I have a 4 month old Accord Hybrid that continues to have periods it won't start. Third dealership now and no one knows how to fix it. Last night going down the freeway at 70mph the car just shut off. I feel it's not putting my family and others on the road at risk. Has anyone else experienced this problem? How much do you suppose the lawsuit will be when someone dies?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JoeB &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">How much do you suppose the lawsuit will be when someone dies?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Call a lawfirm.

 

almost killed your family? a little dramatic don't you think??

just because the car shut off doesn't mean you have to slam on the brakes and park in the middle lane of the interstate.

 

you'd be surprised how many ppl park in the middle of the interstate in nyc

 

Isn't there a Lemon Law or something? How many times do you have to go in for one problem with no results before it's considered a lemon? I thought it was 3 but I don't know much about all that at all.

Instead of worrying about how much you can get for a lawsuit, worry about getting the problem resolved.

 

it's a timeframe. Check local lemon laws with an attorney.

This isnt a problem i've heard about from the hybrid Accord...hmm...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by accordselux &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">it's a timeframe. Check local lemon laws with an attorney.</TD></TR></TABLE>

ah, ok. So the law is different depending on your location? Didn't know that.

 

I believe there are federal guidelines but state to state variations in lemon laws...I don't want to go off rattling times if it's wrong for his state

 

goback to original dealer w/ all 3 work orders & demand a replacement vehicle... after 3 attempts to find the cause of the problem w/out success, it's a lemon & they should buy it back & / or give you a comparable replacement...

go up the chain of command, dealership manager/owner/honda upper management; district manager...etc...

then go play the lawyer game (but if you don't have the time/patience for this, goto lawyer direclty, i guess)

 

Thats kinda extreme for a car shutting off. But quite frankly if the dealer can't find a problem they can't fix it. What you need to do is leave it at the dealer. Have them give you a rental and make them keep it and drive it until they find the problem.
But since you want to be a jerk and use the L word I have to say that this advice is only here-say and in no way warrants a solution or method of repair.

 

well if you just bought a brand new car and it's died on you that many times, and no dealer can figure it out, you'd be pretty bitter too.

not sure if its federal law, but here in nyc, after 3 tries to fix it, its legally a lemon. there's a reason the lemon law exists, and i really dont think anyone is being a jerk by wanting a brand new car to work w/o problems.

 

I'm not saying his car shouldn't be fixed. I'm saying he doesn't need to go to this extreme. As soon as he says Lawyer or lawsuit in the dealer they are going to shut up like Fork Knox and let the Attorneys do the talking

 

sometimes it takes a threat of a lawsuit to get dealers to do stuff. it's not like most dealerships are exactly known for their great customer service and caring staff.

 

Document all your visits to the dealer and pester them, also contact Honda NA, you can also try the BBB I think. Leave the lawyer as a last resolution.

 

my 92 accord died in the middle lane of 287, i know how ya feel

if theres traffic in the center lane, you could risk gettting rear ended prettty badly

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by -Bionic- &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Call a lawfirm. </TD></TR></TABLE>

 

You are not going to get far this with attitude in here..........just a FYI for you

1. Talk to HOA and gently explain your problem. They are very nice people and will find a solition to your problem. They will contact the dealer and if they find that you are being unreasonable, they will be less likely to help you. Start off by mentioning a lawyer and they will really not want to talk to you becuase of the possible ligitgation.

2. Document the problem completely by using a note pad

Time incident happened
Speed
What was on in the car
what was displayed on the dash
etc...

You will be of an immense help to the dealer if you can provide as much information as possible........

Good luck and I hope you get it fixed soon...........

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by YeuEmMaiMai &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">You are not going to get far this with attitude in here..........just a FYI for you

1. Talk to HOA and gently explain your problem. They are very nice people and will find a solition to your problem. They will contact the dealer and if they find that you are being unreasonable, they will be less likely to help you. Start off by mentioning a lawyer and they will really not want to talk to you becuase of the possible ligitgation.

2. Document the problem completely by using a note pad

Time incident happened
Speed
What was on in the car
what was displayed on the dash
etc...

You will be of an immense help to the dealer if you can provide as much information as possible........

Good luck and I hope you get it fixed soon...........</TD></TR></TABLE>
thank you

 

So, I'm curious if there is any new news on this problem?

Also, I'd tend to think that this was worthy of purchasing a good video camera and turning it on every time I drove the car.

Posting videos of the car failing to work properly, and potentially putting you at risk, on the web would CERTAINLY get Honda to move quickly to solve the problem.

No kidding, it's the kind of nightmare PR problem no one wants.

A video with an expalination / names of the 3 dealers you took the car to...merging into a number of video segments showing each time the car failed to re-start...

 

I've heard story's about hybrids in general being very high powered (electrically) vehicles...meaning a short somewhere could cause many many problems.

ie the new Saturn's with power glide electrode steering columns?!?!

Anyways, I know diagnoses could be a pain on all these types of vehicles...some shops turn them down Whatever the case, i wouldn't be driving that vehicle at all. It should be deemed unsafe to drive and it doesn't jeopardize just your family, but everyone elses around you

 

I'd be interested in how this was resolved as well. I work for a dealer and have had 2 accord hybs with a similar problem. Both were related to the main fuse panel. One was simply a bad part, we replaced it and the problem was solved. The other was a bad panel as well but it was caused by the aftermarket alarm the selling dealer installed.

 

Toyota has had issues with their hybrids as well and the cause that they found so far is this.

the prius (for example) is supposed to take 3.75 quarts of oil, which works fine for the gasoline motor.

However, when it switches to the electric motor, 3.75 quarts of oil is too much, and can cause the electric motor to stop working (i dunno why)

the solution? we only put 3.5 quarts in the car now and it has appeared to fix the problem.

Same thing happens with the highlander hybrid. Supposed to take 5.0 quarts, but thats too much, so we put 4.75