NHTSA Complaint #10660749 — 2003 HONDA ELEMENT

THE DRIVER'S-SIDE KEY LOCK ROUTINELY DOES NOT ACCEPT THE KEY WITHOUT MULTIPLE EFFORTS. SOMETIMES THESE EFFORTS FAIL, AND I MUST TRY THE BACK HATCH OR PASSENGER SIDE DOOR. AS A SINGLE FEMALE, I FIND THIS DISTURBINGLY DANGEROUS. IT IS OBVIOUS THAT I CAN'T GET INTO THE CAR, MARKING ME AS VULNERABLE. THIS BASICALLY SETS ME AFOOT, OFTEN AT NIGHT, OFTEN IN UNCERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES. SHOULD I FIND MYSELF NEEDING TO MOVE THE CAR FOR ANY EMERGENCY WHATSOEVER, A GREAT DEAL OF TIME WILL BE LOST AS I STRUGGLE WITH ENTRY. UNTIL I CHECKED FOR THE AIRBAG RECALL, I HAD NOT KNOWN ABOUT THIS SITE. I AM APPALLED TO FIND THAT THIS KEY FAILURE IS A COMMON ISSUE. MY NEXT CAR WILL BE A TOYOTA, THE BRAND I DROVE FOR MANY, MANY MILES AND YEARS WITHOUT TROUBLE. *TR