NHTSA Complaint #10457207 — 1998 HONDA ACCORD

MY CAR EXPERIENCED STALLING AT BOTH HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND SLOW SPEED OPERATION. THIS OF COURSE LED TO A LOSS OF THROTTLE RESPONSE AND POWER STEERING, JEOPARDIZING THE SAFETY OF THE VEHICLE. THE SMELL OF BURNING PLASTIC AND LIGHT SMOKE WERE ALSO EVIDENT COMING FROM THE STEERING COLUMN DURING THESE EVENTS. THIS STALLING HAD THE EXACT SAME SYMPTOMS AS IF THE KEY HAD BEEN SWITCHED TO THE ACCESSORY POSITION (I.E. POWER WAS LOST TO THE DASH AND THE ENGINE SHUT OFF, BUT RADIO AND OTHER ACCESSORIES STAYED POWERED), INDICATING AN ELECTRICAL FAILURE. THE ENGINE WOULD TURN OVER AND CATCH WHEN THE KEY WAS PUT IN THE "START" POSITION, BUT IT WOULD STALL WHEN THE KEY RETURNED TO THE "ON" POSITION. RESEARCH INDICATED THAT THESE SYMPTOMS MATCHED RECALL 02V120000 EXACTLY. THIS RECALL CALLED FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF A FAULTY IGNITION SWITCH. HONDA DEALER AND HONDA AMERICA BOTH SAID THE CAR HAD ALREADY BEEN SERVICED UNDER THIS RECALL AND THAT THEY WOULD ONLY HONOR THE RECALL IF IT WAS INSPECTED AT A DEALER AT OWNER EXPENSE. WHEN THE OWNER REPLACED THE IGNITION SWITCH THE PROBLEM WAS RECTIFIED. THE REPLACED PART SHOWED MELTED SOLDER (THAT HAD MELTED OFF OF THE CONTACT AND INTO THE OUTER CASING OF THE SWITCH) AND MELTED PLASTIC AT THE "1G1" TERMINAL OF THE IGNITION SWITCH, EXPLAINING THE SMOKE EVENT. A MULTI-METER ALSO SHOWED INCONSISTENT CONTINUITY BETWEEN THE "1G1" TERMINAL AND THE WIRING HARNESS WHEN THE SWITCH WAS IN THE "ON" POSITION, MATCHING THE DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR RECALL AND EXPLAINING THE STALLING. UPON SEARCHING ONLINE FORUMS AND THE NHTSA SAFETY COMPLAINTS DATABASE, IT IS EVIDENT THAT THIS PROBLEM IS WIDESPREAD IN CARS THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN SERVICED UNDER THE RECALL. PLEASE INVESTIGATE. *JS