NHTSA Complaint #11300526 — 2020 HONDA CIVIC

MY CAR WAS BROKEN INTO WHILE PARKED IN A PUBLIC PARKING LOT. THE 2020 CIVIC HAS A FEATURE WHERE ALL WINDOWS ROLL DOWN IF YOU PUT THE KEY INTO THE DRIVER'S DOOR LOCK AND TURN IT TO THE RIGHT. ACCORDING TO HONDA OF OAKLAND SERVICE CENTER, SOMEONE USED A SCREWDRIVER TO ACTIVATE THIS FEATURE, WHICH IN TURN ROLLED THE WINDOWS DOWN AND THEY WERE ABLE TO ACCESS THE TRUNK LATCH NEAR THE DRIVER'S SEAT AND STEAL ITEMS FROM MY TRUNK. THEY WERE THEN ABLE TO ROLL THE WINDOWS BACK UP USING THE SAME FEATURE (TURNING TO THE LEFT) AND I WAS NOT AWARE THAT THERE WAS A BREAK IN UNTIL LATE THE NEXT DAY WHEN I WENT TO RETRIEVE ITEMS FROM THE TRUNK. A RELATED FEATURE IS THAT THE KEY FOB ALLOWS YOU TO ROLL DOWN ALL WINDOWS SIMULTANEOUSLY BY HOLDING DOWN THE UNLOCK BUTTON. THIS FEATURE IS VERY SENSITIVE AND CAN BE ACTIVATED IN A POCKET OR PURSE. I TESTED OUT THE RANGE OF THE FEATURE AND WAS ABLE TO ROLL MY WINDOWS DOWN REMOTELY FROM OVER 200 FEET AWAY WHILE INSIDE A BUILDING WHEN MY CAR WAS PARKED OUTSIDE ACROSS THE STREET. I TWICE CAME BACK TO MY CAR WITH THE WINDOWS ROLLED DOWN DUE TO THIS FEATURE WITHOUT MY KNOWLEDGE. THESE REMOTE WINDOW FEATURES POSE A SERIOUS SAFETY THREAT FOR CONSUMERS IN URBAN AREAS, ESPECIALLY SINCE THE DOOR FEATURE CAN EVIDENTLY BE ACTIVATED WITH JUST A SCREWDRIVER, AND THE KEY CAN BE ACTIVATED FROM HUNDREDS OF FEET AWAY. NOT ONLY CAN PEOPLE BREAK INTO MY CAR WITHOUT ANY EQUIPMENT, BUT IT IS NOT EVIDENT FROM THE OUTSET THAT A BREAK-IN OCCURRED BECAUSE THE FEATURE ALSO ALLOWS YOU TO ROLL ALL THE WINDOWS BACK UP REMOTELY. THIS MAKES THE MODEL AN EASY TARGET FOR FUTURE THEFT, AND I HAVE ALREADY HAD TO FILE A CLAIM WITH MY INSURANCE TO REPAIR THE MECHANICAL DAMAGE TO THE LOCK/DOOR RESULTING FROM THIS BREAK IN.