1991 Honda Accord: doors won't lock, open or latch

Filed Jan 7, 2008 · Locks · CA

Driver side door will not open from inside or outside. I had to exit car over the console on passenger side. Afraid to be trapped in car during accident or fire in car.

Filed Dec 2, 2005 · Seat belts · 187,699 miles · KY

The passive (motorized) seat belt in my car will not retract/operate. According to the honda vehicle warranty manual, it is covered under a lifetime warranty. Honda refuses to repair/replace my seat belt assembly. The exact statement from the warranty manual: "this warranty continues for the useful life of the car." "honda will repair or replace, at it's option, any honda seat belt assembly that fails to function properly during normal use. This includes all parts and labor charges." my local honda dealership service department told me that the door latch switch (a switch in the door that signals the computer that the door is closed, then retracts the shoulder belt) was bad and is not covered under warranty, only the belt and buckle were. I showed them this lifetime warranty that states that honda will repair/replace a seat belt assembly (could be anything that pertains to this type of seat belt design, warranty manual is not specific) that fails to function (it doesn't retract over occupant's shoulder when door is closed). Neither honda nor the dealership could show something in writing what the exact parts of a seat belt "assembly" are in this type of restraint system. This vehicle cannot be safely or legally driven until it is repaired.

Filed Nov 18, 2003 · Locks · MA

One day I went to get out of my car and the door just would not open. I had to crawl out of the passenger side. The door will not open with the key, and it cannot be opened from the inside or outside. The cost of replacing the latch is approximately $700. One would think that honda would recall this problem, considering it's such a safety hazard. All it would take is one crash to the passenger side and I would be trapped in my vehicle!

Filed Aug 1, 2003 · Locks · 200,000 miles · TX

Both driver/passenger side door locking system has failed, making doors inoperative.

Filed Apr 17, 2003 · Locks · CO

The vehicle doors jammed and the door handles broke. The dealer has been contacted.

Filed Mar 20, 2003 · Locks · CA

Consumer attempted to get out of driver door and the door would not open. She had to climb over the console and go out passenger side. When she went around to open the door from the outside she found the door would not open. She went to the honda dealer who told her this was a universal problem with this year and model and gave her a print out of how to fix the door, which is quite complex, but would save her $600.00 to do the work herself. She had 2 small children in the their car seats in the back and this could be a very deadly situation should she have an accident or fire and need to exit the car or get access to her children immediately.

Filed Jul 24, 2002 · Body · CA

Driver's side automatic key locking device w/button on door failed. Would not allow driver to exit. Button would go up and down when trying to exit. *ak dealer replaced front door lock.

Filed Jan 17, 2002 · Locks · GA

Drivers side door suddenly locked closed, an internal component inside the door is broken. The door will not open from the interior or the exterior. Should there be a collision on the passenger side, the driver will be locked in.

Filed Jul 10, 2001 · Body · CA

Door locks are automatically operating properly except that you can not open the door on driver side. Obviously, the power lock on this side is also operating fine. I believe that the hook at the door lock was not able to release. This will cause safety problem seriously.

Filed May 24, 2001 · Body · IL

Drivers door handle breaks, cant open door from inside of car. I know of 3 other people this has happened to.

Filed Nov 16, 2000 · Locks · CA

Driver's-side door latch just failed and the door was jammed shut. This is the only case of a door latch just failing in any vehicle that I or any of my family/friends have ever owned. This cost over $700 to repair (since the door was jammed shut)and although honda has unofficial documents about the drilling (from the inside) procedure to release the jammed latch, they have no official document relating to this. When I contacted the local dealership, and subsequently the regional service manager, I was basically told "sorry, your car is past the warranty" - end of story. From the reports I have seen on this web site and in talking with a local honda mechanic, it turns out that there have been numerous failures of this type. This leads me to believe that the original door latch design is defective, since I have never owned any car (of any age) or even heard of a car (besides the accord reports I got from this web site and the local honda mechanic) where the door latch just failed. I believe that this represents a major safety hazard, since if the latch mechanism is prone to failure without any outside influence, then that mechanism will be much more likely to fail in the event of a crash, jamming the driver's side door shut and preventing easy exit from the vehicle. I believe that the honda corporation should be compelled to correct this deficiency by replacing the faulty door latch mechanisms, or at least offering to compensate those individuals who have had to spend what I believe to be an inordinate sum of money to repair a manufacturing defect. It has taken me nearly a year to get around to writing this, and I would be willing to bet that for each person who files a complaint with the federal safety agency there are hundreds more who don't know about your agency or don't have the time to file a report. Thank you.

Filed May 9, 2000 · Locks · DE

When attempting to exit from vehicle driver's side door lock would not unlatch, causing the occupant to be locked inside the vehicle. Consumer has contacted the dealer, dealer noted that lock has disintegrated, causing the problem. *ak the door latch malfunctioned spontaneously.