2016 Honda HR-V

ON 12/28 9:00PM, WAS DRIVING AT 73MPH ON US 68 NORTH BOUND IN A CRUISE MODE SET AT 73MPH. PHYSICAL CONTACT BETWEEN DRIVER AND THE VEHICLE CONTROL COMPONENT WAS ONLY STEERING WHEEL. WHILE DRIVING, RPM SUDDENLY REVED UP TO 5.5K AND DRIVER IMMEDIATELY SHUT DOWN THE CRUISE MODE BY PRESSING BRAKE PEDAL. AFTER THE CRUISE MODE BEING CANCELED, THE ENGINE REVED UP TO 5.5K AGAIN. DRIVER PULLED UP ON THE SIDE OF THE HIGHWAY AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AND IDENTIFIED ALL DASHBOARD WARNING LIGHTS WERE ON. THE CAR WAS SHUTDOWN IMMEDIATELY BY TAKING THE KEY OUT. THE CAR IS TOWED TO HUGH WHITE HONDA DEALERSHIP IN COLUMBUS OHIO.

THE WAY WE START OUR ENGINE IS USING A FOB KEY DEVICE. THE PROBLEM WE HAVE IS THAT SOMETIMES WE HAVE TO PRESS THE START/IGNITION BUTTON A FEW TIMES BEFORE THE VEHICLE TURNS OFF AND ON. MOST OF THE TIME WE HAVE TO KEEP PRESSING THE START/IGNITION BUTTON NUMEROUS TIMES (MORE THAN 10 TIMES) TO TURN IT OFF /ON. WE TOOK IT TO A HONDA DEALER AND WE WERE TOLD THEY COULD NOT FIX IT. THE SAID THE PART NEEDED TO FIX THE PROBLEM WAS NOT CURRENTLY BEING MANUFACTURED. I ASKED IF I COULD PAY FOR IT NOW SO THAT THEY COULD NOTIFY ME WHEN THE PART WAS AVAILABLE, THEY SAID THEY CAN'T DO THAT BECAUSE THEY DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH THE PART WOULD BE OR WHEN IT WILL BE AVAILABLE/MANUFACTURED. I ASKED HOW I COULD FIND OUT WHEN THE PART IS AVAILABLE? THEY SUGGESTED I CALL BACK ONCE A WEEK TO SEE IF THE PART IS AVAILABLE. WE ARE STILL MAKING PAYMENTS ON THIS CAR. WE HAVE NOT DRIVEN IT SINCE WE WERE TOLD IT COULD NOT BE FIXED BECAUSE WE ARE SCARED THE CAR MAY NOT TURN OFF/ON DURING AN EMERGENCY AND WE MAY BE SEVERELY INJURED OR KILLED IF WE EVER HAVE TO TURN IT OFF/ON DURING AN EMERGENCY. I ALSO CALLED MANY KEY SHOPS, CAR ALARM COMPANIES TO SEE IF THEY COULD FIX IT OR REPLACE IT WITH SOMETHING ELSE. EVERYONE TOLD ME THEY COULD NOT FIX IT. I HAVE READ ONLINE THAT IS A MAJOR PROBLEM WITH HONDA VEHICLES. I ASKED THE DEALER WHAT I SHOULD DO IF I AM SOMEWHERE AND I CAN'T TURN ON/OFF THE CAR? THEY SUGGESTED FOR ME TO CALL A TOW TRUCK AND TOW IT TO MY HOUSE. I ASKED THEM WHAT THEY SUGGEST I DO NEXT. THEY SHRUG THEIR SHOULDERS AND SAID 'I DON'T KNOW'. THIS PROBLEM STARTED ABOUT A YEAR AGO BUT IS NOW WORST. SEE ATTACHED PAPERWORK FROM DEALER.

8/1/2020: AT 65 MPH THE ENGINE STARTED VIBRATING, WHEN ACCELERATED TO 75MPH ENGINE STALLS, RPM RAPIDLY INCREASED TO ~5000 AND COLLAPSED. LOST FORWARD MOMENTUM AND OUTPUT FROM THE ENGINE. MULTIPLE DASH LIGHTS CAME ON (POWER STEERING, TIRE PRESSURE WARNING, BREAK SYSTEM LIGHTS, TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT, CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS ETC. CAME ON). VEHICLE WAS ON THE ACTIVE LANE, PUT IN NEUTRAL AND STEERED TO THE SHOULDER. UNABLE TO GET THE CAR MOVING AGAIN AFTER TURNING OFF AND ON. AFRAID THAT I WAS GOING TO LOSE AC IN THE 108F HEAT IF THE VEHICLE DOES NOT TURN ON AGAIN SO I LEFT IT AT THAT UNTIL THE TOW TRUCK ARRIVES.THE CAR HAD TO BE LEFT OVERNIGHT BECAUSE DEALERSHIP CLOSE SUNDAY. 8/2/2020: THE NEXT DAY I RECEIVED A VOICEMAIL FROM SUPERSTITION HONDA REGARDING THE VEHICLE'S DIAGNOSIS. WAS INFORMED THAT THE DIAGNOSIS CODE OBSERVED WAS RELATED TO THE IGNITION START PUSH BUTTON THAT NEEDED REPLACING. I GAVE CONSENT TO THE SERVICE TO REPLACE THE IGNITION BUTTON. 8/3/2020: AFTER I WENT TO SUPERSTITION HONDA TO PICK UP THE CAR. I THEN PROCEEDED TO TAKE THE CAR ONTO HIGHWAY 60 AND GOT UP TO THE STATED SPEED LIMIT OF 65 MPH WHEN THE SAME SYMPTOMS APPEARED. VEHICLE STALLED AT SPEED, RPM RAPIDLY INCREASED TO ~5000 BEFORE COLLAPSING. I WAS IN AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION BECAUSE THERE WAS NO SHOULDER AT THE AREA WHERE I CAME TO A STOP ON THE HIGHWAY, THEREFORE I WAS STATIONARY PARTIALLY IN THE ACTIVE LANE.THERE WAS NO WARNING LIGHTS THAT GAVE ANY INDICATION THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE CAR. THE CATASTROPHIC FAILURE HAPPENED OUT OF NO WHERE. AFTER RETURNING TO SUPERSTITION HONDA, I LEFT THE VEHICLE ON AND HAD IT DIAGNOSE BEFORE TURNING THE CAR OFF. WAS EVENTUALLY INFORMED THAT THERE ARE MULTIPLE METAL FRAGMENTS IN THE TRANSMISSION FLUID, AND THAT THE METAL FRAGMENTS ALSO DAMAGED A PRESSURE SENSOR IN THE TRANSMISSION SYSTEM. THE TRANSMISSION WILL NEED TO BE REPLACED.

VEHICLE WAS IN DRIVING MOTION AT 50MPH THEN STARTED TO SLOWLY DECELERATE WHILE ON DRIVE. ACCELERATOR WAS INCREASED BUT THE ENGINE WAS STILL WIRING DOWN. ALL INDICATORS LIGHTS APPEARED ON THE DASH BOARD. BRAKES SEEMED TO LOCK AND COULD NOT COME TO A COMPLETE STOP UNTIL THE CAR FINALLY STOPPED FROM IT SLOWLY WIRING DOWN. CAR STOPPED MOVING WHILE ON DRIVE AND WOULD NOT BUDGE. THE SPEED INDICATOR KEPT MOVING FROM 0 TO 120 YET THE CAR WAS NOT MOVING. TOOK IT TO A MECHANIC TO RUN A DIAGNOSTIC AND IT APPEARS TO BE AN INTERNAL TRANSMISSION PROBLEM, EVERYTHING ELSE LOOKS GOOD YET THE TRANSMISSION IS HAVING ISSUES. THE CAR HAS ALWAYS BEEN KEPT UP TO DATE. THE VEHICLE HAS ABOUT 75,000 MILES.

TO CANCEL A TIRE INFLATION WARNING AT APPROX. 17,000 MILES,I POPPED THE HOOD OF THE VEHICLE TO ACCESS THE NEGATIVE BATTERY CABLE WITH THE INTENTION OF DISCONNECTING +RECONNECTING TO CLEAR WARNING.INSTEAD I FOUND BOTH NEG.+POS. CABLES UNSECURED TO BOTH BATTERY POSTS.I CONTACTED AMERICAN HONDA TO REPORT THIS DEFECT,REQUEST A BATTERY REPLACEMENT,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM TEST+ERROR CODE RETRIEVAL.THIS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION MAY HAVE PERMANENTLY DAMAGED THE VEHICLE+DESPITE MY NUMEROUS CALLS TO HONDA,I'VE YET TO RECEIVE A RESPONSE.THIS IS A BUILD, SALES+SERVICE PROBLEM THAT SHOULD NOT EXIST ON ANY NEW VEHICLE SOLD.SYMPTOMS PRIOR TO DISCOVERY=DIMMING HEADLAMPS@IDLE,POOR TRANSMISSION+ENGINE RESPONSE,REDUCED MILEAGE+INTERMITTENT BURNING SMELL.I WAS FORTUNATE MY VEHICLE NEVER DIED IN TRAFFIC OR CAUGHT FIRE.MY CASE NUMBER WITH HONDA=05755540.AGAIN, MY CONCERN IS THAT THE FACTORY IN MEXICO,THE SELLING DEALER IN TEMECULA AND THE FIRST SERVICING DEAER IN ANAHEIM(@10,000 SERVICE)NEVER VERIFIED THAT THE BATTERY CABLES WERE PROPERLY SECURED FOR SAFE OPERATION.MY MECHANICAL SERVICE EXPERIENCE+DUMB LUCK SHOULD NOT BE A SUBSTITUTE FOR HONDA'S FAILURE ON MULTIPLE LEVELS.SHORT OF "I'M VERY SORRY" FROM THE PERSON TAKING MY INITIAL COMPLAINT,HONDA HAS DONE NOTHING TO CORRECT THE DESCRIBED PROBLEM.

MY WIFE AND I PURCHASED A NEW 2016 HONDA HRV ON OCT.15.2016 FROM TOWNSEND HONDA IN TUSCALOOSA, ALABAMA. THE CAR SPONTANEOUSLY CAUGHT ON FIRE WHILE SITTING ON A CONCRETE SLAB IN OUR DRIVEWAY ON DEC.24.2016 (ODOMETER APPROXIMATELY 300 MILES). FIRE WAS IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND GOT SO HOT IT MELTED THE VINYL SIDING ON MY HOME (ABOUT 30 FEET AWAY). STILL LOOKS LIKE A NEW CAR EVERYWHERE REAR OF THE ENGINE, THE FRONT SEATS DID NOT EVEN BURN, HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE BURNED BEYOND RECOGNITION FORWARD OF THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. TUSCALOOSA FIRE DEPARTMENT GOT TO OUR HOME AND EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE IN ABOUT 10 MINUTES. THE FIRE WAS SO FAST SPREADING, BOTH FRONT TIRES EXPLODED IN THE FEW MINUTES WAITING FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT TO ARRIVE.