NHTSA Complaint #10058544 — 2002 HONDA ACCORD

THE FIRST INCIDENT HAPPENED AS I WAS PROCEEDING THROUGH A YIED SIGN, THE VEHICLE WHICH PRECEEDED ME HAD COME TO A COMPLETE STOP. WHEN I APPLIED MY BRAKES, THE CAR DID NOT STOP. THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. THE ONLY THING STOPPING THE CAR WAS THE IMPACT WITH THE OTHER VEHICLE. BECAUSE EVERYTHING HAPPEN SO FAST, I ASSUMED THAT I DID NOT REACT QUICKLY ENOUGH. ON 1/24/03 WAS THE SECOND TIME THIS HAPPENED, THERE WERE TWO PASSENGERS IN THE CAR WITH ME WHO WITNESS THE BRAKE INCIDENT AGAIN. THIS TIME AS I TRIED TO VERE TO THE RIGHT TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT, THE STEERING COLUMN WAS LOCKED AND I WAS UNABLE TO STEER THE CAR. AGAIN THE ONLY THING THAT STOPPED THE CAR WAS THE IMPACT. IN BOTH SITUATIONS I WAS NOT TRAVELING AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED AND THERE WAS AMPLE TIME FOR THE CAR TO STOP HAD THE BRAKES WORKED. WHEN I TOOK IT TO THE HONDA DEALER, THEY SAID THEY HAD NEVER HEARD OF ANYTHING LIKE THAT HAPPENING BEFORE. I INSISTED THEY CHECK THE VEHICLE OUT ANYWAY AND, OF COURSE, THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG. THIS IS A GREAT SAFETY ISSUE AND UNDER OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES THE RESULTS COULD HAVE BEEN MORE SERIOUS OR EVEN FATAL.