Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (headlights, tail lights, turn signals, interior lights).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2003 Honda Accord owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I was leaving a friends house at night on December 28 and when I turn the car on none of the lights in the center consul lit up. I couldn't see the radio to operate it nor the time. It was difficult to operate in trying to select climate control. I was unable to see any of the selections for a hot cold, the ability to increase or decrease the flow of the heat, selecting which item to use such as the defrost button. Luckily this happened from a stationary position. However, since this was a new vehicle to myself it made it extremely difficult to figure out after I left his friends house. In particularly because I need it to change the defrost as I was driving, and I couldn't see what I was trying to select. Additionally, since I cannot see the time, I have to use other means such as a phone or watch which I'm sure causes distracted driving.
The panel buttons on the audio/HVAC unit are not illuminating when the lights on the 2003 Honda Accord are turned on. I checked online and found there was a recall for this issue (svc bulletin 04-027). For this recall, the warranty extension coverage is 7 years or 105,000 miles, whichever occurs first. I called American Honda to inquire about a "goodwill repair" and was told my vehicle is no longer covered by this recall. The recall is based on a component failure on the printed circuit board (pcb) and Honda should repair this failure past the 7 year or 105,000 mile mark. This is clearly a safety hazard when driving at night, because you need to turn on the dome light to find the correct button or knob on the audio/HVAC unit at night, such as the front or rear defroster buttons.
My 2003 Honda Accord ex has had an ongoing problem of the accessory lights going out that control the radio and HVAC controls. It is actually a transistor on the printed circuit board blowing that controls the consoles lighting. Honda knows about the issue and has put out an extended warranty about this for 7 years or 105,000 miles, whichever comes first. If the warranty is out, the cost to fix it through the dealership is $700-900, not something many people these days can afford, and because they can't afford it, their safety is decreased. Although this is a known issue and the warranty has run out, they really should take responsibility and fix any that have this problem because this is a serious distraction while driving. Multiple times I've tried to change my temperature or radio settings and while trying to see the display almost gotten into an accident. …
Control panel display (audio-HVAC display) failure. I have a 2003 Honda 4 door (w/o navigation)Accord ex. About 2-3 months ago while driving the display panel for the vehicle operating systems-radio, heat/ac, time blacked out. At-near the time of this occurrence I was on the new york state thruway. A flashing (emergency) sign -flashing 'emergency' 'check radio channel 530 or 1610 for details'- notifying an emergency. As I was driving and could not see the radio display. It was dark. I was unable to access the emergency notice. My vehicle was taken to Honda and was told this repair was a defect. This repair was part of a campaign to fix this display, per Honda service bulletin 04-027 but the program for my vehicle had expired. They mentioned the campaign was part of a campaign not a recall, even though they acknowledge safety was one of the issues in the program. …
Hi I have Honda Accord 2003 with only 70000 miles on it. Last year I had problem with the screen that display my ac/heater/radio it went off.I cant see anything on that screen, living in chicago and winter is coming, in extremely bad weather I am scared to drive that car and have my kids in it because I cant visualize and control the heat inside the car..driving on the highway with the bad weather that chicago hasm, I wont be able to control the heater to remove the fog from the front window and it will be impossible for me to see while driving.I believe this is %100 safety issue that you should call Honda about and have it fixed because alot of americans use this type of car and alot of my friends have the same problem, Honda having business here making money should make sure that the products that it sells for the americans meet the safety parameters in this great country. …
In September, my '03 Honda Accord lx v6 started shifting hard from 2nd gear in morning traffic. After a few miles, the car would not shift out of 2nd gear. 1st mechanic couldn't replicate the issue. On the way home, dashboard lit up like a christmas tree; check engine light, TCS light, oil light. Had car towed to dealer; total transmission failure. In addition to the transmission dying, 6 months ago the dashboard/radio/temperature panel lights failed, the dome light doesn't work, the right headlight has needed to be replaced 3 times, the driver's side seat has always been loose. I am the original and only owner of this car and have had it repaired/maintained at Honda dealers since purchase. To have all these issues, plus have the transmission fail at 106,000 miles is unacceptable. Then to have to pay $2200 to have a used, remanufactured transmission installed is unacceptable. …
2003 Honda Accord. Consumer writes in regards to vehicle factory installed radio, components and back light defect issues. Consumer sent additional correspondence. 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. …
The low beam lamps of the headlights have failed 3 times - twice in the driver side, once on the passenger side. This appears to be a major problem for Honda as other Honda models have been recalled for the same type of failure. Additionally, due to the design of the car, it is extremely complicated to replace the bulb. As noted in the car instruction manual, the lining from the front wheel well must be removed to access the head lamp bulb! This makes it is very difficult for anyone other than a Honda dealer to replace the bulb. As a consequence, repairs to the head lamp cannot be easily and quickly made by an average owner, further adding to the safety hazard caused by the lamp failure. Honda should be required to recall this model, repair the head lamps, and replace with a new design to enable rapid, simple bulb replacement by the average owner. …
Problem statement: 2003 Honda Accord console control lighting and stereo background lighting has failed. Why is this a problem: during night time driving you cannot see the controls to make adjustments and therefore have to turn on the overhead lighting to make any adjustments to the fan, temperature, change air flow position etc, or adjust the stereo. This is an error precursor to having an accident as it distracts you from driving. This is a generic problem: a quick research of the web indicates this is a common failure among Honda accords ranging from years 2003 to 2005. In these Honda accords all of the console control lighting is powered by circuits in the stereo and therefore the only fix is to replace the stereo at an estimated cost of $300 to $500 dollars.
I own a 03 Honda Accord. The radio unit is one piece which has the climate control and radio function. Recently the backlight went out on the unit making it impossible to see any of control including rear defroster in the night. I took the vehicle back to Honda and they refused to replace the unit saying the car is out of warranty. Apparently this is a common problem with 03-05 Honda Accord's. With out the backlight all climate function are not visible at night. Honda has a service bulletin for this: http://www.driveaccord.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=673 the repair should be done as recall campaign as it causes a problem is it impair visibility of climate function but to-date Honda consider this to be warranty only repair.
Headlight complaints in other Accord years
Frequently asked questions
How common are headlight problems on the 2003 Honda Accord?
NHTSA has 56 complaints about the lights of the 2003 Honda Accord, 3% of the model year's 1,987 complaints. The component named most often is headlights (7 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2003 Honda Accord headlight problems?
No. NHTSA lists no lights recall for the 2003 Honda Accord, though it has 13 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2003 Honda Accord headlight problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 66,000 miles, and 3% before 25,000 miles.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.