NHTSA Complaint #10118261 — 1995 HONDA ODYSSEY

I NEEDED TO TAKE MY SON TO THE DR.'S OFFICE AND WHEN I WENT TO START MY 1995 HONDA ODYSSEY IT WOULDN'T START. I HAD TO HOLD THE KEY ON IN THE RUN POSITION, GIVE IT GAS AND PUT IT IN DRIVE AND IT WAS ABLE TO GO. CAR SEEMED TO BE OK AFTER THAT AND I HAD TO TAKE MY DISABLED FATHER-IN-LAW TO RUN ERRANDS WE WENT AHEAD. WHILE WAITING FOR HIM TO GET A RX, I HAD THE CAR RUNNING AS IT WAS A COLD DAY AND MY 3 YEAR OLD WAS IN THE CAR. IT QUIT RUNNING AFTER A MINUTE AND I WASN'T ABLE TO START IT AGAIN FOR A FEW MINUTES. TOLD MY HUSBAND ABOUT IT WHEN I PICKED HIM UP AND HE CHECKED THE OIL ETC. AND THEN IT SEEMED TO BE FINE. NEXT DAY MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING HOME IN TRAFFIC AND THE CAR DIED ON HIM RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF DRIVING! SOME OTHER DRIVERS HELPED HIM PUSH IT OFF THE ROAD AND THEN SOMEONE USED JUMPER CABLES AND IT STARTED RUNNING AGAIN. AFTER A FEW MINUTES IT DIED AND WOULD NOT RESTART. AFTER CHECKING BATTERY CONNECTIONS ETC. AND TRYING TO GET IT TO START AGAIN, FINALLY AFTER AN HOUR IT STARTED. WENT TO AUTO PARTS STORE AND HAD BATTERY TESTED - WAS AT 1/2 CAPACITY SO REPLACED IT THINKING IT WOULD SOLVE THE PROBLEM. ON THE WAY HOME FROM THE AUTO PART STORE IT DIED AGAIN RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC. WE DID RESEARCH ON THE WEB AND DISCOVERED IT IS THE SAME PROBLEM THAT WAS RECALLED ON LATER YEARS WITH THE IGNITION SWITCH. CALLED THE DEALER THIS MORNING TO SEE IF OUR VIN # WAS ON THE LIST AND IT IS NOT!!! I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY I HAVE TO PAY FOR A PROBLEM THAT IS KNOWN TO EXIST BECAUSE MY CAR YEAR IS NOT ON THE APPROVED LIST. IT IS EXACTLY THE SAME PART FOR OUR 1995 HONDA ODYSSEY AS FOR THE 1997 ONES + THAT WERE RECALLED.*JB