NHTSA Complaint #11035519 — 2013 HONDA CIVIC

FOR THE SECOND TIME IN AS MANY MONTHS, I HAVE BEEN DRIVING MY CAR WHEN SUDDENLY THE VSA WARMING LIGHT HAS COME ON, FOLLOWED BY THE TRANSMISSION FLUID WARNING LIGHT. THE FIRST TIME THIS OCCURRED, I PULLED INTO THE PARKING LOT OF MY APARTMENT COMPLEX AND CHECKED THE OWNERS MANUAL FOR MY CIVIC FOR ANY INFORMATION. IT SUGGESTED THAT I WAIT SEVERAL MINUTES AND THE RESTART THE CAR. I WAITED FOR 10 MINUTES AND RESTARTED MY CAR. BOTH LIGHTS HAD GONE OUT AND I WAS ABLE TO GET TO THE LOCAL CARMAX DEALER, WHERE I'D PURCHASED THIS CAR. THE SERVICE CENTER COULD NOT LOOK AT MY CAR THEN, BUT THE TECHNICIAN SET AN APPOINTMENT FOR ME FOR THE NEXT MONDAY AND REASSURED ME THAT I WOULD "PROBABLY" BE FINE UNTIL THEN. WHEN THAT DAY CAME I WAS TOLD THAT THE CAR WOULD NEED TO BE LOOKED AT BY AN AUTHORIZED HONDA DEALER, AUTONATION HONDA, BUT THAT CARMAX WOULD COVER THE COST BECAUSE THE CAR WAS STILL UNDER THEIR LIMITED WARRANTY. DAYS LATER, I TOOK THE CAR TO AUTONATION AND THEY UPDATED THE VEHICLE'S SOFTWARE FOR THE VSA. TODAY, OCTOBER 22, 2017, I WAS DRIVING TO VISIT FAMILY WHEN THE VSA LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN, IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED BY THE TRANSMISSION FLUID WARNING LIGHT. ONCE AGAIN, I PULLED OVER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AND TURNED OFF THE CAR FOR 10 MINUTES. DURING THAT TIME I CALLED AND LEFT MESSAGES FOR BOTH MY CARMAX AND AUTONATION CONTACTS AND TOLD THEM WHAT HAD HAPPENED. WHEN I STARTED THE CAR AGAIN, BOTH LIGHTS WERE OFF. I HAVE BEEN LOOKING TO SEE IF THERE HAVE BEEN OTHERS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM AND HAVE FOUND MANY PEOPLE WHO SHARE THE SAME PROBLEM. HONDA APPEARS TO HAVE IGNORED THIS ISSUE IN LATER MODEL CARS AND I FEEL THIS IS SEVERELY DANGEROUS!