NHTSA Complaint #10146244 — 2000 HONDA ACCORD

THE CASE # IS N012005121900955. THIS IS MY STORY: I WAS DRIVING NORTH ON I-5 IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. WHEN I SLOWED DOWN TO ABOUT 40 MILES AN HOUR MY CAR JUST DIED. I WAS ABLE TO BARELY ABLE START THE CAR AND SLOWLY DROVE OFF THE OFF THE ROAD LESS THAN 50 FEET. I BARELY MADE IT OFF THE ROAD. I HAD NO CLUE HAPPENED. UP TO THAT POINT CAR RAN GOOD. FORTUNATELY I WAS ON THE FAR RIGHT LANE. IT COULD HAVE BEEN DISASTROUS WITH ALL THE TRAFFIC. I WONDER IF ANY ACCIDENTS HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY HARMONIC BALANCER COMING LOOSE AND LOOSING ALL POWER? BOTH FAN BELTS WERE OFF. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION BY THE HI WAY RESCUE TEAM, HE NOTICED THAT THE HARMONIC BALANCER WAS NOT INLINE. I CALLED TACOMA HONDA THE FOLLOWING MORNING AND INQUIRED ABOUT THE HARMONIC BALANCER COMING LOOSE ON HONDA ENGINES AND THE SERVICE MANAGER SAID HE HASN'T HEARD ANY PROBLEMS. SO I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO A MECHANIC FRIEND OF MINE, VIN, AND HE REPAIRED. VIN INFORMED ME THAT HE WORKED ON ONE WHO HAD THE SAME THING HAPPEN ABOUT THE SAME DAY ON A 1999 HONDA WITH LESS MILES. ALSO HIS FRIEND HAD A HARMONIC BALANCE COME LOOSE ON A PRELUDE. I DON'T KNOW WHAT YEAR THIS CAR WAS MADE. THIS CANNOT BE JUST A TACOMA, WASHINGTON PROBLEM. I ASKED THE PARTS MANAGER ABOUT HARMONIC BALANCERS COMING LOOSE AND HE SAID HE HAS HEARD OF IT. A HARMONIC BALANCER SHOULD NEVER COME LOOSE FOR 2 REASONS. ONE, IT IS TIGHTEN SO TIGHT THAT YOU CAN NOT LOOSEN IT WITH A IMPACT WRENCH. TWO, IT TURN AGAINST THE DIRECTION OF THE THREAD. THIS IS WHAT CARLA TOLD ME THIS MORNING THAT SHE IS NOT AWARE OF ANY PROBLEMS SIMILAR TO WHAT I EXPERIENCED. I WILL WAIT FOR A WEEK FOR ANY FEEDBACK FROM YOU. IF YOUR RESEARCH FINDS NO PROBLEMS WITH HARMONIC BALANCER COMING LOOSE I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW. YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO FIND OUT HOW MANY HARMONIC BALANCERS HAS BEEN SOLD OR REPLACED. I WILL WRITE TO NHTSA TO SEE IF THIS IS A FLUKE THAT HAPPENED IN TACOMA OR MORE WIDESPREAD. *NM