NHTSA Complaint #10038829 — 1999 HONDA ACCORD

I WAS DRIVING MY 1999 HONDA ACCORD WHEN MY CD STARTED SKIPPING AND THEN MY ABS DASH LIGHT CAME ON. I CONTINUED ON THE HIGHWAY (A MAJOR INTERSTATE WITH HEAVY TRAFFIC) UNTIL MY EXIT. WHEN I SLOWED DOWN AT AN APPROACHING INTERSECTION, MY CAR JUST DIED. ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING QUIT...RADIO, AC,ETC...CAR FLASHERS WOULD NOT WORK, I WAS STRANDED IN HEAVY TRAFFIC WITHOUT ANY WAY TO LET APPROACHING TRAFFIC KNOW I HAD CAR TROUBLE. PUT MY HOOD AND TRUNK UP AND ESCAPED MY CAR. IT WAS TERRIBLE...BUT WOULD HAVE BEEN MUCH WORSE IF I HAD STILL BEEN ON I-285 WHICH IS A HEAVILY TRAFFICKED ARTERY AROUND ATLANTA WITH MULTIPLE LANES AND FAST TRAFFIC. I GOT ABSOLUTELY NO WARNING THAT THIS WOULD HAPPEN...NO DASH LIGHTS (I.E. BATTERY INDICATOR LIGHT) CAME ON TO LET ME KNOW THAT MY ALTERNATOR HAD DIED. THAT IS WHY THE CAR QUIT AS I SLOWED AT THE INTERSECTION...THE BATTERY HAD BEEN DRAINED COMPLETELY. I HAVE HAD NIGHTMARES ABOUT WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED TO ME HAD I STILL BEEN ON THE INTERSTATE OR HAD THIS OCCURRED AT NIGHT, AND I DO NOT FEEL SAFE KNOWING THAT THIS COULD HAPPEN AGAIN SINCE I TRAVEL THAT BUSY HIGHWAY EVERY DAY! I THINK THIS IS A MAJOR ELECTRICAL DEFECT. MY CAR WAS REPAIRED AT CAREY PAUL HONDA IN SNELLVILLE GA AND THEY ASSURED ME THAT I DID NOT HAVE AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM...BUT, NO INDICATOR LIGHT CAME ON AT ALL! PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS. I WILL ALSO CONTACT HONDA OF AMERICA ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. *JB