2000 Honda Odyssey

2000 HONDA ODYSSEY. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO WORN SEAT BELT STRAPS. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED THE SEAT BELT WAS WORN TO THE POINT WHERE THE WIDTH WAS SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED AND CONTINUED TO GET MORE NARROW AS THE BELT WAS USED. THE ACTUAL BELT MATERIAL WAS UNRAVELING AND COMPROMISING THE STRENGTH OF THE BELT. IN ADDITION, THE WORN AND FRAYED AREAS WERE RESTRICTING THE ABILITY OF THE LATCH TO SLIDE ALONG THE BELT AND AT TIMES LEAVE GAPS BETWEEN THE BELT AND THE USER. *JB

WE ARE TRYING TO RESOLVE WHAT WE BELIEVE TO BE A SAFETY ISSUE WITH AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR COMPANY REGARDING THE FUNCTION OF OUR SEAT BELT SYSTEM. OUR SEAT BELT IS COVERED BY A LIFETIME WARRANTY BY THE MANUFACTURER. THE BELT MATERIAL HAS DEGRADED AND FRAYED CREATING LONG STRANDS OF FIBER THAT RESTRICT IT SLIDING THROUGH THE LATCH MECHANISM. IN ADDITION, THE WIDTH OF THE BELT HAS BEEN REDUCED BY OVER 10% DUE TO THE MATERIAL FRAYING AND UNRAVELING. HONDA HAS REFUSED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THIS AN ISSUE - CHOOSING TO SOLELY FOCUS ON WHETHER OR NOT THE SEAT BELT WILL RETRACT AND "LATCH" --- IGNORING THAT THE BELT ITSELF HAS BEEN SEVERELY DEGRADED. CLEARLY THE MATERIAL CHOSEN BY HONDA IS DEFECTIVE AND HAS NOT PROVIDED THE LIFETIME BENEFITS OFFERED IN OUR WARRANTY. THE VEHICLE HAS NEVER BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT. THE SEAT BELT HAS NEVER BEEN ALTERED OR MODIFIED. WE ARE NOT CONCERNED ABOUT THE COSMETIC APPEARANCE OF THE BELT. HONDA CLAIMS THE SYSTEM IS STILL FULL FUNCTIONAL AND THIS WILL NOT ADDRESS IT UNDER WARRANTY - WHICH CONTRADICTS THEIR OWNER'S MANUAL WHICH STATES THAT THE BELT SHOULD BE REPLACED. IT SIMPLY WAS NOT ENGINEERED TO PROVIDE THE NECESSARY PROTECTION FOR THE LIFETIME OF THE VEHICLE. *TR

DT: THE CONSUMER EXPERIENCED A MALFUNCTIONING OF THE SEAT BELTS IN THE MIDDLE ROW OF THE VEHICLE. THEY HAVE BEEN REPLACED BY THE DEALER SIX TIMES. THE SEAT BELTS WORKED CORRECTLY FOR A SHORT TIME THEN FAILED TO RETRACT. THE DEALERSHIP WAS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AT THIS TIME. *AK (12/02/05) (THE RIGHT AND MIDDLE SEAT BELT) THERE WAS A VIBRATION IN THE STEERING WHEEL WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION. *SC

SECOND ROW SEAT BELTS DO NOT REMAIN IN LOCKED POSITION WHEN USING WITH AN INFANT CAR SEAT. THE SEAT BELT WILL REMAIN LOCKED FOR 1, 2, OR 3 DAYS. BUT WE HAVE FOUND THE BELT LOCKING MECHANISM TO EVENTUALLY RELEASE. CHECKING THE BELT TO SEE IT'S LOCKED AT THE START OF YOUR TRIP ONLY TO FIND AT THE END OF THE TRIP THE LOCK HAS RELEASED. SINCE THE VAN IS OUT OF 3 YR / 36,000 MI WARRANTY, WE WERE TOLD WE WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR. THE VAN IS MODEL YEAR 2000 WITH 32,000 MILES. *NM

ANOTHER CAR TURNED LEFT IN FRONT OF ME, WITH NO SIGNAL OR NO NOTICE. I HIT HER AND MY AIR BAGS DEPLOYED AND MY SEAT BELT HELD ME FINE. MY KIDS WERE IN THE SECOND ROW SEAT WITH SEAT BELTS ON. THEY BOTH HIT THE SEAT IN FRONT OF THEM. I THINK THE HANDLES THAT ARE ON THE SEATS (BAD DESIGN). MY SON LOST 4 PERMANENT TEETH AND HAD LACERATIONS TO HIS FACE. MY DAUGHTER HAD A CONCUSSION AND NOW HAS A HUGE SCAR ON HER LIP AND CHIN. I GUESS THE SHOULDER STRAPS FAILED TO LOCK?*AK

THE SEAT BELT LOCKING MECHANISM ACTIVATED WHEN THE CONSUMER'S GRANDSON ATTEMPTED TO PICK SOMETHING OFF THE FLOOR WITH THE SEAT BELT ON. *PH THE SEAT BELT RETRACTED EVEN MORE WHEN THE CHILD TRIED TO PULL THE SHOULDER STRAP IN THE PROCESS TO UNLATCH HIMSELF. CONSUMER TRIED TO LOOK FOR A METHOD TO DEACTIVATE THE LOCKING MECHANISM OF THE SEAT BELT IN THE OWNER'S MANUAL BUT WITH NO AVAIL. THAT LED TO A DECISION TO CUT THE BELT WITH SCISSORS. *LA

1)POWER SLIDING DOORS DO NOT OPERATE PROPERLY. INTERMITTENTLY, DOORS WON'T OPEN, DOORS OPEN PARTIALLY AND STOP, AND DOORS CLOSE PARTIALLY AND STOP. MORE IMPORTANTLY, POWER DOORS DO NOT STOP AND RETRACT WHEN PRESSURE IS APPLIED IN ACCORDANCE WITH MANUAL. TODAY WAS THE FOURTH TIME THAT ONE OF MY CHILDREN HESITATED WHEN EXITING THE VAN AND WAS STUCK WITHIN THE DOORWAY WHEN THE DOOR WAS AUTOMATICALLY CLOSING. NOT ONLY DID THE DOOR NOT STOP AND RETRACT WHEN IT REACHED MY CHILD'S BODY, BUT DID NOT STOP EVEN WHEN I PLACED THE FULL PRESSURE OF MY BODY AGAINST THE DOOR. TODAY, MY DAUGHTER WAS THROWN OUT OF THE VAN TO THE GROUND AND I INCURRED BRUISING ON MY LEFT SHOULDER WHERE I HAD BRACED MY BODY AGAINST THE DOOR TO STOP IT FROM ADVANCING OVER HER BODY. I HAVE REPORTED THESE PROBLEMS TO THE DEALERSHIP TIME AND AGAIN. IN 2000, THEY REPLACED SOME PARTS BUT THE PROBLEMS STILL OCCUR WITH REGULARITY. 2)SOME OF THE SEAT BELTS, PARTICULARLY THE ONE IN THE SECOND ROW, DRIVER'S SIDE, JAMS CONSTANTLY. WE ARE VERY OFTEN UNABLE TO USE THAT SEAT BECAUSE THE SEAT BELT GETS STUCK WHEN BEING DRAWN OUT TO BE BUCKLED. 3)THE REAR HATCH IS SOMETIMES INOPERABLE. THE UNLOCK BUTTON OF THE REMOTE MUST BE PRESSED 5 OR MORE TIMES FOR THE HATCH TO UNLOCK, AND EVEN THEN, IT RELEASES ONLY PARTIALLY. SINCE THERE IS NO RELEASE INSIDE THE CAR, THIS IS EXTREMELY INCONVENIENT AND COULD BE DANGEROUS, IN COMBINATION WITH THE DOORS NOT WORKING PROPERLY. *JB

REAR BUCKET SEAT BUCKLE UNBOLTED FROM ITS STRUCTURE WITHOUT ANY IMPACT OR FORCE BEING APPLIED. *AK THERE WERE PROBLEMS WITH THE TEMPERATURE CONTROL KNOB. (THE ENTIRE HEAT A/C CONTROL PANEL WAS REPLACED), THE FRONT BRAKE PADS HAD TO BE REPLACED AND THE ROTORS HAD TO BE CUT, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAD COME ON, AND GASOLINE WAS SMELLED EACH TIME THE ENGINE WAS SHUT OFF. *SC *JB

SEATBELT DESIGN DEFECTIVE ON ODYSSEY MINIVANS. IN THE CENTER ROW OF SEATS, WITH A BENCH SEAT CONFIGURATION, THE SEATBELT DOES NOT PROTECT THE SEAT OCCUPANT FROM THE RISK OF SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH FROM A SIDE OR CORNER IMPACT COLLISION. I HAVE CONTACTED HONDA AND THEY HAVE INDICATED THAT THIS IS THE DESIGN OF THE SEATBELT AND THAT THE FLIP DOWN ARMRREST IS WHAT WOULD PROTECT THE BELTED OCCUPANT FROM HARM, WHICH IS NONSENSE. THE FORD WINDSTAR HAS THE PROPER RESTRAINT - THERE IS A SECONDARY LATCH USED TO PROPERLY RESTRAIN THE SEAT OCCUPANT IN THE SEAT. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS DEFECT INSOFAR AS PEOPLE MAY ALSO PLACE BABY SEATS IN THIS SEAT AND ASSUME THE SEATBELT WILL PROTECT THE CHILD. IT WON'T - THE CHILD SEAT WOULD SLIP OUT FROM UNDER THE BELT. PLEASE ADVISE ON WHAT STEPS HAPPEN NEXT.*AK