1998 HONDA PASSPORT Complaints

PROBLEM WITH BRAKE SYSTEM OF HONDA PASSPORTS. THERE IS A DELAY IN STOPPING AND CAR GLIDES FORWARD SEVERAL FEED EVEN AFTER BRAKES ARE APPLIED. HAD THIS PROBLEM EVER SINCE PURCHASING THE CAR BUT NOT AS BAD. ALWAYS WAS TOLD IT IS THE NATURE OF ABS BRAKES TO DO THAT! TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP 3 TIMES AND THEY SAID THEY COULD NOT SIMILIATE THE PROBLEM AND THAT THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE BRAKES. TOOK IT TO AN INDEPENDANT AND HE WAS ABLE TO FIND OUT THE SAME PROBLEM WITH BRAKES IN 2 HOURS! TOOK IT BACK TO THE HONDA DEALERSHIP AND THEY SUDDENLY ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THEY HAD HEARD ABOUT THE SAME PROBLEM FROM OTHER CUSTOMERS. IN EACH CASE WERE NOT ABLE TO PINPOINT THE PROBLEM, AND BASICALLY HONDA NOT DOING ANYTHING ABOUT IT. THEN SAW THE OTHER COMPLAINT REPORTS IN MYCARSTATS.COM AND NOTICED THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING AND EXISTING PROBLEM WITH HONDA. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AND HONDA IS DECEIVING THE PUBLIC BY NOT BEING HONEST ABOUT ITS EXISTENCE.*AK

CAR HAS TROUBLE STARTING. TAKES SEVERAL ATTEMPTS TO START. TROUBLE BEGAN IN FEBRUARY OF 2004. TOOK CAR TO NISSAN DEALER WHERE PURCHASED IN MARCH OF 2003 BECAUSE OF DEALER SERVICE CONTRACT. REPLACED OXYGEN SENSORS IN MARCH OF 2004. ENGINE LIGHT RETURNED ON RESTART. REPLACED BATTERY IN MAY OF 2004 AFTER CAR WOULD NOT START AND CUSTOMER LEFT STRANDED, ENGINE LIGHT RETURNED AGAIN. TOOK TO AUTO ZONE TO FIND SERVICE CODE. PULLED MANUFACTURE CODE P1170. HONDA SERVICE OF GILBERT TOLD ME THAT IT WAS A MANIFOLD GASKET DEFECT AND WOULD NOT BE COVERED. CUSTOMER REMINDED SERVICE REP THAT IT SHOULD BE UNDER THE EPA MANDATED 8 YEAR/80,000 MILE MAJOR EMISSION CONTROL SYSTEM WARRANTY. TOLD I WOULD NEED TO PAY $85.00 TO GET COMPLETE DIAGNOSTIC REPORT. SERVICE REP AGREED THAT IT MAY BE COVERED. NISSAN DEALER SERVICE REP ADVISED THAT THE LAST MANIFOLD JOB TOOK OVER A WEEK TO REPAIR. CUSTOMER CANNOT GET VEHICLE LICENSED UNTIL REPAIRS ARE MADE. TAGS WERE UP IN JUNE OF 2004. PLEASE HELP! THERE MUST BE A BULLETIN THAT APPLIES IE, MFG BULLETIN # 00010 DATE 20020528. THE OBDII SHOWED P1171. I KNOW THE RUNAROUND THESE MANUFACTURERS GIVE AND I AM NOT WILLING TO PAY ANYMORE $ AND WILL SEEK LEGAL RECOURSE IF NOT RESOLVED IN THE NEXT 7 DAYS. *JB

VEHICLE SHAKES SEVERELY AT 40 MPH AND FASTER. THE SHAKE IS WORSE WHEN THE SPEED REACHES AND EXCEEDS 70 MPH. DEALERSHIP SERVICED THE VEHICLE THREE TIMES AND FOUND NO PROBLEM. THE TIRES WERE BALANCED AND ROTATED TWICE. *AK

WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNDETERMINED SPEED VEHICLE VIBRATED. CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP ON FIVE OCCASIONS, HOWEVER, THE MECHANIC COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK

BROWN DEER AUTO SALES SOLD US AN USED 1998 HONDA 4D SPORT UTILITY, SERIAL # [XXX] IN JULY 2002. AFTER DRIVING THE CAR 200 MILES, THE TEMP OF THE CAR WAS RUNNING HOT AND WE TOOK THE CAR BACK TO BROWN DEER AUTO SALES. THE OWNER AGREED TO DIAGNOSIS THE PROBLEM. THE CAR STAYED THERE FOR A MONTH AND A HALF AND THE OWNER SAID THEY REPLACED THE GASKETS FROM THE MOTOR HEADS. WHEN WE PICKED UP THE CAR, THE MECHANIC ADVISED US TO PUT RADIATOR FLUID IN IF THE CAR RUNS HOT AGAIN. THE CAR DID CONTINUE TO RUN HOT AND IT DID NOT SEEM RIGHT TO HAVE TO KEEP ADDING RADIATOR FLUID AND EVEN WHEN THE CAR SHOWED THE FLUID WAS FULL, THE CAR STILL RAN HOT. SO WE TOOK THE CAR TO ANOTHER MECHANIC, WHO TOLD US THAT THE CAR HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE HEADS WHICH WAS CAUSED BY FAULTY GASKETS. THE MECHANIC ALSO INFORMED US, THAT THE GASKETS COULD NOT HAVE BEEN REPLACED. WE HAVE SINCE SPENT OVER $5000 DOLLARS IN REPAIRING THE CAR. WE HAD ALSO PURCHASED AUL INSURANCE PACKAGE, BUT THE INSURANCE COMPANY HAS DENIED THE CLAIM. WE BELIEVE THAT BROWN DEER AUTO SALES SOLD US A "LEMON" AND LIED TO US ABOUT PUTTING IN NEW GASKETS, WHICH CAUSED MAJOR ENGINE DAMAGE. *AK UPDATED 07/25/2012 *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

ENGINE CLICKING, HUGE OIL CONSUMPTION BY ENGINE THAT IS PROBABLY DISPERSED INTO ENVIRONMENT.

WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS VEHICLE INTERMITTENTLY STALLED. CONSUMER TOWED THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, AND TECHNICIAN FIXED THE VEHICLE, BUT THE PROBLEM IS STILL OCCURRING. *AK

CONSUMER QUESTIONED AS TO WHY HE WASN'T NOTIFIED IN A MORE TIMELY FASHION RELATIVE TO THE RECALLS. (NAR) *PH *CB

THIS LETTER IS TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THE LACK OF SERVICE I RECENTLY RECEIVED WHEN SPEAKING TO A CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE. I PURCHASED MY PASSPORT IN AUGUST OF 1998. SINCE IT WAS PURCHASED, MY REAR BEVERAGE HOLDER FAILED TO STAY CLOSED. THE DEALER STATED THAT, ?IT IS JUST THE WAY IT WAS DESIGNED. THE STRIKE PLATE SEEMS TO FAIL TO MAKE PROPER CONTACT WITH THE MAGNET. ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS, MY THREE-YEAR OLD DAUGHTER HAS TRIPPED UPON THIS BEVERAGE HOLDER. LAST YEAR, MY FUEL GAUGE STARTED TO WORK INTERMITTENTLY, NOT READING FULL WHEN FULL, DROPPING TO EMPTY WHEN THE TANK WAS FULL, AND FINALLY, NOT MOVING OFF OF EMPTY. AS A MATTER OF FACT, I BROUGHT MY CAR INTO MY LOCAL DEALER TO HAVE MY AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM CHECKED AND THE TECHNICIAN MENTIONED TO ME THAT HE COULDN?T TAKE MY CAR FOR AS LONG OF A TEST DRIVE AS INTENDED BECAUSE MY TANK WAS EMPTY. I TOLD THE TECHNICIAN AHEAD OF TIME THAT THE FUEL GAUGE DIDN?T WORK. I CAME ACROSS TWO HONDA TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETINS THAT COVER THESE PROBLEMS. THE FIRST, BULLETIN 98-027 WAS ISSUED ON MAY 11, 1999 AND COVERS ALL 1998 PASSPORTS. IT DESCRIBES THE SYMPTOM THAT I AM EXPERIENCING ONE OR BOTH OF THE MAGNETIC LATCHES DO NOT HOLD THE REAR BEVERAGE HOLDER CLOSED. IN ADDITION, IT DESCRIBES THE CORRECTIVE ACTION AS REPLACING THE REAR CONSOLE COVER. IF DISCOVERED DURING THE WARRANTY PERIOD, THE BULLETIN ALLOWS THE REPAIR TO BE MADE FOR FREE. IF DISCOVERED OUTSIDE OF WARRANTY, THE BULLETIN REQUIRES THE DISTRICT SERVICE MANAGER OR ZONE OFFICE TO GIVE CONSIDERATION BEFORE WORK IS TO BEGIN. THE SECOND, TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN 99-004, WAS ISSUED ON SEPTEMBER 14, 1999 AND COVERS CARS THROUGH VIN NUMBER [XXX] MY VIN NUMBER IS [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

LAST FEBRUARY, MY INTAKE GASKET FAILED, AND MY MECHANIC WAS TOLD BY THE HONDA PARTS MANAGER THAT THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH MY YEAR PASSPORT. THE GASKETS WERE FAULTY. I WROTE A LETTER TO HONDA AND WAS DISMISSED BECAUSE MY WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED. THIS FEBRUARY, I WAS LOSING OIL AND ANTIFREEZE. I TOOK MY PASSPORT TO MY MECHANIC AND FOUND THAT, ALTHOUGH I REGULARLY CHANGED MY OIL AND THE ENGINE IS EXTREMELY CLEAN, THE HEAD IS CRACKED AND THE VALVES ARE WORN OUT. AGAIN, MY MECHANIC TALKS TO THE PARTS MANAGER AND FINDS OUT THAT THEY HAVE HAD 5 PASSPORTS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM IN THE LAST 6 MONTHS. THIS REPAIR IS GOING TO COST ME $3000. A 1998 VEHICLE SHOULD NOT BE HAVING THESE KIND OF PROBLEMS. THESE VEHICLES ARE BAD AND HONDA SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE.