NHTSA Complaint #10199915 — 2007 HONDA CR-V

TO BEGIN, I RECENTLY PURCHASED DIRECTLY FROM MANLY HONDA, IN MARIN COUNTY, CA, EARLIER THIS JAN/FEB OF 2007 A BRAND-NEW 2007 HONDA CR-V EXL, $28K. A FIRST-TIME CAR BUYER, I HAD PAID IN FULL USING MY HARD-EARNED MONEY WHAT I BELIEVED TO BE A RELIABLE, DEPENDABLE AND TROUBLE-FREE CAR. ALAS, I BEGAN NOTICING SOME IRREGULARITIES WITH THE CAR SOON THEREAFTER. TO NAME BUT A FEW, THEY ARE AS FOLLOWS: 1) A TAPPING SOUND IN THE BACK OF MY CAR; 2) A WET SPOT NOTED ON THE FLOOR OF MY GARAGE UNDER THE HOOD AREA; 3) INTERMITTENT INABILITY TO START THE CAR WHEREBY THE BATTERY LIGHT WOULD COME ON; AND 4) INABILITY TO ACCELERATE, BUT SUDDEN SURGE THEREAFTER WHEN DRIVING. I BROUGHT MY VEHICLE IN TO BE SERVICED ON MONDAY, AUGUST 13, 2007. LATER THAT AFTERNOON I RECEIVED A CALL FROM SF HONDA, THE SERVICE DEALER, TO ADVISE THAT: 1) THE TAPPING SOUND IN THE BACK OF MY CAR IS DUE TO A WELDING DEFECT. HAVING JACKED UP THE CAR AND REMOVED ALL THE BACK PANELS TO THE VEHICLE, THEY HAD DETERMINED THAT THE DEFECTIVE WELD OR WELDS WERE LOCATED FURTHER WITHIN THE VEHICLE AND MY CAR WOULD NEED TO BE SENT TO AN AUTO BODY SHOP TO BE FURTHER STRIPPED APART TO DETERMINE THE NUMBER OF DEFECTIVE WELDS IN QUESTION. 2) A POWDER TEST PERFORMED ON MY ENGINE HAD DETERMINED THAT IT WAS A TRANSMISSION LEAK AND THE ENTIRE TRANSMISSION WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. 3) THEY HAD YET TO DETERMINE WHY MY CAR WOULD FAIL TO START AND THE BATTERY LIGHT APPEAR; AND 4) THE SUDDEN SURGING OF MY VEHICLE ONCE I HAD STEPPED ON THE ACCELERATOR WAS DUE TO THE DEFECTIVE LEAK IN THE TRANSMISSION. UPON HEARING THIS, I WAS FLABBERGASTED. WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT A BRAND-NEW CAR, A HONDA WHICH IS NOTED FOR ITS RELIABILITY, WOULD ENCOUNTER SUCH PROBLEMS? AND AT 3,158 MILES? AND SIMULTANEOUSLY? WHAT DOES THIS SAY ABOUT HONDA'S QUALITY ASSURANCE AND MANUFACTURING STANDARDS? *TR