NHTSA Complaint #11375899 — 2016 HONDA HR-V

A HEATED SEAT MALFUNCTION BURNED A HOLE IN MY PANTS AND MELTED MY DRIVER'S LICENSE. IT LIKELY WOULD HAVE BURNED MY SKIN IF MY WALLET HAD NOT BEEN THERE. WHILE DRIVING HOME FROM A HIKE, IN THE DRIVER'S SEAT, I USED THE HEATED SEAT ON THE HIGH SETTING. IT WAS A SUNNY DAY AND I AND MY CLOTHES WERE DRY. AS WE GOT CLOSE TO HOME, AFTER MAYBE 15-20 MINUTES OF USAGE, IT SUDDENLY FELT UNCOMFORTABLY HOT. I TURNED OFF THE HEATED SEAT. I DIDN'T NOTICE THE DAMAGE UNTIL LATER THAT NIGHT, WHEN I BIKED TO A NEARBY GROCERY STORE AND PULLED OUT MY WALLET TO PAY FOR GROCERIES. I NOTICED THAT MY DRIVER'S LICENSE (THE TOP OF WHICH PROTRUDES OUT FROM MY WALLET) HAD SUFFERED SIGNIFICANT HEAT DAMAGE, WITH A PEA-SIZED BROWN SPOT AND DISTORTIONS OF THE MATERIAL AROUND IT. THE DRIVER'S LICENSE WAS LIGHTLY STUCK TO THE CARD BEHIND IT (MY HEALTH INSURANCE ID CARD), WHICH ALSO SUFFERED SLIGHT DISTORTIONS IN THE MATERIAL BUT NO BROWN SPOT. I THEN NOTICED THE MATCHING DIME-SIZED HOLE BURNED IN MY PANTS' RIGHT REAR POCKET, WHERE I KEEP THE WALLET. THE EDGES OF THIS HOLE WERE SINGED. I SUSPECTED THE HEATED SEAT SINCE IT WAS THE ONLY HEAT SOURCE I HAD BEEN AROUND. UPON RETURNING HOME I INSPECTED IT AND FOUND A MATCHING DIME-SIZED HOLE BURNED THROUGH THE CUSHIONING OF THE SEAT WHERE MY RIGHT REAR POCKET WOULD BE, WITH AN EXPOSED HEATING ELEMENT NOW VISIBLE THROUGH THE HOLE.