Accident and door latch failure!!
 

About a month ago, our son accidently went off the road coming home from a school concert. Essentially he swerved and overcorrected, and the car rotated almost 180 degrees. Although he didn’t “hit” anything, there was considerable damage to the car. Mainly this was due to the passenger door flying open, and then becoming hyper-extended as it caught some standing water in a drainage swell. Other than body damage and a splashed up interior, the car suffered no structural damage. No impacts, no injuries, no property damage…just a big fat insurance claim...all due to the fact that the passenger door didn’t stay latch. In addition, Honda was not the least bit interested in the door latch failure, nor were they helpful. The repair dealership installed a new door latch at their expense, since American Honda would do nothing. Below is my letter to Honda…be warned, the Fit certainly didn’t perform well in this situation. Other than a slight dip from the road surface, there really was no other reason for the door latch to release and come open. And if it wasn’t for the door, damage would have been quite limited. Thanks Honda for your non-help and a great door latch!

Subject: Door latch failure on Honda Fit 3/11/10
Dear Mr. Hxxxxxxx
The purpose of this letter is to document our conversation held March 10th, 2010 and to re-communicate my request to Honda.
On March 3rd, 2010, my son was involved in a single vehicle accident in his 2009 Honda Fit. Driving home in the evening from a school concert, traveling on a two lane road he lost control by overcorrecting during a right hand curve. This resulted in the vehicle sliding off the roadway toward the left since the road was curving to the right, along with the vehicle rotating clockwise approximately 180 degrees. As the vehicle left the payment and crossed the road shoulder, it entered a shallow drainage swell and came to a stop at the top section. During the accident the front passenger door swung open due to door latch release. As the vehicle traveled thru the drainage swell, the opened passenger door skimmed the drainage water and was hyper extended, bending the door, hinges and front fender. The resulting damage due to the door coming open was approximately $2,500.
The car did not impact anything solid that would cause high-g forces and it was apparent that the door had already swung open as it traversed the drainage swell due to the splash effect of the interior. The car did not impact the drainage ditch earth due to the low angle entry, the passenger door did not impact the earth, and there was no impact damage to the bumpers or undercarriage. There was no deployment of the airbags and my son suffered no injuries.
In talking with my son after the accident, he stated that there were no warning lights indicating that the passenger door was ajar. In addition, I validated that the warning light functioned properly, after I was able to close the damaged door to its fully closed position.
If this door had not opened during this mishap, the resulting damage to the car would have been significantly less. In my opinion the forces encountered during this mishap should not result in the release of the door latch. The door latch did not break and after the accident the door latch still functioned as normal. I can only assume that the “up and down” motion of the vehicle as it exited the roadway resulted in the release of the door latch. The rear passenger door did not open and no structural damage was incurred with this door. The car did not incur any mechanical damage and was immediately drivable from the scene. The car is now located at Xxx Xxxxx Buick/Honda dealership in Xxxxxxxx Florida (321 XXX-XXXX) for repairs.
As stated previously during our telephone conversation, I am requesting Honda do the following:
· Authorize the Xxx Xxxxxxx dealership to install a new door latch for the new front passenger door while the vehicle is being repaired.
I think it is only reasonable that Honda act on this request, especially while the passenger door is being replaced during the repair work. Door latch failure, either due to a weak or defective spring latch mechanism is a serious issue. The next occurrence of premature door latch release could be the result of making a left hand turn while encountering perhaps either road debris or a pothole.
As a customer of Honda products for over forty years, I expect Honda to act responsibly when safety issues are involved.
Thank you.

so if i "accidentally" rear-ended someone and the air bag blew up, should honda go good for that as well?

Did you decide to post prior to reading? What part of "no impact" did you misunderstand? No, the door latch should not have failed based on the situation. And yes, my son ran off the road, but read the entire post and read what happened, then reply.

And I didn't ask Honda to "fix the car" but to replace an $80 door latch that a small dealership did on their own concern. So, if you make a severe turn, you expect your door to come open?

i've been through some bad roads...but never spun out into a ditch.

but for a car door open like described above, is beyond my belief.

OP- do you have any clue or did you son tell you how fast he was traveling at?

your letter to honda seems too nonchalant for them to do anything.

A neighbor saw the incident..he was only a short distance from home. He was doing around 40 mph. Both a police offier and sheriff arrived at the same time, looked over the scene and left. The police office stated that she consided it to be an "incident" rather than an accident..no citation.

i love the fit, but if honda cant make a simple glove box latch that doesn't endlessly rattle, who's to say the door latch is well designed?

How is it possible to lose control and do a 180 with a Fit at 40 mph with only a swerve and over correction? I just don't get it.

Regardless of the specifics that went into this accident/incident, this is the very reason I always make sure to lock my doors right after clicking the seatbelt before every ride. After that, it's balls to the walls.

was the door completely closed to begin with? do the doors lock automatically like mine do over a certain speed? my doors don't tend to fly open when i lose control in corners because i don't have a habit of speeding into turns.

Well, I tried to wish it away too, but couldn't. This particular curve turns to the right, but the road is slanted toward the left side, the side with the drainage swell. Not exactly the best road design. I looked over this quite a bit during the day too. Just missed two large trees. Damage was mostly due to this door coming open. And yes, reactived the door locks. They were turned off.

Ah so it all comes down to a poor road design and a door latch fault. Riiight.

idk mabey u got a bad one i have done some stupid stuff in a safish maner in my fit and it never had any probs. i have powersled around a corner at 60 mph and hit a pot hole no probs but with alighnment. if this issue woulda happoned to me it woulda already done it thanks for the heads up i wonder if this has happoned to anyone else im glade everyone is ok thanks for the post

Your son crashed his car and the door opened. Unless you have video that is the best I can offer.

If you seriously believe your own story OP, you need a reality check. Your son is lying to you, I don't know exactly what happened but I know that much. BULLLLLLLSHIT.

Yeah, something just doesn't sound right about that story.

:popc:I read this before there were any replies and yup it smells. I can't wait to hear the son's real version of events. He was:vtec::vtec::vtec: ing and I lost it. No effin way is a door going to pop open doing a 180 at 40 mph. How the heck do you do a 180 at that speed anyhow? He been to stunt school?

Solution: Sell the Fit and get him a bus pass. :rotfl:

I understand the skepticism here, for I certainly had the same feelings arriving at the scene. But our son is a responsible student, and we took the time to work with him as he worked to get his license. Nonetheless, an inexperienced driver can get himself into trouble quickly.

My point of posting all of this is as follows. There was absolutely no impact damage to the car, both front and back. And the pictures of the car were sent to Honda. No air bags were involved, and no other doors opened. There really was no reason for this latch to “let go”. Sure, you are not supposed to run off the road. But a door should not fly open either. If you take your Fit to an empty parking lot, go 40 mph and abruptly turn the wheel, the car will slide. Do you think one of the doors should pop open? What if you hit some bumps while doing that…should any doors pop open?

After the accident the door latch still worked, which implies that the spring mechanism that keeps the door latched may be weak. Also, I’m disappointed with the response from Honda. They had an opportunity to look at the car. Sad when a small dealership will pay for a door latch to ensure customer safety, but the company that built the car won’t.

Listen, I used to live in Florida. I went around an on-ramp at only 30-35 mph on slightly damp (nowhere near approaching wet) pavement and ended up doing a 180. Florida roads get so hot, and accumulate so much oil it is entirely possible to spin out at very low speeds, given the proper conditions. I can't tell you how many times I fishtailed at low speeds on Florida roads.

In Canada, or up north in the U.S., given the OPs described conditions? Most likely not. But in Florida... almost anything is possible as far as screwy road conditions.

Considering the OPs location (Titusville, FL -- across from Cape Canaveral), which is on the Indian River, I would say the conditions can be right for spinning out at 40 mph... even less.

I was born in the great white north. The first several times I drove in Florida on a hot summer day, after a little bit of rain in a busy traffic area, nearly scared the crap out of me.

I've heard of cases where vehicles flexed so much during either collision impact or simply spinning around violently that doors opened, heavy objects were tossed around, and seats even broke lose.

The Fit isn't exactly a tank when it comes to solidity... it's extremely light and flexible.

Personally? I can totally believe a spin-out at 40 mph in Florida.

Although, given the circumstances, it would be extremely hard to prove Honda's need for responsibility for this situation.

Yet, given possible road conditions in Florida, the kid could very well be telling the truth. Kids exaggerate... especially when they perceive trouble. But in this instance, I'm just saying... :cool:

Pure speculation, but you stated that he landed in, or traversed a drainage swale at speed. Perhaps the car body got flexed enough to pop the door. It would not necessarily show as damage, and could even have been a momentary thing, as opposed to actually creasing the unibody. The body could have twisted axially, or flexed along the wheelbase.

From the areas that I've been to in Florida, the roads tend to be pretty flat except for the crown of the road, and the drainage gullies are pretty deep to deal with the runoff from sudden and frequent showers.

Hey annunC8 - like minds, but you obviously type faster. :D

BULLLLLLLSH!T? Wow! Do you know the situation well enough to be able to so assuredly assume anyone is lying? Granted, kids are capable of anything... especially in an age when they're taught they can't possibly do anything wrong, they're entitled to everything (simply by virtue of the fact they're breathing), yet, responsible for nearly nothing. Still... you feel comfortable enough to so resolutely state someone is lying?

That just might be a little -- as you so eloquently put it -- "BULLLLLLLSH!T", on your part! ;)

And, with all due respect, considering you live in a free nation, then considering some of the avatars you choose to display, I would be a little more hesitant in prescribing "reality checks" to others if I were you! :D (Sorry, :rotfl: I couldn't resist! Don't get serious on me... only joking around!)

Yeah, I may type faster... but I'm obviously a man of few words too! :o

:D

Missing the point..?
 

Kid could be truthful or not, right? Even the nicest, sanest of kids will sometimes do stupid things in a car, and will then afterwards lie about it (from fear of losing driving privileges) to stay out of trouble... So maybe the kid did, and then again maybe he didn't.. :rolleyes:

But I don't think that means anything here except maybe to the OP and his son?
What I do thing tho is that if the initial accident was not caused by the catastrophic failure of an OEM car part, it would be very difficult to convince an auto manufacturer that any resulting damage from an auto accident should be their responsibility...
(Even if indeed that was actually the case here...)

But then again if you're convinced that the safety of the car failed, or didn't operate that way it should've, I would think that it's almost an obligation on your part to complain about this to the manufacturer!

Years ago Ford built some cars where the gas tank in the rear had only a very thin upper covering, -so thin that sometimes gas would leak out into the car's trunk! (I had a Ford Falcon where this happened!) And if one of these cars got rear-ended, sometimes, as a consequence of these cheesy thin walled fuel tanks, they would burst into a flaming explosion!! While the gas tank obviously didn't cause the rear-ender, this was certainly a case where the resulting severe damage occurring in an accident was the fault of the manufacturer!

Quote:

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But then again if you're convinced that the safety of the car failed, or didn't operate that way it should've, I would think that it's almost an obligation on your part to complain about this to the manufacturer!

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And I did. Initially I called Honda, and talked to a representative. Their reply in summary was “sorry your son crashed the car, but since he did that we won’t cover the door latch”. We had a long discussion but in my opinion the really were not interested. So, since a new passenger door was going to be installed (frame only) that would be a good time to install a new door latch. I wrote Honda a letter and included pictures of the car. My original post shows the letter that I sent. They called me and said “Sorry but NO”. Remember, I’m not asking them to be responsible for the damage…I only wanted a new door latch. Is this starting to sound similar to other customer warnings that went unheeded?

Perhaps, but remember that that opened door skimmed the water that was in the swell, splashing the interior (and also bending the door all the way around). So I think that the door was opened already. Also, the door edge did not impact (or catch) anything, like the ground. My thinking is that the door started to open as the car left the road, but that's a guess.

I’m a long time Honda consumer, but this incident has really shaken my confidence in the Fit and frankly pissed me off with Honda’s attitude. My goodness…I’m asking for a new door latch!! How cheap.

You may be asking for a new door latch and not a new door, you're still asking Honda to give you something for free because of a story that sounds very questionable that you have no way to prove.

And annunC8, you know his story is ridiculous. I don't know what DID happen, but I know what DIDN'T happen. The passenger door didn't go flying open for absolutely no reason, like he keeps saying it did. Can you tell me how the hell a bouncing car is going to shake lose a latch with no weight anywhere to pull it open??? You know the kid is lying, it doesn't take a rocket scientist.

Just a cynical person. :p

Hey AnnunC8... reality check!!! Obama smoked cigarettes and wore funny hats. :rotfl::rotfl:

OP, if you think what happened is a defect in the door latch, you should report it to the NHTSA: Office of Defects Investigation (ODI), File A Safety Complaint If they get enough complaints, they may investigate, but if nobody reports it, they won't know.

I've never had a door that was securely closed ever open on me though, and I've spun my old 1997 Honda Odyssey at 60mph (also overcorrecting after a swere)... so this does seem worrying.

So say Honda gives you a new door latch and you determine that it's identical to the "faulty" one you are replacing. So that means every Fit door latch must be defective. You then start a campaign to let the world know that all Fit door latches must be of a faulty design so they need to be redesigned and replaced. The dealership is the face of Honda and they gave you a new door latch without big HONDA admitting there is anything wrong. I'd say HONDA made it right with you in their own way without admitting any problems that could really cost them.

What exactly is there to prove or disprove? No impact and no impact damage per photos and insurance assessment report. A neighbor saw the accident (I think I mentioned this) and I talked with this person. There was an opportunity to discuss with both the insurance claim adjuster (who carefully examined the vehicle) and the Honda repair dealership…but didn’t.

But yea, you’re probably right…he had the door wide open driving home. I do that all the time too. Strange how you don’t want to think there could be a problem here. Maybe it was just this door latch, but maybe not. And don’t be a complete idiot...I’m not saying there is no reason. A door latch should have enough tension to resist opening during extreme maneuvers, including the car incurring a momentary zero g environment. But you probably don’t understand that situation.

I have four cars (Chrysler minivan, Ford truck, Toyota Corolla, and the Fit. And my wife says that the Fit door handles are easier to open than any of the other cars. I agree with her assessment.

It's good everyone is okay. But check out this video where they run the fit into an accord. Right to the very end the door stays on even after being crushed and destroyed.

YouTube - IIHS Crash Test Of Honda Accord Versus Honda Fit

To be honest I don't know why the fit scores a poor rating in that crash. The actual passenger compartment held up superbly. I guess the impact forces of hitting a tank (accord) are just too great?



Now here's a car with a faulty door latch...

YouTube - Toyota Camry vs Toyota Yaris - Crash test compatibilità IIHS, Sicurauto.it

Did a million times worse than the Fit. Passenger compartment is completely compromised and the door blew off.



Anyway regardless of what you call the incident it simply is not something a warranty is designed to cover. The damage did not occur durring normal use.

Besides, I've done more J-turns, bootleggers, and 360s with this car than I care to admit and never once has a door flew open.

They definitely open and close very easily compared to anything else I've had (small trucks). I like that. My two year old can open them from the outside (not sure how good that is though). Mine lock automatically as soon as I start moving and unlock when I turn it off so even if they open easily when unlocked there is that safety backup.

The one thing that bothers me about this conversation is that the door opened. Maybe the Kid did something wrong, maybe it was entirely his fault, maybe not... does that part really matter? NO! What Matters is that there was no one in the passenger seat and no way for him to reach across and open it (especially during the accident), yet the door opened. The door should open on two different events, and only two different events: pulling the handle from the inside, and pulling the handle from the outside. (ok, and maybe in a horrific accident VS a Semi - Glad this didn't happen and all are ok). Flexing of the body shouldn't pop the door, or else you'd see half the AutoXers driving around with doors wide open. Since neither of these events seemed to happen (or are even likely possible), there is a problem.

The door itself opened, and no one opened it... THAT... IS a problem that Honda shouldn't be overlooking.

~SB

You don't know what actually happened. I don't know. Non of us do. Dad may not even know what happened. All we know is what the son told his dad and what dad told us.

A teenager being dishonest with his parents about how the car got damaged?
It happens.

The amusing thing here is that our arguments all come out the same: "How can the door open for no reason?!"

Yet the conclusions we draw are far different. I just tend to think that a tall tale is behind it rather than a tale of physics gone awry. Young boys more often do bizarre and unpredictable things than the laws of physics. That's my thought process. :]

A few things just don't add up.

Neighbor saw the accident - Doesn't mean that damage wasn't done before the accident but since there was water from the culvert inside the car, it is likely the door was damaged during the accident. Granted, we don't know what actually happened but if the passenger door did open during the accident, that simply is a problem. No matter what happened, whose at fault, etc... the door shouldn't open without input from the operator.

~SB

Maybe the GF kicked it at the moment he lost control?

I believe this is the position of Honda, based on my discussions with their representative. However, I don’t agree with it, and here’s why.

If the accident resulted in an impact that either smashed the door (and the latch) or resulted in such force that ripped the door off, then no argument. This is not normal use and the door latch is not expected to be covered. Case closed.

But there was no impact. Instead the car encountered mainly up and down forces. Someone mentioned “frame flexing”, but I don’t think this happened. The reason is that there were no frame alignment issues and no other doors opened. Although the passenger door hinges were bent, and the door stop was broken in half, the car door frame was still perfect, including where the hinges mount. No damage was incurred to the undercarriage, no wheel damage and wheel alignment was still fine. No rear or front bumper damage, nothing “popped” off, etc. So, if the car is able to sustain a certain amount of force without damage, shouldn’t the door latch tension is able to handle that? Thus, I feel that it falls within both a warranty issue and safety, with safety being the overriding factor. Granted, I have a new door latch, but no thanks to Honda.

This will most likely be my last post on this subject, but I wanted everyone to know what we experienced. Both with Honda and the Fit.

A few things on this.

First, first hand reports on what happened surrounding a teenager's accident are not exactly reliable. Sure he claims that the door was closed with no warning light, but can a party like Honda trust that? He's unreliable/inexperienced enough to have a single vehicle accident.

Second, hitting water counts as an impact. At any sort of speed, water is "solid" enough to do damage.

Third, you don't have any sort of evidence that the door latch assembly itself was flawed or that it malfunctioned. If the dealer determined that a spring was weak, or a hinge was sticking, then you might have a point. But honda presumably did impact testing with the fit and shouldn't have any reason to believe that their doors just fly open without cause.

Pulling a 180 isn't "normal use". Honda isn't responsible for what happened with your door or latch.

What I see is that you're looking to blame the door latch or the road design while denying that your son is at fault.