My fuggin passenger seat broke.

[amdhunter]

Updated 9/06/06 -8PM : Just picked up my car from the dealer and drove for an hour or so and WOW what a difference. There must have been something wrong with my car from day 1.

For example, when I used to shift from P to R, the engine would lunge forward, and the car would jerk. Also, the thumps I felt from the right side have completely disappeared and the suspension feels a bit tighter. I left my paperwork in the car, but they did change the front and side mounts.

Car feels brand new again. Maybe sometime this week I will get back to getting my stereo set back up. I can't believe there is actually a decent dealer out there...

Updated 9/06/06: Hello again guys. I wanted to update this thread with some new information. First, I had lost all interest in fixing my car, and even felt embarrassed to post in these forums anymore, until last week, when my motor mounts sounded like they broke, and I found a new dealer (Hillside Honda) in Hillside, Queens.

Paragon Honda NEVER fixed my seat, or the SRS light. They claimed the seat frame needed to fix my car seat (under warranty) was on 'national backorder,' whatever the **** that means, so eventually I quit calling them, and just didn't care anymore about the red SRS light on my dashboard.

Hillside Honda took my car in and fixed everything I wanted in less than 2 weeks (waiting for parts took most of the time), including a new problem which creeped up involving my motor mount, which incidentally, they told me about before I even fully explained the problem. The motor mount problem actually has a related TSB which hasn't been documented anywhere on the web, so if any of you are noticing strange thumping noises from the front right and side of your vehicle, contact Honda immediately. I lived with the broken mount because I felt that Paragon Honda would have blamed me for the damage. I was too scared to report it.

It turned out the problem I had with my seats AND airbag, both had related Honda TSB's that Paragon Honda knew about all this time. Yet they decided that I should have intiall paid out of my pocket to fix. I am extremely upset at this, and will be filing a complaint (to Honda Corp) because they left me for 8 months with an unsafe car. This should have been taken care of months ago, especially since I paid for extended warranty. (Yeah...I know.)

I am picking up the car later today to see if the motor mount sounds have gone away. But for once, I am actually confident that something got done. It's so much nicer to dim my dashboard all the way down and not have that red SRS airbag light blaring into my face. :)

While I am still embarrased at how much I took it in the butt by Paragon, I am happy to be back in the community and look forward to messing around with my car again. It just sucks that my summer was ruined worrying about the car so much. I literally had no fun with it, didn't buy rims, stopped building my sound system, etc... I even got into fights with family, the girlfriend etc., because they all got pissed at me for leaving the car the way it was, and not paying out of my pocket.

I also have to mention something about Bronx Honda, who told me that they could NOT service my vehicle because I had filed a complaint with Paragon Honda, and that Paragon was responsible for getting my car fixed. They refused to service my car at all, even an oil change which I was gonna pay for...

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Updated 5/24/06: Got my car back today, with some interesting, and frustrating results... First, they were contacted by Honda Corporate for not following up on the airbag situation sooner, but the dealer has no records of me ever showing up prior. The manager of the dealer was very kind, and offered to fix everything under warranty. He did irk me a bit when he asked me which airbag light I was referring to. I told them its the RED LIGHT, for the millionth time.

This is how they 'fixed' it: :rolleyes:

They simply reset the computer and cleared the code. AGAIN, they didn't know what light I was referring to. I was also accused of damaging the airbag with my aftermarket amplifier. They didn't follow up on this accusation when I told them the light has been on SINCE DAY ONE.

The codes coming from the airbag lights were as follows:

SCAN SYSTEM FOR CODES 86-25 FAULTY SEAT SUPPORT OPDS SENSOR AND 92-20 SHORT IN PAS SENGER AIR BAG CUTOFF INDICATOR. ERASE CODES AND ROAD TEST, RESCAN SYSTEM CODES DID NOT COME BACK, RESET SYSTEM AND LIGHT IS OFF.

The car also feels different since they reset the computer, not worse, just different. It may be my imagination.

As for the seat, the seat will be fixed under warranty and I will be getting a loaner vehicle. This issue I will consider fixed, I just have to wait for the special order part [seat frame] to come in.

I am just scared about the airbag light. I am going to have a heart attack if the SRS light comes on again. At least this time I wasn't told it was normal.

Updated 5/23/06: I called the service department just now, and my car still hasn't been looked at, which means the earliest I will get my car back is Thursday. I got upset at this and the serviceman who helped me got bothered over the phone. I took his name down, and called Honda Corp. again, this time leaving his name, and complained further.

I seemed to have hit the right person at Honda, who was very concerned about the SRS light, and seemed more concerned than the others about how my seat broke. I now have a district manager who will call me sometime today or tomorrow. I am extremely upset at this point, especially since I won't have a ride to work tomorrow, or to celebrate my birthday with some friends tomorrow. I wanted the car fixed for this very reason.

*sigh* I will keep you guys updated.

Below is what i updated on 5/23/06 ~2PM

This is still an ongoing problem and might cost me thousands of dollars now.

I have my car sitting at my local Honda dealer (I won't mention what dealer just yet, as I have a case with Honda Customer Care ongoing) and he told me that EVERYTHING in my post had to do with me personally abusing the car. I was also told that the SRS light on the dash, next to the tachometer, was NORMAL OPERATION, and I should ignore it.

As for the seat jumping off the track, I was told that I had fiddled with the car seat (WHICH I HAD ABSOLUTELY HAD NOT) and that he had verified proof, and that the seat needs to be replaced under NO warranty. Total cost of the job might cost close to $2000.

I called Honda Customer service and made a complaint, but they weren't much help, but they were concerned that the dealer told me that the SRS light was normal operation, and will only deal with that. I was not given a rental (even though I purchased Honda Care) because the seat isn't being covered under warranty.

Someone please help me. I don't know what to do, and I am going to start paying storage fees if I leave the car there beyond tomorrow.

EDIT: Also, on the receipt they gave me, they still haven't removed items that were fixed already, and have kept no records of my other times I have went to the dealer. For example, the receipt shows history from the first week I owned the car, when I have been there 3x after... Are they not keeping records on purpose..?


what follows is my original post.

I am so pissed off. For the 4 months I have owned this car, I have had ongoing problems with my front passenger seat (coupe LX.)

First, my SRS light comes on the dashboard any time someone sits on the seat, and Honda (for 4 months) is unable to find a sensor, or they give it away. I am planning to complain to the BBB about having a brand new (and unsafe) car.

Now yesterday, the seat just buckled under weight after a friend (about 140lb woman) sat on the seat and while on the highway, the seat adjusted itself sideways. I laughed for a moment as my friend furiously tried to adjust the seat when the handle under the seat popped off and the seat jammed into place. Now it doesn't move at all.

I am heated beyond comprehension right now. I am fearing going to the dealer because they always take my car for an entire day, and never offer a rental or anything. The last time I was there, I took my car in at 10AM, and sat in the dealership until 4PM (they said no rentals were available and asked that I rent one myself) and they gave me the car back without fixing anything (SRS Airbag failed) because the part never came in. I called for 2 days straight and it never shipped. When they finally got it, I made an appointment to get it installed to be told it was given to someone else accidentally. I have been driving since day 1 with no working passenger airbag.

I wonder if that same seat will burst into flames while driving one day.

[twistedframe]

i'm not sure but i think you might have a candidate for the lemon law there. if they can't fix a problem in a timely manor (its either three trips to the dealer or three months something like that) then they have to buy the car back from you and get you a new one. I would check into this if i were you. Good luck and keep us up to date!

[CameronJr9]

Twisted beat me to it. But yeah, this definitely sounds lemon law worthy. It may not be, but it's at least a good idea to look into it. Maybe get on the phone with the General Manager at the dealership and threaten the lemon law. See if that gets their attention.

[amdhunter]

Lemon Law for a car seat? LOL, that would be funny. I love the car and I already broke her in. I will be calling my dealer later today and mention this to them.

Although a new Civic with no dings would be nice... :)

[CameronJr9]

Well...it's not just "a car seat." This is a high tech car seat with airbag sensors, special headrests, and side airbags. If they all fail (or something else happens to the seat...bolts break, etc) and you're in an accident, some serious stuff could happen. This is actually a pretty major concern for you and especially for any passenger in your car.

[larryd]

Can you take the car to another dealership.. Some are easier to deal with then others.

[amdhunter]

Originally Posted by larryd

Can you take the car to another dealership.. Some are easier to deal with then others.

Question. I have been told by Bronx Honda that I had to take my car to the original dealership that I bought it at. I was gonna argue, but I am a huge pushover and hate getting into confrontations. (Bad temper)

Are they supposed to fix it at any Honda at all?

[amdhunter]

Originally Posted by CameronJr9

Well...it's not just "a car seat." This is a high tech car seat with airbag sensors, special headrests, and side airbags. If they all fail (or something else happens to the seat...bolts break, etc) and you're in an accident, some serious stuff could happen. This is actually a pretty major concern for you and especially for any passenger in your car.

I didn't really think about it like that. Now I am really concerned. I will definitely tell them this when I call during my lunchbreak.

[Jrfish007]

Originally Posted by amdhunter

Question. I have been told by Bronx Honda that I had to take my car to the original dealership that I bought it at. I was gonna argue, but I am a huge pushover and hate getting into confrontations. (Bad temper)

Are they supposed to fix it at any Honda at all?

That is complete BS. Any Honda dealer in the US can work on any Honda sold in the US, if they say otherwise just tell them you want to call American Honda and ask them.

[webby]

you can take your car anywhere you want. ANYONE can work on your car, repair/replace any issues you may have with it. I'd go elsewhere and file a complaint with the dealership

[amdhunter]

Originally Posted by webby

you can take your car anywhere you want. ANYONE can work on your car, repair/replace any issues you may have with it. I'd go elsewhere and file a complaint with the dealership

How would I go about filing a complaint? I am getting irked already. It's embarrassing when people ride in my car and a big red dot appears on my dashboard. All my friends wait for it to come on nowadays. It's been like this since day 1. I have to admit, I can only get the car fixed on weekends, because I am never offered compensation/rental, but this is getting ridiculous.

[PhoenixDown]

I'd call honda's corporate line and explain the situation to them. Outline the problems, tell them your tired of dealing with the dealerships, and you want them to help resolve this in a timely fashion so your not out of your primary work vehicle.

[wolfxkc]

yup, try a different dealer.

[honda11]

I got the same story from a local dealer, but I only had 300 miles on my car. That was more understandable as it was considered that it could be "problems upon delivery" and to go back to the dealer I purchased from.

With 4,000 miles, I agree with the other posters, you should be able to go anywhere.

[civicboy]

Originally Posted by amdhunter

Question. I have been told by Bronx Honda that I had to take my car to the original dealership that I bought it at. Are they supposed to fix it at any Honda at all?

Any Honda Dealership can service your vehicle. You don't have to take your vehicle back to the original selling dealership to have your vehicle service at. Bronx Honda is full of shi*! You can take it to any honda dealership and I would try finding another dealership to have your vehicle serviced at. Any dealership should me more than happy to service your vehicle as any warranty repair work done to the vehicle is being paid for by Honda.

[Bugs1066]

AmdHunter , did you call dealer on your lunch break ?
Maybe you should order the sensor yourself .
A few years back I was getting the run around from my Ford dealer .
For 3 weeks they kept telling me the two parts I needed for my Focus
were on back order.Anyhow I found a Ford OEM parts site and had them
(Throttle Position Sensor +DPFE sensor ) overnighted to my home .
Next day the dealer begrudgently installed parts and reimbursed parts cost .
Well anyway keep nagging , henpecking them EVERY day !

[amdhunter]

Originally Posted by Bugs1066

AmdHunter , did you call dealer on your lunch break ?
Maybe you should order the sensor yourself .
A few years back I was getting the run around from my Ford dealer .
For 3 weeks they kept telling me the two parts I needed for my Focus
were on back order.Anyhow I found a Ford OEM parts site and had them
(Throttle Position Sensor +DPFE sensor ) overnighted to my home .
Next day the dealer begrudgently installed parts and reimbursed parts cost .
Well anyway keep nagging , henpecking them EVERY day !

Got an appointment Saturday. The person on the phone told me that the sensor was probably acting up because the seat was improperly installed and it will be fixed as soon as I walk in.

If I get any crap, I will call Honda and file a complaint with the BBB about being sold an unsafe car.

[Bugs1066]

Originally Posted by amdhunter

Got an appointment Saturday. The person on the phone told me that the sensor was probably acting up because the seat was improperly installed and it will be fixed as soon as I walk in.

If I get any crap, I will call Honda and file a complaint with the BBB about being sold an unsafe car.

Sounds good , keep at em

[radiocontrolhead]

you must be a very patient person. because the way ou explain it, u're letting them push u over. i'd raise hell like there is no tomorrow. i'd be loud get teh damn manager out to settle ur problem. you can't have them push you over that many times. twice is WAY more than enough. u go there and tell them to fix it or else mmmm threaten them

[Jrfish007]

by the 3rd time I would have laywers, that is generally enough to scare any dealer into doing it right. Infact all you have to do is mention the word laywer.