NHTSA Complaint #10546832 — 2007 HONDA ODYSSEY

I ENTERED A HIGHWAY AND WAS ACCELERATING TO A SPEED OF APPROX. 35 MPH WHEN THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY DECELERATED, AS IF THE BRAKES HAD BEEN SLAMMED ON, CAUSING ME TO LURCH FORWARD, TRIGGERING THE SEAT BELTS TO TIGHTEN. I MAINTAINED STEERING CONTROL, REMOVED MY FOOT FROM THE GAS PEDAL, THEN SUDDENLY THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED RAPIDLY WITHOUT MY PRESSING ON THE GAS PEDAL. THIS HAPPENED FOUR TIMES WITHIN APPROXIMATELY 60 SECONDS. I'M STATING THIS MILDLY WHEN I SAY THE EXPERIENCE WAS TERRIFYING. I PULLED OVER, TURNED THE CAR OFF, AND CALLED OUR MECHANIC WHO ADVISED I SLOWLY AND SAFELY DRIVE THE VAN TO THE SHOP, WHICH WASN'T TOO FAR AWAY, OR CONSIDER HAVING IT TOWED. I CHOSE TO DRIVE SLOWLY TO THE MECHANICS AND THE PROBLEM DID NOT OCCUR AGAIN. UPON DIAGNOSTIC TESTING, OUR MECHANIC SAID IT WAS A STEERING SENSOR THAT LOST ITS MEMORY AND NEEDED RESET, AN EASY FIX AND THAT WHILE THIS PROBLEM IS RARE, IT'S NOT UNHEARD OF, YET IT SHOULDN'T HAPPEN AGAIN. (WE HAD RECENTLY HAD NEW TIRES INSTALLED PRIOR TO THIS EVENT, THE MECHANIC SUSPECTED THAT WHILE THE TIRES WERE BEING CHANGED, THE SENSOR'S MEMORY MUST HAVE BEEN WIPED.) THE SECOND EVENT WAS THIS PAST WED., OCT. 2, THE SAME EXPERIENCE AS BEFORE HAPPENED AGAIN. ONLY ON THIS OCCASION, OUR MECHANIC'S DIAGNOSTIC TESTING DID NOT PROVIDE A CODE AS IT HAD BEFORE, BUT RECOGNIZING THE COMPLAINT, THEY RESET THE SENSOR AGAIN. IN BOTH EVENTS, THE ROADS WERE DRY, CLEAR WEATHER, WE WERE DRIVING ON NEW TIRES AND AT LOW SPEEDS, HAVING JUST MOMENTS BEFORE TURNED ON THE IGNITION AND BEGUN ACCELERATING. WE ARE NOW BEING TOLD THAT OUR VEHICLE HAS TWO BROKEN MOTOR MOUNTS. WE HIGHLY SUSPECT THIS IS DUE TO THE SUDDEN JERKING BACK AND FORWARDS FROM THIS INVOLUNTARY DECELERATION/ACCELERATION ISSUE; IT'S AN EXPENSIVE REPAIR! HONDA NEEDS TO RECALL THIS MODEL AND GET A FIX ASAP. WE ARE THANKFUL THIS HASN'T CAUSED AN ACCIDENT--YET. *WE BOUGHT THIS VAN USED IN 2010. *TR