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A loose oil filter has been blamed for fires in the Honda CR-V. Might this also cause fires in other models? See below.
Kelly of Philadelphia PA (10/02/07)
9/30/07 2005 honda civic lx with 22,000 miles caught fire in the engine at fuse box site then ignited the battery, fire dept woke me up. Honda is very unwilling to accept resp. that the car was defective, I am also expected to keep making payments on a car that is literally melted to street. After contacting honda, they gave me a car with higher payments and won't even pay my deductible for ins. they certainly can't hide the fact that their cars catch fire for long.
Liz of Sykesville MD (09/12/07)
My 2001 Honda caught fire as I was driving. Smoke started seeping through the vents in the dashboard. I was fortunate to escape through the window because there was an electrical failure and I could not unlock the electric locks. Fire shot out through the dashboard soon after I escaped the vehicle. Had I been trapped I am certain I would have died.
Dana of Brooklyn NY (08/29/07)
There was a recall on ignition switch the Accord 1998 vehicles and there was no charge for the service. On August 17, 2007, while driving on the highway, the car began to smoke and the car caught on fire. A number of phone calls were made to Honda to report the problem and no one returned the call. Upon returning from vacation on August 28, 2007, I went to speak to a Service Manager about the problem. He stated that he was not responsible for the damages to the car without looking at the car. At first, he stated that I should have the car towed to Honda to be checked to see if the cause of the fire was their responsiblity. He gave me a contact number of a towing company and stated that I should not pay for the towing services. He called back 20 minutes later and stated that there was nothing he can do and for me to contact my insurance company. On the service sheet it specifically states that they are responsible for all services up until 12 months after the service was completed.
Scot of Franklin NC (08/01/07)
I bought a new 2007 Honda Odyssey. My wife was driving the van that had around 200 miles on it and the engine began to smoke and within seconds the engin was on fire. She was able to get our 3 children out of the car with the help of the gas station attentants. The fire department had to be called to put the fire out. The car is a total loss and Honda has taken no actions to investigate or replace the car. They are not taking responsibility. My insurance company is paying for the replacement. The dealer has been great and can't believe Honda hasn't stepped up. My insurance company is in the process of inspecting the car in hopes of sueing Honda. I could have lost my family.
Venkata of Richmond VA (07/28/07)
Couple of years ago,I purchased a used 98 Honda Accord EX (green color) at around 78K miles. I noticed a small area on top of the car where it appeared to have lost paint, the then owner was not aware of any such issues and told me that it is due to bird dropping. Slowly the problem spread to the entire top and also to the trunk. Last December someone hit my car from behind and insurance paid for the trunk replacement. This helped in one way where the car now looks lot better from behind. Today with 106K miles,the problem started spreading to the doors. I have initial information that arepaint job would cost anywhere betweek 3K-4K. If it is proven and so many customers are having the same issue, why would not Honda consider the defect and provide a solution. I haven't called Honda yet regarding this but at the same time did not hear/read about anyone being paid by Honda to fix this problem. Any thoughts/suggestions?
Jennifer of Wake Forest NC (01/05/07)
On 11/30/06, my husband was at lunch and returned to the parking lot to find his 2006 Honda Ridgeline burned and fire fighters just finishing up with extinguishing the engulfed truck.
The Raleigh Fire Department made a report and Geico insurance recorded the cause as manufacturer defect. I spoke with Leith Honda (the dealer that sold us the truck) and was advised to call the 800#. After being read to from the how to handle a customer with a vehicle fire handbook, I was told that Honda could not help me. I was looking for some sort of factory buyback, a good deal on another Honda, a good interest rate (at least the same interest rate I had with the existing loan).
Customer service explained to me that Honda neither sells vehicles, nor finances them, and that the dealer that sold us the defective truck was at fault, and should be the one to help us. Trying to go higher up in the chain of command proved nearly impossible, but on December 11, Honda opened a case for me. After many delayed return phone calls, and being told that Honda was looking into it, I was re-read the exact words from my initial contact--we do not sell vehicles or finance them, (of course they don't from the cubicle at customer service!), we do not advance loaners, we do not have any information In her frustration for my asking the hard questions (ie: who can I speak with about the remedy to this? Who is in charge of the investigation?
Are we just supposed to go on as though our new truck had not just been destroyed by fire?), the service rep. hung up on me. That was on December 20th, I have not heard another word from Honda. It seems that the focus of the investigation lies in the fact that Honda Motors is very concerned that Geico listed the fire as a manufacturer's defect, NOT in helping the consumer. I do not feel that I am being unreasonable in my demand for recompense. I do not want a free vehicle, only the opportunity to purchase another within reasonable parameters.
The Ridgeline was a total loss, rendering us a one-car family for work, household, and during the Holidays. So we were forced to purchase a new vehicle --we had neither time or budget alotted for this over Christmas.
Ashley of Mooringsport LA (02/12/05)
My brand new 2004 Honda Accord had an oil change and caught fire less than 2 miles down the road. Auto Spa, the local company, blaimed Midas, the maker of the oil filter for the fire. Midas blaimed Honda and Honda blaimed Auto Spa. Needless to say; I was the one who lost out the most. I had my car fixed by my own insurance because no one wanted to take responsibility and fix it. Midas says that their oil filter does not fit on Hondas and that they have informed all of their dealers. Auto Spa said that they did not get that memo. To everyone who has bought a Honda, check with the dealer to see which filter you can use. Now only the Honda dealer touches my oil changes -- until I can get rid that horrible death trap!
Maria of Cape Coral FL (07/14/04)
We purchased a brand new Honda Element on March 29, 2004. We loved the vehicle so much and it fits our needs in terms of gas consumage and space until on June 4, 2004, the vehicle caught on fire. Some people helped us to stop the fire and the fire truck came. The vehicle was burnt under. and triple AAA towed it to the dealership where we got the vehicle And it was parked in their service Center. ...
The Customer Service manager (Ms. Mawana T) made us wait for more than a month. She said that the engineering department will investigate on our vehicle. We have been constantly visiting the dealership to follow-up on our vehicle. They said that somebody from the Corporate office was sent to take photos of the vehicle but did not check on the vehicle. Suddenly, we heard from Corporate Office that they are not liable for the vehicle. They said to go back after to whoever did the oil change. And they said that our case is closed already and they cannot entertain our calls.
While surfing in the internet, a pop-up came up about oil change of Honda vehicles. The news is about Honda CRV's which is a comparable to our vehicle. The same situation. Vehicles catching fire, after first change oil or after 10,000 miles. Which is the same situation as ours.
Maria of Cape Coral FL (7/14/04):
We purchased a brand new Honda Element on March 29, 2004. We loved the vehicle so much and it fits our needs in terms of gas consumption and space -- until on June 4, 2004, the vehicle caught on fire. Some people helped us to stop the fire and the fire truck came. AAA towed it to the dealership where we got the vehicle and it was parked in their service Center. They said that they will call us on what they will do.
The Service Manager said that they are not in position to answer us on our problem so they handed us off to American Honda. The Customer Service manager made us wait for more than a month. She said that the engineering department will investigate. We have been constantly visiting the dealership to follow-up on our vehicle. They said that somebody from the Corporate office was sent to take photos of the vehicle.
Suddenly, we heard from Corporate Office that they are not liable for the vehicle. They said to go back after to whoever did the oil change. And they said that our case is closed already and they cannot entertain our calls. While surfing in the internet, a pop-up came up about oil change of Honda vehicles. The news is about Honda CRV's which is a comparable to our vehicle. The same situation. Vehicles catching fire, after first change oil or after 10,000 miles. Which is the same situation as ours.
We needed a vehicle very badly so we asked for a loaner from Honda, they said they only give loaners to customers that have vehicle that is being repaired by the Service Center. They said that we have to get a rent-a-car and we will pay on our expense and they will just reimburse us. It's been more than a month and we have been paying the amortization for the Honda Element and the rent-a-car company. We are losing money already, we cannot afford to pay the rent-a-car. We cannot sleep well at night because we think that nobody can help us in this situation right now. Financially, we really cannot afford anymore.
Surely Maria had insurance on the Element? She should file a claim with her insurance company.
Michael of Pompano Beach, FL, writes:
On April 28,2000,I came out of the mall in Boca Raton, FL to find my car destroyed by a fire. The cause of the fire was determined to be a faulty wiring harness in the 1999 Honda Odyssey that I had parked next to. The fire started in the Honda and spread to mine, totaling both.
The fire marshall and Honda determined that the fire was a result of the faulty wiring in the Honda. When I first contacted Honda Legal (I had to make the initial contact), they were aware of me and the situation and they said they "wanted to make this right."
Well it's been four months and last week they offered me a settlement amount that does not cover the amount of damages and losses that I incurred, not to mention the time,aggravation and inconvenience that this has caused.I have been patient in waiting four months on this matter and am growing tired of contacting them to keep abreast of this situation.
They requested an amount of damages and losses that I incurred and I replied with an amount of $4487. They have offered me an amount of $3200. This amount does not compensate for what I have lost and endured. I do not feel that am I being unreasonable or difficult in this matter.
Michael should not be dealing with the legal department unless he is a lawyer. He should have retained a lawyer to handle this in the first place. Secondly, the Honda lawyers have an ethical obligation to advise Michael that it is in his best interests to obtain legal counsel. If they have not done so, they may have opened themselves up to disciplinary action by the Bar Association.
Michael has two choices: He can take the $3200 and forget about it or he can hire an attorney and go for a larger amount, which he may or may not get.
Michael should keep in mind that he is not going to get any punitive damages -- nothing for time wasted, aggravation, hard feelings, etc. He can only collect for damages to his property.
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