NHTSA Complaint #10124153 — 2003 HONDA ACCORD

PURCHASED 2003 ACCORD EX V6 IN 5/03. HAD A FEW PROBLEMS WITH CAR AFTER PURCHASE: DELAY WHEN SHIFTING FROM REVERSE TO DRIVE (DEALERSHIP SAID WAS NORMAL), MUFFLER SOUND LIKE IT HAS A LEAK (DEALERSHIP COULD'NT FIND A PROBLEM), NOISE HAS GOTTEN WORSE. MY CAR HAS BEEN OUT OF WARRANTY SINCE 1/05. WENT ON VACATION IN 2/05, WHEN I WENT TO CRANK THE CAR, PUT THE KEY IN THE IGNITION AND TURNED, ALL OF THE LIGHTS ON DASH AND RADIO LIT UP, TURNED THE KEY FURTHER TO CRANK, ONCE STARTED THE DASH LIGHTS CAME BACK ON, BUT THE RADIO LIGHTS DID'NT. THE RADIO STILL WORKED, YOU JUST CANT SEE THE DISPLAY. CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AFTER WE GOT HOME AND THEY SAID IT SOUNDED LIKE A BULB WENT OUT, THEY WOULD REPLACE IT BUT I WOULD HAVE TO PAY 80.00 LABOR AND THEY COULD'NT GUARANTEE THAT WAS THE PROBLEM. I TOOK MY CAR TO A LOCAL AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR SHOP FOR THEM TO CHANGE THE BULB, THEY TOOK OUT THE RADIO AND CALLED THE HONDA DEALERSHIP THAT I CALLED AND THEY TOLD THE MECHANIC THERE WAS NO BULB IN THE RADIO. THEY PUT THE RADIO BACK IN AND GAVE ME THE CAR BACK. I BOUGHT A NEW RADIO AND TOOK IT BACK TO THE REPAIR SHOP, THEY PUT THE NEW RADIO IN AND THE SAME PROBLEM AS BEFORE, RADIO WORKS, NO LIGHTS. THEY PUT THE OLD RADIO BACK IN. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AGAIN AND THIS TIME I EXPLAINED AGAIN ABOUT MY RADIO LIGHTS, THEY SUGGEST I CONTACT HONDA CUSTOMER SERVICE AND FOLLOW THEIR SUGGESTIONS, SO I DID, AND EXPLAINED THE SITUATION TO THEM. THEY ADVISED ME THERE WAS A BULLETIN ALREADY ON THE PROBLEM WITH MY RADIO, THAT THE PROBLEM IS DUE TO FAULTY EQUIPMENT. TOLD ME I SHOULD TAKE THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP, GIVE THEM THE BULLETIN NUMBER, LET THEM DIAGNOSE MY PROBLEM AND IF IT IS DUE TO FAULTY EQUIPMENT, GET AN ESTIMATE OF HOW MUCH IT WOULD COST TO FIX. CALL CUSTOMER SERVICE BACK AND LET THEM KNOW HOW MUCH THE DEALERSHIP WOULD CHARGE ME AND ASK FOR GOODWILL ASSISTANCE FOR FINANCING THE COST TO FIX FAULTY EQUIPMENT THAT OBVIOUSLY IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM WITH HONDA, NOT THE CONSUMER.