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Car Forum / Honda Cars / July 20052003 Accord Radio Display Problem
I love my 2003 Accord EX. But I have a problem that the dealer says will only cost me about $1000 to fix. Last week my radio display just went dark - couldn't see anything - no climate information, time, radio stations, etc. Nothing. The unit continued to work OK - I can still play the radio and change stations, select differnt climate features and temps, but I just can't SEE anything on the screen - have to control it from memory. I checked the fuses - nothng doing there. Very frustrating. On the positive side, I've discovered some new local radio stations by using the SCAN button that I would not normally have found since I usually stick to my preset stations....and temperature selection is a bit of a gamble. I did some checking and found that Honda issued a service bulletin on this problem right after the 2003 models shipped - it's a known problem. But they didn't issue a recall (there's a difference). I called the dealer (Fairfax Honda in Fairfax Virginia) and explained the problem. I told him about the service bulletin, etc. He said yes, they know about theis particular type of problem. I began to feel better. But his first question was about the car's mileage - I have 39,000 miles, and the warranty expired at 36,000 miles. I then started to get that very uneasy feeling in my stomach. The dealer says, so sorry, it's out of warranty. I said, but there was a manufaturer service bulletin on it and surely Honda will fix a known problem, even if I'm a few thousand miles out of warranty. Dealer says, sorry, it'll cost about $1000 since the replair involves replacing the entire audio unit. But, the good news is that they have several units in stock and can do the replacement the same day. Interesting. I guess they've had a fair number of these to replace so they're planning ahead and stocking new audio units. Dealers don't do this unless they have a demand (and Honda has a problem). Too bad Honda didn't choose to make this a recall and cover the cost, no matter what point in the warranty. A bad design is a bad design and should be covered. The dealer said they had no ability to work with me on this, that it was a Honda policy that when it's out of warranty, its out of warranty and the dealer has no lattitude to work with the customer on a solution. I was told I could appeal to Honda if I didn't like the policy. So I called Honda Customer Service (1-800-999-1009) where a very polite person took down all of the key information about my problem including what I was told by the dealer. She said that she will "open a case on my problem" and one of their examiners will get back to me soon. I'm very hopeful that Honda will make this right for two reasons - I'm barely out of warrantly, but more importantly, it's been a known problem since 2003 and should not (IMHO) be limited by the warranty period. If I don't get any support from Honda, I'll probably swallow hard and pay the price since it's still cheaper than buying a new car. But it would probably be my last Honda. I'm counting on Honda doing the right thing. Honda makes pretty good vehicles and I think they have earned their reputation by not only making affordable and very reliable cars year after year, but also by treating their customers right with the goal of making them want to remain Honda owners and buyers for many years. I'll do a repost and let you know how it turns out. Mike Bartell Fairfax, Va. > I'm very hopeful that Honda will make this right for two reasons - I'm > barely out of warrantly, but more importantly, it's been a known [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > right with the goal of making them want to remain Honda owners and > buyers for many years. sounds like its your dealer that didnt want to go to bat for you. is fairfax where you bought the car? if honda is able to resolve the issue, id recommend not going back to fairfax, sounds like they truly dont give a sh.t. Mike said > I love my 2003 Accord EX. But I have a problem that the dealer says > will only cost me about $1000 to fix. Last week my radio display just > went dark - couldn't see anything - no climate information, time, radio > stations, etc. Nothing. I posted this same problem a few days ago. I have an 2003 EX V-6 and my display just went dark as well. I also have 39000 miles. You probably have the number but the Honda Service Bulletin is 04-027 (thanks to Al for replying to my post with that info). I called my dealer and they kind of waffled around about whether they would replace it for free or not. They will not order another radio until I come in and they read the 4 digit code from the front. I gave the digits over the phone, but they insist that I still have to come by before they will order the radio - it's a 50 mile round trip at best. I think I'll call Honda Customer Service as well. This is a common problem. Casey Casey said > Mike said > > I love my 2003 Accord EX. But I have a problem that the dealer says [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > I think I'll call Honda Customer Service as well. This is a common > problem. I just got off the phone with a very unhelpful Customer Service rep. After 30 minutes of discussion and being asked to hold, her suggestion was that I take to a dealer for a diagnosis and the dealer would then tell me how much it would cost. She told me I would have to pay since it was out of warranty. All I could think to say was she had not done one thing for me and was just trying to get me off the phone. I refused to hang up until she agreed to escalate my request in some way. Now I magically have a case worker who is supposed to call back within 48 hours. I now have a reference number as well. This will be darned upsetting if I have to pay $1000 so I can see the display again. Funny how Mike's went out at around 39,000 as well (mine was at about 39,600 when it happened). Casey I lucked out, my wife came in a few months ago and said the radio light was out. I knew exactly what the problem was from other posts to this newsgroup, so I went and checked the odometer - 35,961. Went to the dealer next day and got the failure acknowledged with 35,985 miles. This radio failure is so common that there is no excuse for them not extending the warranty on that component. I asked if the repaired unit included upgraded components - they couldn't answer the question. I asked if the repaired unit had a new 36,000 mile warranty - answer no, only covered until the car has 36,000 or three years. In 1980 Honda replaced the headgasket on my 1976 Civic with 87,000 miles because they were having many failures. This is obviously not the same Honda company. > Casey said > [quoted text clipped - 36 lines] > > Casey Al said > I lucked out, my wife came in a few months ago and said the radio light > was out. I knew exactly what the problem was from other posts to this > newsgroup, so I went and checked the odometer - 35,961. Went to the > dealer next day and got the failure acknowledged with 35,985 miles. That was close! So far that's three that failed in the 35,000 - 40,000 mile range. > This radio failure is so common that there is no excuse for them not > extending the warranty on that component. I asked if the repaired unit [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > replaced the headgasket on my 1976 Civic with 87,000 miles because they > were having many failures. This is obviously not the same Honda company. If they don't cover this, I have purchased my last Honda ... and this is my eighth. It's not like this cost a $100 or so to fix. Maybe they don't really care. My experience on the phone today was disappointing to say the least. The person I talked was on the fence between incompetent and completely untrained. Every question I asked resulted in being on hold for 5 minutes - and her informed advice was to take it to the dealer and pay to have it fixed. And this post is coming from a guy who is (was?) a very loyal Honda customer. Casey If this proves anything it is that they should keep the radio and the climate controls as separate units (The part appears to cost about $650 from Man Honda). I'm not sure how the radio sounds on the newer Accords but they weren't all that great in the older (99 and below) models. I'm assuming from the posts in here that the rate of failure is possibly going to be higher than the tranny recall from the V6's. Back when the V6 tranny recall was going on, I remember someone posting that Honda will do a recall if the defect rate is over 15-20%; I wonder if it will be the case this time around. Anyone who is getting this replaced keep your receipts in case a recall does occur so you can get your money back. Nick >Al said > [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] > >Casey I just spoke to a co-worker who told me that he just had his go at 25k so it was covered under warranty. He also told me that his friend's went in his 03, and that was still under warranty. I'm thinking that a recall is going to happen on this in the near future. Nick >If this proves anything it is that they should keep the radio and the >climate controls as separate units (The part appears to cost about [quoted text clipped - 42 lines] >> >>Casey Don't hold your breath, Honda service bulletin 04-027 is dated July 9, 2004 and supersedes one dated June 15, 2004. The subject is: "Audio-HVAC Display Module is Dim or Dark". The problem was at least significant enough a year ago for them to take notice and publish a bulletin. > I just spoke to a co-worker who told me that he just had his go at 25k > so it was covered under warranty. He also told me that his friend's [quoted text clipped - 49 lines] >>> >>>Casey > Don't hold your breath, Honda service bulletin 04-027 is dated July 9, > 2004 and supersedes one dated June 15, 2004. The subject is: > "Audio-HVAC Display Module is Dim or Dark". The problem was at least > significant enough a year ago for them to take notice and publish a > bulletin. Could comeone post the text of this HSB, please? Not available thru Alldata anymore. > I lucked out, my wife came in a few months ago and said the radio light > was out. I knew exactly what the problem was from other posts to this [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > replaced the headgasket on my 1976 Civic with 87,000 miles because they > were having many failures. This is obviously not the same Honda company. nope, its not. obviously, they cant appease everyone over every problem, but this is so common and so expensive that they realy should, and they should stick it to their supplier! wonder who makes it... wouldnt that be funny if the radios were made by delco/GM as part of their lil parts swapping deal? eg: saturn vue using the honda V6. I just had mine go out at 65000, I have a 2003, I haven't called yet but I will do that today. Has anyone had this issue covered by Honda yet? Two days since I opened up a "case" with Honda and no Honda caseworker has called me yet. I was told to expect 24-48 hours for a call-back. They must be busy handling all of the display problems being reported! I'd like to know if anyone has had Honda cover this type of problem as well, particularly if they were out of warranty. Mike Mike said > Two days since I opened up a "case" with Honda and no Honda caseworker > has called me yet. I was told to expect 24-48 hours for a call-back. > They must be busy handling all of the display problems being reported! Same here. I called on Tuesday and I haven't gotten my call from a case worker either. I was told they would call within 48 hours. > I'd like to know if anyone has had Honda cover this type of problem as > well, particularly if they were out of warranty. I've been searching forums and so far I haven't found anyone who was out of warranty but able to get Honda to pay. Casey And so we wait..... Wonder if there's any way to find out roughly what the fail rate is on this (e.g. % of cars withe the problem that have been reported) Well, after two days (I was told I would get a call back from Honda Customer Support in 24-48 hours), I called back to find out the status of my "case". I was told to expect a call later that day and she apologized for the delay. That was fine. But no call came. So, today, on the fourth day, I called to find out what was up with my case. The receptionist/dispatcher was polite and checked on my case number and said it had been assignd and she would try and connect me wiht the case manager. A few minutes later she came back on said that I will get a call on Monday - a week after the case was opened. I was told the further delay was due to the Monday holiday. So, we wait some more. My radio display is still dark. Not getting a call back in a reasoanble amount of time doens't make me feel very optimistic - you know, "never give out bad news on a Friday" type of thing.... Maybe I need to think about getting an iPOD.... Mike Mike said > Well, after two days (I was told I would get a call back from Honda > Customer Support in 24-48 hours), I called back to find out the status [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > I will get a call on Monday - a week after the case was opened. I was > told the further delay was due to the Monday holiday. I still haven't received my call - it's now overdue by at least a day. At the moment, I'm really pessimistic about Honda covering this. Up until now, I've been one of Honda's biggest cheerleaders. I've owned Honda's since 1978. Being faced with paying $700-900 so I can see my radio display really irks me - especially since it burned out in two years. > So, we wait some more. My radio display is still dark. Not getting a > call back in a reasoanble amount of time doens't make me feel very > optimistic - you know, "never give out bad news on a Friday" type of > thing.... Maybe I need to think about getting an iPOD.... My display is still dark too. I tried a flashlight but it doesn't really work all that well, especially while driving. I have gotten better at controlling the A/C well enough to keep from roasting (I'm in Florida). Casey Update: I got a call from Honda's case worker late afternoon on Fri. She told me to take it into the dealer for an official assessment of the problem - I told her the display was dark....but the dealer needs to tell her that. So, on Monday I take it to the dealer (who said it would take only a few minutes to check out), and the dealer will call Honda back and let them know...that the display is dark. Hopefully I'll know more on Monday. Mike said > Update: I got a call from Honda's case worker late afternoon on Fri. > She told me to take it into the dealer for an official assessment of [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > Honda back and let them know...that the display is dark. Hopefully > I'll know more on Monday. My original call ended when the customer service rep told me to take it to the dealer so they could tell me how much I would have to pay to have it fixed. I'm very curious to know what you find out on Monday! Casey Success!! The dealer spoke with Honda and Honda agreed to cover the repalcement cost. I should have the car back tomorrow (they were also doing the 37k service....plus replacing the wiper motor that went out this morning...not covered - I'm not having a good month!). I'm surprised but very happy that Honda decided to cover the radio display problem. I think this was the right thing for them to do given the history of this sort of failure. The dealer said the customer cost of the radio was $750, plus labor to install it (probalby cost about $900 total to repair). Said the solution required a complete audio unit replacement, not just the display. Honda's back on my good side. Mike Mike said > Success!! The dealer spoke with Honda and Honda agreed to cover the > repalcement cost. I should have the car back tomorrow (they were also [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > $900 total to repair). Said the solution required a complete audio > unit replacement, not just the display. Honda's back on my good side. Great! I'm calling my dealer again tomorrow. Still haven't received a call from the case worker. Casey Casey, any luck from your dealer or Honda yet? Mike said > Casey, any luck from your dealer or Honda yet? Still no caseworker call from Honda. I'm going to call them again - at least I had the sense to get a reference number from the first time I called. As far as the dealer goes, I haven't contacted them again yet because I've been snowed under with work for the last few days. Casey Mike said > Casey, any luck from your dealer or Honda yet? Wow. Out of the blue, an American Honda rep finally called me back today after 3 weeks. I explained the situation (my 2003 is two years old and has almost 40,000 miles now) and also explained that I didn't want to make a 50 mile round trip so someone could say, "yeah, the radio display really is dark" and then order a new one and tell me to come back later. This rep called my dealer. In ten minutes I got a call from the dealer - radio is ordered, we will call you next week when it is in, and Honda will pay to have it replaced. I'm close to a happy ending on this and beginning to have a good feeling about it. Casey > Mike said > [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > I'm close to a happy ending on this and beginning to have a good > feeling about it. Congrats, Casey, good news for all us 2003 Accord owners! > Success!! The dealer spoke with Honda and Honda agreed to cover the > repalcement cost. I should have the car back tomorrow (they were also > doing the 37k service....plus replacing the wiper motor that went out > this morning...not covered - I'm not having a good month!). Sorry you're having a crap month - I hada similar one back in Feb. > I'm surprised but very happy that Honda decided to cover the radio > display problem. I think this was the right thing for them to do given > the history of this sort of failure. The dealer said the customer cost > of the radio was $750, plus labor to install it (probalby cost about > $900 total to repair). Said the solution required a complete audio > unit replacement, not just the display. Honda's back on my good side. Very good news indeed about Honda's covering your radio problem. I think they should have, but it's always nice to see a company step up & do the right thing. Does anyone know if this is localized to just 2003 models? Thanks, Nick >> Success!! The dealer spoke with Honda and Honda agreed to cover the >> repalcement cost. I should have the car back tomorrow (they were also [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] >they should have, but it's always nice to see a company step up & do the >right thing. The display on our '04 Accord EX radio failed after about 14 months and 25K miles, and was promptly replaced by the dealer without charge, and they even called XM and had our account transferred to our new radio. We didn't have to do (or pay for) a thing. > Does anyone know if this is localized to just 2003 models? > > Thanks, > Nick I recently had the same problem, and am out of warray as well (69K miles!!). I called the Honda and they told me to take it into the dealership to get it diagnosed. My question is, my dealership charges $90 to do diagnostics, which I have to pay whether I make the repair or not. Should I expect Honda to cover this, or am I gonna be paying it? Anyone else get this charge? Will > I recently had the same problem, and am out of warray as well (69K > miles!!). I called the Honda and they told me to take it into the > dealership to get it diagnosed. My question is, my dealership charges > $90 to do diagnostics, which I have to pay whether I make the repair or > not. Should I expect Honda to cover this, or am I gonna be paying it? > Anyone else get this charge? if i KNEW they were gonna replace the radio, id just pay it. if they take the $90 and say "tough sh.t", then yeah, id be pissed. Will said > I recently had the same problem, and am out of warray as well (69K > miles!!). I called the Honda and they told me to take it into the > dealership to get it diagnosed. My question is, my dealership charges > $90 to do diagnostics, which I have to pay whether I make the repair or > not. Should I expect Honda to cover this, or am I gonna be paying it? > Anyone else get this charge? I'm not sure there is a diagnostic to run except turn on the radio and say, "Yeah, it's dark". I called American Honda first and worked out the details before I went to the dealer to have the radio swapped out. It took some patience. Casey Thanks for the replies. The dealership actually waived the diagnostic fee--I guess they found just how trivial it was to diagnose. Honda America agreed to cover the cost of the parts, and I am to cover the labor, which only comes to be around $50. Not bad. Will Will said > Thanks for the replies. The dealership actually waived the diagnostic > fee--I guess they found just how trivial it was to diagnose. Honda > America agreed to cover the cost of the parts, and I am to cover the > labor, which only comes to be around $50. Not bad. I think I would call that one a victory. $50 for labor sounds cheap, actually. I think it took the technician about an hour to replace mine. Casey > Success!! The dealer spoke with Honda and Honda agreed to cover the > repalcement cost. Congratulations! One of the big reasons I bought my '04 Accord EX V6 and my wife's '04 MDX is that they stepped up to the plate several times on our two '90 Integras and a '99 Passport. Too bad they made you sweat it, and aren't willing to take a more unified, consistent approach to all these display problems. Dittos to the poster to mentioned this as a good reason to keep the radio separate from the a/c controls. A real nice "gotcha now" when either goes out. You can bet they slap a new part into your unit, which will become a refurb for the next guy, at $900. Since this problem is being reported on '04's now as well as '03's, I may eventually just leave my radio on in the garage for months on end, and cook it to death. This problem has nothing to do with miles, it has to be hours of operation. Maybe around 1200 hours of operation. I can do that in 3 months in my garage, and maybe I will when there is enough lead time remaining on the warranty, but not too much. The damn clock gains a minute a week anyway. If Honda doesn't announce a better policy, we should all run our radios 'till they die. What a crappy problem. I haven't been in them enough to know but is the actual character display out or just prohibitively dark to read? If the latter I would keep it ghetto and have a decent LED flashlight real close until I worked out a new radio. It's really good to hear that I have the same problem; Mike how long after you went to te deler and had them look at it did they put a new radio in?? I got mine fixed Finally it took about two weeks but the part is on it's way The ordeal with Honda only took a few days, and they told me to take it into the dealer to confirm the problem. The dealer had it back to me the next day (the repalcement system was in stock). Pretty quick and painless. Mike said > The ordeal with Honda only took a few days, and they told me to take it > into the dealer to confirm the problem. The dealer had it back to me > the next day (the repalcement system was in stock). Pretty quick and > painless. My radio is in and I'm supposed to have it swapped out on Thursday. The dealer didn't call when it came in. Believe it or not, the American Honda caseworker called me today to see if everything was resolved - she then called the dealer and called me back to say the radio was indeed sitting there waiting for me. I've been impressed with this caseworker. Casey Casey said > Mike said > [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > radio was indeed sitting there waiting for me. I've been impressed > with this caseworker. I now have a new radio and a display that works. Had an appointment at the dealer at 10:30 am and drove off with the installed new radio at 11:45. Not bad at all. The display burned out at about 39,500 miles, but thanks to the caseworker at American Honda, it was a free replacement. My new display might not be as bright as the old one that burned out. It might just be my imagination - it's also a very bright and sunny day which doesn't help any. I can at least see it now. Casey I di dfind out that the reason for the TSB was that the supplier who initally sent out the units with the vehicles was putting in parts that didn't meet spec. My display seems the same way, maybe they set the led light to a lower level. On the old uni i noticed it used to heat up pretty good this one seems to stay pretty cool in comparison. Big thanks to mike for sharing his solutions so we all have an avenue to pursue. Beerman182 said > I di dfind out that the reason for the TSB was that the supplier who > initally sent out the units with the vehicles was putting in parts that [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > Big thanks to mike for sharing his solutions so we all have an avenue > to pursue. Also, thanks to some others in the previous related threads. Al gave me some good info that helped a lot. This is a classic example of how useful and powerful a newsgroup like this can be. Casey |
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