Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2003 Honda S2000, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Engine and engine cooling4
- Tires1
- Service brakes, hydraulic1
- Steering1
- Structure1
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 0 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 2003 Honda S2000 failed the safety check 0.59% of the time — 72% less often than the average 2003 passenger car (2.11%). Median odometer at inspection: 71,029 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
In the Netherlands
64 first registered in 2003 are on Dutch roads; 66% arrived later as imports.
Most common APK defects
- Bandenspanning niet op juiste waarde27
- Dimlicht onjuist afgesteld12
- Band onvoldoende profiel10
- Licht- donkerscheiding dimlicht onduidelijk6
- Schijf-, trommelrem loopt niet vrij6
- Ruitenwisserinstallatie geeft onvoldoende zicht5
- Mechanische delen van het remsysteem vertonen slijtage5
- Band vertoont uitstulping(en)4
Colours
RDW Open Data: registered vehicles and APK defects (CC0) · defect descriptions in the RDW's Dutch wording
In the United Kingdom
401 cars built in 2003 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 404 more were declared off the road (SORN).
Department for Transport and DVLA, vehicle licensing statistics (table VEH0124, year of manufacture) · Open Government Licence v3.0
MOT test results in Great Britain
In 2023, 665 of these cars first registered in 2003 took their annual MOT test. 77% passed first time; among all cars first registered in 2003 the figure was 57%.
| Failed on | These cars | All cars from 2003 |
|---|---|---|
| Brakes | 7.4% | 13.9% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 7.1% | 21.6% |
| Suspension | 6.2% | 16.4% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 5.6% | 7.4% |
| Visibility | 5.0% | 7.7% |
| Tyres | 2.9% | 6.3% |
DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023 (Department for Transport) · Open Government Licence v3.0 · first tests only; a fix made at the test station within the hour still counts as a fail
In New Zealand
18 2003 cars are on the New Zealand register; 50% arrived as used imports, 44% were sold new in New Zealand.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 1 variant: combined 11.6 L/100 km (about 20 mpg US), CO₂ 267 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| S2000 · Two-seater · Premium gasoline | 13.1 | 9.7 | 11.6 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
No recall campaigns cover the 2003 Honda S2000.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Honda told its dealers about the 2003 Honda S2000: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 638111 | CUSTOMER COMPLAINS OF MANUAL TRANSMISSION GROWLING NOISE WHEN ACCELERATING AT 2000 RPM. *TT |
| 637657 | SUBJECT REGARDING TRANSMISSION GROWLING NOISE WHEN ACCELERATING AT 2,000 RPM. *TT |
| 627286 | TRANSMISSION POPPING OUT OF FOURTH GEAR. *SLC |
| 10186009 | "Service Bulletin - There are several A/C leak detection tools available. -Refrigerant Gas Leak Detector -Ultrasonic Leak Detector -Leak Dye" |
| 10128559 | Dealer message - On Monday, June 23, 2014, American Honda announced three recalls for various 2001-11 Honda models. As of July 23, 2014, affected VINs have been identified, and service bulletins 14-040, Safety Recall: Accord, Civic, and Others ? Front Passenger?s Airbag Inflator Can Be Over-Pressurized, 14-045, Recall: Front Driver?s Airbag Inflator May Produce Excessive Pressure After Long-Term Exposure to High Absolute Humidity Recall, and 14-046, Recall: Front Passenger?s Airbag Inflator May Produce Excessive Pressure After Long-Term Exposure to High Absolute Humidity have been posted to I |
| 10128531 | Dealer message - On Monday, June 23, 2014, American Honda announced three recalls for various 2001-11 Honda models. As of August 4, 2014, affected VINs have been identified, and VIN status inquiry has been updated. |
| 10053545 | HONDA: TROUBLESHOOTING OF DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES (DTC) P1456 AND P1457. DEALERS ARE TO RUN EVAP FUNCTION TEST TO FIND IF THERE IS A LEAK SO THE VEHICLE CAN BE REPAIRED. *KB |
| 10032953 | HONDA: WARRANTY EXTENSION-VEHICLE WARRANTY MILEAGE. CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT ALLEGING THAT THE ODOMETERS ON CERTAIN 2002-2006 HONDA MODELS WERE OVERSTATING MILEAGE. FEDERAL COURT PROVIDED FINAL APPROVAL OF SETTLEMENT ON 12/29/07. NO MODELS LISTED. *PE |
| 10025523 | LOAD CARRYING CAPACITY REDUCED LABEL FOR ALL HONDA VEHICLES. *PE |
| 10018868 | TRANSMISSION GRINDS AT SHIFTS, SKIP SHIFTING. *TT |
| 10018471 | ENGINE OIL COOLER CENTER BOLT TORQUE SPEC. *NM |
| 10018085 | REAR AXLE CREAK OR GRUNT NOISE AT LOW SPEEDS. *TT |
| 10017042 | INTERMITTENT HESITATION DURING HARD ACCELERATION. *TT |
| 10016342 | ENGINE FALTERS, NO POWER, WON'T REV OVER 7,000 RPM. HONDA SERVICENEWS. *TT |
| 10014737 | CREAK OF GRUNT FROM REAR OF VEHICLE AT LOW SPEEDS. *EH |
| 10014480 | XM RADIO ERROR MESSAGES. *EH |
| 10014479 | HEADREST SPEAKER INSTALLATION. *EH |
| 10014232 | GRUNT NOISE AFTER SITTING FOR SEVERAL HOURS. *NM |
| 10014230 | 2ND TO 5TH OR 3RD TO 5TH GEAR UPSHIFT. *NM |
| 10014228 | GRINDS AT UPSHIFT WHEN COLD. *NM |
| 10014220 | HONDA DIAGNOSTIC SYSTEM LOCKED, NEEDS IMMOBILIZER RELEASE PASSWORD. *NM |
| 10014106 | POOR RADIO RECEPTION, SEEK-STOP TEST. *SC |
| 10014057 | POP NOISE AT FRONT UPPER CONTROL ARM MOUNT. *SC |
| 10013953 | AUDIO UNIT AND NAVIGATION SYSTEM ANTI-THEFT CODES AVAILABLE ON INTERACTIVE NETWORK. *NM |
| 10013833 | SENDING HDS SNAPSHOT. *EH |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)