NHTSA Complaint #10468423 — 2002 HONDA ODYSSEY

WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE NORMALLY, WE NOTICED ALL OF THE DASHBOARD "IDIOT LIGHTS" COMING ON INTERMITTENTLY WHEN WE WOULD MAKE A TURN OR DECELERATE. FINALLY THEY CAME ON AND STAYED ON AND THE AIR CONDITIONING STOPPED WORKING. WE TOOK THE VAN TO OUR TRUSTED MECHANIC AND HE FOUND A BROKEN ALTERNATOR BRACKET. HE WELDED IT AND SENT US ON OUR WAY. TWO WEEKS LATER, THE SAME PROBLEM HAPPENED. HE THEN INSTALLED A NEW ALTERNATOR BRACKET. ABOUT 10 DAYS LATER, THE SAME PROBLEM OCCURRED AND HE FOUND THE NEW BRACKET HAD ALSO BROKEN. HE THOUGHT THAT PERHAPS THE ALTERNATOR WAS "DRAGGING" ON THE BELT AND CAUSING STRAIN ON THE BRACKET, SO HE REPLACED THE BRACKET AND ALTERNATOR. CAR WORKED FINE FOR ANOTHER WEEK AND THEN THE SAME PROBLEM OCCURRED. HE RESEARCHED THE ISSUE AND FOUND THAT THIS IS A DESIGN PROBLEM WITH HONDA ODYSSEYS, BUT THAT HONDA IS NOT FIXING THE PROBLEM. ALSO, BECAUSE MY VAN IS A 2002, HE SAID THAT HONDA WOULD NOT LIKELY HELP ME IN ANY WAY. I CALLED HONDA AND THAT WAS INDEED THE CASE. I AM HAVING A FOURTH BRACKET INSTALLED AND WE'LL SEE HOW LONG THIS ONE LASTS. *TR