1999 Honda CR-V

ON MARCH 3, 2006, I WAS TRAVELING THE POSTED SPEED LIMIT ON I-95 IN MARTIN COUNTY, FLORIDA IN OUR 1999 HONDA CRV. APPROXIMATELY 1-2 MILES BEFORE THE ST. LUCIE BLVD. EXIT, I NOTICED A VERY SLIGHT TREMOR OR VIBRATION? IN THE STEERING COLUMN. THE TREMOR VERY GRADUALLY INCREASED. ABOUT 1-2 MILES PAST THE ST. LUCIE WEST BLVD. ENTRANCE RAMP, THERE WAS A LOUD BANG AND I SAW LARGE PIECES OF TIRE DEBRIS IN THE AIR NEAR THE REAR OF OUR VEHICLE. SEVERAL VEHICLES SWERVED SHARPLY TO AVOID OUR VEHICLE AND THE TIRE DEBRIS. I PULLED ONTO THE SHOULDER AND UPON EXAMINATION FOUND THE RIGHT REAR TIRE (FACING FORWARD) HAD COMPLETELY LOST ALL OF ITS TREAD. THE TIRE WAS STILL INFLATED SO I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE TO A TIRE DEALERSHIP ON ST. LUCIE BLVD. AND PURCHASE A NEW TIRE, HOWEVER THERE WAS APPROXIMATELY $1,200 IN DAMAGE TO THE CRV. THE TIRE HAD APPROXIMATELY 12,000 MILES OF USE ON IT. THE TIRES HAVE ALWAYS BEEN MAINTAINED AT THE TIRE PRESSURE RECOMMENDED IN THE CRV OWNER'S MANUAL AND I CHECKED THE PRESSURE IMMEDIATELY PRIOR TO THIS TRIP. OUR LOCAL HONDA TECHNICAL SERVICE MANAGER, THE TIRE TECHNICIAN IN PORT ST. LUCIE AND A LOCAL FIRESTONE/BRIDGESTONE TIRE TECHNICIAN ALL AGREED UPON EXAMINATION OF THE TIRE AND THE DAMAGE TO OUR VEHICLE THAT THE TIRE TREAD SEPARATION WAS IN ALL PROBABILITY DUE TO THE SUBJECT TIRE BEING DEFECTIVE. AT BRIDGESTONE/FIRESTONE'S REQUEST, I RETURNED THE DAMAGED TIRE TO THEM FOR TESTING AND REQUESTED REIMBURSEMENT FOR DAMAGE TO MY CRV. THEY ARE CLAIMING THAT I WAS AT FAULT FOR THEIR DEFECTIVE TIRE AND THAT THE TIRE HAD BEEN "OVER OR UNDER DEFLATED" FOR A PERIOD OF TIME. DESPITE REPEATED REQUESTS, THEY HAVE FAILED TO RETURN THE SUBJECT TIRE TO ME. *JB

I BEGAN EXPERIENCING A MISFIRE DURING IDLE IN MY 99 HONDA CRV ABOUT A YEAR AGO. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND HE SAID MY FUEL INJECTORS WERE BAD AND CHARGED ME APPROX.$750 TO REPLACE. I CONTINUED TO HAVE THE PROBLEM SO I DID A TUNE UP ON THE VEHICLE. THIS STILL DID NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. I BROUGHT THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALER AND HE SAID HE COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR AND IT WAS MISSING BECAUSE I DID NOT USE HONDA SPARK PLUGS. I REPLACE THE BOSCH PLUGS WITH HONDA PLUGS AND STILL EXPERIENCED THE PROBLEM. I LIVED WITH THE PROBLEM FOR A FEW MORE MONTHS AND FINAL BROUGHT IT BACK TO THE DEALER FOR THE THIRD TIME. NOW HE SAYS THAT I NEED A NEW HEAD AND NEW FUEL INJECTORS ND WANTS $4800 FOR THE REPAIRS. I HAVE BEEN RESEARCHING THE SUBJECT ON THE INTERNET AND THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS OF THE SAME PROBLEM. THE HONDA VALVES NEED TO BE ADJUSTED EVERY 15,000 TO 30,000 MILES OR THEY CAN GET TOO TIGHT AND CAUSE BURNED VALVES OR A DAMAGED HEAD. THE HONDA OWNERS MANUAL ONLY RECOMMENDS ADJUSTING THE VALVES AT A MUCH GREATER INTERVAL. THIS IS DEFINITELY A DESIGN DEFECT AND HONDA SHOULD BE HELD LIABLE FOR THEIR INCOMPETENT ENGINEERING ABILITY. BY THE WAY THE DEALER I WENT TO IS NAPLETONS AUTOWERKS HONDA IN ROCKFORD ILLINOIS.*JB

1999 CRV. MY WIFE AND I PURCHASED THE CAR NEW FROM ANDERSON HONDA (NOW BLOOMFIELD HONDA; BLOOMFIELD HILLS, MI). MY WIFE DRIVES THE CAR TO AND FROM HER OFFICE. THE VEHICLE NOW HAS 70,000 MILES ON IT. IT HAS PERFORMED MOSTLY PERFECTLY. ABOUT SIX MONTHS AGO, THE REAR DOOR LATCH WOULD NOT CLOSE SECURELY. I WOULD HAVE TO MANUALLY SET THE LATCH MECHANISM PRIOR TO SLAMMING IT SHUT TO SECURE IT. I MADE ARRANGEMENTS TO HAVE THE DEALER CHECK AND CORRECT THE PROBLEM THIS WEEK. THEY REPLACED THE MECHANISM AND CHARGED ME $173 ($40 FOR THE PART AND $133 LABOR). THEY GAVE ME THE "OLD" PART TO EXAMINE. I AM A GRADUATE MECHANICAL ENGINEER AND EXPERIENCED IN AUTOMOTIVE CORROSION ISSUES. I WAS SHOCKED AT THE CONDITION OF THE HANDLE ASSEMBLY THEY REPLACED. IT WAS IN AN ADVANCED STATE OF CORROSION TO THE EXTENT IT WAS "FROZEN" SHUT DUE TO CORROSION. I HAVE TWO ISSUES WITH THIS: 1. THE LOCATION OF THE LATCH IS MOSTLY PROTECTED FROM THE EXTERNAL ELEMENTS AND SHOULD NOT HAVE CORRODED THIS MUCH. I KEEP THE CAR GARAGED. IN THE WINTER, I TAKE IT THROUGH A CAR WASH PERHAPS TWICE/MONTH. IN OTHER SEASONS I WASH THE CAR BY HAND ALSO ABOUT TWICE/MONTH. 2. THIS IS EITHER A DESIGN PROBLEM OR A QUALITY PROBLEM. THE REASON I AM CALLING IT TO YOUR ATTENTION IS THAT A SAFETY ISSUE MAY RESULT DUE TO THE FAILURE OF THE BACK DOOR TO LATCH SECURELY. THINGS AND KIDS MIGHT FALL FROM THE REAR DOOR SUDDENLY OPENING WHILE THE VEHICLE IS BEING DRIVEN. YOU MIGHT WANT TO LOOK INTO THIS. *NM

THE FIRST 3 INCIDENTS WERE AS FOLLOWS. 1) CAR IDLING WHILE TALKING RESTARTED. 2) STALLED DURING LOW SPEED DRIVING, RESTARTED AFTER 3 TRIES. 3) STALLED DURING LOW SPEED DRIVING, RESTARTED AFTER 3 TRIES. 4) STALLED WHILE DRIVING WOULD NOT RESTART UNTIL 3 RETRIES AND WAITING 45 MINUTES THEN STARTED AND DROVE HOME 5 MILES. NO SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT FOR ANY OF THE EVENTS. FOUND RECALL FROM 2002 FOR IGNITION REPLACEMENT, WILL CONTACT LOCAL DEALER. CAR PURCHASED ON WEST COAST WE MOVED SHORTLY AFTER THAT TO THE EAST COAST. *JB

VEHICLE SHOOK UNCONTROLLABLY. CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF VEHICLE, AND PULLED OVER. CONSUMER NOTICED THAT THE LEFT PASSENGER TIRE BLEW OUT. CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO CHANGE THE TIRE. BRIDGESTONE, HT DULLER, P205/70R16, #DOT YTJM51169. *AK 80% OF THE TREAD SEPARATED FROM THE STEEL BELTS AND TORE A PORTION OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONSUMER STATED THAT THE TIRE WAS ORIGINALLY A SPARE TIRE AND WAS PUT INTO USE FOR THE FIRST TIME *TC