NHTSA Complaint #10579177 — 2002 HONDA CR-V

AS, I WAS BACKING OUR CAR OUT OF OUR GARAGE ON THE MORNING OF 4/1/2014, I NOTICED A FOUL ODOR, LOOKED DOWN AND SAW SMOKE COMING OUT OF THE MASTER WINDOW SWITCH (MWS). MY HUSBAND SAID HE SAW SMOKE ALSO COMING OUT OF THE SPEAKER AS WELL. I STOPPED THE CAR AND WE ALL JUMPED OUT OF THE CAR THINKING IT MIGHT CATCH ON FIRE! THE SMOKE EVENTUALLY SUBSIDED, ALTHOUGH A TERRIBLE, TOXIC-LIKE SMELL REMAINED. WE FEEL FORTUNATE THAT AT LEAST THAT I WAS ONLY BACKING OUR CAR OUT OF THE GARAGE WHEN THE SWITCH STARTED SMOKING. IF I HAD BEEN DRIVING ON THEY FREEWAY, I COULD HAVE CRASHED. FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS BEFORE THIS INCIDENT, THE MWS HADN'T BEEN WORKING CORRECTLY: THE FRONT RIGHT PASSENGER WINDOW COULD BE UNROLLED FROM THE MWS BUT WOULD NOT ALWAYS ROLL BACK UP FROM THE DRIVER'S SIDE SWITCH. THIS HAD HAPPENED BEFORE AND I HAD TO PAY TO GET A NEW MWS INSTALLED ON 3/4/2010. I AM AWARE THAT THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THIS PART AND THAT OUR VIN NUMBER WASN'T INCLUDED, HOWEVER IT OBVIOUSLY SHOULD HAVE BEEN! I WAS TOLD BY A SERVICE ADVISOR AT HONDA OF ESCONDIDO THAT IF THE MWS GETS WET, THE MOISTURE CAN CAUSE THE PART TO SHORT OUT, OVERHEAT, AND THE GREASE GETS REALLY HOT AND SMOKES, SMELLING TERRIBLY. OUR SWITCH DID GET WET FROM RAIN BOTH TIMES BEFORE THE SWITCH MALFUNCTIONED BECAUSE THE SWITCH IS IN A CAR DOOR, AND WHEN IT RAINS, IT'S GOING TO GET WET! BOTH THE ORIGINAL MWS THAT CAME WITH THE CAR WAS FAULTY AND THE MWS THAT I PAID TO REPLACE IT IN 2010 WAS FAULTY AS WELL. I DO NOT FEEL SAFE WITH THE NEW MWS I'VE JUST HAD TO BUY TO GET INSTALLED AGAIN, BECAUSE I FEAR THE SAME THING WILL HAPPEN AGAIN. THIS PART SHOULD OBVIOUSLY NOT BE USED IN CARS AS IT IS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS. THE PART SHOULD BE RECALLED AND REPLACED WITH A MWS THAT WILL WITHSTAND MOISTURE FROM RAIN AND/OR SNOW WITHOUT MALFUNCTIONING. *JS