Problems · by component
2003 Honda Accord equipment problems
56 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2003 Honda Accord cite equipment, 3% of all 2,013 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
56
3% of all complaints
Crashes
2
Reported by owners
Fires
2
Reported by owners
Injuries
2
Reported by owners
What owners say about the equipment
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“2003 HONDA ACCORD. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO VEHICLE FACTORY INSTALLED RADIO, COMPONENTS AND BACK LIGHT DEFECT ISSUES. *SMD CONSUMER SENT ADDITIONAL CORRESPONDENCE. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED RECENTLY, THE CD PLAYER WOULD NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, THE RADIO BEGAN TO MALFUNCTION AND DRAIN THE BATTERY. THE RADIO WOULD FLASH ON AND OFF WHILE BOTH THE RADIO, ALL COMPONENTS AND VEHICLE WERE TURNED OFF AND THE KEY OUT OF THE IGNITION. AFTER SITTING OVERNIGHT, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START THE NEXT MORNING. ON TWO OCCASIONS AFTER DRIVING, THE CONSUMER SHUT THE VEHICLE OFF FOR FIVE MINUTES AND IT WOULD NOT RE-START. THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE WOULD STALL AND IT WAS ALL BECAUSE OF THE DEFECTIVE RADIO. A MECHANIC INFORMED THE CONSUMER, THEY HAD RECENTLY COME ACROSS NUMEROUS 2003-2007 VEHICLE WITH THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM. THEY FOUND THE PROBLEM WAS DUE TO THE WAY HONDA INSTALLED AND MOUNTED THE RADIO, COUPLED WITH THE FACT THAT THE BRAINS OF THE RADIO WAS DEFECTIVE, THEREFORE DRAINING THE BATTERY AND CAUSING THE RADIO AND BACK LIGHT TO FAIL. THE BACK LIGHT WORKED OCCASIONALLY AND THEN STOPPED ILLUMINATING. UPDATED 05/04/16*LJ *JS *JS”
“IN 2008 I WAS DRIVING MY 2003 HONDA ACCORD. I HAD A TERRIBLE FRONT IN CRASH WITH ANOTHER CAR. MY FRONT END WAS CRUSHED AND MY FRONT PASSENGER HEAD CRACKED THE WINDSHIELD. MY PASSENGER AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY. EVERY ONE I CALLED GAVE ME THE RUN AROUND. I DIDN'T KNOW WHO TO CONTACT. MY REPAIRS COST ME $3800.00. WE DIDN'T HAVE MEDICAL INSURANCE SO WE DECLINED TO GO TO THE DOCTOR. THE BODY SHOP THAT REPAIRED MY CAR SAID THE AIRBAG SHOULD HAVE DEPLOYED. *TR”
“THE TRANSMISSION WAS SLIPPING, AND DID NOT ALLOW ME TO ACCELERATE IN AN INTERSECTION. NEAR COLLISION BY 2 CARS CAUSED AN INCREDIBLY UNSAFE AND HAZARDOUS SITUATION. *KB”
“SINCE THE PURCHASE I'VE EXPERIENCED CONTINUAL TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. UPON SPEAKING WITH THE DEALERSHIP I WAS ASSURED ALL WAS FINE. YOU CAN IMAGINE MY SURPRISE WHEN I RECEIVED NOTICE OF THE TRANSMISSION RECALL (NHTSA 04V176000). UPON REPAIR, IN SEPTEMBER 2004, I DID NOT NOTICE REPAIR IMPROVEMENT, AND CONTINUED TO DETECT THE ROUGH GRIND OF TRANSMISSION SHIFT AND A WHINING SOUND. IN 2009 I EXPERIENCED A CATASTROPHIC TRANSMISSION FAILURE TO WHICH I HAD SOUGHT REPAIR. IN DECEMBER 2010 I EXPERIENCED ANOTHER TRANSMISSION FAILURE. I HAVE JUST NOW EXPERIENCED MY 3RD TRANSMISSION FAILURE, JULY 2011. MY POWER STEERING PUMP HAD ALWAYS HAD A FAINT WHINE, BUT HONDA SERVICES NEVER IDENTIFIED IT AS CONCERNING. THE PROBLEM PROGRESSIVELY BECAME WORSE UNTIL HONDA FINALLY SUGGESTED A REPAIR, BUT INFORMED ME THAT THE COMPONENT WAS THEN OUT OF WARRANTY AND WOULD BE A COSTLY REPAIR. I DECIDED TO DELAY REPAIR UNTIL JUNE 2011. AC PROBLEMS MANIFESTED IN SEPTEMBER 2005 AND REQUIRED REPLACEMENT IN APRIL 2008. MY CENTER COUNCIL CLOCK AND TEMPERATURE DISPLAY HAS BEEN FLICKERING, DIMMED, AND ABSENT SINCE 2009. THE INTERLOCK STUCK ISSUE FIRST MATERIALIZED IN 2008 AND SERVICED IN JULY 2010. MY…”
“I HAVE OWNED A 2003 HONDA ACCORD SINCE NEW AND NOW HAVE 71,000 MILES ON IT AND TWICE I WAS NOTIFIED BY LETTER FROM HONDA OF POTENTIAL PROBLEMS. I HAVE ONE OF THE STATED PROBLEMS NOW BUT NOT COVERED BY THE WARRANTY THAT WAS EXTENDED IF IT OCCURRED. THE DISPLAY DOES NOT WORK FOR THE RADIO/HVAC SYSTEM. THE LOCAL DEALER FROM WHOM I BOUGHT THE CAR SAID TO DO SOME RESEARCH ABOUT THE PROBLEM. I HAVE. I AM NOT COMPETENT TO DO THE WORK AND THE PROBLEM IS EXPENSIVE TO REMEDY. I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO RESET THE CODE FOR THIS DEVICE TO OPERATE SHOULD THE BATTERY NEED TO BE DISCONNECTED BECAUSE THE LED DISPLAY DOES NOT WORK. *TR”
“2003 HONDA ACCORD. CONSUMER STATES PROBLEMS WITH THE AUDIO UNIT IN THE VEHICLE *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED THE AUDIO UNIT DID NOT PRODUCE ANY SOUND WHEN IT WAS TURNED ON. IT WOULD COME ON MOMENTARILY, ONLY WHEN DRIVING FOR A FEW MINUTES, AND THEN GO OUT AGAIN. ALSO, THE SERPENTINE BELT WAS WORN DUE TO AGE. *JB”
Showing 6 of 56 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 2, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.