2000 Honda Odyssey

CLEAR DRIVING CONDITIONS. NO WATER, OIL OR MUD ON PAVEMENT. DRIVER WAS ATTENTIVE. I HAD STOPPED IN TURN BAY, CROSSED OVER THREE TRAFFIC LANES TO SIDE STREET. THEN IMMEDIATELY MADE A LEFT TURN INTO PARKING LOT AND A RIGHT TURN INTO PARKING SPACE. AS I ENTERED PARKING SPACE THE BRAKE PEDDLE WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR WITHOUT ANY DECELERATION, JUMPED A SMALL CURB AND HIT A TREE. I NOTICED AN ODOR OF BURNING OIL OR RUBBER AT IMPACT. THE HONDA DEALER CHECKED THE BRAKES AND COULD NOT FIND ANY DEFECT AND THEN DENIED ANY LIABILITY FOR ACCIDENT. SINCE THEY COULD NOT FIND A PROBLEM, AND I KNOW THE BRAKE PEDDLE WENT DOWN TO THE FLOOR. I AM AFRAID TO CONTINUE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE AS IT COULD HAPPEN AGAIN AND BE A MORE SERIOUS ACCIDENT. OTHERS HAVE REPORTED THE SAME PROBLEM TO NHTSA. THE DEALER REFUSED TO BUY THE VAN BACK AT ANY PRICE EVEN AFTER THE DAMAGE WAS RESTORED TO ITS ORIGINAL CONDITION. DT

ON SUNDAY, APRIL 28 THIS YEAR, OUR VAN WENT INTO A WEIRD SHUDDERING DANCE AS I GOT ONTO THE SAW MILL ON-RAMP FROM I-287 EAST OF THE TAPPAN ZEE. THE CAR HAD APPARENTLY SLIPPED SLIGHTLY BUT INSTEAD OF THE TRACTION CONTROL AND ABS SYSTEMS KICKING IN, THERE WAS A FAILURE OF ALL THE CRITICAL SAFETY COMPONENTS REQUIRED TO BRING THE CAR TO A SAFE HALT. THE CAR STOPPED BECAUSE I HAD THE PRESENCE OF MIND TO KEEP MY FOOT ON THE BRAKES (THE REGULAR HYDRAULIC BRAKES). THE DEALER, CURRY HONDA IN YORKTOWN, SAID THAT THE RIGHT REAR SENSOR HAD FAILED AND REPLACED IT SINCE THE CAR WAS UNDER WARRANTY. I HAVE WRITTEN HONDA TWO TIMES. IN RESPONSE TO THE FIRST LETTER I RECEIVED A CALL FROM THEM AND THEY ASKED ME WHAT I WANTED. I ASKED THEM TO EXTEND MY WARRANTY BY ANOTHER THREE YEARS, REPLACE MY FRONT BUMPER, AND TO DO A COMPLETE SAFETY INSPECTION. THERE RESPONSES TO MY COMPLAINTS WERE COLD. I WOULD LIKE TO REGISTER MY COMPLAINT IN THE HOPE THAT ALONG WITH OTHER PEOPLE WHO HAVE HAD SIMILAR NEAR CATASTROPHIC FAILURES IN THEIR VANS WE CAN GET HONDA TO DO THE RIGHT THING. I WILL SEND YOU COPIES OF MY LETTERS TO HONDA WHEN I SEND IN THE SIGNATURE CARD.*AK

WHILE DRIVING THROUGH LINCOLN TUNNEL OUT OF NYC, BRAKE PEDAL DEPRESSED ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR! I WAS UNABLE TO GET ANY STOPPING POWER WITH THE FLOOR BRAKE (FRONT DISK W/ABS). FORTUNATELY, I WAS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE TUNNEL AT THE TIME AND WAS ABLE TO USE A COMBINATION OF GRAVITY, DOWNSHIFTING, AND THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO SLOW SPEED AND GET TO THE NEAREST REST AREA AFTER A FRIGHTENING THREE MILE JOURNEY. AAA TOWED THE VEHICLE. AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WAS UNABLE TO REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM THE FOLLOWING DAY, AND HONDA OF NORTH AMERICA WAS EXTREMELY UNPLEASANT WHEN WE REPORTED THIS PROBLEM. WE ARE AWAITING THE REPORT FROM THE HONDA MECHANICS AT THIS TIME, BUT ARE NOW SCARED TO DRIVE THIS VEHICLE. IF THE BRAKES HAD FAILED UNDER DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES, WE'D HAVE HAD A MAJOR COLLISION. PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS PROBLEM!*AK

THERE APPEARS TO BE A FLAW IN THE DESIGN OF THE HONDA ODYSSEY BRAKE HARDWARE. SINCE I PURCHASED THE CAR, I OCCASIONALLY FELT A VIBRATION IN THE BRAKE PEDAL, WHICH SEEMED LIKE THE ANTI-LOCK FEATURE KICKING IN WHEN IT SHOULDN'T. I LATER REALIZED THE PROBLEM WAS EXCESSIVE HORIZONTAL PLAY IN THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE VIBRATION IS MOST EVIDENT ON A BUMPY ROAD. ON A COUPLE OF OCCASIONS WHEN MY SHOE WAS WET, MY FOOT CAME CLOSE TO SLIDING OFF THE BRAKE PEDAL FROM THE VIBRATION, SO THIS PROBLEM IS A SAFETY ISSUE. I HAVE SAT IN A FEW ODYSSEYS AT HONDA DEALERS. IN ONE CASE THE BRAKE PEDAL SEEMED TO HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY LESS PLAY THAN MINE; IN THE OTHERS THE PLAY SEEMED TO BE SIMILAR TO MINE. I DID NOT DRIVE THESE OTHER CARS, BUT I ASSUME THEY WOULD ALSO HAVE THE VIBRATION THAT MINE DOES. THE BRAKE PROBLEM WAS CHECKED AT A HONDA DEALER, AND I WAS TOLD IT WAS "NORMAL". I THEN CALLED HONDA MOTORS, AND THEY ARRANGED TO HAVE MY CAR CHECKED AT ANOTHER DEALER. THEY ACKNOWLEGED THE PLAY AND COMPARED IT TO ANOTHER ODYSSEY AND ALSO CLASSIFIED IT AS "NORMAL".*AK

I AM A SHARP 62 YEAR OLD WITH A PERFECT DRIVING RECORD. I WAS PULLING ONTO AN OFF-STREET PARKING SPACE AT A SLOWED CRAWL PACE. MY FOOT WAS ALREADY ON THE BRAKE BECAUSE I HAD SLOWED TO ENTER THE PARKING SPACE AND I APPLIED MORE PRESSURE TO THE BRAKES TO COME TO A COMPLETE STOP. THE VEHICLE JUMPED INTO A HIGH ACCELERATION MOVING THE PARKED CAR IN FRONT OF ME 5 FEET WHICH SLOWED ME DOWN. I CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP ONLY WHEN I TURNED OFF THE KEY AND REMOVED MY FOOT FROM THE BRAKE. DO NOT DISCRIMINATE BECAUSE I AM 62 - THIS WAS NOT OPERATOR ERROR. *AK