NHTSA Complaint #718435 — 1996 HONDA ACCORD

A FEW MINUTES AFTER LEAVING A RETAIL BUSINESS, THE BUSINESSMAN CALLED ME ON MY CELL PHONE TO ADVISE ME THERE WAS A LARGE AMOUNT OF FRESH OIL WHERE I HAD PARKED. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER ON THE FREEWAY ONLY TO FIND OIL GUSHING OUT OF MY ENGINE. I IMMEDIATELY EXITED THE FREEWAY AND WENT TO THE 7-11 AT THE TOP OF THE EXIT RAMP. I ADDED 4 QUARTS OF OIL AND DROVE STRAIGHT TO THE HONDA DEALERSHIP APPROXIMATELY 5 MILES AWAY. BY THE TIME I ARRIVED AT THE DEALERSHIP ALL THE OIL HAD GUSHED OUT AGAIN. THE DEALERSHIP SAID THE SEAL ON THE FRONT BALANCER SHAFT HAD BECOME DISLODGED. THEY SAID IT WOULD COST $750 TO REPAIR. THE TIMING BELT WAS FULL OF OIL SO IT TOO HAD TO BE REPLACED. IF IT WASN'T FOR THE ALERT BUSINESSMAN AND THE FLUKE THAT I HAD GIVEN HIM MY PHONE NUMBER, I NEVER WOULD HAVE BEEN AWARE OF THE PROBLEM UNTIL EITHER THE ENGINE SEIZED UP AND/OR CAUGHT ON FIRE. THE DEALERSHIP AND THE MANUFACTURER SEEMED UNFAZED BY THE POTENTIAL DISASTER THAT I NARROWLY AVERTED SIMPLY BY A FLUKE OF CHANCE. THIS PROBLEM SHOULD RESULT IN A RECALL TO PREVENT OTHERS FROM GETTING KILLED IF THE CAR CATCHES ON FIRE AND SEIZES UP WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS!!