1998 Honda Civic

CAR WAS IN PARK, HAND BRAKE WAS UP-LIMIT, AIR CONDITIONER AND ENGINE ON, IN A DRIVEWAY WITH AN INCLINE. I WAS UNLOADING THREE PET BIRDS FROM CAR IN OVER 90 DEGREE WEATHER, THEREFORE LEFT AIR CONDITIONER ON. WHEN I WAS DONE UNLOADING, I KNELT ON MY KNEES ON THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT AND REACHED OVER TO IGNITION, TURNED KEY AND REMOVED IT. CAR JUMPED GEARS TO NEUTRAL AND SLID BACK DOWN HILL, INTO STREET, CAUSING CLOSE TO $2,000 DAMAGE TO MY CAR AS WELL AS DAMAGE TO THE CAR I WAS PARKED NEXT TO IN DRIVEWAY. I COULD EASILY HAVE BEEN SEVERLY HURT OR KILLED HAD A CAR BEEN COMING UP OR DOWN THE STREET. I REPORTED PROBLEM TO AMERICAN HONDA. SENT NUMEROUS LETTERS. WAS INITIALLY JUST LAUGHED AT. EVENTUALLY THEY OPENED A CASE NUMBER BUT CONCLUDED IT WAS "DRIVER ERROR". IN LIGHT OF THE RECENT NEWS RELEASES ABOUT THE PREVELANCE OF THIS DEFECT ON HONDAS AND ACURAS, I AM FURIOUS.*AK

10 MONTHS AGO I BECAME AWARE OF EXHAUST SMELL INSIDE MY 98 HONDA CIVIC LX VIN-[XXX]. THE PROBLEM WAS WORSE WHEN I IDLED THE CAR FOR A QUICK WARM UP BEFORE DRIVING. *LA THE PROBLEM GOT WORSE AND I WAS GETTING HEADACHES EACH DAY AFTER MY COMMUTE TO WORK. COMPLAINED OF I REMOVED THE HEAT SHIELD FROM THE ENGINE TO INVESTIGATE THE SOURCE OF THE EXHAUST LEAK. I FOUND THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD HAD SPLIT APPROX. ON EACH SIDE OF THE "Y" FOR A TOTAL CRACK OF 6 INCHES. THIS WAS ALLOWING LARGE AMOUNTS OF EXHAUST GAS TO ENTER THE CABIN WHEN USING THE HEATER OR A/C. I WAS INFORMED BY FOUR HONDA DEALERS LOCALLY THAT THE PROBLEM WAS WELL KNOWN AND ALL 7 LOCAL DEALERS HAD MANY MANIFOLDS IN STOCK IN THEIR PARTS DEPARTMENT. THIS WAS AN INDICATION TO ME THAT MANY OF THESE WERE BREAKING AND I WAS FAR FROM ALONE ON THIS ISSUE. THE REPLACEMENT MANIFOLD PART NUMBER IS- 18160-P2E-A12. AT KEN GARFF HONDA IN OGDEN UTAH, I WAS TOLD THAT AN EXTENDED WARRANTY WAS IN EFFECT FOR THE PROBLEM FOR 8 YEARS OR 80K MILES. (MY CIVIC HAS 93,000 MILES) THEY STATED THIS WAS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM FOR 96,97 AND 98 HONDA CIVICS TO HAVE. MY CONCERN IS IF I HAD SUFFICIENT EXHAUST GAS IN MY CABIN TO MAKE ME ILL AND THE PROBLEM WAS WIDESPREAD THAT THIS COULD BE A SERIOUS SAFETY / HEALTH ISSUE. A PERSON SITTING IN THEIR CLOSED, IDLING CAR WITH THE AC/HEATER ON THEY COULD POTENTIALLY SUCCUMB TO CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING. WITH THE ABOVE IN MIND, I CONTACTED AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO. CUSTOMER SERVICE AT 800-999-1009 TO RELAY MY INFORMATION AND DISCUSS THE ISSUE. I SPOKE WITH A WOMAN NAMED [XXX] WHO TOLD ME SHE WOULD RECORD MY CONCERN. I AM ALSO CONCERNED THAT WERE NO SYMPTOMS TO ALERT ME TO THE PROBLEM OTHER THAN ODOR. A NON "AUTO SAVVY" PERSON COULD EASILY OVERLOOK THE GRADUALLY WORSENING PROBLEM JUST LIKE I DID UNTIL THEY DIED. PLEASE INVESTIGATE THE SCOPE OF THIS ISSUE FURTHER AND I AM CONVINCED THAT THIS IS A WIDESPREAD ISSUE DUE TO THE FEEDBACK I GOT. THANK YOU. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (F

TRANSMISSION DOESN'T SHIFT PROPERLY VEHICLE SLIPS WHILE DRIVING CAUSING THE RPMS TO GO UP. DEALER SAID NOTHING WRONG WOULD NOT PUT ON COMPUTER WENT TO THEM 3 TIMES SAME COMPLAINT SAME REPLY WENT TO AAMCO TRANSMISSION THEY PUT ON COMPUTER SAID THERE WAS A PROBLEM, WENT TO AUTO REPAIR SHOP THEY FOUND A CODE BAD SOLENOID TOOK TO DEALER 4TH VISIT THEY REPLACED A SOLENOID PROBLEM STILL THERE. CANT SELL CAR DRIVER TOO BAD SO IM STUCK. ALL THIS OCCURRED BEFORE WARRANTY RAN OUT NOW WARRANTY IS OUT. TRANSMISSION DOES THIS EVERY TIME IT GETS DRIVEN. *JB

DEALER REPLACED THE IGNITION SWITCH UNDER RECALL. ALSO THE ALTERNATOR REPLACED . BUT THE INTERMITTENT PROBLEM TO START THE VEHICLE CONTINUED. *AK THERE WAS INTERMITTENT GRINDING NOISE WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED. SINCE THE NOISE DIDN'T OCCUR WHEN THE CONSUMER BOUGHT IT TO THE DEALER, THEY REFUSED TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. *PH ALSO THE OXYGEN SENSOR WAS REPLACED. *JB