2002 Acura RSX Body & Structure Problems

ACURA RSX: RADIATOR AND CONDENSER HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO PROTECTION (GRILL) IN THIS MODEL. THE RSX IS VERY SUSCEPTIBLE TO ROAD DEBRIS DAMAGING THE CONDENSER AND RADIATOR RENDERING THE CAR INOPERATIVE, DUE TO OVERHEATING AND RAPID LOSS OF RADIATOR FLUID. THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. ACURA CONSIDERS THIS AN "ACT OF GOD" AND DOES NOT COVER THIS DAMAGE. MY SENSE IS THAT THIS IS VERY FAULTY MANUFACTURING. THE SERVICE MANAGERS RELATED TO ME THAT THERE HAS BEEN A "NUMBER" OF REPAIRS IN RECENT PAST, AND NOT JUST WITH THIS MODEL. THE NHTSA IS REQUESTED TO FULLY EXPLORE THIS PROBLEM WITH ACURA. *NLM

BUMPER NOT FLUSHED NOR ALIGNED, UNLIKE THE LEFT REAR END. BUMPER PAINT FAILING DUE TO IMPROPER MOUNTING OF THE REAR BUMPER. AS A RESULT, BUMPER RUBS AGAINST THE REAR SIGNAL LIGHTS CAUSING THE PAINT TO FALL/CHIP.*AK

REAR BUMPER COVER FALLING OFF. THE REAR OF THE CAR HAS A LARGE PLASTIC COVER THAT EXTENDS THE WIDTH OF THE CAR AND COVERS THE BUMPER FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE CAR TO THE BOTTOM OF THE TAILLIGHTS. THE TOP OF THIS COVER IS HELD IN PLACE BY A SERIES OF CLIPS THAT ARE PART OF TWO METAL STRIPS BOLTED TO THE CAR. THESE CLIPS ENGAGE SET POINTS ALONG THE BUMPER COVER. THE CLIPS, PARTICULARLY THOSE DIRECTLY BELOW THE TAILLIGHTS, DO NOT PROPERLY HOLD THE BUMPER COVER. IT DISCONNECTS FROM THESE CLIPS, SAGS BACKWARD AND DOWN FROM THE CAR AND CAUSES THE TOP OF THE BUMPER COVER TO VIBRATE AGAINST THE TAILLIGHTS, REMOVING PAINT AND PLASTIC FROM THIS AREA. THOUGH UPON FAILURE THE BUMPER COVER IT STILL ATTACHED TO THE CAR ALONG THE BOTTOM OF THE COVER, IT MAY BE POSSIBLE THAT IF ENOUGH TIME PASSES AND SAG IS CREATED, THE BUMPER COULD FALL AWAY FROM THE CAR SINCE IT WOULD NOT BE ATTACHED ALONG THE TOP. THIS COULD CREATE A SAFETY ISSUE FOR THE CARS FOLLOWING AN RSX IN SUCH A FAILURE. WE PURCHASED OUR RSX IN JULY OF 2001. SINCE THEN BUMPER ISSUES HAVE BEEN ON GOING, HAVING REPEATEDLY DISENGAGED IN THE METHOD DESCRIBED. IT HAS BEEN RETURNED TO AN ACURA DEALER (WIER CANYON ACURA) EACH TIME. IN JULY WE CONTACTED ACURA CLIENT SERVICES. I WROTE ABOUT THIS INFORMATION TO JASON COX VIA FAX, DISCUSSED IT VIA PHONE AND ON JULY 12, 2002 SENT A LETTER TO MR. KOICHI AMENIWA, PRESIDENT AMERICAN HONDA MOTORS COMPANY. I ALSO SET UP A WEB SITE WITH PICTURES OF THE CAR AND ITS FAILURES AT HTTP://RSX.OBRIENS.NET SO HONDA AMERICA COULD SEE THE PROBLEMS. THEY SEEM DISINTERESTED AT BEST.*AK

*OPEN BODY SEAM AT DRIVERS A-PILLAR. I REPORTED THIS PROBLEM TWICE AS SUSPENSION NOISE WHICH I THOUGH WAS THE PROBLEM; DEALER FOUND NO PROBLEM WITH THE SUSPENSION. A FEW MONTHS WENT BY AND I REALIZED THE NOISE WAS COMING FROM THE DRIVER SIDE SPECIALLY WHEN TURNING WHEELS ALL THE WAY TO THE LEFT. DEALER KEPT THE CAR FROM 2/12/04 UNTIL 2/28/04... BODY SEAM WAS REWELDED BY AN INDEPENDENT BODY SHOP. NOW I GET METAL CLICKING NOISE WHEN GOING OVER BUMPS. I DON'T FEEL SAFE DRIVING THIS CAR AFTER ALL AND I GET FRUSTRATE EVERYTIME I HEAR NOISES IN THE FRON END.*AK

THE RSX IS A BRAND NEW CAR THAT HAS ONLY BEEN ON THE MARKET FOR ABOUT SIX WEEKS. THE CAR HAS A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY PROBLEM WHEN DRIVEN BY SMALLER ADULTS. BASICALLY, SMALLER ADULTS CAN NOT SEE EFFECTIVELY OUT OF THE CAR. I WILL FAX A LETTER THAT I HAVE WRITTEN TO THE PRESIDENT OF AMERICAN HONDA MOTORS WITH THIS FORM. I SINCERELY BELIEVE THAT IT IS JUST A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE SOME DRIVERS OF THE CAR ARE INVOLVED IN CRASHES BECAUSE THEY SIMPLY CAN NOT SEE OUT.*AK CONSUMER STATES BECAUSE THE SEAT IS SO WIDE AND TALL, ALL SHE CAN SEE IS THE SUPPORT BEAM BETWEEN THT WO WINDOWS WHEN LOOKING LEFT, THE ONLY WAY SHE CAN SEE OUT THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE CAR IS TO POSITION THE PASSENGER SEAT IN THE FULL FORWARD POSITION AND THEN TILT THE SEAT BACK FORWARD SLIGHTLY. *SLC *TR