2016 Honda Odyssey

AS I WAS DRIVING OUR 2016 HONDA ODYSSEY ON THE FREEWAY ON 8 FEBRUARY 2019, THE SUNROOF GLASS EXPLODED LEAVING A HOLE ABOUT 6 INCHES FRONT-TO-BACK BY ABOUT 9 INCHES SIDE-TO-SIDE. AT THE TIME OF THE EVENT, THE INTERIOR PANEL WAS OPEN TO LET IN THE SUNLIGHT SO IT WAS QUITE LOUD WHEN THE GLASS EXPLODED. I DO NOT BELIEVE THE GLASS WAS HIT BY A ROCK OR OTHER DEBRIS. THERE WERE NO CARS OR TRUCKS CLOSE AHEAD OF ME AND I HAD NOT GONE UNDER AN OVERPASS. ALSO THE REMAINING BROKEN GLASS AROUND THE HOLE WAS BOWED OUTWARD. MY SENSE IS THAT THIS IS A STRESS-RELATED FAILURE - PERHAPS TRIGGERED BY THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN OUTSIDE AND INSIDE TEMPERATURES. AT THE TIME OF THE EVENT, THE OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE HERE IN CASTLE ROCK, CO WAS 19 DEG F AND THE SUN WAS SHINING. THE INSIDE TEMPERATURE WAS ABOUT 67 DEG F. OUR DEALER, KUNI HONDA, SAID THAT BECAUSE THE VAN HAD PAST THE 36-MONTH MARK IN DECEMBER (ABOUT 5 WEEKS EARLIER) THAT THEY WOULD NOT COVER THE REPAIR UNDER WARRANTY. THE SERVICE MANAGER TOLD ME THE REPAIR WOULD COST $997.02.

I'M VIEWING SAFETY RECALL: POWER SLIDING DOOR REAR LATCHES (SERVICE BULLETIN 18-128) AND BELIEVE THAT THE SAME REAR LATCH FAILURE IS OCCURRING WITH THIS EARLIER MODEL YEAR VERSION. THE BULLETIN WAS RELEASED RECENTLY FOR 2018 AND 2019 ODYSSEY'S. DAYS AGO MY VAN'S LEFT REAR POWER SLIDING DOOR WOULD NOT LATCH CLOSED. THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY. THE PRELIMINARY DIAGNOSIS AT THE DEALERSHIP WAS THE REAR LATCH COMPONENT 'WEARS OUT.' BASED ON THIS RECENT BULLETIN I BELIEVE THE RECALL SHOULD BE EXPANDED TO INCLUDE OLDER MODELS AS THE FAILURE TO LATCH CONDITIONS ON THE NEWER MODELS AND OLDER MODEL IN MY CASE ARE IDENTICAL AND THE SAME COMPONENT IS AT FAULT. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE AS THESE DOORS ARE NOT FULLY MECHANICALLY LATCHING CLOSED.

EXPLODING SUNROOF. I WAS DRIVING TO WORK EARLY ONE MORNING AND I HEARD A LOUD BANG/POP THEN IMMEDIATELY HEARD AIR AS IF MY SUNROOF WAS OPEN. I VERY CAREFULLY OPENED MY SLIDER AND SAW THAT MY SUNROOF HAD A HUGE HOLE IN IT. THANK GOODNESS THE GLASS WAS ON THE SLIDER BECAUSE HAD THE SLIDER BEEN OPEN- THE GLASS WOULD HAVE SHATTERED EVERYWHERE AND HIT MY THREE CHILDREN. I TOOK IT TO HONDA AND NOTHING WAS COVERED. I HAD TO PAY OUT OF POCKET TO COVER THIS WHEN I DID NOTHING TO THE CAR. IT SOUNDED LIKE A GUNSHOT. I WAS DRIVING ON THE CROSSTOWN TOP DECK IN TAMPA FLORIDA WITH NOTHING AROUND WHEN I HEARD THE LOUD BANG. THERE WAS NOTHING THAT COULD HAVE HIT MY CAR IN THAT DIRECTION AS HONDA SAID THAT WAS WHAT HAD TO HAVE HAPPENED BECAUSE THEY HAD NEVER HEARD OF THIS BEFORE.

TAKATA RECALL I PURCHASED A NEW HONDA ODYSSEY 2016, ON JANUARY 18 OF 2017. IN SAN JOSE, CA. WHEN I FIRST RECEIVED MY NEW HONDA, I NOTICED THAT THE FLOOR CARPETING WAS NOT FINISHED AT THE EDGES AND STARTED UNRAVELING SOON AFTER. THEN AFTER SEVERAL WEEKS (FIRST WEEK OF FEBRUARY 2017) THE BACKUP CAMERA SCREEN BEGAN TO DEGRADE. THE SCREEN HAS WHAT LOOKS LIKE BURNED SPOTS THAT RADIATE INTO DISCOLORATION OF MIXED COLORS OF BLUE, RED, GREEN, ORANGE, PURPLE AND COVERS HALF OF THE SCREEN. IN MANY INSTANCES THE SCREEN IS UN-VIEWABLE, OTHER TIMES, THE DEFECT IS JUST A FEW SPOTS THAT WILL EXPAND TO HALF OF THE SCREEN. NONETHELESS, IT IS A DEFECT IN THE DISPLAY. SINCE MY HONDA HAS A BACKUP CAMERA FOR SAFETY, THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. I HAVE LET HONDA LEADERSHIP KNOW MULTIPLE TIMES OF THE PROBLEM THROUGH MULTIPLE CHANNELS OF SUPPORT. IF THE HONDA SCREEN GOES OUT WHILE I'M BACKING UP AND SOMEONE IS INJURED, HONDA WILL BE COMPLICIT AS THEY WERE NOTIFIED OF THE SAFETY DEFECT. BY THE SECOND WEEK OF MAY, THE MIDDLE DOOR HANDLE PAINT BEGAN FLAKING OFF WITHOUT ANY PHYSICAL DAMAGE, AND CONTINUES TO FLAKE AWAY MORE. I HAVE SPOKEN WITH TWO HONDA CASE MANAGERS. IT SEEMS THAT THEY BELIEVE THEIR JOB IS TO CONVINCE ME THAT HONDA PRODUCES SUB QUALITY CARS, WHICH I AM RELUCTANT TO BELIEVE DUE TO MY PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE WITH MY ACCORD, AND THAT THE DEFECTS REPRESENT NORMAL HONDA QUALITY. WHAT I HAVE BEEN TOLD BY CASE MANAGERS IS THE FOLLOWING: THE CARPET NOT BEING FINISHED AND UNRAVELING IS A STANDARD FEATURE OF THE ODYSSEY. THE BACKUP CAMERA SCREEN DEFECT IS NORMAL FOR THE ODYSSEY. I HAVE RECEIVED MULTIPLE EXCUSES AS TO WHY THE CAMERA IS DEFECTIVE AND HOW IT IS NORMAL FOR THE ODYSSEY TO HAVE THIS DEFECT OF NOT BEING ABLE TO SEE THE FULL SCREEN. NONE OF THE EXCUSES THAT HAVE BEEN GIVEN ARE THE SAME. EVERYONE TELLS ME A DIFFERENT EXCUSE OF WHY I CAN'T SEE THE SCREEN, AND WHY IT'S NORMAL.

OUR 2016 HONDA ODYSSEY ROLLED AWAY SPONTANEOUSLY WHILE SHIFTED TO PARK ON A LOW INCLINE DRIVEWAY AND SEVERELY TRAUMATIZED MY WIFE'S FOOT WITH THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE TIRE AS SHE STRUGGLED TO PUSH THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO STOP THE CAR WHILE OUR DAUGHTER WAS IN HER CAR SEAT. A BYSTANDER CAME IN AND HAD TO SHIFT THE CAR TO DRIVE IN ORDER TO GET IT OFF OF MY WIFE'S FOOT. DURING THE ORDEAL, SHE SUSTAINED A HEAVY SPRAIN/STRAIN TO HER RIGHT ANKLE/FOOT, MULTIPLE SCRAPED, BRUISES, AND ROAD RASH ACROSS HER LEGS, ARMS AND BACK. IF ANYONE WOULD HAVE BEEN BEHIND THE CAR AT THE TIME OF ROLL AWAY, THEY COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED. ATTACHED ARE PICTURES OF HER ANKLE/FOOT AS WELL AS A POLICE REPORT WHICH SOLIDIFIES MY CLAIM.

THE POTENTIAL ISSUE IS IN THE DESIGN/PROGRAMING OF THE CAR STEREO CAUSING AN UNEXPECTED SWITCH BETWEEN AUDIO SOURCES. THE VEHICLE HAS AN OPTION TO PLAY THE REAR AUDIO OR FRONT AUDIO SOURCE THROUGH THE CAR SPEAKERS. WHEN THE VEHICLE IS PLAYING THE REAR AUDIO THROUGH THE SPEAKERS AND THE DRIVER SWITCHES THE I-MID DISPLAY TO THE 'DISPLAY INFO' MODE, THROUGH THE STEERING WHEEL CONTROL OR THROUGH THE AUDIO/PHONE/NAVIGATION BUTTONS, THE AUDIOS SOURCE IS AUTOMATICALLY CHANGED TO THE FRONT AUDIO SOURCE. THIS SUDDEN CHANGE HAS THE ABILITY TO DISTRACT THE DRIVER IN TWO WAYS. THE UNREQUESTED CHANGE OF MODE CAN CAUSE THE DRIVER TO SCRAMBLE TO TURN OFF OR CHANGE THE AUDIO AND ALSO CREATE A SUDDEN INCREASE IN VOLUME. THE SUDDEN INCREASE IN VOLUME DOESN'T COME DIRECTLY FROM THE VEHICLE BUT FROM THE VOLUME DIFFERENCES THAT EXIST THROUGH THE DIFFERENT INPUTS. FOR EXAMPLE THE DVD AUDIO IS QUITTER THAN XM RADIO AND THE AUX INPUTS CAN HAVE VARYING LEVELS OF OUTPUT BASED ON THE DEVICE HOOKED UP TO THEM. I EXPERIENCED THIS ISSUE WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WHILE MY KIDS WERE WATCHING A DISNEY MOVIE IN THE BACK AND IT AUTOMATICALLY SWITCHED TO XM RADIO WHEN I WANTED TO LOOK AT THE VEHICLE INFORMATION (MPG) TO DETERMINE IF I NEEDED TO STOP FOR GAS BEFORE ARRIVING AT MY DESTINATION.