[stephenlohp]

Same here... having a 2003 accord coupe with backlight problem at the radio panel.

Check with 2 dealers:
One said it can cost $800 to replace a new radio set
Another said it would cost $300 labour to fix the radio panel

[cdobbs]

My 2003 Accord EX with 63000 miles had the same problem. Backlights went out a few months ago but the radio still worked. I pulled the fuses to see if one was blown and when I put them back in nothing worked. I called America Honda and told them I expected my radio to be fixed and that I knew this was an on going problem. The first guy I spoke to was an ***. I was contacted by someone else a couple days later and he requested that I take it to a dealer to get looked at. I call Bankston Honda in Lewisville, TX and spoke with a guy name Chuck. I explained that I had been in contact with America Honda and was aware of the problem with the 03 Accord but they wanted them to look at it. Long story short they ordered me a rebuilt radio and installed it at no cost to me. I am pleased with the out come and very pleased with the service I got from Bankston. I am not sure if I will buy another Honda but if I do it will be from Bankston.

[laserwiz]

Follow-up from Laserwiz regarding backlight issue: Honda still tried to give me the run around but Honda of Stevens Creek took care of me in spite of Honda's parts / labor split offer. Good for them. In any case, this issue has left a bad taste in my mouth re: honda. I think I'll be sticking with Toyota!

[jordanjs0]

I have this problem also, only now my radio will not work AT ALL - has anyone else had the radio quit working ? Also the lights on my seat heater button on the passenger side won't work...

[autoaudioservice]

If you need help whit the lights on your radio (Honda Accord) go here
www.stereofixer.com

[autoaudioservice]

Ihad the same problem whit my radio and this people help me
www.stereofixer.com

[llsalexandria]

Hi all. Thanks for this wonderful message board. My lights went out a few weeks ago. I tried the fuses but then went to the dealership- who acted as if they never heard of the problem before. Landmark Honda in Alexandria VA. They supposedly looked at my car, but to be honest I thought it was a bit fishy that they didn't charge me for the diagnosis. They told me to replace the unit is would be more than $700 but I could call a local audio repairman and get a better deal. I was in Pittsburgh (where I bought the car) and speaking to someone I referred a honda too (now I feel like a jerk). I mentioned my lights issue and she said, "you too?" I called the other repairman today and he said its $320+ to fix it. Then I hit the net (because he gave me the impression he's heard of this issue before) and found all of you!! Sign me up! I'll join in a letter writing campaign, go to TV, whatever! Darn them. Its despicable that any of us had to go through this- they should have fested up to this after the first 100 defective units. I'll call honda too- but I'm so disgusted that they tried to sweep this issue under the rug when I went in for an appointment. They would have been more than satisfied for me to pay +$300 to have it repaired when this is really THEIR issue. My email is [email protected] (And, I'm forwarding this to my friend who is having the same problem- she's under warranty- I'm not.)

[autoaudioservice]

Check this link, here is the picture of the radio we are talking about
http://www.stereofixer.com/radios010.html

[llsalexandria]

Update: American Honda opened a case for me. I received a voice message this AM saying they'd pay for the part but I'd be responsible for the labor. Still an unfair deal if you ask me. Not buying another honday. And, given this is a lease, they'll get it back next year and I'll buy something else.

Lisa

[llsalexandria]

I'm in. Contact me [email protected] I'm in DC.

[llsalexandria]

What happened when you called Honda? They offered me a split deal- which is still rotten. They made the point of saying, "the radio was made by alpine". I told them I bought a Honda for the reputation, and could care less who made the radio- that should be their product backed by them. They can go after Alpine.
[email protected]

[llsalexandria]

I'm in a 2003 Accord Coupe with the same problem. Lights just went out one day at 39K. Of course, I was just out of warranty. Going to try the customer service route and expect they pay for the problem. I work for a TV station and will be willing to play that card if I have to! If they say "no", maybe a story on this problem would change the tune!

What happened with your case? Let's take it to TV!

[email protected]

[llsalexandria]

ANY TAKERS ON A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST HONDA OF AMERICA? I suppose that I am now, once again, in the "Accords Are Junk" club. A bit of background...I am now on my 5th Honda (4th Accord). Each time I swore that I WOULD NOT buy another Honda, each time I did with the hope that their quality had improved (I also took for granted that Consumer Reports knew what they were talking about!). I have (as evident by my name) a 2004 Honda Accord EX V6 2dr. I purchased it used with 43K on 12/29/05 (traded in by a preacher/teacher - I assumed it was well cared for!). About 20 days ago, the now infamous radio/dash lighting demon struck. I took it to my local Honda dealer (on US Route 60 in Huntington, WV - you know who you are!). I had purchased 4 of the last Hondas I owned from here (but not this one). Since it was bought at Ford dealer and not at their place, I was automatically treated like the bastard child at a family reunion. I informed the service advisor that I had an extended warranty (NAC) and that they paid claims "over the phone with a credit card". Reluctantly, she accepted the warranty, removed my radio to be "sent off" to New Jersey to be fixed. (( She also told me that Honda of America WOULD NOT replace the unit with a new or remanufactured radio unless the car was still under factory warranty - that they could only send my existing one off for repair...and that this problem was VERY common!)). After getting the radio back (10 days later) it was reinstalled. The backlighting for the dash was STILL not working. Of course, the service department neglected to check to make sure it was. I discovered it, thankfully, before I left the lot. The writer contacted the "radio repairer" in NJ; he supposedly forgot to check "another transistor" that "may have failed". So, again, I was without a radio for 5 more days. Today, I took the car back and had the radio put back in. YIPPEEEEE!! Music and dash lights!!!! (I did have to pay my deductible;the service advisor informed me that her dealership WOULD NOT accept my warranty as NAC would only pay 10% of their markup for repair - the dealership charges 42% markup (BOOFLIPPINHOO!!)) (She even wanted me to pay the 2nd freight charge for having the radio shipped - NOT!). So, I went out this evening, started my car, turned the lights on and guess what! NO DASH LIGHTING AROUND THE RADIO - AGAIN! I am of the mind set at this point, if the dealership will not REPLACE the unit, of getting an attorney and suing Honda of North America. I will be contacting the Better Business Bureau in my state, maybe even the attorney general of WV. I really am not in an equity position to trade the car right now so I am stuck with it. ANY TAKERS ON A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST HONDA???!!!! My email is [email protected]. Lemme know!

I'm in. Email me [email protected] - Lisa

[llsalexandria]

Oh, and another point. No one at American Honda or the local dealership knows how many cars need to be effected before ordering a PRODUCT UPDATE- which is a "recall" but on issues other than safety. Clearly, this issue is a candidate for that. But, no one wants to share the details on how to get that ball rolling. I'll try consumer reports, consumer affairs, BBB, and my state government. I'll be glad to hand them their car next year when my lease is up. Then, head to the Toyota dealership.
Lisa [email protected]

[joyg]

With all your suggestions and information about my backlighting on my honda, I just called American Honda and have a case # opened up... will let you know the results! Thanks for all your suggestions, this was my first time on this site and it seems to have solved my first problem... thanks soooo much:p

[llsalexandria]

with all your suggestions and information about my backlighting on my honda, I just called American Honda and have a case # opened up....will let you know the results!! Thanks for all your suggestions, this was my first time on this site and it seems to have solved my first problem... thanks soooo much:p

I just got my call returned from American Honda (2nd call) with Ms. Sullivan 1-800-999-1009. She refused to budge on paying for the labor saying:

1. Honda is already offering a "good will gesture" by paying for the (defective) radio
2. They make decisions on a "case by case" basis so its okay that there is inconsistency across the country.

I pushed her on what factors make their decisions and she said (a) age (b) mileage and (c) problem. Given that all of us have the same three factors with (b) being the only variant, I find it really hard to swallow the disparity of our interactions with Honda.

3. She said that a PRODUCT UPDATE would not replace the radio it would only update software.

So, you can't have a recall because it isn't safety related. You can't have a product update because that would just "update" not "replace" the faulty radio. Nice.

I'm stepping up if there is a class action lawsuit or complaint being filed. Let me know. I'll be pursuing my own avenues as well.

Good luck. [email protected]

[Hookem21]

My Honda is out of warranty and I called the 1-800 number yesterday. I referenced the service bulletin 04-027 and told them that I had the same problem. I was told to take my car to the dealership and that they would follow up with me in 24-48 hours. I took the car to the dealership and they are replacing my radio today. No questions asked!

Apparently, there was an update to the above referenced service bulletin in January of 2006 (06-001) and the dealership can now replace the defective radios whether they are in warranty.

The original service bulletin can be obtained at the following link:

http://www.driveaccord.net/forums/at...tachmentid=673

I know that many of you are having trouble but I think you can avoid a lot of grief by referencing the service bulletin.

I hope this helps!

[billbill]

Same problem with the 6-disc CD changer in my 03 Accord. Past warranty , of course. Searched on the web and had trouble but got some great advice. Call Honda USA and explain the problem. They will give you a case # and tell you to go to your local dealer. (I bought mine used from the dodge dealer locally so I just knew this was not good news for me). When I called they told me to come in and I'd have to pay a diagnostic fee and that Honda would pick up the radio---new one is $800. When I went in all they did was take down some numbers and they would call me when the radio came in. They not only didn't charge me any fees, they installed the brand new replacement radio at no charge to me... nothing... nada. I was shocked. When I asked they said Honda won't recall the radios because it is not a safety problem. Enough people have complained about it now that Honda is replacing them for free. The people that had this problem in the past had to pay out of pocket until it became a big enough problem that Honda stepped up. Good Luck---it worked great for me.:)

[llsalexandria]

After filing with the BBB and calling back to the local dealership, in Alexandria VA, I finally got the radio replaced for free. Initially, Honda America would pay for the part but still insisted that I pay for the labor. Then, the service manager at the local dealership called me back and told me he'd throw in the labor too.

I feel for the people that had to pay out of pocket for this. If I were you, I'd document it all and request reimbursement based on all of this new information.

Lisa in Alexandria VA

Same probelm with the 6-disc CD changer in my 03 Accord. Past warranty , of course. Searched on the web and had trouble but got some great advice. Call Honda USA and explain the problem. They will give you a case # and tell you to go to your local dealer. (I bought mine used from the dodge dealer locally so I just knew this was not good news for me). When I called they told me to come in and I'd have to pay a diagnostic fee and that Honda would pick up the radio---new one is $800. When I went in all they did was take down some numbers and they would call me when the radio came in. They not only didn't charge me any fees, they installed the brand new replacement radio at no charge to me....nothing...nada. i was shocked. When I asked they said Honda won't recall the radios because it is not a safety problem. Enough people have complained about it now that Honda is replacing them for free. The people that had this problem in the past had to pay out of pocket until it became a big enough problem that Honda stepped up. Good Luck---it worked great for me.:)

[jtal]

My 2003 Accord had the same defect. (The stereo/AC console display was very dim). My dad followed the instructions below and he got it to work! Thank you for the detailed instructions. Taking the console apart at the beginning was tricky. Here are detailed instructions with photos about how to remove the stereo:

iAudiophile.NET: Article / iAudio your Honda Accord 2003

One thing we noticed that was different that was the top center console piece (where the AC vents are) needed to be moved outwards (towards the back of the card) before lifting upwards.

Also, YOU NEED YOUR STEREO CODE! When you reconnect your stereo it will display "code" when you try to turn on the radio. It's a 5 digit number. If you don't have it, you can get it from a dealership if you provide the serial number from the back of the stereo. We lucked out and found it written in pen inside the owners manual. I have heard of this before- so check the front/back of the manual and also sections concering the auto theft system or the stereo.

Thanks again everyone for sharing the information!

Hi! Congratulations to everyone who can have Honda exchange the radio for you!!! I'm basically posting this for people who are do-it-yourselfers, and who know a bit of electronics. The part that goes bad in the radio which powers the lamps and backlight is a resistor. Yep, it only costs about a dollar! It's a special resistor though, not like the rest on the board. If you can fix things, here is what you do. Take the radio out - this is truly the hard part! Open the bottom by first taking off the heatsink and some screws. Pry the bottom off carefully and remove the circuit board. Unplug the ribbon cable and look at the Parts side of the board. Located very near the heatsink is a resistor labeled something like R727 (sorry not exact) You can't miss it... it is black and located between two other parts that appear similar. I wish I had photos! Anyway, if you'd like, measure the part. It should read virtually a short 0.1 ohms or zero ohms. The problem is that it doesn't, and that is why your radio lights don't come on. It gets very hot, and after some time burns open to Megaohms. Solder a piece of wire (jumper) over it, and the lights should work again. I believe the two parts that surround this resistor are both diodes, but I can't remember exactly. Anyway, it is RIGHT next to the metal that holds the transistors and audio chip to the heatsink. I don't think I am stiring anyone wrong here! This is a very small part though, so be carefull not to hurt the circuit board while soldering. If you are capable of this type of work, then you know how to use an ohm meter to read the part. It should read a short if good!