a body shop.

Needless to say I am very disappointed with Honda. I've had three Hondas is a row but this was the first I had driven to high mileage. I thought Hondas were bulletproof. I work with a bunch of people with older Hondas than mine and more mileage, who have had no transmission problems. I definately think this model's transmission is defective. I called Honda and they would not give me any assistence.

This has been a good car, but now it's suddenly gone. The repair is equal to the value of the repaired vehicle, so basically, it's worthless. This was a sudden problem that occurred as I drove my family home from vacation. Driving at highway speed, the transmission locked in 2nd gear, causing the car to nose-dive under rapid deceleration. It felt like the brakes we're jammed, but it was in fact a transmission locked in 2nd gear. We're lucky to be alive, I suppose. I did contact American Honda, but they were no help whatsoever. Yes, I drove 109K miles, but that seems far short of what a modern quality automobile should provide. All you folks who think that there's something special about a Honda, well there is! It dies earlier than a Hyundai, and it can put your life at risk in the process.

please log into NHTSA.com to file a complaint. We need a fix for this situation, i was nearly injured due to this issue. here is a copy of my complaint i filed with NHTSA:

NHTSA COMPLAINT

2003 Honda Accord EX V6. current mileage 62,000. purchased new, single owner/driver.

at approx 60,000 miles began with intermittent shifting failure. It will fail to accelerate when it shifts from 2nd to 3rd gear. It varies in time when it will re-engage and it has left me in a dangerous situation several times and there is no warning for this failure. It has been reported numerous times and seems to be a common problem of this year and model. Recently I pulled out onto a roadway and began to accelerate, when the transmission failed to engage when shifting into 3rd gear, en route traffic caught up to me and my abrupt failure to accelerate/merge with traffic, caused an accident of several of those vehicles that were approaching with wet road conditions to my vehicle that was abruptly stranded and non-mobile. I was nearly rear ended and had no warning that this failure is going to occur. I believe this to be a serious safety issue and am very concerned. Please advise.

The Transmission failed on our way home our family vacation. Fortunately I was only 180 miles from home. As we were on the highway the car just dropped into neutral while going 75 miles per hour. The check engine light came on and the "D" indicator light was blinking indicating a ATF problem. I turned the car off and started it again and the was able to drive about 3 miles until transmission went back into neutral. The transmission had to be rebuilt. Repair technician mentioned that this was a common failure with the 2003 accord.

Transmission on my '03 Accord V6 (118k miles) started slipping when driving home from work on 7/1/2010. Took it to my mechanic who serviced the transmission, but 2-days later the transmission completely failed while driving @ 40MPH on a major road near my home. Since then, I've found this sight along with volumes of online information attesting to similar transmission failures on Accords and other Honda vehicles of similar age and wear. Additionally, the tow-truck that picked us up towed my Accord to a transmission shop, as well as the head mechanic at the transmission shop, both told similar stories of complete transmission failures in Honda's of similar age and wear. I'm now faced with a $2,235 cost to rebuild the transmission.

Everyone has agreed that Honda is well aware of the issue, but also not willing to do anything about it. While I don't expect them to do anything, since the evidence shows they won't, I will be writing a very strongly worded letter to Honda Corp., copying appropriate government agencies and consumer protection advocates. The auto industry is suffering just like every other business, but you'd think that Honda would want to take steps to protect their reputation, especially given what Toyota is going through. My opinion of Honda has taken a serious hit.