My 2003 Honda Accord EX has a problem with the backlighting on the radio and the ac controls. All the lights have gone out, but everything else on it seems to work still. I have looked for a blown fuse but could not find one. Any suggestions?

mdelgado2

I have 2003 accord and I just got this problem. Does any one know if there is a recall on the radio or do I have to pay an arm and a leg from the dealer???

Timmernator

Try the process used by others in this thread...

I have an '04 Accord LX-V6 that just lost power to the radio, then the power came back, radio worked but had no display. Found this thread & it has been very useful!

I just got off the phone with American Honda (see previous threads for phone #) and got a case number assigned with no hassle.

Am awaiting the case officer to call back & hopefully get my repair...

melharding

Did you manage to get the problem fixed?

xcuradx

FYI,
Just called Honda. There is no recall. In fact, they do not recall anything unless it is for safety, more or less.
If this is not under warranty, you're pretty much out of luck. However, you can call their customer service hotline and complain, and get assigned a case #. They "may" try to help you out.
Good luck. My display went out today and I'm probably going to have to spend $1k to get a new stereo.

KirillS

I would like to thank mystifield88 and hypo for the instructions on how to fix this problem. It took only two hours and wasn't difficult even for a software engineer like me. Here are my notes and photos that may help you.

To get to the radio out follow the instructions on Eric's blog. Note that the lower part of the face plate is fastened with three clips that are very tight. At one moment I thought that it is going to break so tight it was. I suggest you find these clips with your fingers and push them out with a screwdriver.

I removed a dozen of tiny bolts all around the radio and got to the circuit board.



The resistor is on the left side of the board close to the heat sink. It located between two black elements and marked as R797.




The space is very tight. I wasn't able to remove the heat sink and it was difficult to solder this resistor out even with a small soldering gun from RadioShack. I found a spec for this resistor on the Internet. It supposed to be 2.2 kOhm but when I took it out it t was 20 mega Ohm. I wanted to replace it with a regular size resistor but was afraid to touch elements that are near by. So I decided to short it with a piece of wire.



I put everything back and it worked! I am so happy I found this board.

If you need help with your radio in the Boston area feel free to contact me.

With best regards,
Kirill

hondainhawaii

All Honda owners, this site has definitely helped me out so I'm here to help you out.
FYI: There are two service bulletins out on the Honda radio. What had happened was that the company that manufactured the radio for Honda manufactured a faulty radio. A turn out there was a huge production of these faulty radios. There are no fuses to be swapped but to simply replace the radio is the "best" fix for this problem. I understand that there are other ways to fix this but I'm telling you now, HONDA OF AMERICA has a service bulletin on the radio problem, so why bother yourself. If you contact them at (800) 999-1009 you too can get this fixed at NO CHARGE! The fix is much more professional than if you were to tear into it yourself. One more thing, if your dealership has to tear into your radio to figure it out, then you shouldn't be taking it to that particular Honda dealership. My Honda service dealership diagnosed it right when he turned the car on. If they tell you that they have to take the radio out, tell to shove it. Get the service bulletin from HONDA OF AMERICA before you take it in. Overall, this radio should be fixed for free, I mean you pay nothing, not even labor.

I hope this has helped,

Honda in Hawaii
Mahalo and Aloha

hondainhawaii

All Honda owners, this site has definitely helped me out so I'm here to help you out.
FYI: There are two service bulletins out on the Honda radio. What had happened was that the company that manufactured the radio for Honda manufactured a faulty radio. A turn out there was a huge production of these faulty radios. There are no fuses to be swapped but to simply replace the radio is the "best" fix for this problem. I understand that there are other ways to fix this but I'm telling you now, HONDA OF AMERICA has a service bulletin on the radio problem, so why bother yourself. If you contact them at (800) 999-1009 you too can get this fixed at NO CHARGE! The fix is much more professional than if you were to tear into it yourself. One more thing, if your dealership has to tear into your radio to figure it out, then you shouldn't be taking it to that particular Honda dealership. My Honda service dealership diagnosed it right when he turned the car on. If they tell you that they have to take the radio out, tell them to shove it. Get the service bulletin from HONDA OF AMERICA before you take it in. Overall, this radio should be fixed for free, I mean you pay nothing, not even labor.

I hope this has helped,

Honda in Hawaii
Mahalo and Aloha

balletdaf

I had the exact same problem with the backlighting for my A/C and radio controls, so I used the information and advice I found here and the dealer replaced the radio for FREE! First, I called Honda America and opened a claim. The representative told me that I might have to pay for the replacement since I have 50,000 miles on my car. I told her that other Accord owners with similar mileage were receiving free replacement. She changed her tune and told me to call Honda American back if the dealership wouldn't do anything.

When I arrived at the dealership, I handed the service advisor the Technical Service Bulletin (http://www.driveaccord.net/forums/at...tachmentid=673) with my case number written across the top. That was Monday morning and on Thursday they replaced it for FREE. I didn't even have to pay the labor charge.

If anyone gives you push back, just remind them that you know many Accord owners are having the exact same problem and other dealers are replacing the faulty units under goodwill consideration.

sherilowen

I want to say THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for all the posts here. I too just had the same problem with my 03 Accord EX (83,500mi). I went to the internet thinking I just had not changed the right fuse, when I found this message thread!! WHAT A LIFESAVER !!! I first called my local dealer and even gave him the service bulletin. He was rather negative at first saying I wasn't under warranty anymore,....then since I did have extended warranty (not Hondacare), the unit would have to be taken out and sent in for repair, leaving me with no heater controls all that time... # 1 - I wasn't thrilled to be without heater controls at this time of year!! and #2 - if the units were so faulty, I just wouldn't quite trust a 'repair' job!!! Sooooo then I called the 1-800 Honda number yesterday!!! They got back to me today and said they would goodwill the replacement and even called the dealer and let him know!!!! Interesting that the dealer never mentions the calling Honda option!!! Thanks again for everyone posting about this problem and letting us know about the cost free solution!!!! Hopefully in a couple of weeks, my Accord will be all fixed!!!

espedid

I live in Canada, and I tried twice to get a dealership to fix my radio for free (goodwill consideration) but failed both times. I even presented the service bulletin, and explained that many people online have been claiming that their radios have been repaired for free.

Thanks to this forum, I was able to fix it myself. It's a really really tight area to work in, and after 1 hour of trying to do the job properly I discarded my plan to solder a wire properly (parallel) over the resistor. The easiest thing I could do was to fold a copper wire into a tight rectangle that just fits snugly over the faulty resistor. It’s not pretty, but it doesn’t move at all, and most importantly my display work fine now.

Thank you to everyone who contributed to this discussion.

Daniel
Mississauga, Ontario

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