1. on March 21, 2009, I had been driving the car for 10 minutes with the seat heater on. I have used the seat heater frequently on cold days for the past five years. 2. I smelled burning fabric, pulled off the road to check origins of the odor and discovered a hole the size of a dime burnt in the center of the driver's set backrest, which is where the seat heater is located. I also discovered a similar hole in my jacket. I turned off the seat heater. 3. on March 23 I reported the incident to the local dealer where the car was purchased and to Acura corporate customer service. The dealer told me there was nothing he could do because I was off warranty, but he would replace the heater and repair leather for $1050. I asked him if he had investigated the cause of the fire: Did the fuse fail" was the heating element faulty" the dealer was not interested in the cause. 4. I wrote a detailed letter to the dealer and Acura corporate customer service, describing what happened and my concern for the safety of other unaware Acura drivers. The phone response I received from Acura corporate would not respond to me regarding the safety issue. They said they had no legal responsibility for what happened because my warranty had expired.

- Vienna, VA, USA