NHTSA complaint: 2013 HONDA ACCORD — VISIBILITY:REARVIEW MIRRORS/DEVICES:EXTERIOR
THE DRIVER'S SIDE MIRROR IS DISTORTED CAUSING THE CARS TO APPEAR FURTHER AWAY THAN THEY ACTUALLY ARE. THERE IS A HORIZONTAL LINE THAT CONTRIBUTES TO THE DISTORTION. I HAVE BEEN HAVING A DIFFICULT TIME WITH THIS SINCE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE. IT ALSO MAKES ME DIZZY/HAVE DOUBLE VISION AS I LOOK INTO THE MIRROR AFTER A FEW SECONDS. THIS DISTORTION CAUSED ME TO GET INTO AN ACCIDENT WHERE I WAS CHANGING LANES THINKING THE VEHICLE IN THE LANE LEFT TO ME WAS FURTHER BEHIND ME. BOTH VEHICLES HAD EXTENSIVE DAMAGE AND THE DRIVERS INJURIES. ON SEVERAL OTHER OCCASIONS I HAVE VEHICLES BEEPED AT ME WHEN I AM CHANGING LANES BECAUSE THEY ARE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR IN MY MIRROR. I TOOK THE CAR BACK TO HONDA FOR THE REPAIRS AND THE EMPLOYEE WAS AWARE OF THE DISTORTION THE MIRROR CAUSES. IN FACT, ON THE WAY TO THE DEALERSHIP I ALMOST HAD ANOTHER CRASH, SOMETHING I TOLD THE HONDA REPRESENTATIVE. AS I THINK BACK OF WHEN I TEST DROVE THE VEHICLE BEFORE PURCHASE, THE SALESPERSON TOOK ME ON A ROAD WHERE THERE WERE NO OTHER VEHICLES PASSING BY US SO THAT I COULD REALIZE THE DISTORTION. I CONTACTED HONDA'S MAIN CUSTOMER SERVICE NUMBER AND HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT HONDA DESIGNED THEIR MIRROR THAT WAY SO THAT THE DRIVER HAS A LARGER VIEW OF THE VEHICLES IN THEIR BLIND SPOT. THIS DESIGN IS FLAWED AND CAUSES A DANGEROUS DISTORTION MAKING THE VEHICLES APPEAR FURTHER AWAY AND MAKING THE DRIVER THINK THAT THEY HAVE TIME TO CHANGE LANES.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration — Office of Defects Investigation