Five problems related to paint have been reported for the 2003 Honda Civic. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2003 Honda Civic based on all problems reported for the 2003 Civic.
The paint has been fading and peeling since about January of 2014. Car has been taken care of and washed cleaned regularly (but not excessively) its whole life and the paint should not have any issues. This is a common problem for Honda's made around this time and Honda should issue a recall and pay to have it painted. It is not fair to car owners who do not have the resale value the car is worth because of a simple cosmetic issue like this.
The clear coat on the paint job began cracking and peeling on the bumpers and hood.
2003 blue Honda Civic clearcoat and paint are delaminating on large areas of the roof and portions of the trunk and hood. The paint is not exhibiting normal oxidation fading, the clearcoat is actually peeling away.
My blue 2003 Honda Civic lx's clear coat is fading. There is white blotches on 50 percent of my roof, 20 percent of my trunk and is spreading to my hood. An independent paint shop said to make it look like a factory paint job it would cost around $3,000. I then took it to the dealership and the service manager set up a meeting with a "representative" for me. The rep looked at my car and told me that her "rule is to look for factory defects only. " she said that the coat is fading because of weather and has faded faster because the dark blue absorbs heat. I informed her that I have seen atleast five other blue Civics of the same year with the same exact problem with the paint. This makes me think that there is a defect either with the clear coat or the application. It seems unlikely that a 5 or 6 year old car's paint should be fading even after regular maintenance and care to the exterior.
About 2 months ago I noticed the paint deteriorating from the exterior roof of my vehicle. I immediately contacted the dealership where I purchased the vehicle. They scheduled an appointment about 6 weeks later for me to come to the dealership and have the manufacturer representative view the vehicle paint issue. The paint is currently only deteriorating from the roof. The dealership declined to correct the issue stating the vehicle was 1) out of warranty 2) environmental factors contributing to the paint problem 3) care of the car while at the dealership, there was another customer who had an accord with the same issue. I have also seen other Civics and accords with the same issue. The service manager nor manufacturer representative did not provide information as to why the paint located at the area of deterioration was happening. The service manager directed me only to warranty expiration and environmental concerns pointing to the rubber strips at the exterior side windows where water spots were located.