NHTSA Complaint #10103010 — 2000 HONDA ACCORD

I PURCHASED A NEW 2000 HONDA ACCORD V6 IN JUNE OF 2000. IT IS NOW 4 1/2 YEARS OLD AND HAS FEWER THAN 18,000 MILES. ABOUT 1 WEEK AGO I STARTED HEARING A WHINE OR WHIRR AND TOOK IT TO THE DEALER TODAY (12/15/04). IT CHECKED OUT TO BE A BAD ALTERNATOR, AND THEY SAID IT WOULD BE OVER $500 TO FIX!! I FOUND SEVEN COMPLAINTS ON THIS SITE AND ALL OF THEM (INCLUDING MINE) SHARE A DEFECTIVE AIR BAG LIGHT WHICH COMES ON INTERMITTENTLY. MINE HAS BEEN COMING ON SINCE ALMOST DAY 1. HONDA DEALERSHIP TOLD ME BACK THEN IT WAS DUE TO SOME CLOTHES OR CUSHION BLOCKING SOME SENSOR AT THE BACK OF THE SEAT AND WAS NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT. I HAVE HAD MAINTENANCE DONE EVERY 3 MONTHS OR SO, THE MOST RECENT OF WHICH WAS DECEMBER 4, 2004. AT THAT TIME, THERE WAS NO WHINE, NO ENGINE WARNING LIGHTS, OR ANY INDICATION OF ANYTHING WRONG, BUT I WAS TOLD I NEEDED A NEW BATTERY. I WAS SURPRISED TO HEAR THAT, BUT NOW I KNOW WHY. IT WAS A FEW DAYS AFTER THAT I BEGAN HEARING THE NOISE THAT WAS TODAY DIAGNOSED AS A BAD ALTERNATOR. AGAIN, GOOD MAINTENANCE RECORD, FEWER THAN 18000 MILES, NO WARNING LIGHTS, BAD ALTERNATOR. I AM DRIVING 300 MILES THIS COMING SATURDAY AND AM SCARED TO DEATH--HOPING THAT IT IS FIXED COMPLETELY AND THAT NOTHING ELSE GOES WRONG. I HOPE THIS GETS SOME ATTENTION FROM NHTSA!. *AK