Used 2003 Honda Accord Consumer Reviews
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Great car but transmission problem
Ankit Patel, 10/01/2015
2003 Honda Accord EX V-6 4dr Sedan w/Navigation (3.0L 6cyl 5A)
4 of 5 people found this review helpful
I love my car, when i bought it did not know there is transmission issue going on with this car. I bought it used and i drove only 105k and transmission failed. other maintenance is cheap and reliable.
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AVOID HONDAs - ENGINE RUNS BUT OUTSIDE ROTS AWAY
HondaOwnerNOmore, 06/28/2016
updated 06/29/2017
2003 Honda Accord EX 4dr Sedan w/Leather (2.4L 4cyl 5A)
11 of 17 people found this review helpful
I am shopping for a new car but will NEVER buy another vehicle made by HONDA. I purchased my car new in 2003 and had it service by Honda; however, no one [at the dealer service centers (3 different ones) ever mentioned why my car's exterior was starting to look 'splotchy.' As the splotchiness got worse and worse, I searched online and found out that HONDA [and their consumers] has been aware of a KNOWN PAINT DEFECT and refuses to acknowledge it and has even fought consumers in court using technicalities to get cases thrown out. Apparently, if you have a DARK PAINT on a HONDA of certain years, the top coat and paint are incompatible; therefore, on the DARK HONDAs, it PEELS and RESULTS IN SPLOTCHES (like a bad burn/tan peeling away) then the exterior starts to rot. SHAME on HONDA. When I finally understood what was happening, my HONDA ACCORD was just out of warranty so, I asked one of the HONDA service managers "why HONDA reps never brought this up as it was quite noticeable, especially, as it's a known HONDA paint defect." The HONDA service manager actually reacted angrily and yelled at me for bringing this up!!! I never went back to HONDA and have the car serviced by STATE TIRE down the road from the HONDA dealer. Now, I see many DARK COLORED HONDAs on the road with PEELING PAINT and I feel bad for the owners as well as disgust with HONDA as well as the court system for not protecting consumers. Now, 1) I am searching for a new car - trying to wait for the new SUBARU ASCENT which will come out in March 2018; 2) I continue to see many DARK (usually BLACK like MINE) HONDAs (different models) with PEELING EXTERIORs (horrible); 3) I tell everyone who is looking for a car about my experience and others (I show them pics too) and tell them I think it's best to steer clear of HONDA cars unless they want to waste their money and get bad (dishonest) customer service). The latter is my response to HONDA for treating their customers so poorly after finding out [by many] that they sold defective merchandise then not acknowledging it and fixing it at their cost. Again, SHAME on HONDA. Personally, I recommend staying away from Honda vehicles since what good is a car that runs but rots from the outside? Car manufacturers/dealers shouldn't treat a customer good before/while selling a car; they should provide, at minimum, acceptable and honest service to their car owners - HONDA has not done this. Waste of money.
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Welcome to Lowered Expectations
James M. Krupski, 10/12/2015
2003 Honda Accord LX V-6 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl 5A)
9 of 14 people found this review helpful
First of all I am not sure if my car is an LX or EX or what...it just has a V6 emblem on the right side of the back surface. I know it is a V6 with 4 doors, electric leather heated seats, 6 CD in dash CD changer and an electric moon roof...no navigation system. At first glance my car looked very nice when I bought it several years ago. Its sporty look, accessories and power captured my attention. The asking price seemed a little high at the used car dealer. But I relied on Honda's reputation for making solid, reliable vehicles to consider it worth the price. But, just in case, I scoured the internet for feedback from existing owners and mechanics with hardly a peep. I even checked Consumer's Digest and they gave it a great rating even after the transmissions had been recalled (They neglected to mention the recall in the review). Now, several years and several thousand dollars above the purchase price in repairs later, I have a piece of junk that keeps breaking in expensive ways. I have replaced the transmission, central computer module, power steering pump, air conditioning compressor, brakes (discs and all twice) and the electric window motor in the driver's door. I used to wash and wax the car on a regular basis. But then the clear-coat started coming off of the paint job and rust started appearing along the tire wells, leading edge of the trunk lid and the leading edge of the hood. Now one can simply look online and see web site after web site speaking volumes about how poorly these were made. It's true...you don't get a second chance to make a good first impression. As far as I am concerned now Honda is without honor for creating such a horrible vehicle and for not taking responsibility for it's poor craftsmanship when so many problems surfaced on such a large scale. This is simply not worth the scrap metal and plastic it was made with. I am stuck with it since I cannot afford to risk getting another used vehicle that may be a money pit as well and I certainly can't afford a brand new vehicle since I am now a disabled cancer survivor living on SSI. I guess it just sucks to be me and Honda doesn't have to take any responsibility for the mess they have created. *sigh*
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2003 automatic transimission fails
Jay, 09/08/2008
2003 Honda Accord EX V-6 4dr Sedan (3.0L 6cyl 5A)
5 of 7 people found this review helpful
We bought our 2003 Accord used and owned it for 12 months when the transmission failed at 67K miles. $2,700 Ouch! In researching we found that transmission failures in 2003 Accords are quite common. Take a look at the April 2008 Consumer Reports Used-car reliability report and you'll see how evident it is that Honda had a problem with these transmissions. Despite the clear evidence of a problem Honda will not stand behind these failures. If you have a 2003 Honda Accord sell, sell, sell while your vehicle value is still high and you haven't suffered the cost of a transmission rebuild or replacement.
Caution
jjl, 04/18/2010
2003 Honda Accord EX V-6 2dr Coupe (3.0L 6cyl 5A)
7 of 11 people found this review helpful
I am the original owner and this is my fifth Honda. The transmission just died at 44,000 miles. This is a well known problem for this generation of Accords. I babied my car and replaced the transmission fluid twice, at 28,000 and again at 40,000 miles. Honda has serious problems with automatic transmissions. I have loved this car. It was so much fun to drive. But, I can never trust Honda again. They sold a car with a serious design flaw. Do not buy a used Accord with an automatic transmission!