NHTSA Complaint #11218746 — 2019 HONDA CIVIC

WHILE DRIVING (50+/- MPH) ON A TWO LANE STATE ROAD, MY 2019 HONDA CIVIC HATCHBACK SPORT CMBS (COLLISION MITIGATION BRAKING SYSTEM) AUTOMATICALLY ENGAGED, BRINGING MY VEHICLE VERY CLOSE TO A COMPLETE STOP FOR NO REASON I COULD SEE. THERE WERE NO VEHICLES IN FRONT OF ME IN EITHER DIRECTION AND FORTUNATELY NO VEHICLE FOLLOWING OR I WOULD HAVE BEEN REAR-ENDED. CLEAR MORNING, NOTHING ON THE ROADWAY, NO WILDLIFE I SAW. DRY AND SUNNY, NO LEAVES, NO BREEZE, BARE PAVEMENT. A SWEET JUNE MORNING IN DUTCHESS COUNTY, NY. OUT OF THE BLUE THE CMBS ENGAGED AUTOMATICALLY APPLYING THE BRAKES SO HARD I COULD FEEL THE ABS KICKING ON AND IN MOMENTS I WAS AT A CRAWL, THEN THE CAR SIMPLY BEHAVED NORMALLY AGAIN. I'VE OWNED THIS CAR LESS THAN A WEEK. THERE IS NO MEANS PROVIDED TO SHUT THIS FEATURE OFF PERMANENTLY. THE ONLY WAY TO OVERRIDE THE CMBS IS TO MANUALLY TURN IT OFF EVERY TIME I RESTART THE CAR. IT RESETS EVERY TIME THE CAR IS TURNED OFF. THIS FEATURE MAY WIND UP CAUSING MORE REAR END COLLISIONS AS IT AVOIDS FRONT END COLLISIONS. WHAT WOULD THE CONSEQUENCES BE IF THAT SCENARIO HAPPENED WHILE ON A CURVE, DRIVING 50 MPH IN THE RAIN? OR IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC ON A HIGHWAY AT 60 MPH (OR FASTER) WHERE COMMUTERS TYPICALLY TAILGATE ACROSS THREE OR FOUR LANES OF TRAFFIC? THIS WAS MY VERY FIRST EXPERIENCE WITH CMBS IN ANY VEHICLE AND I CONSIDER IT A TOTAL FAILURE AND EXTREMELY DANGEROUS WHEN IT CAN ENGAGE WITH SUCH FORCE WHILE IT'S A FALSE ALARM.