2003 Honda Accord Consumer Reviews

6 year old car turning into a money sink

Written by: cdonner on 03/05/2009

Vehicle

2003 Honda Accord EX V-6 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl 5A)

Review

Issues during the first 6 years included rapid brake wear, radio/AC backlight failure, ignition failure (6 ignition coil plus labor is a $1000 repair). The transmission never seemed to work right and I took the car in 2 weeks after we bought it (only to be ridiculed by the service transmission). It went in again for the transmission recall in 2004. The transmission fluid was changed at 111k miles in 2008 (well before the required 120k). Less then 6 months later the transmission went out. First gear only, no reverse. A faulty torque converter, the cause for the jerky shifts from 1st to 2nd gear that many experience, burned up the transmission.

Favorite Features

Suggested Improvements

2 out 3 people found this review helpful

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55,000 mile review

Written by: Overall gret car! on 03/01/2009

Vehicle

2003 Honda Accord EX V-6 2dr Coupe (3.0L 6cyl 6M)

Review

The V6 has plenty of power and is fun to drive. There is problem with the transmission slipping that the dealers don't seem to be able to figure out. I have had the exterior window trim replaced 4 times since new and it needs to be done again. There are lot of interior squeaks that seem to be getting worse. The quality in finish work seems to be lacking. The metal and paint is very thin and chips/dings easy.

Favorite Features

Heated seats, fun to drive and plenty of power.

Suggested Improvements

Heated outside mirrors. Better paint. Fix outside window trim. Backseat is almost impossible to access. Better sound system, speakers need more bass.

2 out 3 people found this review helpful

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2DR EX-L V6

Written by: Gucci Boi on 02/24/2009

Vehicle

2003 Honda Accord EX V-6 2dr Coupe (3.0L 6cyl 6M)

Review

I purchased the car used new with 60k miles. I love to drive it, its very fast, reliable, comfortable and stylish. Its a great value for the money. The only draw back is the CD unit after only 6 months of having the car @ 68k miles the CD player and circuit board went out. The Honda dealer replaced the circuit board for free, and i had to pay an outrageous $600 dollars for the CD player to be repaired.

Favorite Features

Sun Roof

Suggested Improvements

CD player

2 out 3 people found this review helpful

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Used 03 EX I-4 115.5k miles

Written by: scott M. on 02/13/2009

Vehicle

2003 Honda Accord EX 4dr Sedan (2.4L 4cyl 5M)

Review

First Honda I've ever owned. This was the first year of this model so it had two design problems. The front motor mount had to be replaced and corrected with a stabilizer bar and windshield wiper motor had a new cover put over it because of water corrosion. I just replaced my front brake pads after 60k got tired of the new pads sitting in the trunk. I found I get better highway gas mileage with 5-30w 25cty/30hwy oil then using the 5-20w 26cty/28hwy. The only parts replaced because of failure was an O2 sensor at 63k and A/C ON/OFF switch. I do change oil at 3.2k to 3.5k and transmission fluid once a year.

Favorite Features

All

Suggested Improvements

head light covers.

1 out 2 people found this review helpful

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Excellent Car, Great Value

Written by: RMHonda on 02/08/2009

Vehicle

2003 Honda Accord EX 4dr Sedan (2.4L 4cyl 5M)

Review

Bought new and has been a great value and still fun to drive. Efficient yet powerful enough to daily commute. I've tracked every tank of gas for this car... averages 33 MPG with a 5 speed manual transmission. Replaced front brakes and original tires at about 72,000 miles. Still original rear brakes. Only two problems - catalytic converter and O2 sensor. No other problems. Overall, a great driving experience.

Favorite Features

Gas mileage, manual transmission

Suggested Improvements

Audio jack for MP3 player

1 out 1 people found this review helpful

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Nice ride

Written by: nellie on 02/08/2009

Vehicle

2003 Honda Accord EX 4dr Sedan (2.4L 4cyl 5M)

Review

Bought my used accord in '07 w/ 58,000. This car looks nice, rides nice, but w a 13.5 gal tank my trip is only reading 320 miles til empty. What's that about 25mpg- (city/highway) I am little disappointed in the gas mileage, I got better in my 97' Saturn (28mpg). but over all I would buy another Honda because it's been two years and no problems, nada!!!

Favorite Features

smooth ride and style

Suggested Improvements

better gas miles

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Questioned Reliability

Written by: Max Epr on 02/04/2009

Vehicle

2003 Honda Accord EX V-6 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl 5A)

Review

Bought this car new. The 8th Honda product in my family... 3 Acuras. Auto transmission failed at 76,000 miles. All scheduled maintenance has been performed. Car was out of warranty so took it to local transmission repair shop. Cost $2,200 for overhaul. Faulty torque converter was cause. My next car will be a Camry.

Favorite Features

Engine performance

Suggested Improvements

Redesign auto transmissions. Rides like a buckboard. Bucket seats too narrow with insufficient cushioning. Back hurts after an all-day drive on interstates.

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The best car I have ever owned

Written by: great car on 01/24/2009

Vehicle

2003 Honda Accord LX V-6 2dr Coupe (3.0L 6cyl 5A)

Review

I love this car. It is has great power, is very smooth, fun yet comfortable ride, handles well, and gets great MPG for a 240HP vehicle. I have 123,000 miles on the car. The car is very reliable. When the car was new, it had a couple of issues that were fixed under warranty. But overall, this car is bullet proof. The car seemed to get better as it aged. (You would expect that that after the warranty expires and the car got older more things would go wrong, but just the opposite was true. After the warranty expired, the car did not have any issues) This car is almost maintenance free.

Favorite Features

Powerful smooth engine, good results on crash tests, great MPG and does not require high octane fuel, interior (Honda put so much thought into every little detail that it makes ownership a pleasure), comfort (great driver's seat), feel of the steering wheel, stereo, reliability.

Suggested Improvements

This car is very safe, but does not have head air bags. However, it does have side air bags.

6 out 6 people found this review helpful

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Radio, Wipers Trans and Brakes

Written by: Len on 01/09/2009

Vehicle

2003 Honda Accord EX V-6 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl 5A)

Review

Just had the lights go out on the radio, Honda repaired free, good for 105 K miles or 7 years. Also got the wiper recall done. Trans recall was done at 24K. Only repairs were for brake disks which have been replaced 2 times for rear and once for front. Bought ceramic last time, hope they last more than 40K miles. Only other repair was for heated seat relay fixed under warranty. This is my 3rd Accord.

Favorite Features

Power, heated seats, climate control, regular gas.

Suggested Improvements

Would be nice to get better mileage. Gets up to 30 on trips but around town in the low 20s.

1 out 1 people found this review helpful

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Best Car I've Owned

Written by: Patrick on 12/29/2008

Vehicle

2003 Honda Accord EX 2dr Coupe (2.4L 4cyl 5M)

Review

I owned multiple Hondas, then after a brief (and painfully expensive) experience with a VW, I came back to Honda again with the 2003 Accord Coupe. I haven't been disappointed. 98k miles later and only routine maintenance. Still have original rear brakes/rotors. Front brakes and tires changed at 70k. Headlamps burned out at 60k, but they only cost about $30 each to replace so no big deal. Dash panel went out after warranty expiration (I saw others mention the same thing), but it was replaced free of charge without issues. While it may seem that everyone and their brother has one of these, it's hard to argue with top-notch quality, along with performance, reliability, and good looks.

Favorite Features

Car still looks brand new after 5 1/2 years and 98k miles. Lots of standard features.

Suggested Improvements

Heated mirrors.

1 out 2 people found this review helpful

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