NHTSA Complaint #10421065 — 2001 HONDA CIVIC

WE WERE DRIVING AROUND RUNNING ERRANDS ON A 75 DEGREE WEATHER. WE WERE ON THE ROAD WHEN THE CAR JUST ALL OF A SUDDEN DOWNSHIFTED. THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. SO, WE WENT TO MCDONALDS TO LET THE CAR COOL DOWN, LIFTING THE HOOD. AN ADVANCED AUTO ZONE WAS RIGHT ACROSS THE STREET. AFTER A BIT, WE TOOK IT OVER, THERE. THEY TESTED IT AND SAID IT WASN'T THE ENGINE AT ALL; BATTERY, ALTERNATOR, ETC. THEY THEN TOLD US TO TAKE IT THE AUTO PARTS STORE AND HAVE THEM TEST IT WITH THEIR TOOLS BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T HAVE THE CORRECT TOOL NEEDED TO DO THE PARTICULAR TEST NEEDED DONE. SO, WE LIMPED THE CAR DOWN THE ROAD. WE EXPLAINED THE PROBLEM, THEY GOT THEIR COMPUTER TESTER OUT AND CAME UP WITH SEVERAL DIFFERENT CODES. THE FUNNY THING IS, AFTER ABOUT 1/2 AN HOUR, AFTER THE CODES WERE TESTED, THE ENGINE LIGHT WENT OFF. WE CALLED OUR MECHANIC AND GOT AN APPOINTMENT FOR HIM TO TEST IT AND SEE WHAT WAS GOING ON. HE FOUND A USED EMC COMPUTER CHIP/COMPONENT AND REPLACED THE OLD ONE. WHEN WE GOT THE CAR BACK, WE HEARD THIS AWFUL NOISE THAT WE HADN'T HEARD. WE WERE TOLD IT WAS THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD, THAT IT WOULD BE NOISY AND WOULD GET WORSE OVER TIME. NOW, WE CAN'T DRIVE IT TOO FAR WITHOUT IT DOWNSHIFTING. THE HOT AIR JUST GETS TO IT. WE ARE ON A VERY FIXED INCOME. THIS IS MY HUSBAND'S CAR. HE IS DISABLED. ALL WE HAVE IS HIS DISABILITY. WE ALSO HAVE 3 1/2 YEAR OLD SON. I DON'T FEEL SAFE DRIVING IT WITH MY SON IN THE CAR BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN HOT OVER THE SUMMER WE CAN'T RUN THE A/C BECAUSE THAT JUST EXACERBATES THE SITUATION. I THINK THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL BECAUSE MY HUSBAND BOUGHT THIS CAR BECAUSE HE THOUGHT IT WAS A RELIABLE CAR. WE HAVE SPOKEN TO THE HONDA DEALER ABOUT IT. THEY DON'T SEEM TO CARE. WE HAVE HAD TO USE MY '97 PONTIAC GRAND AM. IT HAS HAD ISSUES TOO. OUR MECHANIC SAID THERE HAS BEEN NO RECALL AS OF YET. WE HAVE CALLED JUNK YARDS AND LOOKED ON LINE. WHO CAN AFFORD SOMETHING LIKE THIS? WELL, HIS SISTER HAD THE SAME ISSUE WITH HERS. *TR