2007 Honda Civic

THE VEHICLE'S HYBRID IMA SYSTEM (INTEGRATED MOTOR ASSIST) HAS BEEN STEADILY DETERIORATING SINCE APPROXIMATELY 40000 MILES, BUT BECAME HAZARDOUS AT AROUND 63000. CURRENT MILEAGE IS 78500. THE HYBRID BATTERY SYSTEM MUST RECHARGE SO FREQUENTLY THAT BATTERY ASSIST IS AVAILABLE LESS THAN HALF THE TIME. WHEN ASSIST IS UNAVAILABLE, ACCELERATION IS DANGEROUSLY LOW, MAKING COMMON DRIVING SITUATIONS SUCH AS LEFT TURNS, FREEWAY ONRAMPS, AND MERGING INTO TRAFFIC UNPREDICTABLE AND QUITE HAZARDOUS. HONDA'S ONLY RESPONSE HAS BEEN A SERIES OF INEFFECTIVE SOFTWARE UPDATES. HONDA WILL NOT REPLACE THE BATTERY UNDER WARRANTY UNLESS A WARNING LIGHT APPEARS. YET EVEN THE CURRENT SEVERELY DEGRADED PERFORMANCE OF THE BATTERY DOES NOT TRIGGER THAT WARNING LIGHT. I HAVE BEEN IN SEVERAL "NEAR MISS" SITUATIONS WHEN ACCELERATION WAS SO SLUGGISH THAT I WAS NEARLY UNABLE TO EVADE A DANGEROUS TRAFFIC SITUATION.

THIS REPORT DEALS WITH A RECURRING PROBLEM WITH MY HONDA CIVIC. IN 2009, I TOOK MY HONDA TO THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP DUE TO THE CONSOLE BETWEEN THE FRONT SEATS BECOMING EXTREMELY HOT, SO HOT IN FACT, THAT I COULD NOT TOUCH THE EMERGENCY BRAKE. THE DEALERSHIP SAID THAT IT WAS FIXED, HOWEVER, A YEAR TO THE MONTH LATER, THE SAME THING HAPPENED WHEN THE HEAT WAS AGAIN TURNED ON. THE DEALERSHIP SAID THAT THEY COULD NOT BRACE THE HEAT LINE TO ANYTHING, THAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO "WAD UP SOMETHING" TO HAVE IT REST UPON. I AM VERY DISSATISFIED WITH THE MANY RECALLS AND NOW THIS SITUATION THAT KEEPS SURFACING. WHEN WILL THIS HAPPEN AGAIN, IF IT HAS ALREADY OCCURRED TWICE.

THE DRIVER'S SIDE VISOR IS DEFECTIVE. IT APPEARS AS THOUGH THE SEAL ON THE HINGE FOR THE VISOR HAS COME UNDONE (NOT DUE TO ANY EXCESS FORCE, SIMPLY DUE TO GENERAL EVERYDAY USE). THE DEFECTIVE HINGE ON THE VISOR LEADS TO THE INABILITY TO PROPERLY POSITION THE VISOR, WHEN IN USE, OR NOT IN USE. WHEN IN USE, THIS CREATES A SAFETY HAZARD DUE TO OBSTRUCTING THE DRIVER'S VISION BY THE VISOR ITSELF DUE TO INABILITY TO PROPERLY POSITION THE VISOR (IT DOES NOT STAY IN PLACE), OR AFFECTING THE DRIVER'S VISION DUE TO NOT BEING ABLE TO PROPERLY SHIELD GLARE AND SUN DUE TO THE INABILITY TO PROPERLY POSITION THE VISOR WHILE DRIVING. WHEN NOT IN USE, THE VISOR MAY NOT STAY IN PLACE, THEREFORE "FLOPPING" IN FRONT OF THE DRIVER'S LINE OF VISION. THIS IS A SAFETY CONCERN THAT, WHEN RESEARCHED ON THE INTERNET, IS LARGE PROBLEM WITH HONDA CIVIC OWNERS LIKE MYSELF. THIS HAS NOT YET CAUSED ME TO HAVE AN ACCIDENT, BUT I'M TRYING TO BE PROACTIVE IN PREVENTING SUCH AN INCIDENT. I HAVE TRIED MULTIPLE TIMES TO SPEAK WITH MY HONDA SERVICE PEOPLE, AND I'VE BEEN TOLD THIS IS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. HOWEVER, THE SERVICE PEOPLE HAVE TOLD ME THEY SEE THIS COMPLAINT "ALL THE TIME." THIS IS A SAFETY DEFECT THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED AND PROPERLY HANDLED. THANK YOU FOR LOOKING INTO THIS MATTER.

MY SUN VISORS HAVE CRACKED/SPLIT AT THE TOP ON BOTH THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE. THEY WILL NOT STAY UP AND BLOCK MY VISION SO THAT I HAVE TO TURN THEM TO THE SIDE FACING THE DOORS WHILE DRIVING. I HAD THEM BOTH REPLACED WHILE UNDER WARRANTY ON SEPTEMBER 13, 2008. THEY BROKE EXACTLY THE SAME WAY AGAIN THIS SUMMER(2010). THE VISORS ARE NOT ABLE TO WITHSTAND THE HEAT AND SEEM TO MELT AND BURST AT THE SEAM IN THE SUMMER MONTHS.

WHILE OPERATING THE ABOVE VEHICLE, THE DRIVER SIDE SUN VISOR IMPLODED, BECAME UNSTABLE AND FELL INTO MY LINE OF SIGHT. THIS WAS A KNOWN HAZARDOUS DEFECT ON BEHALF OF THE MANUFACTURER, HONDA. I JUST BECAME AWARE THIS HAS BEEN A WELL DOCUMENTED FLAW IN THE DESIGN AND THE COMPANY HAS BEEN PUT ON NOTICE. THE FAILURE OF HONDA TO VOLUNTARILY RECALL AND/OR REPAIR THE DEFECTED VISOR AMOUNTS TO NEGLIGENCE ACCORDING TO MOST STATE CASE LAW. THIS SHOULD IMMEDIATELY RESULT IN A CIVIL ACTION BEFORE ANOTHER FAILED PRODUCT PRESENTS AN UNDUE HAZARD TO ANOTHER VICTIM OF HONDA.