NHTSA Complaint #10920643 — 2007 HONDA ODYSSEY

MY HONDA ODYSSEY DRIVER SIDE SLIDING DOOR HAD BEEN SHAKING, MAKING NOISES, AND OPENING AND CLOSING MID WAY FOR A FEW WEEKS WHEN THE DOOR FINALLY POPPED OUT! WE WERE RETURNING FROM A FAMILY TRIP AND AFTER WE PULLED INTO OUR DRIVEWAY AROUND 1:30 AM AND PARKED, MY HUSBAND USED THE SLIDING DOOR TO GET OUR TODDLER OUT. AS HE REACHED IN AND PICKED HER UP, THE DOOR BEGAN TO CLOSE AND HE PUSHED HER BACK IN. THEN THERE WAS A LOUD BANGING NOISE AND THE DOOR POPPED OUT AND WAS HANGING BY THE HINGES. WE COULD NOT BLIEVE WHAT JUST HAPPENED. FEARING THAT THE DOOR WOULD FALL OFF, WE QUICKLY TOOK THE KIDS IN AND MY HUSBAND AND SON ATTEMPTED TO PUT THE DOOR BACK ON AS QUICKLY AND SAFELY AS WE COULD WITH OUR PHONES FLASHLIGHTS FOR VISIBILITY. IT TOOK A WHILE BUT THEY MANAGED TO LIFT AND PUSH IT UP WHERE IT WAS NO LONGER HANGING BUT WASN'T CLOSED ALL THE WAY EITHER. WE COVERED THE DOOR AND OPENINGS WITH TRASH BAGS TO SEAL OUT THE RAIN THAT WAS GETTING IN. LATER THAT MORNING WE WENT OUT TO INSPECT THE DAMAGE. THE TRASH BAGS HAD BLOWN OFF AND THE SEATS WERE WET, THE DOOR HAD SCRATCHED THE EXTERIOR OF THE VAN DEEPLY. THE NEXT BUSINESS DAY WHICH WAS MONDAY THE 4TH, I CALLED MY HONDA SERVICE STATION AND TOLD THEM WHAT HAPPENED HE SAID HE HAD HEARD ABOUT THE PROBLEM BUT I NEEDED TO CALL HONDA CORPORATE AND SEE IF THEY WOULD PAY FOR REPAIRS. I CALLED CORPORATE AND WAS TOLD THAT DUE TO HE HIGH MILEAGE OF MY VEHICLE THEY WOULD NOT PAY. I TOLD HIM THAT WHILE RESEARCHING WHY THE DOOR WOULD JUST POP OUT, I FOUND HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE SAME ISSUE AND NOT ALL THE VANS HAD HIGH MILEAGE BUT HONDA REFUSED TO HELP THEM TOO IT WAS UNSAFE WHEN THE DOOR WAS SHAKING AND CLOSING AS WE WOULD TRY TO GET IN OR OUT BUT NOW WE CANNOT GET OUT OF THAT DOOR IN CASE OF ANEMERGENCY I BELIEVE HONDA HAS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE WITH THESE DOORS AND IS REFUSING TO ACKNOWLEDGE IT.