Almost Lost My Cat To A Leaking 2021 Honda Accord

DEAR SUZANNE

By Suzanne Henderson
LETTER 167 – From Cat Owner

Dear Suzanne,

You may have heard the quote “I do not speak of my own accord”. Well, I’m starting to understand why that is, because my Honda Accord is hardly worth mentioning unless we’re talking about car issues. It’s a 2021 model that I purchased certified pre-owned last year. 

At the time I bought it, the car had 25,000 miles on it although that’s up to 50,891 miles now. The issue with my car is that it leaks coolant fluid which sometimes looks yellow and other times green. Considering how difficult it is to trace the source of a coolant leak, this problem has persisted over the past 6 to 7 months. To compound matters, the Honda dealership I went to for repairs has not been much help. 

Dealership Incompetence

They claim they can’t find anything wrong even though it’s quite obvious. If they said they couldn’t trace the leak, that would be somewhat believable, but denying the leak at all is just plain ridiculous. They are adamant that putting the car on a rack to inspect it properly isn’t worth it, claiming it would cost too much money without knowing for sure there’s an issue. 

I don’t understand this because I have proof of the coolant leaking. Each time I noticed fluid on my garage floor, I took a picture of it. I did this mainly because I didn’t want to give the dealership a chance to deny it but they still ignored it. They basically left me alone to handle my car troubles as if they weren’t the ones that sold me a defective vehicle. 

I’ve had to deal with this car problem for the past 6 months or so. When I first noticed the leak, I thought it would be a simple fix. Little did I know it would cause so many complications that could have otherwise been avoided. 

The issue turned into a crisis one day when I woke up to find my cat sprawled on my garage floor next to coolant fluid that had leaked all over the floor. I didn’t even bother trying to figure out how my cat found its way into the garage, or why she decided to lick up the fluid. I was more concerned with getting medical attention for her before it was too late. 

I rushed my cat to the vet, but I couldn’t stop wondering why my pet wanted a taste of the fluid. It wasn’t until I got to the clinic that the vet said cats, dogs, and other household pets like the sweet smell and taste of coolant fluid even though it is very harmful to them. She then said if I had delayed a little bit more it would have been too late. She was so calm that I had to ask how she kept her cool and she said it wasn’t her first rodeo with animals ingesting coolant fluid. 

Fortunately, after treating my cat Abbie, she was okay albeit a little weak. Since then, I’ve tried to keep my pets and other animals from accessing my garage so the same situation won’t repeat itself, but I’d really love it if my Accord wasn’t leaking all over my garage.

Overheating Too!

If that wasn’t enough, my car was also overheating regularly. I’ll be driving on the freeway and notice steam coming from my car hood. I have to make sure to top up the coolant fluid on a regular basis in order to avoid overheating the engine, and to be honest it’s becoming a bit much. 

All I want is to be done with these issues for good. I still believe it’s a simple issue that can be resolved if the dealership would take it seriously. At this point I’d rather ditch the car than continue this cycle of encountering issues and being ignored. If you have a way out of this dilemma, I would appreciate it. 

Cat Owner

Your Dealership Doesn’t Care About You Or Your 2021 Honda Accord

Dear Cat Owner, 

I’m sorry you had to go through that, and thankfully it worked out in the end. I hope your cat is fully recovered and back to its playful self again. Good on you for taking responsibility and taking measures to keep her out of the garage until your car problem is solved.

Based on everything you’ve said, you likely qualify for the lemon law. The requirements you must meet can be any one of the following: 

• You must have at least two visits to the dealership for the same issue. 
• If you are having problems regarding different issues, then you must have at least three or more repair attempts. 
• If your car has been at the dealership for over a month, you also qualify. 

Note that these visits count as long as they occurred while you’re still under the original warranty. Seeing as you have taken your car twice already for this, you probably already qualify for the lemon law. 

How Lemon Law Works

The lemon law allows you to hold the manufacturer accountable for selling you a defective vehicle. As a result, you’re able to get rid of your lemon and get some compensation for your troubles. You have access to a couple different options – the buyback or the cash and keep. 

Buyback

The first option called the buyback is where the automakers repurchase the car from you and refund all the money you have spent on your vehicle. With this, you have to return the car to Honda and they’ll reimburse you for every payment made. This includes down payment, monthly payments, and even taxes and interest. 

In addition to this, if you had to pay any extra expenses due to your car defects such as Uber fees, towing fees, etc., you also get reimbursed for that. If you took out a loan on the car, the manufacturer has to pay that off to the finance company on your behalf. Your attorney can also argue for money considering the inconveniences you had to endure with the vehicle. 

However, the manufacturer also retains the right to deduct an amount from the settlement known as the mileage offset. In simple terms, this means Honda has the right to charge you for the period you drove the car without any issues. To do this, they base it on the mileage you were at during your first visit. Thankfully your attorney can have this waived in half or in full. 

Cash and Keep

The second option is the cash and keep and it involves you receiving some money as compensation. Here, you don’t have to return the car to the automakers and the warranty on the car remains valid. Also, if you wish to sell the car later on, you can do so without tagging it as a lemon to the next owner. 

The amount you would get as compensation depends on a variety of factors. These include the number of issues you had, how severe they were, and how long your car stayed at the repair shop as a result. Usually, the more visits you had, the stronger your case, and the more money in your pocket as well. 

In addition to the above options, there is another form of compensation, even though it’s not as popular as the others. Here, the manufacturer offers to replace your car with another one with similar mileage, price, and model. This option is known as the replacement offer. The major problem with this option is that the vehicle you get as a replacement may also end up having issues as serious, if not more serious as the one you have now. 

Since you purchased your vehicle in the state of California, your attorney will take your case on full contingency. This means you won’t be charged any attorney fees. Instead, Honda pays your legal costs, so you don’t have to worry about sharing your settlement with anyone.

If you have any other questions your attorney should be able to advise you. I hope you’re able to get out of your leaky lemon and into a reliable ride. Best of luck!

Suzanne

Featured Image: 2021 Honda Accord ©Chanokchon (CC Attribution Share-Alike 4.0 license)

Free Legal Advice About Your 2021 Honda Accord Lemon Law Claim

Dear reader, are your vehicle problems ruining your life? Confused about what legal route to take? We’re here to help! Find information about California’s lemon law protections here, fill out the form on this page, or give us a call at (323) 553-7525 to discuss your situation with someone who understands how frustrating it can be to have a lemon car, and what to do about it.

DEAR SUZANNE is a weekly column written by Suzanne Henderson and published in LemonLawyers.ORG. If you have a defective lemon vehicle and have questions about CA Lemon Lawyer or how to file a claim in California, please write to help@lemonlawyers.org. While not guaranteed, we will try to feature your letter in this column to provide you the answers you need, as well as enlighten other consumers who may have lemon problems similar to yours.

Disclaimer: Suzanne Henderson is not a lawyer and the points discussed here are intended for general information and reference purposes only and not to be construed as legal advice. Please consult a California Lemon Law Attorney to get proper legal advice about your lemon law claim.

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