1996 Honda Accord

DIDN'T KNOW THAT OIL WAS LEAKING OUT FROM ENGINE UNTIL OIL LIGHT CAME ON. CHECKED OIL. WAS COMPLETELY EMPTY. PUT IN A QUART TO GET TO SERVICE STATION AND IT TO LEAKED OUT. LUCKY, THAT THERE WAS NO MAJOR DAMAGE TO ENGINE. VERY EXPENSIVE REPAIR. WAS TOLD BY MECHANIC THAT, THIS WAS THE 4TH ONE THEY FIXED SO FAR THIS YEAR AND THAT THERE IS A FIX TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING AND THAT ONLY DEALERS AND SERVICE STATIONS WERE NOTIFIED. WHY NOT THE OWNERS? FROM READING THE COMPLAINTS, IT SHOULD BE RECALLED FOR THIS SAFETY ISSUE. *AK

WHILE DRIVING ENGINE CHECK LIGHT STARTED FLASHING. CONSUMER EXITED FREEWAY, AND STOPPED AT A MECHANIC, AND VEHICLE WAS COMPLETELY OUT OF OIL, MECHANIC PUT IN 4 QUARTS OF OIL. CONSUMER DROVE A BLOCK AND PARKED VEHICLE. ANOTHER MECHANIC CHECKED IT, AND OIL SHOT OUT EVERYWHERE. TOOK TO MECHANIC AND THEY SAID IT WAS THE BALANCER SHAFT SEAL, WHICH IS PRONE TO SHRINKAGE IN THESE VEHICLES AND WILL SHOOT OUT OIL. *AK

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!!