NHTSA Complaint #11415661 — 2014 HONDA ACCORD

WHILE ON A 400 MILE ROUND TRIP VISIT TO FAMILY, AFTER STOPPING FOR A REST ROOM BREAK, MY HONDA ACCORD WOULD NOT START AFTER ENGAGING THE PUSH BUTTON STARTER. AFTER A FEW MORE ATTEMPTS, THE PUSH BUTTON IGNITION FINALLY ENGAGED. WHILE VISITING OUT OF STATE, I CONTACTED A HONDA DEALER THERE AND WAS TOLD THERE WAS NO RECALL ON THE STARTER ASSEMBLY FOR MY 2014 HONDA ACCORD AND THAT DEALER WANTED $850 TO REPLACE THE STARTER ASSEMBLY. I DECLINED TO PAY THAT OUTRAGEOUS PRICE, TAKING MY CHANCES TO RETURN HOME, A 200 MILE TRIP. DURING THAT TRIP, THERE WERE MULTIPLE INSTANCES WHERE, AFTER STOPPING FOR EITHER GAS OR A REST ROOM BREAK, IT TOOK MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS TO START THE VEHICLE. AT ONE POINT, AFTER DRIVING THROUGH A FAST FOOD DRIVE THRU, I PULLED INTO A NEARBY PARKING LOT TO PARK OUT OF THE WAY TO EAT MY FOOD BUT KEPT THE ENGINE RUNNING TO ENSURE I WOULD GET BACK HOME. AFTER RETURNING HOME, I MADE AN APPOINTMENT WITH A REPUTABLE LOCAL AUTOMOBILE REPAIR SHOP AND WHILE WAITING FOR A REPLACEMENT STARTER TO BE INSTALLED, THE REPAIR TECHNICIAN CAME OUT TO ME TO SHOW ME THE FAULTY STARTER ASSEMBLY HE HAD REMOVED FROM MY ACCORD. THE ORIGINAL UNIT REMOVED FROM MY ACCORD ACTUALLY CAME OUT OF THE ENGINE IN TWO PIECES. IT HAD SEPARATED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HOUSING. I ASKED THE TECHNICIAN HOW HAD IT STAYED TOGETHER WHILE IT WAS IN THE ENGINE AND HE SAID HE DIDN'T KNOW. (2 PHOTOS ATTACHED) . AT THE TIME OF THIS REPAIR, THERE WERE LESS THAN 45,000 ON THIS 2014 HONDA ACCORD (THUS ALSO ON THE STARTER ASSEMBLY). THE REPAIR WAS MADE USING A GENERIC STARTER ASSEMBLY FROM NAPA ON 04/22/2021 AND I WAS CHARGED $583.98 TOTAL FOR PARTS AND LABOR. IT'S OUTRAGEOUS THAT SUCH AN EXPENSIVE PART DIDN'T LAST LONGER THAN 45,000. I HAD A 2000 HONDA CR-V THAT I SOLD WITH 203,000 MILE ON IT AND IT STILL HAD ITS ORIGINAL STARTER. GRANTED, DIFFERENT TYPE TO IGNITION THEN. .