NHTSA Complaint #11405361 — 2011 HONDA CR-V

NOTE ! THIS IS NOT A DEFECTIVE VEHICLE SITUATION, BUT A MALFUNCTIONING BRAKING SYSTEM MANUFACTURED BY BLUE OX. THE HONDA WAS A TOWED VEHICLE BEHIND A MOTOR HOME. PLEASE READ THE DETAILS CAREFULLY. THE MANUFACTURER, BLUE OX OBVIOUSLY WAS AWARE THAT DANGEROUS SITUATIONS COULD OCCUR AS THEY HAVE A PARAGRAPH IN THE BACK OF THEIR MANUAL ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF A "FALSE BREAKAWAY" HAVING THIS OCCUR COULD HAVE RESULTED INTO A SERIOUS FATAL ACCIDENT. WHY IS BLUE OX ALLOWED TO SELL A PRODUCT THAT COULD POTENTIALLY CREATE A SERIOUS MAJOR ACCIDENT? I HAVE UPLOADED ALL OF THE COMMUNICATIONS WITH BLUE OX AS WELL AS PHOTOS OF THE DESTROYED TIRES ON THE TOWED VEHICLE. IN FEBRUARY 2020, I HAD A LOCAL DEALER INSTALL A BLUE OX ACCENT WITH THE PATRIOT 3 BRAKING SYSTEM. WE USED IT LAST YEAR WITH NO ISSUES WHATSOEVER. (APPROX 3,000 MILES) WE LEFT OUR HOME FEBRUARY 10, 2021 TO TRAVEL TO FLORIDA KEYS AND UP THE GULF COAST. AT THAT POINT, WE COVERED OVER ANOTHER 2,000 MILES WITH NO ISSUES. WHEN WE CROSSED OVER IN GA, THERE WAS QUITE A BIT OF CONSTRUCTION. WE WERE TRAVELING 50 MPH SINCE IT WAS A CONSTRUCTION ZONE AND THERE WAS ONE LARGE BUMP, WHICH APPARENTLY CAUSED THE BREAKAWAY SWITCH TO ENGAGE AND LOCKED UP THE WHEELS ON THE TOW VEHICLE. AS SOON AS IT OCCURRED AND I REALIZED WHAT HAPPENED, I PULLED THE POWER SUPPLY OUT OF THE DASH SENDING UNIT, WHICH RELEASED THE TOW VEHICLE BRAKES. HOWEVER, I NOW HAVE 4 RUINED TIRES AS THEY ARE FLAT SPOTTED. IS THIS A NORMAL OCCURRENCE ? WE ARE TRAVELING AGAIN TO TOMORROW AND I AM RELUCTANT TO CONNECT THE BREAKAWAY SENSOR AGAIN AS IT COULD CREATE A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. WE ARE HUNDREDS OF MILES FROM HOME AND THE DEALER THAT INSTALLED THE UNIT. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ? IS THERE ANY RECOMMENDATIONS THAT YOU CAN MAKE AS I AM CERTAIN THAT THERE WILL BE OTHER CONSTRUCTION ON I-95 AS WE TRAVEL NORTH.*DT