NHTSA Complaint #10317388 — 2001 HONDA PASSPORT

I WAS DRIVING ON A STRAIGHT 2-LANE STATE ROUTE. WHILE CROSSING AN INTERSECTING 4-LANE HIGHWAY, I HEARD A SMALL NOISE IN THE REAR. IMMEDIATELY AFTER CROSSING THE INTERSECTION, I EXPERIENCE ENTIRE LOSS OF CONTROL OF MY VEHICLE. I SWERVED FROM SIDE TO SIDE WHILE ATTEMPTING TO SLOW DOWN AND WAS SURE THE VEHICLE WAS GOING TO ROLL OVER ON ITS SIDE. AFTER SLOWING TO A STOP, I WAS ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE ROAD IN A SMALL TURN-AROUND FACING THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. I DID NOT ATTEMPT TO DRIVE ANY FURTHER AND CALLED FOR A TOW. THE TOW-DRIVER INDICATED THAT HE SAW THE PROBLEM AND TOOK ME TO THE DRIVER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. HE THEN SHOWED ME THE REAR LINK BAR HAD DISCONNECTED FROM THE FRAME. IT APPEARED IT HAD RUSTED AWAY FROM THE FRAME. WE THEN LOOKED ON THE PASSENGER SIDE TO SEE THAT IT WAS ALSO RUSTED VERY BADLY WAS ALSO READY TO BREAK AWAY FROM THE FRAME. WHEN MY LIFE FLASHED BEFORE MY EYES, ALL I COULD DO WAS PRAY AND BE THANKFUL THAT MY CHILDREN WERE NOT IN THE VEHICLE WITH ME AND THAT MY NEWLY LICENSED 17 YEAR OLD WAS NOT DRIVING AT THE TIME. I AM IN THE PROCESS OF CONTACTING HONDA OF AMERICA CUSTOMER RELATIONS TO BE ADVISED AS TO THEIR STANCE ON THIS ISSUE. *TR