NHTSA Complaint #10700703 — 2013 HONDA ODYSSEY

THE PROBLEM THAT I AM REPORTING IS THAT TWO OF MY KEYS RECENTLY SPONTANEOUSLY DEPROGRAMMED THEMSELVES. FORTUNATELY NEITHER KEY WAS RUNNING MY IGNITION AT THE TIME OF FAILURE. I TOOK MY KEYS TO MY LOCAL SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND HAD THEM REPROGRAMMED. TO BE CLEAR: THIS WAS NOT THE RESULT OF A BATTERY FAILURE, AS THE PROBLEM PERSISTED EVEN AFTER BATTERY REPLACEMENTS. I ASKED MY DEALERSHIP'S SERVICE DEPARTMENT FOR AN EXPLANATION OF THIS INCIDENT AND RECEIVED NONE WHATSOEVER. I THEN CONTACTED AMERICAN HONDA AND STILL RECEIVED NO EXPLANATION. TO BE CLEAR: ONE OF THE KEYS THUS AFFECTED, A MASTER KEY, HAD ALWAYS BEEN STORED IN A LINGERIE DRESSER DRAWER, AND I MENTION "LINGERIE" TO MAKE IT CLEAR THAT NO MAGNETS OR OTHER POTENTIALLY DAMAGING ITEMS WERE STORED WITH OR NEAR THE KEY, AND THAT IT WAS IN A CLEAN, DRY PLACE. THE KEY HAD NEVER BEEN USED EXCEPT WHEN I TESTED IT RIGHT AFTER RECEIVING IT FROM THE DEALERSHIP. (I ONLY FIGURED OUT THAT IT WASN'T WORKING WHEN I MISPLACED THE KEY THAT I USUALLY USED AND NEEDED A TEMPORARY REPLACEMENT.) THE OTHER KEY AFFECTED, MY VALET KEY, WAS ALWAYS WITH ME ON MY KEYCHAIN. IT STRIKES ME AS VERY IMPROBABLE, IN THE GRAND SCHEME OF THINGS, THAT TWO SUCH DIFFERENT KEYS SHOULD ARBITRARILY FAIL UNDER SUCH DIFFERENT CIRCUMSTANCES. WHAT ARE THE ODDS? WHAT CONCERNS ME IS THIS: WHEN THE KEYS FAIL, THEY IMMOBILIZE THE ENGINE. I REQUESTED THAT AMERICAN HONDA AT LEAST ADMINISTER A QUESTIONNAIRE TO DEALERSHIPS TO DETERMINE WHETHER THEIR SERVICE DEPARTMENTS ARE SEEING THIS HAPPEN TO OTHER HONDA OWNERS, BUT AS FAR AS I CAN TELL THIS INCIDENT IS BEING SUMMARILY DISMISSED. GIVEN THE TRAGEDIES THAT OCCURRED WHEN GM IGNITIONS TURNED OFF UNEXPECTEDLY DURING TRAVEL, RELYING ON A KEY THAT CAN IMMOBILIZE MY IGNITION AT WILL IS UNSETTLING, TO SAY THE LEAST. I WOULD DEEPLY APPRECIATE IT IF SOMEONE COULD LOOK INTO THIS INCIDENT. *TR