NHTSA Complaint #11220350 — 2016 HONDA PILOT

CAR WAS ENGAGED IN "IDLE-STOP" AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT. FOLLOWING DRIVER'S LIFTING OF FOOT OFF OF THE BRAKE PEDAL, CAR SHUT OFF COMPLETELY. ALL DASHBOARD LIGHTS LIT UP, AND CAR WAS NOT ABLE TO BE TURNED BACK ON FOR 1-2 MINUTES. CAR WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY STREET, AND A LARGE VEHICLE NEARLY REAR-ENDED THE DEAD CAR. DRIVER WAS THEREAFTER ABLE TO FOLLOW ON-SCREEN INSTRUCTIONS FOR RESTARTING VEHICLE, BUT WAS UNSUCCESSFUL IN SEVERAL INITIAL ATTEMPTS. (IN OTHER WORDS, CAR WAS NOT STARTING DESPITE DRIVER'S COMPLYING WITH INSTRUCTIONS. PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT, CAR HAD IN SOME INSTANCES VERY MOMENTARILY "CUT OUT" FOLLOWING AN "IDLE-START." DRIVER NOTICED A "POPPING" AT THIS TIME. BUT THE PROBLEM, WHICH THE MANUFACTURER AND DEALER CLAIM TO KNOW NOTHING ABOUT AND ARE "UNABLE TO REPLICATE" DURING SERVICE, IS CLEARLY BECOMING WORSE AND MORE DANGEROUS OVER TIME. THE BEST THE HONDA DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPARTMENT APPEARS TO BE ABLE TO DO IN DIAGNOSING THE PROBLEM IS TO SUGGEST BATTERY RECHARGE OR REPLACEMENT, WHICH HAS NOT BEEN AN ISSUE FOR OUR CAR AND IS APPARENTLY A COMMON SUGGESTION FROM DEALERSHIPS. THIS IS AN APPARENTLY BIGGER ISSUE THAN HONDA HAS BEEN WILLING TO ADMIT.