Law suit in US - Fire risk in Honda CRV

[spadival]

In a class action suit against American Honda Motor Corporation, an Illinois man charges that a design defect in certain Honda CR-V and Element models makes them prone to fast-spreading engine fires.

The oil filter is dangerously close to the exhaust manifold on 2003, 2004 and 2005 model CR-Vs, the suit charges, and is mounted vertically, creating a situation where leaking oil can spray directly on the hot exhaust manifold.

Read on...

Suit Charges Honda Conceals Fire Risk in CR-V, Element Models

[doctorkats]

if indian laws were that strong i wonder how many cars would be off the road by now.

*sigh*

[zenx]

Hmm, so there's nobody quite that holy. Its just that some brands get away with more. Google recently lost, as in totally lost, about 60 gmail accounts, and basically said 'oops. sorry. sh*t happens'

If Hyundai or another 'lesser' brand had gone this way (or Indian, in our context), there'd be hell to pay in the media and consumer space. Looks like its been going on for years!

Disclaimer : I drive an OHC, and am not anti Honda or suchlike.

[vivekiny2k]

come on man. I had almost decided on CR-V.

[Fiero]

ahh the USA ... heaven for the law of TORTS.

[rr_zen]

Well, that is the US ! Will such a day ever, ever dawn upon our poor old INDIA ?

[Mayavi]

err... what is the big deal. So it is a bad design every one makes it once a while but good thing is that no accidents were attributed to this problem so far unlike the Ford Escape which had wrong tires that resulted in many accidents.

Originally Posted by rr_zen

Well, that is the US ! Will such a day ever, ever dawn upon our poor old INDIA ?

It is a good thing to have strong judiciary and quick legal remedies but another thing to sue everyone and everything. This is a disease in the US that resulted in price increases and silly warning messages like 'Caution: Hot beverage' on a coffee cup which only carries warm coffee... I mean, ***!

[spadival]

Originally Posted by Mayavi

err... what is the big deal. So it is a bad design every one makes it once a while but good thing is that no accidents were attributed to this problem so far unlike the Ford Escape which had wrong tires that resulted in many accidents.

So its ok for YOUR car to burst into flames spontaneously after a routine oil change?? After all its just a bad design that caused the flames in the first place

Also, to add insult to injury, Honda has denied it is a bad design and has blamed the dealers for the oil leaks !! Come on, every other car leaks oil once in a while, but the end result is a dirty garage floor, not a fire ball under the hood !!

[Mayavi]

Originally Posted by spadival

So its ok for YOUR car to burst into flames spontaneously after a routine oil change?? After all its just a bad design that caused the flames in the first place !!

No, it is not ok if it is proven that the faulty/bad design is causing every other honda element and CR-V to burst into flames after a oil change. OK, every other car is a very high number, even 0.001% of cars are having fire problems then it is a serious issue, but is there proof of that? All we have now is a case in court.
Personally I am ok with a bad design if it is not causing any damage. The windows controls on my C230K are placed at an awkward position and i have to bend to reach them. So there is an outside chance that I may lose control of car when I try to reach the controls at high speeds. Mercedez manual has a warning that seat position should not be adjusted during driving as it may result in loss of control, but no warning for window buttons. Class action suit? I know I am trivializing the issue, but there are class action suits against C class for even sillier issues, well silly to me atleast may not be to the one who spent 40 grand on a merc.

[madan80]

When there is a design flaw - in your case, bad position of the power window switches, it is the onus of the driver / owner to ensure that they do not indulge in dangerous practices. however, when certain designs are such that, the control of the safety is beyond that of the driver, it is a bad design. I am quite surprised that honda did not issue a recall. I am sure the same CRVs are sold here as well. Its a pity, that if the whole car goes up in flmes, the govt will not ask for a through investigation to the root cause. :(

[Mayavi]

Originally Posted by madan80

I am quite surprised that honda did not issue a recall. I am sure the same CRVs are sold here as well. Its a pity, that if the whole car goes up in flmes, the govt will not ask for a through investigation to the root cause. :(

baaah... how many cars that you know of have gone up in flames because of this particular issue and is it an issue at all?

[spadival]

Originally Posted by Mayavi

baaah... how many cars that you know of have gone up in flames because of this particular issue and is it an issue at all?

44 fires actually. But thats the number from 2004. Feds Re-Open Honda Fire Probe

[Mayavi]

Now that's a high number and I am glad that there are no injuries to anyone. Wonder how many CR-V's got sold in that year and what Honda will do to fix it. This is intresting

The problem presently facing NHTSA and Honda is that it's not clear what would be fixed in a recall.

[spadival]

Originally Posted by Mayavi

Now that's a high number and I am glad that there are no injuries to anyone. Wonder how many CR-V's got sold in that year and what Honda will do to fix it. This is intresting

Give everyone new CRV's .. Obviously they cannot re-arrange stuff in the engine bay. Most likely, that they will compensate everyone and then put some kind of shield between the oil pump and the exhaust manifold.