NHTSA Complaint #10302251 — 2003 HONDA ACCORD

2003 HONDA ACCORD - LEFT REAR DOOR LOCK ACTUATOR PROBLEM - (WHILE STANDING OUTSIDE THE CAR) THE DOOR WOULD STAY IN THE LOCKED POSITION. IT WOULD NOT OPEN USING THE KEY OR BY PUTTING THE KEY IN THE DOOR. THE KEY WOULD GO IN BUT I WASN'T ABLE TO TURN THE LOCKS EITHER DIRECTION. I FINALLY KEPT PRESSING THE BUTTON ON THE KEY & EVENTUALLY 3 OF THE DOORS UNLOCKED. ANOTHER DAY, I PRESSED THE KEY TO UNLOCK & THE LOCK WOULD GO UP & DOWN IMMEDIATELY. IT WOULD UNLOCK & LOCK AGAIN SO QUICKLY I DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO OPEN THE DOOR. I FINALLY GOT IN THE CAR WITH THE HELP OF MY DAUGHTER. SHE PRESSED THE UNLOCK BUTTON ON THE KEY & I GRABBED THE DOOR QUICKLY TO OPEN - THAT'S HOW WE GOT IN THE CAR THAT DAY. SEVERAL TIMES I WAS UNABLE TO GET MY PASSENGERS IN & OUT OF THE CAR BECAUSE THE DOOR WOULD NOT OPEN. IT WAS TRULY FRIGHTENING DRIVING THE CAR AT THAT TIME FOR FEAR OF AN EMERGENCY THAT WE/PASSENGERS WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO GET OUT OF THE CAR. ANOTHER TIME MY PASSENGER WAS IN THE BACK PASSENGERS SIDE SEAT AND SHE COULDN'T GET OUT OF THE CAR AT ALL. I LEANED OVER TO TRY TO UNLOCK THAT DOOR (THAT TIME THAT WAS THE ONLY DOOR THAT WOULDN'T OPEN). I TRIED TO UNLOCK THE DOOR WITH MY HANDS & THE DOOR WOULDN'T UNLOCK AT ALL! MY PASSENGER HAD TO GO OUT THE OTHER DOOR. THANK GOD I HAD ANOTHER DOOR THAT WAS WORKING. I AM A MOM. I ALSO CARPOOL THE NEIGHBORHOOD CHILDREN. NOT ONLY WAS THIS DOOR WITH THE PROBLEM ENDANGERING MYSELF. IT WAS ENDANGERING MY PASSENGERS TOO. I TOOK IT TO THE HONDA DEALERSHIP AND THEY REPLACED THE LEFT REAR DOOR LOCK ACTUATOR. $281.24 LATER THE DOOR APPEARS TO BE FIXED AT THIS TIME. I SHOULD NOT HAVE HAD TO PAY $281.24 OF MY MONEY FOR SUCH A SAFETY HAZARD. I'M BRINGING THIS TO YOUR ATTENTION SO HOPEFULLY I WOULD BE PREVENTING A FUTURE TRAGEDY. *TR