NHTSA Complaint #10278873 — 2009 HONDA CIVIC

I PURCHASED A NEW 2009 HONDA CIVIC LX-S FROM HERITAGE HONDA OF WESTMINSTER, MD ON 7/30/2009 FOR MY 18 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER'S BIRTHDAY. DURING THE TEST DRIVE THE VEHICLE OPERATED FINE WITH NO APPARENT ISSUES. UPON LEAVING THE DEALERSHIP (WITH MY 3 CHILDREN AND WIFE AS OCCUPANTS) AND AS MY DAUGHTER PULLED ON TO MARYLAND ROUTE 140 FROM THE DEALERSHIP LOT, THE ENGINE STOPPED. SHE TRIED TO RESTART THE ENGINE, HOWEVER THERE WAS NO RESPONSE. YOU COULD HEAR THE STARTER SOLENOID CHATTERING LIKE IT WOULD IF THE BATTERY WAS NEAR DEAD. THIS LEFT THE CAR STALLED WITH 3/4 OF THE VEHICLE SITTING IN THE RIGHT LANE OF A HEAVILY TRAVELED, 4 LANE DIVIDED HIGHWAY WITH OTHER VEHICLES TRAVELING 45 + MPH APPROACHING, LEAVING THE (NOW TERRIFIED) OCCUPANTS LIVES IN DANGER. SEVERAL ATTEMPTS WERE MADE TO RESTART THE CAR WITHOUT SUCCESS. THE CAR HAD TO BE PUSHED TO SAFETY BY MYSELF (I WAS FOLLOWING IN ANOTHER CAR) AND ANOTHER DEALERSHIP CUSTOMER. IT IS TRULY AMAZING GIVEN THE VOLUME OF TRAFFIC WHICH TRAVELS THIS DIVIDED HIGHWAY THAT MY FAMILY WALKED AWAY FROM THIS INCIDENT WITH ONLY EMOTIONAL TRAUMA. I THEN TOOK THE CAR TO THE VEHICLE SERVICE DEPARTMENT WHERE THEY DIAGNOSED THE BATTERY AS DEFECTIVE (INTERNALLY SHORTED). THE BATTERY WAS REPLACED BY THE DEALER AND AS OF THIS TIME THE CAR IS FUNCTIONING NORMALLY. I KNOW THAT HAVING THIS HAPPEN WITH A NEW BATTERY IS VERY RARE. THERE IS HOWEVER THE RISK THAT HONDA HAS MANY MORE VEHICLES OUT THERE ON THE ROAD OR ON DEALER LOTS YET TO BE SOLD, WHICH HAVE BATTERIES WITH SIMILAR DEFECTS. *TR