NHTSA Complaint #10610324 — 2003 HONDA ACCORD

TRAVELING NORTH ON I-83 FROM BALTIMORE TO PENNSYLVANIA, THE CAR STARTED JERKING VIOLENTLY, AND CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP, FRONT WHEELS QUIT ROTATING (LOCKED?). WE WERE THROWN FORWARD AGAINST OUR SEATBELTS, THE REAR OF THE CAR JUMPING SLIGHTLY TO THE RIGHT. GRATEFULLY, TRAFFIC WAS LIGHT. WE SHIFTED GEARS ON THE CONSOLE BACK AND FORTH AND GOT THE CAR MOVING AGAIN, TAKING THE MIDDLETOWN RD. EXIT, PULLED OFF THE ROAD, CHECKED TRANSMISSION FLUID, READ THE CAR MANUAL. HALF-HOUR LATER, WE CONTINUED SLOWLY, BUT AFTER A FEW MILES, THE CAR BEGAN JERKING AGAIN, SLOWING, SOMETIMES STOPPING. WE WERE ABLE TO GET HOME WITH HAZARD LIGHTS FLASHING, LETTING CARS PASS BY PULLING TO THE SIDE. THIS WAS EARLY AFTERNOON, VERY LITTLE TRAFFIC, AND WE WERE NOT FAR FROM HOME. HAD CAR TOWED TO DEALER WHO SAID TRANSMISSION FAILURE, NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. WE BOUGHT THIS CAR NEW IN 2003, MAINTAINED IT PER MANUFACTURE SUGGESTIONS, AND HAD NO PRIOR PROBLEMS OR INDICATION THE TRANSMISSION WAS FAILING AS THE CAR WAS RUNNING AS SMOOTHLY AS IT HAS SINCE IT WAS NEW. *TR