NHTSA Complaint #10243505 — 2004 HONDA CR-V

DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY, THERE WAS A LOUD POP THAT YOU COULD FEEL THROUGHOUT THE VEHICLE. IT SOUND LIKE A GUN HAD BEEN FIRED AT CLOSE RANGE. THE ENGINE DIED IMMEDIATELY AND THE CAR WAS DIFFICULT TO KEEP UNDER CONTROL BECAUSE OF THE LOSS OF POWER STEERING AND BRAKES. THE CAR WOULD NOT RESTART UNTIL THE DEFROSTER WAS TURNED OFF. IF THE HEATER, A/C, OR DEFROSTER WAS TURNED BACK ON THE VEHICLE WOULD IMMEDIATELY STALL AGAIN. THE DEALERSHIP FOUND THE A/C COMPRESSOR SUFFERED CATASTROPHIC FAILURE AND LITTERED THE ENTIRE AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM WITH METAL DEBRIS. WE WERE QUOTED A REPAIR COST OF $3500. OUR EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERED THE COMPRESSOR (ALTHOUGH AFTERMARKET) BUT WERE STUCK WITH THE BILL FOR THE HIGH PRESSURE LINES AND OTHER SMALL PARTS THAT STILL TOTALED NEARLY $1000. A SEARCH OF THE PROBLEM PROVES THIS IS EXTREMELY COMMON FOR THIS GENERATION OF CR-V, WITH THOUSANDS OF COMPLAINTS IN ONLINE FORUMS, CHATS, MESSAGE BOARDS, ENTHUSIAST CLUBS, AND EVEN DOT NHTSA COMPLAINTS. THERE ARE NO SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ON OTHER HONDA A/C COMPRESSORS THAT ARE THIS WIDESPREAD. THE FACT THAT THIS PARTICULAR COMPRESSORS PART NUMBER IS NOT USED ON OTHER HONDA VEHICLE INDICATES THAT THERE IS: A) PROBLEM WITH THE DESIGN, B) A PROBLEM WITH THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS, C) A PROBLEM WITH THE INITIAL INSTALL OR MAINTENANCE OF THE COMPRESSOR, OR D) SOME COMBINATION OF THE PREVIOUS STATED POSSIBILITIES. THESE SYSTEMS ARE FAILING AT HIGH RATES FOR SUCH LOW MILEAGES, THEY LAST MUCH LONGER ON OTHER VEHICLES (EVEN OTHER HONDAS). IN ADDITION TO THE PROBLEM THERE IS ALSO THE FACT THAT MANY OWNERS GET VARYING RESPONSES FROM THE DEALERSHIPS AND FROM HONDA CORPORATE AS TO HOW THE SITUATION IS HANDLED. SOME OWNERS ARE COVERED 100% BY A "GOOD FAITH" WARRANTY AS THE REPRESENTATIVE ACKNOWLEDGES THE PROBLEM IS COMMON. SOME OWNERS, SUCH AS ME, ARE ON OUR OWN OR HAVE TO RELY ON A LIMITED EXTENDED WARRANTY THAT COVERS THE FAILURE BUT NOT THE PARTS THAT THE FAILURE TOOK OUT WITH IT. PLEASE HELP US! *TR