Park car, remove key, still in "D", car leaves...

Although using the emergency brake would have prevented the accident,
there is clearly a problem with the shift interlocking mechanism enough to
create a safety recall. What's interesting is your 03 Accord is not listed
in the recall, yet it appears to have the exact same symptoms. You might
want to have a chat with your Honda dealer...Here's a couple of links on
the recall:

http://www.safetyalerts.com/recall/a/02/v00836.htm

http://wbz1030.com/siteSearch/recalls_story_307140156.html

Good Luck and HTH

 

What about the other error -- not using the parking brake when
parking?

 

Huh? Not using the parking brake seems to be a common error that is
very possible with modern cars. I do not know of any modern car that
actually forces you to use the parking brake to remove the key. Also,
most modern cars with manual transmissions do not have any interlock
that forces you to leave the transmission in gear to remove the key
(supposedly Saabs force you to put it in reverse to remove the key,
but that seems to be unusual).

 

Timothy J. Lee said for all posterity...

I live in a very flat area (Florida). The reality of it is that I
doubt many people with automatics use parking brakes here. My
driveway has very little slope to it, which is why I was able to
get out and walk away without being hit by the door. It didn't
even budge for a while.

Honestly, what percentage of people use parking brakes in an area
that averages about 10 ft above sea level with very little
variation?

And yeah, I know it would have prevented what happened...


Casey

 

Mike R said for all posterity...

Thanks, Mike. I appreciate the links. My '03 Accord does act just
like the older models in the recall. Maybe enough complaints
haven't rolled in yet for the 2003's. It may take a while for
enough wear to accumulate on the ignition switch mechanism to cause
the problem.

From the first article:

"The National Highway Safety Administration said Monday it has
records of four injuries, 28 crashes and 169 complaints about the
defect, which is caused by excessive wear in the ignition switch.
In many cases, drivers assumed their vehicles were in park because
they were able to remove the key. In at least one case, a rolling
SUV caused a multi-vehicle accident."


Interesting quote in the second article:

"Honda says consumers should use the parking brake until the
company repairs the vehicles."



Casey

 

Not using the parking brake is the norm. I am talking about putting
the AT in Park. (I should have specified AT cars - MT drivers have a
greater general awareness of the transmission. Still, I bet that MTs
are a disproportionate share of roll-aways.)

To get back to the parking brake, hardly anyone uses it routinely to
park (or anything else.) At least not on AT cars. Still, this type
of accident seems much less common now than when I was a kid. When I
was about five, I was in a car "parked" by a day care provider while
she did a little shopping. I realized that something was wrong when
the other 3-4 kids started crying. We had started to slowly roll
across the parking lot. I was thinking about vaulting over from the
back seat and stepping on the brake when a stranger came running up
and jumped into the drivers's seat to stop it.

 

If owners realized that they are trusting their 20 or 30K vehicle

spoken like a Fast Only Rolling Downhill owner. In all the years, none of my
cars has ever rolled while in "P," nor have the parking brakes failed to engage
because of non-use.




....................
I do not killfile nor use do-not-call lists.

 

If owners realized that they are trusting their 20 or 30K vehicle
to that little pawl that holds their car when in park, more would
indeed use the parking brake all the time. Another reason to use
the parking brake is to keep it operative in case one needs it in
an emergency.


mike hunt

 

Good for you, but that is probably because you don't live in
hilly snow county and ever parked on a hill and had another
vehicle bump it hard enough to break off the pawl or had the
brake cables rust inside the shives.

I had a beautiful low mileage 1947 Dodge that I sold a few years
ago. That fellow didn't believe in using the parking brake
either. A few hours later he parked in front of brothers house
to have him look at the beautiful car he just bought for a
premium price. He put the tranny in reverse and walked away. By
the time he got to the front door he heard a crash. Three block
down the street was his destroyed 47 Dodge in the front room of a
house. The Dodge had a fluid drive, no clutch. LOL


mike hunt

 

While not using the parking brake may be common, don't driving schools
and car owner's manuals tell you to use the parking brake when parking?

You mentioned redundancy in a previous post. Using both the parking
brake and the transmission (in gear for a manual, in park for an
automatic) gives redundancy against rolling away. With redundancy,
two driver errors or mechanical failures would have to happen for the
car to roll away, rather than just one. (Yes, I do use the parking
brake when parking a car.)

 

Recall or no recall, you should be able to get the vehicle repaired
under warranty if it does not function as described in the owner's
manual (and you did not cause the damage by abuse or neglect).

Why not just always use the parking brake when parking? What
may seem to be flat ground may have an imperceptible slope that
can allow a car to roll away.

 

The OP did not put his car in park/"P", nor did he set the parking brake. He
took no measures wahtsoever to ensure his car wouldn't roll away when he got
out... Then when it does roll away he wants to blame Honda for it.

There is no "N" on my Prelude, you have it in one of 5 forward gears, in
reverse, or with the shifter not engaging any gears. When I park I set the
parking brake all the way to the stop, if I'm on any sort of incline I put
it in either 1st or reverse too as an added precaution even though the
parking brake holds it just fine. I can remove the key when my Prelude is in
any gear, or neutral, regardless of if the parking brake is set or not.

That what can happen? You can remove the key? Come on man, grow a brain!
Take some responsibility for your own actions for heavens sake! It's no
wonder we have such a totalitarian government that seizes more power all the
time to 'protect us from ourselves'. Here you are _telling_ them you are so
damned stupid you need protection from yourself! I don't even know what to
say to that. I've heard about people like you for so long but never actually
believed they existed... I'm just astounded that anyone can be so dumb.

Cory

 

The OP did not put his car in park/"P", nor did he set the parking brake. He

Hondas have a built-in safety measure which prevents you from removing the key
when not in "P". Why is this so hard for you to comprehend?
Fine, it was to prevent absent-minded from making a mistake. But this doesn't
change the fact that this safety device FAILED in his car.

You're the only who said it had neutral.


When I park I set the

You have manual. The OP's is AUTOMATIC. Huge difference.

You're obviously an idiot. If this fail safe device isn't so important, why did
Honda spend millions doing a safety recall? Why? Because the failure of this
device resulted in numerous injuries. So, obviously, there are more
absent-minded people than you thought. And guess what would happen if Honda
ignored it? Class-action lawsuit.





....................
I do not killfile nor use do-not-call lists.

 

For many years, Fords automatic transmissions would automatically
shift from Park to Reverse. Perhaps Ford owners developed the habit
of engaging the parking brake to compensate for this "feature."

 

Your a full fledged idiot.

Every single owners manual say to set the parking brake when exiting the
car, but 90% (automatics) don't.

For your pompous , arrogant, lying ass to sit there, and dictate to us is
insulting.

*YOU ARE A PROVEN LIAR HERE*!

No shut up and go eat your snack...Mommy has made you a PB & J.

--
'03 S2000
'94 Accord

It's just about going fast...that's all...

http://home.insight.rr.com/cgreen/

 

If readers realized they are trusting their 20 or 30k vehicle, to advice
from a proven liar and mark, more would indeed ignore your advice all the
time.

What a genius...

--
'03 S2000
'94 Accord

It's just about going fast...that's all...

http://home.insight.rr.com/cgreen/

 

I had a beautiful low mileage 1947 Dodge that I sold a few years

Sheer fabrication to fit his agenda. I have no doubt this kid is lying.

What the hell is a "fluid drive" you idiot? Something else you pulled out of
your ass?

--
'03 S2000
'94 Accord

It's just about going fast...that's all...

http://home.insight.rr.com/cgreen/

 

And my 03 Accord had a similar but opposite problem. When the
salesman tried to deliver the brand new vehicle to me at work, he
could not get the key out when the engine was turned off and the
transmission was in Park. He had to drive back to the dealership
where a mechanic adjusted the cable that provides the interlock
function. The point is that even though the 03 Accord was not
included in the recall, I suspect that this model has an
underengineered interlock mechanism.
Ron

 

Milleron said for all posterity...

I searched the NTSA web site database and found another incident
involving a 2003 Accord in which the key was easily removed with
the transmission selector in "D". The car rolled until it hit
another car.

The recall on older models resulted from ignition switches wearing
down to the point where the interlock was not functioning
correctly.

As an aside, there were three reports involving 2003 Accords in
which the complaint was that the key was painfully hot when removed
from the ignition switch.


Casey

I started with nothing. I still have most of it.