NHTSA Complaint #11173522 — 2015 HONDA ODYSSEY

SOME LATE MODEL HONDA 6 SPEED TRANSMISSIONS CAN NOT BE DOWNSHIFTED! ON A LONG DOWNHILL GRADE, THE BRAKES WERE NOT ADEQUATE AND ARE NOW BURNED AND VIBRATE. I KNOW NOT TO 'RIDE' YOUR BRAKES BUT THERE WAS NO ALTERNATIVE, EITHER TRAVEL AT A CRAWL WITH TRAFFIC BACKING UP BEHIND ME OR HAVING A RUNAWAY CAR. I LEARNED TO DRIVE IN COLORADO AND KNOW THE SAFETY PROVIDED BY DOWNSHIFTING THE TRANSMISSION TO CONTROL YOUR DOWNHILL SPEED AS LONG (7 OR 8 MILES IN PLACES) DOWNHILL ROADS WILL RUIN YOUR BRAKES. TRUCK TRAVEL IS RESTRICTED ON MANY COLORADO ROADS AND THERE ARE NUMEROUS 'TRUCK RUNAWAY RAMPS' IN COLORADO FOR THIS REASON. I NEVER WOULD EXPECT A MANUFACTURE TO TAKE AWAY SAFETY ISSUES BUT HONDA TOOK AWAY THE ABILITY TO DOWNSHIFT THEIR 6 SPEED TRANSMISSION! THEY'VE ADDED MANY OTHER SAFETY DEVICES BUT I WOULD NEVER EXPECT THEM TO TAKE AWAY A SAFETY DEVICE WHERE THE COST OF DEVELOPMENT HAS BEEN ABSORBED, THE COST OF PRODUCTION IS NOW LOW AND IS SO NECESSARY FOR SAFETY. BEING ABLE TO SLOW OR STOP IS THE PRIMARY SAFETY FACTOR IN DRIVING! HONDA'S RESPONSE TO MY COMPLAINT IS THAT IT IS MY FAULT FOR NOT STUDYING THE VEHICLE MORE BEFORE I PURCHASED. IT SHOULD BE THE PRODUCER OF A PRODUCT WHO IS HELD TIGHTLY TO CONSUMER SAFETY. HONDA IS NOT PROVIDING A SAFE VEHICLE. THEY MAINTAIN IT IS NOT THEIR RESPONSIBILITY TO INFORM BUYERS OF CHANGES THEY HAVE MADE THAT MIGHT ADVERSELY AFFECT SAFETY. THIS IS AN ISSUE THE AVERAGE CITIZEN CANNOT HANDLE AND IT NEEDS GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION. THE ONLY CONCERN HONDA HAD WHEN THEY RESPONDED TO MY EMAILED COMPLAINT WAS A REQUIREMENT TO RECORD THE CALL AND NOT ALLOW ME TO RECORD IT OR TO GIVE ME A COPY OR TRANSCRIPT OF THE CALL. ALL OF THEIR CONCERN WAS ABOUT PROTECTING THEMSELVES LEGALLY, NOT PROVIDING A SAFE VEHICLE! MAYBE HONDA SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO BUILD 'CAR RUNAWAY RAMPS' ON LONG DOWN GRADES.