NHTSA Complaint #11052655 — 2011 HONDA CR-Z

VEHICLE HAS PERIODICALLY STARTED EXHIBITING STRANGE AND DANGEROUS ISSUES WITH THE ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING (WHILE STOPPED AND AT VARIOUS SPEEDS) AND, OF GREATER CONCERN, WHEN THE COMPUTER IS DETECTING ISSUES IT IS NOT SHUTTING DOWN THE EPS SYSTEM AS IT SHOULD BUT, INSTEAD, SPORADICALLY TURNS ON AND OFF EVEN WHILE IN THE MIDDLE OF A TURN. WHEN THIS ISSUE OCCURS IT FIRST STARTS BY A MOMENTARY (OR SOMETIMES LONGER) FLASH OF THE EPS INDICATOR ON THE DASH AND THERE IS A CONSTANT SOUND OF RELAYS CLICKING IN THE DASH TO THE LEFT OF THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THIS INDICATOR LIGHT WILL RANDOMLY TURN OFF AND ON WITH SEEMINGLY NO REASON AND THE STEERING BECOMES STIFF, THEN LIGHT, AND OFTEN WILL BEGIN AN ASSIST IN THE MIDDLE OF A TURN WHICH RESULTS IN THE VEHICLE VEERING DEEPER INTO THE TURN UNLESS THE OPERATOR RESPONDS QUICKLY ENOUGH TO PULL IT BACK TO THE CORRECT POSITION. THESE PERIODIC ISSUES CAN SOMETIMES LAST 5 MINS OR CAN LAST AN ENTIRE TRIP AND OCCASIONALLY THE COMPUTER DISPLAY WILL FLASH A MESSAGE TO CHECK POWER STEERING BUT THEN USUALLY IMMEDIATELY CLEAR THAT MESSAGE ALONG WITH ANY ERRORS. A MECHANIC WAS NOT ABLE TO REPRODUCE THE ISSUE AND WAS NOT ABLE TO LOCATE ANY ERRORS FROM THE STANDARD COMPUTER BUT DID NOT HAVE ACCESS TO THE PROPRIETARY HONDA PROTOCOLS AND A DEALER WANTS $120 JUST TO CONNECT THE CAR TO THE COMPUTER. ADDITIONALLY I ASKED IF THERE WAS A WAY TO DISABLE THE POWER STEERING COMPLETELY SO THAT THE VEHICLE DIDN'T OVER OR UNDER STEER ON ME AND THE DEALER SAID THAT THIS WASN'T POSSIBLE AND THAT ONLY THE COMPUTER WAS ABLE TO DISABLE THE POWER STEERING IF IT DETECTED A PROBLEM (WHICH IN MY CASE IT IS ONLY DISABLING MOMENTARILY WHICH IS CREATING AN EVEN GREATER HAZARD). MY DEALERSHIP SEEMED UNCONCERNED WITH THE SAFETY HAZARD THIS CREATES AND OFFERED NO REASONABLE PATH TO INVESTIGATE AND REPAIR.