NHTSA Complaint #10348678 — 2003 HONDA ACCORD

THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER ON MY 4 CYLINDER 2003 HONDA ACCORD EXL WAS REPLACED UNDER THE 8/80 WARRANTY ON 7/10/09 AT JOYCE HONDA, DENVILLE, NJ. THE CAR HAD ONLY 67,187 MILES ON IT. NOW, LESS THAN A YEAR LATTER AND AFTER ONLY 18,348 MILES ON THAT GENUINE HONDA REPLACEMENT PART, ARON COOPER, THE JOYCE HONDA SERVICE MANAGER, SAYS IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. HE SAYS THAT THE CODE P0420 CAME UP AFTER THE MECHANIC DIAGNOSED THE REASON FOR THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TO COME ON. THAT IS AN EXTREMELY SHORT LIFE SPAN FOR SUCH AN ENVIRONMENTALLY IMPORTANT PART. IT IS ALSO AN EXTREMELY SHORT LIFE SPAN FOR AN EXPENSIVE PART REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. MAT HATCH, THE HONDA FACTORY REPRESENTATIVE, SAID THAT HONDA WILL NOT STAND BEHIND THE REPLACEMENT CATALYTIC CONVERTER WHICH IS A HONDA PART, INSTALLED AT A HONDA DEALERSHIP WITHIN THE 8/80 WARRANTY PERIOD. MAT'S RATIONALE WAS THAT ALTHOUGH THE CAR IS WITHIN THE 8 YR. TIME PERIOD, IT IS 5,535 MILES OVER THE 80,000 LIMIT. HE REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE UNUSUALLY SHORT LIFE OF THE REPLACEMENT PART THAT WAS INSTALLED UNDER THE WARRANTY. AS A CONSUMER I AM SUSPICIOUS OF A GENUINE HONDA WARRANTY REPLACEMENT PART THAT LASTS FOR LESS THAN A YEAR AND ONLY 18,348 MILES. AS A CITIZEN I AM CONCERNED THAT HONDA WON'T HONOR ANY REASONABLE LONGEVITY FOR AN ENVIRONMENTALLY SENSITIVE PART. PERHAPS MR. HATCH DOESN'T SHARE HONDA'S ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT'S EFFORTS TO MARKET HONDAS AS RELIABLE AND ECOLOGICALLY SOUND TRANSPORTATION. PERHAPS HE DOESN'T SHARE THE HONDA'S MARKETING DEPARTMENT'S EFFORTS, FOR HE HAS IGNORED A LEGITIMATE CLAIM FROM SOMEONE WHO HAS BOUGHT A NEW EX MODEL VEHICLE EVERY 3 YEARS DURING THE LAST DECADE. SUCH A 'PENNY WISE, POUND FOOLISH' RESPONSE WILL LEAVE ME DESCRIBING MY DISSATISFACTION TO MY NEIGHBORS RATHER THEN SHARING MY PRIDE IN OWNING HONDAS. *TR