NHTSA Complaint #10826031 — 2005 HONDA ACCORD

MY CAR IS NOT EQUIPPED WITH STABILITY CONTROL, BUT IT DOES HAVE TRACTION CONTROL, WHICH CAN BE DISABLED BY A SWITCH ON THE LEFT END OF THE DASHBOARD. THE TRACTION CONTROL SEEMS TO WORK WELL AT SPEEDS ABOVE 30 MPH, BUT WHEN STARTING OUT, IF THE CAR HITS A SLIPPERY PATCH, INSTEAD OF PULSING THE BRAKES TO KEEP THE WHEELS FROM SPINNING, AS THE CHRYSLER LHS I OWNED PREVIOUSLY DID, IT SIMPLY GIVES UP, CUTTING MOST OF THE ENGINE POWER, LEAVING THE CAR UNABLE TO GO MORE THAN 2 OR 3 MPH. THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS WHEN CROSSING INTERSECTIONS WITH STOP SIGNS AND CAN EVEN CREATE A HAZARD WHEN THE INTERSECTION IS CONTROLLED BY A STOP LIGHT. IT CAN BE AVOIDED BY DISABLING THE TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM BEFORE HAND, BUT THE DISABLE BUTTON WON'T WORK IF UNLESS THE CAR IS AT A COMPLETE STOP, CREATING A PANIC SITUATION IF THE SYSTEM KICKS IN UNEXPECTEDLY. NO CAR SHOULD BE ALLOWED ON THE ROAD WITH A SYSTEM LIKE THIS, BUT MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT A NUMBER OF OTHER MAKES EXHIBIT THE SAME BEHAVIOR, POSSIBLY DUE TO A COMMON VENDOR. THERE ARE TRAFFIC DEATHS DUE TO IMPROPERLY TIMED INTERSECTION CROSSINGS EVERY DAY, AND GIVEN THE BEHAVIOR OF SYSTEMS LIKE THIS, I FIND IT HARD TO BELIEVE THAT NO DEATHS HAVE RESULTED FROM IT. I'VE BEEN LUCKY ENOUGH TO RECOGNIZE THE SYSTEM'S BAD BEHAVIOR AND DISABLE IT MORE OFTEN THAN I WOULD HAVE TO DISABLE A PROPERLY DESIGNED SYSTEM; THE AVERAGE DRIVER SHOULD NOT BE FACED WITH SUCH A BURDEN. PLEASE TAKE ACTION AGAINST ALL OF THE COMPANIES THAT ALLOWED A SYSTEM LIKE THIS TO GET ONTO OUR ROADS. PLEASE NOTE THAT I LISTED THE "DATE OF INCIDENT" AS THE FIRST OCCURRENCE I RECALL, BECAUSE A DATE WAS REQUIRED, BUT THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING, AND I HAVE BEEN TAKING PRECAUTIONS TO AVOID IT, FROM THE TIME I GOT THE CAR IN 2006 UP TO NOW. THANK YOU.