NHTSA Complaint #10088380 — 2004 HONDA CR-V

ON AUG. 20TH I TOOK MY '04 CR-V TO THE HONDA DEALER WHERE I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE FOR ITS 5,000 MILE SERVICE, INCLUDING ITS FIRST OIL CHANGE. THE NEXT DAY, AFTER DRIVING IT FOR SEVERAL MILES AND STOPPING TO GET GAS, I NOTICED A BURNT ODOR. I POPPED THE HOOD AND NOTICED A SMALL AMOUNT OF SMOKE COMING UP FROM THE BACK OF THE ENGINE. I LOOKED UNDER THE VEHICLE AND NOTICED OIL DRIPPING FROM SEVERAL LOCATIONS. I RETURNED THE CR-V TO THE DEALER. THEY EXAMINED THE VEHICLE AND TOLD ME THAT THE PROBLEM WAS A "DOUBLE-GASKET" - THE GASKET FROM THE FACTORY-INSTALLED OIL FILTER HAD STUCK IN PLACE WHEN THE OIL FILTER WAS REMOVED, AND A NEW OIL FILTER AND GASKET WAS INSTALLED OVER THE OLD GASKET, RESULTING IN AN OIL LEAK. AMID MANY APOLOGIES, THE OLD GASKET WAS REMOVED AND THE OIL CHANGE WAS PROPERLY COMPLETED. HAD I BEEN LESS ATTENTIVE TO THE VEHICLE AFTER THE OIL CHANGE, AND HAD THE VEHICLE BEEN DRIVEN AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, THERE WAS A VERY GOOD POSSIBILITY THAT A FIRE WOULD HAVE RESULTED. WHY DID NHTSA CLOSE THEIR INVESTIGATION OF THE CR-V FIRES? WHY DID HONDA LAY THE BLAME ON TECHNICIANS? AND WHY, AFTER ALL THE PUBLICITY THE FIRES RECEIVED AND AFTER HONDA PRESUMABLY INSTRUCTED THEIR TECHNICIANS TO BE ESPECIALLY CAREFUL WITH CR-V OIL CHANGES, ARE CR-V OWNERS STILL AT RISK OF A FIRE AFTER AN OIL CHANGE? WILL IT TAKE A DEATH BEFORE NHTSA AND/OR HONDA DOES SOMETHING THAT EFFECTIVELY ADDRESSES THIS PROBLEM?*AK