Is my faulty Honda a lemon?
QUESTION
Hi John,
A girlfriend of mine follows your videos and suggested I reach out to you about an issue I have found with my nearly 1-year-old HR-V.
On Sunday whilst cleaning up after my child I found mould throughout the carpet of the passenger rear floor. The floor was wet to touch. I continued looking through the car and when I got to the boot found that under my hard rubber mat the entire floor had collapsed and the wheel cavity was full of water. Mould was everywhere - and I'm allergic to mould!
I called Honda where I was already booked for my first service on Friday and told them what I had found and that this needs to be looked at when I bring the car in - in addition to the other issue I have had with the electrics in the car with the audio unit.
About 4 weeks after taking possession of the vehicle I went to make a phone call and the radio cycled through all the stations whilst using the Bluetooth option. I was literally on my way to the dealership for the 1 month service and they reset the audio unit for me. A few months later whilst driving I went to make another call (had made multiple calls since then) and the volume on my audio unit went to maximum and started cycling through the radio stations again. I almost had an accident.
I called Honda immediately and booked in to take my car the next day. When getting in the car the next morning the same thing happened again. Honda were able to replicate the issue (which was a miracle) and they ordered me a new unit which took a few months to arrive as Melbourne was in lockdown (and that's where they are made).
The unit was eventually changed over and up until a few weeks ago I had no issues. Again the audio interface / unit developed an issue. The radio would flick from my chosen station to another station for a second and then switch back. The address book in the car lost all my contacts and won't sync them again. I wonder whether water has got into the electrics.
I spoke to the service manager who suggested it was likely to do with the sun roof but I am deeply concerned not only about the mould issue (the boot is destroyed as is the spare tyre and tools) but also where this water may have got in and what other damage it may have done that may emerge when it is no longer under warranty. In short, I have lost confidence in the car and don't want to be worried every time it rains that I will have a swimming pool in the boot.
What would you suggest is reasonable in this circumstance? Would this warrant a replacement, or just repairs?
It is the first new car I have ever bought and I have never been in this position before.
Would appreciate any input or advice you may have to give.
Kind regards,
Hannah
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ANSWER
Hannah,
Unfortunately, Honda has become a bit of a ‘lemon’ brand. That basically happened as a result of the GFC, and they’ve more or less completely lost the plot now.
It sounds to me like two completely separate issues. Hard for me to see how water in the boot and on the floor can cause the head unit malfunction - especially after just four weeks on the road. If the head unit is malfunctioning again, it’s obviously either defective again, or something else is causing the problem - like a problem between the steering wheel control buttons and the unit itself, or some other electrical defect.
I strongly suggest to you that almost crashing as a result of head unit malfunction is unacceptable. I get that the volume maxxing itself out is disorienting.
However, the primary responsibility of all drivers is to retain dynamic control of the vehicle at all times, no matter how confusing or disorienting non-mission-critical faults become. Familiarise yourself with the ‘audio off’ button location and go through the motions of shutting it down, just in case this happens again when you’re rolling. (I would hate to see you or your child, or someone else, get hurt as a consequence).
‘My car audio unit malfunctioned’ is not really an excuse for crashing. The cops and the courts will never buy it. It’ll be on you.
No matter how distracting your demonically possessed Honda stereo is, don’t ever let it make you lose control.
So it seems to me that there’s a leak, and that has to be located and fixed, and then all damaged parts need to be replaced - for free, including the carpet, etc. And the head unit / audio problem needs to be resolved. And if they can’t do that in a timely fashion (and let’s face it, it’s not the same thing as getting the crew of Apollo 13 back to earth, is it?) then you need to spend half an hour talking to your solicitor about your rights under Australian Consumer Law - specifically breaches of the Acceptable Quality Consumer Guarantee.
I think repairs are reasonable - if the car can be repaired in a timely fashion, and the damage is not extreme.
I’d also suggest it’s better for you to tell them what you want rather than have them railroad you into their preferred option - so it might be a good idea to talk to your solicitor now and get a picture of what you are actually entitled to, and then advocate strenuously for that.
I sincerely hope this helps.
John Cadogan
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